Describes CAPA, a software tool to implement a computer-assisted personalized approach for homework assignments and examinations in a large introductory physics class at Michigan State University. Highlights include increased individual attention for students; correlation between homework performance and results of the final exam; feedback for…

An article and four sidebars examine tools that help information professionals perform efficient Internet searches. Topics include search engine features, integrated software applications, document management and creation utilities, the speed of online communications, intelligent agents for filtering information, cross-platform networking…

Effectiveness of a computer simulation to teach endodontic diagnosis was assessed using three groups (n=34,32,24) of dental students. All were lectured on diagnosis, pathology, and radiographic interpretation. One group then used the simulation, another had a seminar on the same material, and the third group had no further instruction. Results…

Reports on the development and evaluation of "Practicing Spoken French," a multimedia HyperCard-based program designed to assess the effects of subtitled video on oral communicative performance of undergraduate students of French. Implications for computer-assisted language learning design and research are suggested. (Contains 31…

Two articles describe the use of computer software to help elementary students develop literacy and writing skills: the first article evaluates "Writing to Read" software, comparing its use in classrooms and in computer labs with traditional instruction; the second article discusses using "Writing to Write" software with third graders. (LRW)

This article discusses different types of literacy software and provides an annotated list of recommended software packages. Guidelines for previewing and selecting software are given, and short reviews of 17 programs are included along with contact information for their publishers, suggested age and ability levels, and details of hardware…

A framework for examining the effectiveness of different types of educational computing environments addresses the conceptual characteristics of the knowledge domain being learned and the learner's stage of knowledge. Characteristics of certain technology-based learning environments (computer-based drill, intelligent tutoring systems, hypertext)…

Reviews a number of interactive environmental computer education networks and software packages. Computer networks include National Geographic Kids Network, Global Lab, and Global Rivers Environmental Education Network. Computer software involve environmental decision making, simulation games, tropical rainforests, the ocean, the greenhouse…

This paper examines the development and testing of a machine-translation program designed to translate English text into Portuguese. A comparison of machine- and human-translated texts, using Brazilian secondary school students as readers, found that they were equally understood, both in terms of main ideas and details. (six references) (MDM)

In this paper, an attempt to apply the synthesized results from previous research on theories of actual development of courseware is demonstrated in an interactive videodisc project that aims to promote English-as-a-foreign-language learning at Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. Instructional design and practical considerations for implementation of…

The Magazine and Journal Instructional Kit (MAJIK/1) is a HyperCard program delivering basic individualized library instruction. Using a technique derived from naturalistic inquiry, the program's formative evaluation was conducted at the University of Maryland, College Park, with 28 upperclassmen as subjects. They reported little difficulty with…

BUDCAT/MEDIT software mounted on Digital Equipment Corporation VAX equipment at the University of Saskatchewan Library has proven to be effective for rapidly creating a database for the collection of government publications. Simplified records and the ease of using this system have made it possible to create a database with only minimal additional…

Discusses evaluation criteria for selecting courseware that teaches basic concepts appropriate for preschool and early elementary students. Reviews of the software manual, the courseware itself, and reviews by students are suggested. Other areas of concern that are addressed include instructional quality, production quality, flexibility, and cost.…

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)

The ability of 3-way INDSCAL and ALSCAL models to recover true structure in proximity data based on 2-dimensional configurations varying in number of subjects (15 and 20) and stimuli, amount of error, and monotonic transformation is examined. INDSCAL outperformed metric and nonmetric ALSCAL in all conditions. (SLD)