Describes a study that examined the effects of various computer reinforcement responses, including graphics and/or sound, on students' attentiveness to the program. Implications for educational software design are discussed. (CLB)

Describes a microcomputer-based software package, Online Search Tutor (OST), which is designed to teach users online bibliographic searching. Modeled on software previously developed for the European Space Agency Information Retrieval Services (ESA-IRS), OST includes a database of 600 bibliographic records which will simulate actual search…

Summarizes what has been learned, thoughts regarding mistakes that have been made, and recommendations for addressing future questions, regarding the role of computers in the educational process. Reviews the research on computer based instruction. States that findings are inconclusive and often contradicting. Recommends that different evaluation…

Description of Atenea, the Spanish National Project for Computers in Education, focuses on the use of computer simulation and modeling in elementary and secondary education. Highlights include system dynamics, training courses for teachers, a microcomputer-based software package called System Dynamics Simulator for Education (SDSE), and a list of…

Microcomputer simulations in evaluation research are useful for (1) improving student understanding of research principles and analytic techniques; (2) investigating problems arising in research implementations; and (3) exploring the accuracy and utility of novel analytic techniques. This article describes these simulation uses for the context of…

Highlights the advantages of word processors and spelling checkers in improving student writing skills. Explains how spelling checkers work and describes the types of available checkers. Also provides lists of Apple, IBM, and Commodore word processors and checkers. (ML)

A microcomputer-based instruction delivery system for elementary schools is recommended as a way to reduce class size at little increased cost, to increase contact time with students, to reduce idle time, and to develop information on individual student progress and problems. (Author/MT)

Presents two lessons focusing on (1) spreadsheet design and (2) editing and printing spreadsheets. Materials provided include a list of functions for which students need to learn the commands, suggestions for presenting the lesson, three spreadsheet story problems, student exercises in editing, and two reference sheets for AppleWorks. (LRW)

For handicapped children the computer is a uniquely valuable tool. The increasing availability of assistive devices is opening up the magical world of computer technology to more and more handicapped children. (LHW)

Language arts skills and writing projects can be combined with activities that teach the fundamentals of word processing to improve the language arts curriculum. Suggested lessons cover five writing and editing operations common to most word processing software. (DF)

Applications to computer-assisted instruction, in which students are led through heuristic processes, are discussed. A greater impact can be expected on America's prose from word-processing software and from the use of the microcomputer as an instrument for writing rather than for the teaching of writing. (MLW)

The fastest growing segment of the higher education market for computing lies in the area of instruction. With the next generation of high-performance, low-cost work-stations coming online, software becomes the key to success. Software for instruction has been the most difficult for vendors to deal with. (MLW)

For educational technology to improve higher education, two things must happen: (1) faculty must learn to consider educational technology in terms of their own teaching style, making adaptations as necessary, and (2) organizational traditions must come to accommodate educational technologies, and vice versa. (MLW)

Discusses uses of microcomputers as: a tutor (drill and practice, course review, and others); a tool (drawing, statistical analyses, word processing, and others); and a tutee. Also addresses major problems and issues in science education, noting how microcomputers may help in resolving the problems. Problems and issues include teaching science in…

Maintains that the electronic learning revolution envisioned by Kupisiewicz and White (Prospects v14 n1, 1984) will fail for many of the same reasons the educational television (ETV) revolution failed. Reviews ETV research and concludes that we are doomed to repeat the past if we fail to confront the gap between our assumptions and available…