This handbook discusses the use of distance education for teacher training and examines the case for and against distance teaching; its organization; the development, production, and distribution of distance-teaching materials; tutoring and counseling; and the monitoring and evaluation of finance and resources. Distance teaching is defined as the…

A model for the development of elementary and secondary instructional materials covering the broad range of intellectual skills is presented. The document is a result of a search to identify and evaluate existing instructional materials, classification schemes, models, hierarchies, and taxonomies of cognition. It is presented in four sections.…

A model is presented which is designed to help curriculum developers prepare written pupil curriculum materials in the social studies. Helpful to teachers in presenting complex ideas from the social sciences in a direct and simple manner, the model consists of four major steps. Step I discusses the selection of major ideas and ways of placing them…

Describes examples of outstanding videodiscs, summarizes evidence on effectiveness of videodisc as a teaching tool, and discusses factors associated with design of effective videodisc for instruction. Such factors include interactivity, visual design, organization, active participation, metaphors and models, personality, and a team approach. (MBR)

Provides a framework for understanding the concept of validity and how it applies to simulation research. Extant tests of validity are discussed in terms of this framework, and a general schema for testing validity is proposed. (MBR)

This paper reports on research that used the development of interactive multimedia learning environments as a device to allow faculty to explore principles of the Learning Paradigm. The following pedagogical feature set of this technology that resonated with faculty and that can foster transition to the Learning Paradigm is presented: (1)…

This paper is a case study of Longfellow Elementary, a K-8 school in San Diego (California) that is using the concepts of information architecture to develop its Web site. The site is intended to be a virtual meeting place for all of the school's constituents: parents, teachers, students, and the community at large. The site is a dynamic, ongoing…

Project BORN FREE (acronym for build options, reasess norms, and free roles through educational equity) was developed at the University of Minnesota to help educators and parents reduce career-related sex-role stereotyping from elementary to higher education. The authors describe program components and the multimedia training materials developed.…

Discusses teachers' use of authoring programs to design their own computer-assisted instructional materials that may include text, graphics, video, and sound. The Instructional Theory Into Practice Model is described that includes five components: anticipatory set, instruction, guided practice, closure, and independent practice. (LRW)

Discusses the process of designing a series of case-based interactive videodiscs to be used within a constructivist learning environment for elementary school science. Topics include assumptions about learners and learning; implications for learning materials; and implications for the instructional design process, including process-based versus…

Describes Australian Catholic University's indigenous education program that was developed to serve the education needs of mature-aged Aboriginal people, particularly to train teachers and assistants. Topics include course delivery, a model for supported learning using information technology, user characteristics;, interactivity, organizational…

Describes a method for isolating factors that influence the ability of a reader to comprehend the message of an illustration, and explains a model that is constructed from these factors to highlight potential problem stages in an author's design of an illustration. The model is based on data from comprehension trials with college students. (17…

Presents a model compiled from discussions of geographers with competitively funded grants about translating and developing geographic ideas. Describes a process in which geographers seek input, develop objectives, and choose an approach for explanation and a medium for delivery. Discusses format, staff, communication, funding proposals, and…

Explains why metaphors are important design elements in multimedia learning environments. Describes a model developed for levels of metaphor mapping which is oriented toward a cognitive engineering approach for describing aspects of user interfaces. Shows the extent that the didactic dimensions of width and depth of metaphors be taken into account…

This paper, from the UK group in the STTIS (Science Teacher Training in an Information Society) project, describes research into the nature of teachers' transformations of computer modeling, and the development of related teacher training materials. Eight teacher case studies help to identify factors that favor or hinder the take-up of innovative…