During the 1987 Agricultural Field Day at California Polytechnic Institute in Pomona, an experimental computer applications contest was offered to Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters in California. The contest consisted of two classes of competition: a demonstration or presentation of a computer topic and a written test on general…

As the first step in a district energy conservation program, the Blair (Nebraska) Community School District installed a load programmer in 1980 to control power usage in the 144,000 square foot junior-senior high school. The cost of the load programmer was less that $8,500, including installation, and during the initial year of operation, the…

This paper describes an approach to faculty timetabling and course scheduling that uses computerized linear programming. After reviewing the literature on linear programming, the paper discusses the process whereby a timetable was created for a department at the University of New Brunswick. Faculty were surveyed with respect to course offerings…

This paper, which addresses the issue of representation as an internal construct corresponding to an external abstract configuration, attempts to extend A. A. DiSessa's phenomenological primitives to mathematics (particularly to the notion of circle). Various acceptations of the word representation are examined, using the notion of a circle as an…

This document reviews problems associated with computer assisted instruction (CAI) in secondary level physics programs. Major problems are listed as availability, transportability, and validity. Programs for effective use of CAI are reviewed, future research in CAI is suggested, an extensive review of CAI research is provided, and a detailed list…

NextStep is an IBM compatible, computer-assisted learning system to help users explore and reality test their tentative career plans and bring their career decision to a more real and community-oriented level. The NextStep system assumes that the user is literate and has at least one tentative occupational goal. The system is based on a…

The nonparametric approach to test theory discussed here has its roots in the early work of Guttman, Lazarsfeld, and Meredith; and more recently in the work of Cliff and in Tatsuoka and Tatsuoka. Mokken's extensive treatment of this subject concentrated on defining, constructing, and testing unidimensional scales, based on responses to dichotomous…

A "Xenograde system" is an imaginary science system. As an imaginary science, it contains a set of concepts and principles which mimic many of the concepts and principles found in physics and other physical sciences. Xenograde is a highly complex closed system which simulates the movement of satellites orbiting a nucleus and some small particles…

Ways in which microcomputers can be used in cooperative vocational education programs in secondary schools are presented. It is stated that the future of cooperative education depends on its ability to be accountable for the time that students spend outside of the classroom and that the microcomputer can be an effective tool in meeting this need.…

This document contains six lessons for a class on using computer spreadsheets. Each lesson contains an objective, terminology, and directions for step-by-step completion of the lesson activites. Worksheets are included for teachers to replicate and hand out or to use as overhead transparencies. The lessons cover the following concepts:…

A study was conducted to determine microcomputer hardware, software, and inservice components of secondary marketing education programs. A questionnaire was developed and sent to 420 teacher-coordinators in 42 states. A total of 225 (54 percent) usable returns were tabulated at the University of Wisconsin-Stout Computer Center. Results of the…

A study was made to explore how a time sharing computer system can help the coach of high school sports. A structural analysis determined that the computer's capability to process information helps the coach: (1) store large quantities of information; (2) perform numerous operations in a very short amount of time; (3) provides consistent accuracy…

The Body Awareness Resource Network (BARN) is a system of interactive computer programs designed to provide adolescents with confidential, nonjudgmental health information, behavior change strategies, and sources of referral. These programs cover five adolescent health areas: alcohol and other drugs, human sexuality, smoking prevention and…

The mStar environment for distributed education utilizes the World Wide Web and IP-multicast to enable teacher-student collaboration over large geographic distances. Several educational projects, spanning secondary school courses to company internal training have deployed the mStar environment. This paper reports on experiences gained over a year…

The feasibility of the administration, scoring, and reporting of an on-line concept mapping system has been studied in collective research in which concept map construction systems were designed to allow students individually and collaboratively to construct concept maps on the computer to measure content understanding and collaboration. The study…