This paper describes lessons in beginning reading, developed by the PLATO Elementary Reading Curriculum Project (PERC), for use with first graders. The lessons were developed to reflect a number of specific principles, including: (1) all responses should be meaningful; (2) remedial feedback should be kept to a minimum; (3) students must always be…

Technical writing instructors at Drexel University (Pennsylvania) use computers to excite students about something they usually regard as a chore. Most of the students are engineering majors, but do not necessarily know how to use a computer. However, they accept the necessity of following a logical set of commands, and that every program must be…

This paper discusses the potential for the use of microcomputers as an aid in the teaching of statistics, and reviews five of the approaches that have been taken: (1) CAI question and answer dialogs; (2) statistics as a tool in the teaching of a computer language; (3) the computer as a computational tool; (4) computer generated tests and homework;…

A technique for Latin instruction has been developed which uses the Programmed Learning for Automated Teaching (PLATO) computer system. The program, which conjugates Latin verbs and declines nouns and adjectives, represents an improvement over traditional computer teachers. While older systems only told the student when he made an error, the PLATO…

Two types of programed instruction sequences (inquiry and tutorial) were used on the PLATO system to teach electrical network analysis (EE 322, University of Illinois). Two groups of students were selected to use each of the two types of instruction. Both of the instruction sequences were to provide the same performance objectives. The report…

A conceptual framework for instructional design is introduced which includes three major components: task analysis (involving dimensions such as objectives, skills, and subject matter structure), learner analysis (concerned with variables such as age, population, and group characteristics), and means analysis (involving the selection of…

A survey questionnaire of the daily activities and attitudes of instructors participating in demonstrations of the University of Illinois and MITRE computer-assisted instruction (CAI) systems is provided. The first section of the questionnaire concerns the instructor's background, present status, and teaching practices. The second section asks for…

This monograph reviews a variety of trends and programs in the preservice and in-service training of teacher educators. Diversified instructional formats are discussed, as represented in the Keller Plan, directed study, the Stanford catalogue of teacher training products, and protocol materials. The methods of computer-assisted instruction and the…

This report discusses the development and implementation of computer-related teaching materials for undergraduate physics courses. A list of the computer dialogs developed, with a short description of each, is included. The types of dialog are: (1) development of an interactive proof, (2) assistance in problem solving, (3) diagnosing and filling…

This paper presents some of the preliminary results of Project COEXIST at Dartmouth College, an NSF sponsored project to investigate ways to use computers in introductory physics and mathematics teaching. Students use the computer in a number of ways on homework, on individual projects, and in the laboratory. Students write their own programs,…

To replicate and extend the results of a previous study, this project investigated the effects of behavioral objectives and/or rules on computer-based learning task performance. The 133 subjects were randomly assigned to an example-only, objective-example, rule example, or objective-rule example group. The availability of rules and/or objectives…

Describes an interactive, computer-automated simulation which helps students analyze their values related to marriage. Students sit at a terminal, answer questions about their values and expectations concerning marriage, describe personal characteristics of themselves and desired mates, and receive an analysis noting areas of strength and weakness…

Describes the implementation of a computer assisted instruction program at Harford Community College. Eight different biology simulation programs are used covering topics in ecology, genetics, biochemistry, and sociobiology. (MA)

Describes one way of structuring an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) in light of developments in artificial intelligence. A specialized intelligent operating system (SIOS) is proposed for software for a network of microcomputers, and it is postulated that a general learning system must be used as a basic framework for the SIOS. (Author/LRW)

Student, teacher, and teaching causes of mathematics anxiety are discussed. Computer-assisted instruction can reduce mathematics anxieties due to lack of confidence, negative attitudes, teacher bias, authoritarian teaching, lack of variety, lack of relationship with the real world, emphasis on memorization or on speed, or computer phobia. (MNS)