This paper presents a four-component instructional design model for the training of complex cognitive skills. In the analysis phase, each skill is broken down into a set of recurrent skills that remain highly consistent over various problem situations, and a set of non-recurrent skills that require variable performance over different situations.…

A theoretical model specifying the underlying knowledge and procedures whereby human subjects can generate effective initial descriptions of scientific problems was formulated. The model is prescriptive since it does not necessarily try to simulate the behavior of actual experts nor assume that their performance is optimal. The model, elaborated…

Needs assessment is a young and growing field. Needs assessments contribute to effective educational planning and help educators improve services to students. Needs assessment can be used to identify goals and objectives, but probably has the most utility as a problem-focusing strategy that includes the following sequence: (1) identification of…

This report summarizes research on experienced programmers' comprehension of computer programs that was carried out over a three-year contract period (1982-85). Following an extensive review of the programming skill literature, an analysis of programs based on the multiple abstractions (points-of-view) that characterize program text and design was…

Research offers important suggestions concerning science curriculum design, and real-time data collection technology offers great opportunities. This paper discusses how recent increases in understanding the nature of the learner and the process of instruction combined with recent advances in technology might lead to improved science instruction.…

The literature on instructional design argues that curricula, educational materials, and instructional strategies are best created using a systems approach, and models for the systematic design of educational programs have proliferated over the past decade. However, these models are prescriptive and not based on research into how designers…

Eight papers are presented in this document, the first of two volumes of papers commissioned for the Foundations development project. The project was designed to examine curricular modifications for deaf students entering the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and to examine career development (personal, social, and intellectual…

Part one of the model has two components in needs assessment evaluation with information for management planning decisions. Part two has six sequenced components of input evaluation, which provide information for management organization decisions; process evaluation, for management control decisions; and output evaluation, for communication…

A new system of order analysis, developed by Takeya and called Item Relations Structure Analysis (IRSA), was described and used for examining the structural relations among a set of 24 items on the addition and subtraction of fractions. A diagraph showing 16 chains of items that had discernibly common features was generated by this method, and…

A work-scheduling model for Corrections Officers at State Correctional Institutions is described. This is a real-life model that was developed to deal with a problem of unacceptably large expenditures for overtime work by state prison guards. The problem involves more than 200 constraints and more than 800 variables. It is felt the model can be…

The learning of word problems in mathematics is viewed as particularly difficult. The first paper in this report takes into consideration the semantic aspects of problems, by viewing the difficulties that children have solving two-step multiplication problems. An initial study was carried out with 36 children between the ages of nine and fourteen…

Background, principles, and procedures of industrial design are presented in this student manual. Chapter I describes the emergence of industrial design as a profession and emphasizes specific designers and their contributions to the field. A twenty question objective test is included. Chapter II presents ten principles of well-designed products.…

The philosophy and assumptions of the Multi-Attribute Utility-Bayesian Decision Theoretic model (MAUT-Bayesian model) are presented. The evaluator uses the MAUT-Bayesian model along with the knowledge of the decision-maker's, and perhaps the evaluator's own values to decide what data should be collected. Appropriate data are presented to the…

About 25 children in each of grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 were tested in their ability to solve linear syllogisms, such as: John is taller than Mary. Mary is taller than Pete. Who is tallest--John, Mary, or Pete? Response latencies and error rates decreased across grade levels and sessions. Component latencies also generally decreased with increasing…

The paper describes the rationale and development of a social learning curriculum for secondary level educable mentally retarded (EMR) students. Chapter I provides an historical perspective with a review of research covering such areas as the effectiveness of vocational programs, the employment potential of the mentally retarded, and work…