Discusses database management systems for special needs student information management. Considers data access policies, implementation, software selection criteria, and special needs related uses. (SK)

Examines some of the computer based literacy projects designed to combat illiteracy in the military and discusses some of the nonmilitary applications of these efforts. (HOD)

Describes eight characteristics of good educational software. They are: (1) educational soundness; (2) ease of use; (3) "bullet" proofing (preventing a program from coming to a premature halt); (4) clear instructions; (5) appropriate language; (6) appropriate frame size; (7) motivation; and (8) evaluation. (JN)

Some of the most hopeful applications of computers and computer software (particularly as prosthetic devices to aid communication) exist in the area of special education. Several of these applications are discussed. (JN)

To make computing power broadly available and truly friendly, both soft and hard meshing and synchronization problems will have to be solved. Possible solutions and research related to these problems are discussed. Topics considered include compilers, parallelism, networks, distributed sensors, dataflow, CEDAR system (using dataflow principles),…

A review of several studies on the effects of computer assisted instruction with learning disabled students is followed by a description of one school's experiences with software that requires little computer knowledge by the teacher yet allows for individualization of spelling and vocabulary drills and exercises. (CL)

Four items of software are described and reviewed in this first of a projected series of articles. (CRH)

For some time now, the open-source (OS) phenomenon has been making its presence felt; disrupting the economics of the software industry and, by proxy, the business of education. A combination of the financial pressure Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) find themselves under and the increasing focus on the use of technology to enhance students'…

This study examined the way qualitative data analysis software and virtual teaching methods can support the learning of qualitative research. Study methodology was based on phenomenology, and data were gathered in a pilot course on qualitative research methodology in which 22 adult part time graduate students participated. The course was built…

This paper reports the case of a form six (grade 12) Hong Kong student's exploration of graph sketching in a computational environment. In particular, the student summarized his discovery in the form of two empirical laws. The student was interviewed and the interviewed data were used to map out a possible path of his visual reasoning. Critical…

This paper describes aspects of 13 year-olds activity in mathematics as emerged during the implementation of proportional geometric tasks in the classroom. Pupils were working in pairs using a piece of software specially designed for multiple representation (symbolic and graphical) of the variation in parametric procedures with dynamic…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a computerized teaching assistant (CTA) on student interaction, student satisfaction, and retention rates of students in a distance course. The CTA is humanoid and speaks in a human voice from recorded sound clips, to give the student the feeling that he/she is interacting with a person,…

This paper describes ongoing work in automated essay scoring that will extend the applicability of models that are currently used for short-essay documents (i.e., less than 500 words). Sponsored by the Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), the project would create norms for documents that might normally be found in an…

This paper reports on a project started November 1999, which aims at understanding the storytelling structuring processes put into action by children at primary education level. The ultimate goal of this study is to draft a script for a computer tool to support story telling. For this purpose it identifies narrative scheme as the main organizing…

This paper discusses three software packages that offer unique features and options that greatly simplify the research package for conducting surveys. The first package, EPSILON, from Resource Group, Ltd. of Dallas (Texas) is designed to perform a variety of sample size calculations covering most of the commonly encountered survey research…