The current paper describes the design and development of a qualitative analysis course and an interactive web-based teaching and assessment tool called VSE (virtual structural environment). The widespread reliance on structural analysis programs requires engineers to be able to verify computer output by carrying out qualitative analyses.…

An integrated learning object, a web-based inquiry environment "Young Scientist" for basic school level is introduced by applying the semiosphere conception for explaining learning processes. The study focused on the development of students' (n=30) awareness of the affordances of learning objects (LO) during the 3 inquiry tasks, and their ability…

Choi and Clark (2006) argue that learning is attributed to the instructional method rather than the specific medium used to deliver instruction (i.e., the pedagogical agent). Additionally, they consider pedagogical agents as unnecessarily expensive tools, whose instructional affordances can be replicated by less expensive options. In this response…

The technology, symbol systems, and processing capabilities of a medium interact to provide unique opportunities for information access. This exploratory study examines the way that learners process videotaped materials on a familiar or unfamiliar topic as informed by text-based research. A variation of the think-aloud method of assessing…

This book has been developed in response to the need for teacher education programs to reconsider how they prepare beginning teachers to contribute more affirmatively to the struggle for educational equity in the schools. It begins by discussing issues involved in preparing a predominantly white preservice teacher education population for…

The guide is intended to aid Manitoba's high school administrators and curriculum developers in adapting and classifying standard courses specifically for students of English as a Second Language (ESL). It begins with a description of the ESL course designation and a brief discussion of characteristics of the ESL learner. The distinction between…

One recent goal of the British Higher Education Funding Council has been to find ways to use technology to cope with the increasing size and diversity of the student population. A development team at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) received a grant to investigate how technology might be used to identify and help students put at risk by…

Selected for their influence on the field, their continued reference over the years, and the reputation of the authors, this collection includes 17 seminal works in educational technology. These previously published articles are sometimes difficult to locate and this book acts as a single source for the works. The articles are arranged in four…

The purpose of a symposium on research in distance education was to continue the process of building the network of scholars and climate of cooperation and communication necessary for further development of distance education, and to provide an opportunity for discussion. Four main areas of focus for the symposium are identified in a brief preface…

The report details the findings of a study concerning the support services needed to provide effective public school instruction for California's population of linguistically and culturally diverse students. Information was obtained from three sources: school district and intermediate agency administrators and professional personnel trainers;…

The purpose of this paper is to report specific motivational requirements within each motivation category of Keller's ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model (1991) based on data collected on students' reactions to a computer-assisted learning lesson that incorporated motivational strategies in its design. Interview techniques…

Carroll's (1963) model of school learning and Bloom's (1968) mastery learning both address theoretical and practical aspects of the time factor in school learning via an appeal to diagnostic-prescriptive teaching. The design of instructional environments and materials--particularly as advocated by Glaser (1976)--represents the mechanism to bring…

A picture can be interpreted in different ways by various persons. There is often a difference between a picture's denotation (literal meaning), connotation (associative meaning), and private associations. Two studies were conducted in order to observe the private associations that pictures awaken in people. One study deals with associations made…

The purpose of this paper is to sensitize instructional message designers to the stereotypical signals which may be inherent in computer clip-art selections. A rationale is presented for the power of message design, and the differences between gender equality and gender equity are discussed. Several computer clip-art libraries were analyzed, and…

The interactive multimedia application described here attempts to provide learners and teachers with a common frame of reference for communicating about visual media. The system is based on a list of concepts related to composition, and illustrates those concepts with photographs, paintings, graphic designs, and motion picture scenes. The ability…