The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of three instructional methods and conceptual systems orientation on achievement in a freshman general chemistry laboratory course. Traditional approach, learning cycle, and computer simulations are discussed. (KR)

Reviews recent research on cooperative computer-based instruction (CBI) and discusses findings related to achievement levels and ability, patterns of study, social interchange, motivation and attitudes, and gender differences. Guidelines for the implementation of cooperative CBI are presented, and implications for software designers are suggested.…

Discusses visual style in instructional science materials; describes problems with science media, including too much print on a page or screen and inappropriate designs for children; and highlights new products that have good design style as well as good content, including books, computer simulations, videos, computer software, and microworlds.…

Describes a study of first-year students at a university in Scotland that was conducted to determine their use of computers at home and in school, their knowledge about information technology, and reasons for not studying computing. Results are compared with two earlier studies to examine gender-related differences over time. (Contains 12…

Describes a study of electronic support of face-to-face group meetings that was conducted with undergraduate and graduate students. Strategies used by groups to distribute control, determinants of which members took control, and the consequences of control strategies were examined. (Contains 38 references.) (LRW)

Asserts that, although computers are playing an increasingly important role in the classroom, a technological gender gap serves as a barrier to the effective use of computers by women instructors in higher education. Encourages women to seize computer tools for their own educational purposes and argues for enhancing women's computer learning. (CFR)

This study of 72 undergraduates examined whether theories of learning from text may be extended to hypertext and the effectiveness of hypertext on learning. Participants worked with either a highly structured, unstructured, or linear hypertext system. Results indicated that less structured systems promoted more active processing and a deeper level…

Provides an overview of developments in computer-based training (CBT) authoring software and reviews the following products: Macromedia's Authorware, Aimtech's CBT Express, Iprax CourseWorks, Intersystem Concepts' Everest, Aimtech's IconAuthor, Innovus Multimedia, Allen Communication's QuestNet+, and Asymetrix's ToolBook II Instructor. A sidebar…

Identifies stages in user adoption of virtual learning (i.e., Internet-based courses and traditional courses with Internet components) for higher education students and faculty. Instructors' stages of virtuality are: excited, apprehensive, questioning, determined, overstimulated, questioning revisited, and exhausted. Students' stages are:…

Describes "TOPILOT," a European telematics project coordinated by the European Federation for the Education of the Children of Occupational Travellers (EFECOT), which responds to the educational and training needs of fairground, circus, and bargee families. Discusses teacher involvement, linking project phases, and communication and the…

Describes a study that identified various strategies used by graduate students to navigate a hypermedia program about ethnographic research methodology. The strategies included independent interaction, accommodation of a learning partner, cooperation with a partner, collaboration mediated by the program, and reflective collaboration with little or…

Introduces a vision for how a multimedia learning system might work, and describes the design parameters involved in developing the EyeCue System, a large-scale interdisciplinary research-and-development project under development at North Carolina State University. (AEF)

Examines the benefits of self-empowering, group in-service training (INSET). The training involves the teaching and practicing of relevant skills, as a departmental group, in evaluation, selection, and use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and Web materials. Evaluates benefits of a model which supports teamwork and balances theoretical…

Argues the need for school districts to provide a number of academically prepared employees to help teachers implement digital technology or to encourage use of technological resources. Presents options for large and small school districts; discusses employee communication and job responsibilities. Describes a program in Washington state where…

Describes recent offerings in math software for fractions lessons that provide instruction and interactivity not previously available in electronic formats. Compares three products, including selection criteria for multimedia supplemental materials. A table provides specific information on the products, including grade level, format, system…