There is a lot of educational software on the market, but little of it can be said to be revolutionary. Despite all the talk about education and computers, the educational software revolution has yet to begin. All educational software can be placed in categories of games (edutainment), simulations, reference software, and tutorials. Choosing…

Reviews two software packages: "Teacher's Toolbox," a classroom management package that includes student database construction, seat assignment, and grade recording; "PrintPaks," a package of four multimedia craft kits for students. Also reviews "Prevent Violence with Groark," a set of five videos addressing anger…

In the recent past, the proliferation of digitally available content heralded the beginning of serious problems for the business models of publishers. The ease with which content can be accessed, copied and distributed disrupts the control of those whose role has been to manage and profit from the intellectual property rights of content producers.…

At most universities throughout the world Computer Aided Design is taught using commercial programs more suitable for business and industry than for teaching. This led us to write our own design program (GIcad) starting from the best-known standards on the market, but always avoiding unnecessary commands in the first steps of the learning process.…

Web Course Tools (WebCT) have enhanced the ability and motivation of institutes of higher education to support e-learning. In this study, we extended the Technology Acceptance Model to include technical support as a precursor and then investigated the role of the extended model in user acceptance of WebCT. Responses from 836 university students…

Extrapolating from current developments in the study of learning and imagining how learning might be shaped moving forward, this article considers 12 trends concerning the future of learning. Learning will become more diverse, more contextual, less discipline-bound, and less institutionally-bound. It will span professional and institutional…

Purpose: Decades of innovation in designing usable (and unusable) interfaces have resulted in a plethora of guidelines, usability methods, and other design tools. The purpose of this research is to develop ways for novice developers to effectively leverage and contribute to the large and growing body of usability knowledge and methods.…

Standard spreadsheet functions cannot compute bond yields if both the settlement and maturity dates fall on other than an interest payment date. Using reciprocal cell references, the RATE function is enhanced to overcome this limitation. An appendix extends the enhancement procedure to the IRR function. The procedure demonstrated has applications…

What is physics without graphs and diagrams? The web is becoming ubiquitous, but how can one expect students to make graphs and diagrams on the web? The solution is to extend functionality through Java applets. Four examples of exercises using the Physics Applets for Drawing (PADs) will illustrate how these can be used for physics instruction to…

This study describes the use of a cognitive-behavioral computer-administered self-help program with minimal therapist contact for public speaking anxiety. Participants (N = 10) with social phobia, as measured by a structured clinical interview, completed the self-help program in an open clinical trial. The program was delivered via a CD-ROM during…

This paper presents a straightforward but interesting experimental method for p-n diode characterization. The method differs substantially from many approaches in diode characterization by offering much tighter control over the temperature and current variables. The method allows the determination of important diode constants such as temperature…

Ask a graduating chemical engineering student the following question: What makes one reactor different from the next? The answers received will often be unsatisfactory and will vary widely in scope. Some may cite the difference between the basic design equations, others may point out a PFR is "longer," and still others may state that it…

This descriptive pilot study employed the Grascha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scale (GRSLSS) to examine student communication and interactions in an online educational discussion that occurred for fourteen days. Discussion activity exhibited conversational turns and messages appeared as conversation rather than expository. Individuals scoring…

In the area of technology-enhanced learning reusability and interoperability issues essentially influence the productivity and efficiency of learning and authoring solutions. There are two basic approaches how to overcome these problems--one attempts to do it via standards and the other by means of the Semantic Web. In practice, these approaches…

This paper proposes a different experimental setup compared with the traditional ones, in order to determine the acceleration of gravity, which is carried out by using a fluid at a constant rotation. A computerized rotational system--by using a data acquisition system with specific software, a power amplifier and a rotary motion sensor--is…