Describes a national telephone survey of 60 community college faculty members to determine differences in opinions about the impact of microcomputers among transfer, vocational, and developmental instructors. Concludes that faculty members in all disciplines agree on the value of the use of microcomputers in the classroom. (DMM)

This discussion of the use of microcomputers by mentally handicapped learners focuses on software availability and selection. Criteria for evaluating software are given, including considerations of visual display, reading level, program design, drill and practice opportunities, positive reinforcement, format variety, graphics, instructional…

Discusses the findings of four studies that examined the use of microcomputers in special education classrooms. Surveys, interviews, and observations were used to discover software currently in use with handicapped learners, the instructional design limitations of software, and the potential impact of computer-assisted instruction on handicapped…

Reports the results of a survey of library schools that examined the current use of microcomputers and computer-assisted instruction in the teaching of online searching. The need for a methodology to test the effectiveness of these instructional methods is discussed. (9 references) (CLB)

Indicates that use of two microcomputer word recognition programs led to substantial increases in word recognition/decoding skills and to substantial improvements in comprehension at the word and proposition/sentence level, but to no improvement at the passage level. (NKA)

This annotated bibliograhy contains 61 entries on computer-related topics such as microcomputer software, LOGO, and computer-assisted instruction. (NH)

Discusses educational applications of desktop publishing at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. Topics discussed include page design capabilities; hardware requirements; software; the production of school newsletters and newspapers; cost factors; writing improvement; university departmental publications; and college book publishing. A…

Discussion of need for improved mathematics education of preservice teachers focuses on a model program, the Mathematics Fitness Project, that includes a computer-generated testing system, management system, and remediation system. Use of the system to improve mathematics skills and attitudes of college students and post high school adults is…

The Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) program uses microcomputers to help high risk students master basic thinking processes, grasp course content, and apply learned information in various problem-solving situations. Specifically, HOTS aids students with metacognition, inference from context, and generalization skills. It also improves…

Research on computers in schools is reviewed. The findings include the following: (1) 53 percent of schools have computers; (2) restructuring classroom schedules and revising inservice programs would expand computer use; (3) software packages should allow for individual differences; (4) publishers are coordinating software with curriculum; and (5)…

This study was conducted to test three hypotheses: that moderate levels of external pacing of a microcomputer instructional program would result in more effective learning; that moderate levels of external pacing would improve learning time efficiency; and that lower achievers may have to be forced into further instruction. (MBR)

Study of algebra students' response to availability of optional interactive computer graphing lessons analyzed responses of both users and non-users. Information sought included number of lessons completed, students' opinions of value and difficulty of lessons, whether students felt threatened by computer use, and relationship of gender and age to…

Describes and compares 12 microcomputer-based authority languages and systems that are being marketed to elementary and secondary school teachers to assist them in developing their own courseware for computer-assisted instruction. Evaluation criteria are reviewed, and future development and research needs are discussed. (Author/LRW)

Describes a framework for the construction of computer-aided learning programs and for the BBC microcomputer which has been used successfully as the basis of a set of genetics teaching programs called "Linkage." Includes program design principles and procedures. (ML)

Surveys the present status of science instructional software in the United States. Describes project efforts at the University of Pittsburgh on the development of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Explains the major components and provides microworld examples of ITS. Includes the software evaluation instrument and summarizes the evaluation…