Some of the problems associated with setting up a computer simulation are examined. Uses of computer simulation as a teaching tool in the life sciences are detailed with some examples presented from courses at Sturt College of Advanced Education. (BT)

Electricity is an important and challenging science topic at all school levels. Learners often have many difficulties in learning electricity. Previous attempts to overcome these difficulties have been rather one-sided, leaning only on one method at the time, and thus ineffective. As a solution, a learning environment which combines the strengths…

In the spring of 2001, illegal drug use had risen by 40% among teens in the town of Springdale, Utopia. School administrators and the Springdale Police Department decided to implement a crackdown on teen drug use in all high schools in Springdale. A high school principal received a tip on a hotline that Jamie Davidson, a senior, had been seen…

Scientists have increasingly focused attention on far-reaching environmental threats, such as climate change, ozone depletion, and deforestation, that transcend national boundaries. A new concept, global environmental problems, has entered the public arena, particularly in the area of foreign policy and economic matters. This unit explores the…

Although the attacks of September 11, 2001, present new challenges and priorities for U.S. policy, it is uncertain what direction international relations will take. China's growth and power, Russia's political and economic problems, resentment and corruption in Russia, and global warming effect policymaking. While the war on terrorism may be a…

Information provided for computerized adaptive test (CAT) simulees was compared under two conditions on two moderately correlated trait composites, mathematics and reading comprehension. The first condition used information provided by in-scale items alone, while the second condition used information provided by in- and out-of-scale items together…

Computerized adaptive tests (CATs) pose major obstacles to the traditional assessment of differential item functioning (DIF). This paper proposes a modification of the SIBTEST DIF procedure for CATs, called CATSIB. CATSIB matches test takers on estimated ability based on unidimensional item response theory. To control for impact-induced Type I…

Recent developments in Internet technologies have enabled new, more flexible forms of telematic simulation and have raised issues that were not considered in the early days of networked learning. Ultimately, these questions revolve around: (1) the learning cost-effectiveness of telematic simulation (quality and quantity of learning as opposed to…

A computerized adaptive test (CAT) administration usually requires a large supply of items with accurately estimated psychometric properties, such as item response theory (IRT) parameter estimates, to ensure the precision of examinee ability estimation. However, an estimated IRT model of a given item in any given pool does not always correctly…

Two presentations are provided from Innovative Session 2 of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) 2000 Conference proceedings. "Training Companies Speak Out on HRD Industry Changes: Symposium Introduction" (R. Wayne Pace) describes how this symposium explores the process of consolidation in the field, how the Internet is being used to…

This paper proposes a new Information-Time index as the basis for item selection in computerized classification testing (CCT) and investigates how this new item selection algorithm can help improve test efficiency for item pools with mixed item types. It also investigates how practical constraints such as item exposure rate control, test…

This teaching unit represents a specific "dramatic moment" in history that can allow students to delve into the deeper meanings of selected landmark events and explore their wider context in the great historical narrative. Studying a crucial turning point in history helps students realize that history is an ongoing, open-ended process,…

This curriculum material, part of a continuing series on current and historical international issues, addresses the issues arising from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. On the morning of September 11, 2001, as people watched in horror, terrorist attacks were successfully launched against the United…

This paper proposes an Internet facility that will authentically provide laboratory experiments remotely. Such a facility is brought to the doors of the distance learner to help provide learning that is comparable to that offered for conventional students. The paper describes the development of a prototype remote laboratory system, including…

Results from a 2 x 2 factorial design with a single control group revealed that microcounseling subjects gained significantly more in criterion performance than the control group. There was virtually no difference in the effectiveness of the two micromodels, and behavioral supervision was somewhat more successful than recall interrogation. (Author)