Reports on a study designed to identify factors that influence national use of two popular computer-assisted career guidance systems, DISCOVER and the System of Interactive Guidance and Information (SIGI). Suggests that several institutionally based factors determine DISCOVER and SIGI use, including staff competence, organizational dynamics,…

The use of prototyping and simulation at St. Louis University to evaluate the implementation decisions and design of a student information system are described with regard to their impact on, and interaction with, institutional policies and procedures. (Author/MLW)

Discusses areas to be considered in planning for an automated system for a school library including standards; networking; hardware; cost; order of conversion; retrospective conversion; non-print bibliographic records; vendor reputation; integration with school management software; and subject access. Microcomputer integrated systems,…

A consumer-oriented model for evaluating instructional software, which would provide educators with a comprehensive outline for evaluating educational products for purchase and implementation, is proposed. Six components of such an evaluation include program characteristics, rationale and specific objectives, content, instructional format and…

The properties of German as a special language of mechanical engineering are examined on the basis of a newly compiled corpus including samples from all important disciplines and discourse styles. The syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic aspects of passive voice are the chief research goal. (Contains five references.) (Author/LB)

The introduction of computer technologies into the regular school system has not been very successful, probably because of the lack of sound curricular integration. Proposals are offered for courseware development that will better fit into the modern languages curriculum. (Contains three references.) (Author/LB)

Examines implications from cognitive psychology which are important for the design of microcomputer-based instructional simulations. Topics addressed include cognitive structure, including schemata and mental models; cognitive and metacognitive strategies; automaticity of cognitive processes; and affect, or the motivational appeal. (Contains 86…

Reports on the results of a survey of software publishers and market researchers for educators that was conducted to determine development, purchasing, and upgrading plans for educational computer technology. Highlights include operating systems, including Macintosh, DOS, and Windows; equipment needs, including memory, monitors, and special…

Maintains that music teachers responsible for school computers face problems of security, maintenance, and support. Presents ideas on managing technological resources and equipment. Provides a three-step approach to safegarding the school's investment so that students and teachers can use computers effectively. (CFR)

Seven subjects participated in a comparison of the normal and noise suppression settings on the Spectra 22 speech processor of the Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implant system. Group data revealed no significant difference in performance between the two settings for either monosyllabic words in quiet or sentences presented in background babble.…

Discusses three factors that have particular relevance for the designers of instruction for adult distance learners: (1) support for learner control; (2) access to different levels of interaction; and (3) availability and ease of use of different technology platforms. Topics include motivation for change and the design of courseware. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study of middle school students' use of educational software that was conducted to determine whether it was being used as intended. Popular programs used by girls and by boys are described and compared, particularly "Oregon Trail," and use as entertainment instead of education is discussed. (Contains three references.) (LRW)

Compares expert-/novice-based problem-solving behaviors with a Geographic Information Systems program. Uses naturalistic methods to analyze problem-solving strategies for occurrence of thematic elements. Reports that experts relied on logical formulations to query the database while novices used trial-and-error methods and midlevel cognitive…

Describes the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) guidelines' approach to describing hypertext features. Discusses the rationale behind the design of the tagset and the range of features included in the guidelines. Discusses the relation and integration of TEI mark-up and the HyTime standard. (CFR)

Maintains that one recurring theme in the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) project has been the need to represent nonhierarchical information in a natural way. Proposes solutions to a variety of related problems. Contends that the examples presented can serve as a useful background for researchers using the TEI guidelines. (CFR)