This paper describes ToonTalk, a general-purpose concurrent programming system in which the source code is animated and the programming environment is a video game. The design objectives of ToonTalk were to create a self-teaching programming system for children that was also a very powerful and flexible programming tool. A keyboard can be used for…

The Learning Activity Packets (LAPs) contained in this manual are designed to assist the beginning user in understanding DOS (Disk Operating System). LAPs will not work with any version below DOS Version 3.0 and do not address the enhanced features of versions 4.0 or higher. These elementary activities cover only the DOS commands necessary to…

In machine learning there is considerable interest in techniques which improve planning ability. Initial investigations have identified a wide variety of techniques to address this issue. Progress has been hampered by the utility problem, a basic tradeoff between the benefit of learned knowledge and the cost to locate and apply relevant knowledge.…

Noting that the merging of various types of media with the computer has presented the field of education with a hybrid technology called interactive multimedia (also referred to as hypermedia), this digest begins by defining this technology as "the integration of text, audio, graphics, still image, and moving pictures into a single,…

This book provides effective approaches for designers, information architects, and web site managers who are faced with sites that are becoming difficult to use and maintain. The book is divided into 10 sections. Chapter 1: "What Makes a Web Site Work" considers site users needs when designing the architecture; Chapter 2:…

In July 1997, the University Library at the University of Nebraska at Omaha adopted a new structural model for Web site development--the publishing metaphor. Rather than relying on an individual expert (the Webmaster) or a WebTeam comprised of a few individuals, the model permits everyone in the organization, regardless of position or Web…

Education depends on resources that may be tangible (teachers, facilities, textbooks, money) or intangible (political will, parental support). Considerations of space, usually in the form of questions containing the word "where", constitute another resource issue that confronts educational managers almost daily. Questions like…

This paper describes the techniques for implementing a full-screen, custom SPIRES interface for a public-use library database. The database-independent protocol that controls the system is described in detail. Source code for an entire working application using this interface is included. The protocol, with less than 170 lines of procedural code,…

This paper describes a standard cross-platform strategy for providing deaf individuals with access to sounds generated by electronic information systems. The strategy is based on a "ShowSounds" switch built into the basic system architecture. Turning the switch "on" would signal that all information presented auditorially is…

This concept paper begins by arguing that Integrated Performance Support Systems (IPSS) are an imperative for boosting productivity in the workplace and gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace. It then presents the framework for an IPSS solution to meet the challenges of the 1990s. Discussion of the implementation of an IPSS solution…

This paper presents framework specifications for an instructional systems development (ISD) expert system. The goal of the proposed ISD expert system is to improve the means by which educators design, produce, and evaluate the instructional development process. In the past several decades, research and theory development in the fields of…

This paper examines the sufficiency of existing e-Learning standards for facilitating and supporting the introduction of adaptive techniques in computer-based learning systems. To that end, the main representational and operational requirements of adaptive learning environments are examined and contrasted against current eLearning standards. The…

This report describes a specific approach to two current trends in Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) research: (1) an emphasis on metacognitive skills which are not domain specific; and (2) a move away from viewing ITS research as being exclusively concerned with "knowledge communication." A human-computer dialogue model designed to…

The nature of the learner-machine interaction is of central importance in the design of guided discovery learning environments. The interface to a learning environment is the only way in which a learner has access to the functionality of the system, and conversely, the interface in the only way in which the tutoring component of the system has…

This activity packet offers simple directions for setting up a Morse Code system appropriate to interfacing with any of several personal computer systems. Worksheets are also included to facilitate teaching Morse Code to persons with visual or other disabilities including blindness, as it is argued that the code is best learned auditorily. (PB)