Discusses three simulation games focusing on social and economic interaction that can be used to enhance understanding and sensitivity in development studies training: the Green Revolution Game (rural development in India), Exaction (a whole national society game commissioned by the World Bank), and Africulture (a new game about labor-scarce…

Describes the Grampion Primary Industry Project, a curriculum development project which used games, role playing, and simulation to teach students from kindergarten through grade seven about the business world. Outcomes showed the project succeeded in achieving objectives all across the primary curriculum. Specific games are described. (three…

Describes the attributes of a virtual reality system, including flexibility, presence, control and interaction, and feedback; and identifies learning situations in which these attributes would play a key role. Research on virtual reality and related technologies at SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) is summarized. (nine…

Provides and annotated bibliography of items from the ERIC database dealing with technological advances in history and social studies instruction. Includes items that address computer-assisted instruction, geography software, computer simulation, the science, technology, and society movement, and economics instruction. Explains how to obtain ERIC…

Presented is a philosophy for the education of professional engineers in Belgium. Modern techniques that may be used in classical studies are analyzed. Described is a curriculum that is specific for the Belgium situation in an unified Europe. (KR)

Reports on the development and application of a series of computer programs which simulate the outcomes of students' perceptions regarding forces acting on objects at rest or in motion. This dissonance-based strategy for achieving conceptual change uses an arrow-based vector language to enable students to express their conceptual understanding.…

A study of 47 clinical medical faculty teaching behaviors had teachers report their teaching behaviors in four areas: interactive skills; knowledge or abilities important for students to develop; factors influencing curriculum development; and sources of pedagogical assistance. Subjects' written simulations on teaching techniques, curriculum…

Examines factors affecting selection and development of computer simulations, including type of learner, simulation formats, instructional purposes, learning outcomes, fidelity, learning stages, and logistical issues. A flowchart model and set of prescriptions to help designers arrive at specifications for an instructional simulation are…

A recent study compared hands-on scientific inquiry assessment to assessments involving lab notebooks, computer simulations, short-answer paper-and-pencil problems, and multiple-choice questions. Creating high quality performance assessments is a costly, time-consuming process requiring considerable scientific and technological know-how. Improved…

Describes the design of "Pharyngitis in Louisiana," a computer-based epidemiologic case study that was created to teach students how to conduct disease outbreak investigations. Topics discussed include realistic content portrayals; graphics; interactive teaching methods; interaction between the instructional designer and the medical…

Describes an interactive video program crafted to instruct beginning television production learners in the basics of directing a dramatic television scene. Topics include the development of the program, techniques used to teach scene analysis, camera staging, script marking, and the direction process.(KRN)

Many assert that the use of animals for dissections in the secondary and undergraduate class is unnecessary. This article describes a study conducted to compare the attitudes and achievement of students who use interactive methods instead of conventional dissection. (ZWH)

Explains goal-based scenario (GBS) learning environments. Topics discussed include defining educational requirements; characteristics of a GBS, including hardware and software; an example of a GBS currently in operation to teach client consulting skills, including user reactions; assessing learning; the use of simulation; and the roles of the…

The experience of the RAND Corporation as it develops the performance test component of a licensing examination for secondary school teachers is explored. The performance test, composed of written tasks that simulate important teacher activities, corresponds to portions of other professional examinations. (SLD)

Several methods for determining a passing score on an examination from individual raters' estimates of minimal pass levels were compared through simulation. The methods used differed in the weighting estimates for each item received in the aggregation process. Reasons why the simplest procedure is most preferred are discussed. (SLD)