This article describes a model project for promoting interagency collaboration at state and local levels to facilitate transitions of young special needs children and their families from infant/toddler programs to preschool programs. Project Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools (STEPS) has four major components: interagency…

Compares the analysis, design, development, and evaluation of electronic performance support tools and systems to a traditional instructional systems design model. Topics discussed include indeterminate outcomes; rapid prototyping; front end analysis; intervention strategies; sequencing; user control; media selection; formative evaluation; and…

Formulates sequential rules for adapting the appropriate amount of instruction to learning needs in the context of computer-based instruction. Topics include Bayesian decision theory, threshold and linear-utility structure, psychometric model, optimal sequential number of test questions, and an empirical example of sequential instructional…

Proposes the following approach to teaching statistics: an introductory course on collecting, organizing, and presenting data, then a course on analysis and inference. Presents a study o f 339 students indicating that this course sequence results in better learning and less anxiety. (Contains 18 references.) (SK)

Discusses the need for increased emphasis on client relations in instructional technology programs of study and describes a graduate course that was developed to meet that need for experiential learning and practice. Explains the model of cognitive apprenticeship learning environments used which includes the sociology, methods, content, and…

Based on Schaie's (1965) general developmental model, various data-driven and theory-based approaches to the exploration and disentangling of age, cohort, and time effects on human behavior have emerged. This paper presents and discusses an advancement of data-driven interpretations that stresses parsimony when interpreting the results of…

Many institutions have structured processes for gaining the necessary internal and external approvals for initiating academic programs. Unfortunately, program planners often lack the data required to develop a full understanding of the systemic implications caused by such changes. This article provides both a framework and an interactive data…

The authors propose new procedures for evaluating direct, indirect, and total effects in multilevel models when all relevant variables are measured at Level 1 and all effects are random. Formulas are provided for the mean and variance of the indirect and total effects and for the sampling variances of the average indirect and total effects.…

Almost every K-8 technology activity includes feedback. Technology teachers generally view the input-process-output paradigm as being incomplete. A step toward completion would be the inclusion of a "feedback" component incorporating reengineering. This article provides an example of how one activity evolved through several stages to include…

Using two sequential key press sequences, we tested the extent to which subjects' performance on a digital piano keyboard changed between the end of training and retest on subsequent days. We found consistent, significant improvements attributable to sleep-based consolidation effects, indicating that learning continued after the cessation of…

There has been renewed discussion of the scientific method, with many voices arguing that it presents a very limited or even wholly incorrect image of the way science is really done. At the same time, the idea of a scientific method is pervasive. This article identifies the scientific method as a simple model for the process of scientific inquiry.…

Research tells us that specialized training and education of teachers is one of the strongest predictors of child care quality. In the late 1960s, however, most states did not require preservice training or higher education for teachers in early childhood programs or family child care homes. At that time, Missouri wanted to develop a project that…

This article reports on a research effort that investigated whether the use of Microcomputer-Based Labs (MBLs), implemented within an inquiry-based activity sequence on phase transformations (melting and freezing), contributes to the development of fourth grade (9-10 year-old) students' conceptual understanding and ability to construct and…

The authors discuss the sequential nature of becoming a teacher of the highest caliber, an "inspirational" teacher, by creating a personal mission statement, classroom mission statement, modeling, respecting listening and building relationships. The first level of inspirational teaching is the creation of a personal mission statement. Great…

The Elaboration Theory of Instruction offers guidelines for several patterns of simple-to-complex sequencing that were developed primarily from cognitive theory, especially schema theory, although there has been relatively little empirical research on the theory. This study helps fill this void by conducting "formative research" to…