This research report is part of the Water Pollution Control Research Series which describes the results and progress in the control and abatement of pollution in our nation's waters. The River Basin Model described is a computer-assisted decision-making tool in which a number of computer programs simulate major processes related to water use that…

While the usefulness of branched testing over conventional paper-and-pencil testing has been in doubt, particularly for the student of average ability, this has been with reference to normative measures rather than the criterion-referenced measures characteristic of individualized instruction. A computer-assisted test model for assessing an…

An instructional management program was developed to assist students in selecting learning activities. The program was based on a general model for specifying hierarchical curriculum structure. This model was developed using the directed graph, a mathematical form of a structural model. A hierarchy could then be generated from the curriculum…

The problem considered is that of an investigator sampling two or more correlation matrices and desiring to fit a model where a factor pattern matrix is assumed to be identical across samples and we need to estimate only the factor covariance matrix and the unique variance for each sample. A flexible, least squares solution is worked out and…

Computers are being used with increasing frequency to plan campus design and evaluate the effectiveness of existing facilities. This review surveys documents, previously announced in RIE, that are concerned with the development, application, and evaluation of computer programs and simulation models designed to relate space and enrollment needs to…

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is not making an important, visible impact on the educational system of this country. Though its instructional value has been proven time after time, the high cost of the hardware and the lack of quality courseware is preventing CAI from becoming a market success. In order for CAI to reach its market potential…

A further development in the systematic development of individualized instructional materials coupled with the availability of interactive terminals linked to time-sharing computer systems (computer-managed instruction) is the implementation of a computer-assisted instructional design system. With existing computer technology, the common elements…

This document contains several short papers which cover various aspects of career education. The need for and elements of career development programs are discussed by R.M. Worthington in "Career Development for All," while G. Law, Jr., defines simulations, discusses their advantages, and presents examples in "Simulations and Career…

The purpose of this research was to design several "small" and "interesting" computer programs which were acceptable and stimulating to the student, were controlled by the student rather than the teacher, and produced understanding of the knowledge to be learned. This report describes the assumptions made about interaction, motivation, and the…

In a series of four interrelated reports, Rand work to date for the Air Force on the development of methodologies for designing programs of instruction is reported. This report, the third of the series, presents and discusses the use of a questionnaire that help curriculum designers to analyze a course of study to gauge its requirements for…

THE THIRD 6-MONTH PERIOD OF OPERATION OF A COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI) EFFORT IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION WAS COVERED IN THIS REPORT. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE TOTAL PROGRAM (A 4-YEAR EFFORT) WERE (1) TO COMPARE CAI WITH OTHER EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES, (2) TO PREPARE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, (3) TO TRAIN PERSONNEL, AND (4) TO DISSEMINATE RESULTS OF…

THE BIOLOGY COURSE OF THEODORE HIGH SCHOOL AT THEODORE, ALABAMA, WAS STUDIED AS A SYSTEM FOR "PROCESSING" STUDENTS AND WAS SIMULATED ON A COMPUTER. AN EXPERIMENTAL VERSION OF THE COURSE WAS SIMULATED AND COMPARED WITH THE ACTUAL COURSE. THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE (1) TO EXAMINE THE CONCEPT OF INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS AS IT RELATED TO THE…

A COMPUTERIZED METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING THE PHYSICAL FACILITIES REQUIREMENTS OF A LARGE UNIVERSITY WAS DEVELOPED. THE RESEARCH INCLUDED THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND TESTING OF SYSTEMS FOR (1) CLASSIFYING SPACE, (2) MAINTAINING A PERPETUAL SPACE INVENTORY, (3) CONDUCTING ROOM UTILIZATION STUDIES, (4) PROJECTING STUDENTS BY A SET OF…

The effects of immediate knowledge of results (KR) concerning the correctness or incorrectness of each item response on a computer-administered test of verbal ability were investigated. The effects of KR were examined on a 50-item conventional test and a stradaptive ability test and in high- and low-ability groups. The primary dependent variable…

This report describes the procedures and results of a field test of an instructional unit intended for upper elementary and secondary teachers who have some access to computers. The unit consists of five booklets covering the rudiments of computer hardware, computer programing languages, the different roles the computer may play in instruction,…