The ways in which teachers and head teachers integrate external summative testing and formative assessment practices were explored by means of a questionnaire survey and a small number of case studies. A clear distinction was found between end of key stage tests and optional tests in the extent to which they could be used directly to support…

A recent research and development project conducted at the University of the South Pacific (USP) examined how educational multimedia can be built according to the learning approaches of the region. Through interviews, questionnaires and usability tests with staff and students at USP, the research team drafted a set of recommendations for the…

The purpose of this study is to find out perceptions of the trainee teachers on the efficacy of the SchoolDNA learning management system. The 17-item questionnaire was designed to find out the perceptions of trainee teachers on two aspects of the system. The first aspect covers the perceptions on the features of the SchoolDNA and Lesson Builder…

Web site usability concerns anyone with a Web site to maintain. Libraries, however, are often the biggest offenders in terms of usability. In our efforts to provide users with everything they need for research, we often overwhelm them with sites that are confusing in structure, difficult to navigate, and weighed down with jargon. Dowling College…

A survey of 131 southeast Louisiana educators revealed a significant discrepancy between educators' familiarity with technology and media, and the accessibility of such technology. A questionnaire asked subjects (73% female, and 27% male) to respond to a variety of items indicating familiarity with and accessibility to technology. In addition,…

A longitudinal study of teachers' computer use and personal variables which might predict that use was performed. The study was begun with questionnaires administered to 167 preservice undergraduate elementary education majors during their final year of study, and was repeated 3 years later after the 100 participants had graduated and had worked…

This paper focuses on issues of representation and interaction styles that are relevant considerations in the design and analysis of hypermedia learning environments. Analysis is supported by examples from the "HUGH" series of studies involving learners in reasoning about formal hypermedia representations. The representational issues include…

This paper describes a project at the Lone Star Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida developed to jointly investigate the effects of specific computer technology and training on: (1) teaching and learning in a first and second grade classroom; (2) the professional development of directing teachers and teaching interns; and (3) the university…

In 1997, Maine's local telephone companies have been required to provide free Internet access to all public schools, which will help to eliminate cost as a prohibitive factor in bringing the Internet to schools. The inservice training and support, however, must be supplied by individual school districts. This study provides an overview of how the…

This research is concerned with the pragmatic performance characteristics of competing information technologies (ITs) and services in the university research center, as measured by user demand and choice. Technologies and services studied include: (1) mediated search service operating at cost recovery, open to all; (2) end-user service collecting…

This report on the status, prospects, and future implications of distance education in the states of Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington focuses on those delivery systems that provide or could provide instructional units, courses, or instructional supplements to elementary and secondary schools in the region. The first of five…

The frequency with which students borrow works of literature that can be called eminent or great works from a university library was examined in two studies that are interesting for their methodology and their findings. An operational definition of great or eminent works was developed, and a list of such works was derived from three sources on…

This descriptive research investigated issues relating to college students' use of instructor-created World Wide Web sites at the University of Nevada, Reno. Points of interest included student use of instructor Web pages and features found on a Web page perceived by students as most useful. Student use of instructor Web pages was identified by…

This paper reports on a study conducted to determine if staffing changes were necessary at the information desk at the main branch of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library (Ohio). Questions addressed included: (1) What times are busiest in the library? (2) Should there be changes in staffing the reference desk that could lead to…

Library effectiveness--in particular, user satisfaction--is difficult to measure because it is a vague, subjective concept that is different for every person who enters the library. Library assessment traditionally has been measured by: (1) how well it has been meeting its stated goals and objectives; (2) the library processes, which include…