Traditional formative evaluation of computer assisted instruction (CAI) products has focused on assessing learner achievement of objectives and the inferential use of this information to make revisions. A more comprehensive approach to formative evaluation includes traditional learner achievement assessment but adds assessments of the development…

This booklet is a reflection on a quarter century of successful leadership in a school that pioneered the nongraded learning environment and demonstrated the effectiveness of other innovations such as team teaching, elimination of tracking, long-term developmental objectives for each student, performance-based assessment, and cooperative learning.…

The major research question addressed by the "Exhibit Development Survey 1986" was whether major American museums were using the instructional development process to develop their exhibits. Approximately 24% of all major American museums representing a broad cross section of museum types responded to the survey. Their responses indicate that the…

This document provides a structure within which teaching staff can improve students' learning experiences and predict specific learner outcomes in health education. The material is presented in four chapters followed by an appendix. Chapters 1-3 examine the system's values, learner values, philosophy of education, mission for public education and…

This document reports on an examination of the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of an interactive computer program. The program is called an expert system adviser, and is for tourists planning on visiting Thailand. The expert system contains well-organized information that provides detailed coverage of Thailand. The…

"New Things Considered" reports on emerging trends and issues in education to policymakers and participants in SEDL-SCAN, an emerging issues tracking system being pilot tested by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's Policy Information Service and the State of New Mexico. This issue presents brief summaries of the thinking…

The guidelines in this article help in developing educational software. The first rule is that educators should not develop software for education, but should develop an "educational system" that uses software. The distinction is that the former is primarily concerned with the computer and its requirements while the latter focuses on…

This report describes a two-phase study designed to (1) investigate the appropriate evaluation literature and develop a formative evaluation model; (2) investigate the formative evaluation procedures utilized by Advanced Systems Incorporated (ASI), a successful producer of training materials; (3) develop a model based upon these procedures; and…

This 535-page document includes more than 60 papers presented at the 20th Annual Conference of the Visual Literacy Association. Topics cover a wide range of visual literacy interests: computer generated graphics, message design, desktop publishing, photography, critical viewing skills, memory enhancement, and the development of visual…

The Management Accounting Tutorial System (MATS) is a management accounting database for a carpet manufacturing company. The system allows the display and output of monthly activities, and is intended to provide a means of illustrating the main topics of the second year management accounting course at Manchester University. The system itself…

This practicum was designed to initiate the use of databases in an elementary setting. The primary goal was to establish a workable method to incorporate the use of databases and instruct teachers on how to use a sophisticated computer application. The peripheral goal was to transmit the newly-learned skills of the teacher to the students. A…

The design team approach to the development of computer based learning (CBL) courseware relies heavily on the effective communication between different members of the team, including up-to-date paperwork and documentation. This is important for the accurate and efficient overall coordination of the courseware design, and for future maintenance of…

A licensed counselor working in a privately owned mental health facility implemented a practicum study designed to improve the parenting skills and quality of family communication in families with children between 3 and 14 years of age. Practicum goals were to: (1) give parents information that would improve their parenting skills; and (2)…

This paper examines the relationship between pedagogy and subject matter specifically in the context of the instructional planning provided by two alternative route programs. Instructional planning can be and often is taught to teacher candidates as a generic skill, yet in practice it must necessarily occur in the context of a subject. The paper…

Since 1981 the Teacher Explanation Project has conducted a series of studies to determine whether teachers who provide explicit explanations about how to use reading skills as strategies to low-group readers will be more effective in developing student awareness of how to be strategic and in improving student reading achievement. Because all the…