This document is comprised of the 12 monthly issues of the 1998 "Child Support Report," which explores problems related to child support enforcement, reports on federal and state government child support enforcement initiatives, and summarizes research related to child support. Editorials and information on events and conferences of…

This paper describes technical and educational issues related to the development of SIMMPATICO, a multimedia tool for the teaching of Portuguese as a foreign language. The first section presents an overview of the motivation for the project. Package organization is discussed in the second section, including the linguistic approach and its…

This paper reports on Education Direct, a project at Lulea University of Technology (Sweden) in which the next generation Internet technology, based on IP (Internet Protocols) multicasting, has been used in practice over large geographic distances involving a wide variety of secondary and postsecondary students and teachers. Education Direct…

Since the mid-1980's, computers in elementary and middle grade schools have functioned to a large extent as a medium for student practice in the skills and concepts of basic mathematics and logic. This report presents the results of a 2-year nationwide field experiment designed to provide credible evidence about the effects of using computers in…

This paper seeks to establish evaluation as an important concern in hypermedia research and development, and presents a review of current hypermedia evaluation research with a prescriptive focus. Characteristics of hypermedia currently attracting the attention of instructional developers are discussed and conclusions drawn from recent evaluation…

This study compared the use of three instructional organizers--the advance organizer (AO), the participatory pictorial graphic organizer (PGO), and the final form pictorial graphic organizer (FGO)--in the design and use of computer-based interactive video (CBIV) programs. That is, it attempted to determine whether a less generative or more…

This paper discusses the development of computer-based business simulations designed to prepare high school students for entry-level jobs in business, and explores the implementation of feedback mechanisms in simulations. Reasons why simulations are an appropriate type of media for this application, the nature of feedback, and research on feedback…

This paper discusses four areas in the psychology literature that have important implications for the instructional design of microcomputer-based simulations. The first one examined is cognitive structures, and the following suggestions for instructional design are offered: simulations should be appropriate for students' level of understanding;…

This study examined the impact of word processors on the writing of eighth grade students experienced in computer use. Four classes of students (n=111) were asked to write one expository paper on the computer and another paper on a similar theme by hand in a repeated measures research design that controlled for effects of order of writing (on or…

This report is about information technology in the classroom and is designed to provide information to anyone who might be involved in the planning and implementation of a national program for the introduction of computers into schools. The first of two sections of the report examines the background against which policy decisions can be made,…

This paper discusses two software packages used in kinematics courses at Purdue University, Calumet (Indiana) and some algorithms written by students for cam design. The first software package, 4BAR, requires the user to define the particular four bar linkage in terms of lengths of the individual links and the angle and distance to the coupler…

This guide describes the assistance that modern technology and microcomputers can provide for individuals with significant cognitive disabilities who frequently have secondary physical, communication, or sensory impairments. Applications of technology can be made to increase access to learning for these students in the areas of motor training,…

This study investigated the effects of the first year of a state-of-the-art computer-based integrated learning system (ILS) on the learning and attitudes of students and the attitudes and technology skills of teachers. The ILS studied was the Wasatch Educational System, which was introduced in four elementary schools in the Metropolitan School…

This paper focuses upon the research and development (R&D) process associated with developing automated feedback materials for the SIMulation NETworking (SIMNET) training system. This R&D process involved a partnership among instructional developers, practitioners, and researchers. Users' input has been utilized to help: (1) design the…

This paper presents a framework for understanding conditions of discovery learning in computer-based microworlds. It begins with a short discussion of problems related to a traditional type of microworld--i.e., learning tools for mathematics--using the Dienes Multibase Arithmetic blocks as an example. In this discussion, hypotheses are developed…