To explore faculty needs for expanded visual instructional materials and to help provide for those needs, the Educational Technologies Division at Virginia Tech, in cooperation with the College of Engineering, is in the process of developing a multipurpose multimedia engineering visual database. The database is designed to assist faculty members…

The effects of orienting activities and practice on performance and student behaviors in a cooperative learning environment were studied with 80 graduate education majors in an educational psychology course. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used, with orienting activity (advance organizer versus objectives) and type of practice (verbal information…

As society moves into the information age, changes need to be made in the educational process to ensure that students will have the skills they will need in the changing workplace. By keeping abreast of the changes in society, education, and training, instructional technology professionals can play a key role in restructuring the educational…

This study presents a descriptive account of the effects of two computer based tutorial programs used in high school Pre-Algebra and English classes via an interactive computer technology laboratory environment. The laboratory settings described, joint enterprises developed by a state university, the United States Air Force, and two public school…

As part of a restructuring initiative to meet the curriculum needs of the "Information Age," a plan for teaching telecommunications to middle school students was developed. The resulting program, called Bulletin Board Simulator (BBS), provided a hands-on approach to teaching students the skills necessary for accessing an electronic…

This study examines a Nicaraguan educational reform movement, initiated at universities located in Managua and Leon, which sought to promote social and economic change and the practical use of the natural sciences at the undergraduate college level. The study identifies major stakeholders in these science reform efforts and their diverse…

This study examined the feasibility and advisability of using telecommunications in the Chicago Public School (CPS) system to support school reform that has been mandated by recent legislation. Survey research yielded information on the current status of staff development and Local School Council (LSC) training, and provided the basis for…

The Brazilian economy is led by the industrial sector, which accounts for 34 percent of production and employs 25 percent of the economically active population. The labor force formally employed in industry consists mainly of relatively young males with little schooling. A large number of institutions both in the regular education system and…

This paper describes a teaching approach in which a middle school classroom teacher and a team-teacher by satellite present a course in Basic English and Reading for remedial reading students in grades 7-8. The team-teacher at Oklahoma State University is a "talking head" who teaches on television. The television portion of the course, "Reading in…

This report presents the findings and conclusions of a study of educational technology in New Mexico schools. Designed to provide baseline information to the New Mexico Education Technology Planning Committee, the results of the study will also be used to help make statewide planning decisions concerning educational technology. The findings…

This report presents the results of a study conducted with 449 Tennessee educators that investigated the use of educational technology in the state's classrooms. The Tennessee Education Association, as part of its Tennessee Teachers' Technology Initiative, funded in part by a grant from BellSouth, collaborated with the Appalachia Educational…

Issues related to achieving adequate national norms are reviewed, and a new methodology is proposed that would work to provide a true measure of national achievement levels on an annual basis and would enable reporting results in current-year norms. Statistical methodology and technology could combine to create a national norming process that…

Barriers to the implementation of technology-based materials in elementary school mathematics classrooms were studied using naturalistic inquiry and multiple methods of data collection in keeping with ethnographic principles. Qualitative data were gathered from interviews with teachers and administrators, reviews of school documents, observations…

This directory of technology training materials is divided into three areas: (1) training materials, which include videotapes, software, and other instructional materials; (2) curriculum guides, which include comprehensive guides as well as guides for individual areas of technology training; and (3) textbooks, which are primarily for use in…

This guide for aviation pilot training begins with a course description, resource information, and a course outline. Tasks/competencies are categorized into 12 concept/duty areas: understanding safe procedures in the flight environment; understanding safe procedures in the airport environment; understanding Federal Aviation Regulations concerning…