The roles of teachers and students are changing, and there are undoubtedly ways of learning not yet discovered. However, the computer and software technology may provide a significant role to identify the problems, to present solutions and life-long learning. It is clear that the computer based educational technology has reached the point where…

The comprehension of interdependent complex systems, which is part of state and national standards, is an enormous challenge for learners. In traditional physiology teaching materials, which structure the human body into decoupled subsystems (e.g., respiratory and cardiovascular) isolated in separate chapters, there is a ubiquitous absence of…

In this paper we report on the sustained research and development work at the AMSTEL Institute of the University of Amsterdam to improve mathematics and science education at primary and secondary school level, which has lead amongst other things to the development of the integrated computer working environment Coach 6. This environment consists of…

Some commercially available software tools that have potential applications in the analytical chemistry curriculum are surveyed and evaluated. Tools for instruction, analysis and research, and courseware development are described. A list of the software packages, the compatible hardware, and the vendor's address is included. (KR)

Announces the winners of an annual software contest for innovative software in physics education. Winning entries include an application to help students visualize the origin of energy bands in a solid, a package on the radioastronomy of pulsars, and a school-level science simulation program. Also includes student winners, honorable mentions,…

Computer-based instruction could have considerable impact on improving the quality of science education. Simulations and interactive problems provide a means for students to explore scientific concepts and experiment without the expense or hazard of using actual materials. This paper focuses on the instructional design process as it relates to the…

Described is the use of computer software, with and without guiding text, for a simulation that presents processes related to electric charges and electric forces underlying the electric-pendulum phenomenon. Included are methods for integrating this simulation with actual middle-school science class demonstration. (JJK)

Explorer is an interactive environment based on a constructivist epistemology of learning that integrates animated computer models with analytic capabilities for learning science. The system includes graphs, a spreadsheet, scripting, and interactive tools. Two examples involving the dynamics of colliding objects and electric circuits illustrate…

Describes the effects of one computer program used in a nonmajors biology course to provide a model for implementing and validating the use of software programs that incorporate tutorials with laboratory simulations. (Contains 27 references.) (MDH)

This paper presents the results of three years of development and evaluation of a CD-ROM/Web hybrid simulation known as Brownfield Action for an introductory environmental science course at an independent college for women in the northeastern United States. Brownfield Action is a simulation that provides a learning environment for developing the…

Building and evaluating artifacts specifically for K-12 education, technologists committed to design sciences are needed along with an approach to evaluation increasing the systemic transfer from research and development into school settings. The authors describe THE VIRTUAL LAB scanning electronic microscope simulation, including (a) its…