Hand-held computers can give medical students instant access to research findings and patient data. The machines, relatively inexpensive in comparison with laptops, have drawbacks, including small screens and tiny keyboards. Many find the machines very useful; others do not see enough benefit to learn the needed skills. Some professors and…

The efficacy of multimedia in community college instruction is examined, with a focus on how students with different cognitive styles respond. The majority of students agreed that using the CD-ROM was a positive experience. Qualitative data provides a stronger case (than the quantitative data) that student performance improved, especially in the…

A new educational culture, rooted in the open university and based on information technology and new institutional structures, including distance education, is emerging rapidly. It is no longer a question of whether the new higher education paradigm will develop, but how fast it will occur. Change is occurring in four major educational policy…

Discusses the benefits of laptop computers in higher education, including students' increased motivation, performance, cooperative learning and critical thinking. Describes a Microsoft/Toshiba pilot laptop learning program, technology implementation models for schools, changes in teaching and learning, and teacher training. (AEF)

Achievement testing in the next century is going to be very different. Computer technology is going to play a major role in test construction, test administration, scoring, and score reporting. New formats will become possible that incorporate visual and audio components and that permit adaption of tests to individual ability levels. (SLD)

Summarizes recent developments in student-centered open-ended learning environments, which provide electronic tools and resources for students to use in addressing authentic situated problems and to support students' thinking and problem-solving processes. Also analyzes issues in design and utilization and presents implications for teaching,…

Maintains that a shift in the practice of literacy such as is suggested by the term, "literacy online," has epochal significance. The death of one world and its replacement by something else signals a change in civilization. Online literacy is likely to entail a radical reworking of all the most basic terms and practices of our print-based…

Presents the key findings of an evaluation of an Integrated Learning System in nine United Kingdom primary and secondary schools. The evaluation design was based on the comparison of outcome performance in mathematics and reading and on student behavior, including attendance, in experimental and control groups. (Author/LRW)

A study evaluated the process of training teachers to use an interactive multimedia package for classroom instruction in ecology. Ways in which teachers assessed relevant printed text and hypertext information were mapped and analyzed. Search patterns were classified into two cognitive strategies (sequential, goal oriented). Sequential strategies…

A study investigated the effectiveness of combined lecture and computer demonstration to train third-year pharmacy students (n=48) in computerized information retrieval. Results show the method to be effective in helping students translate Boolean logic into search strategies. The importance of improving pharmacy students' literature retrieval…

Presents an overview of interactive multimedia learning systems. Highlights include hardware platforms; authoring programs; benefits; cost savings; empowerment; multiple sensory learning; barriers to implementation; a strategy for the improvement of existing training programs; an evaluation checklist; and possible future developments. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the use of CD-ROMs in elementary and secondary language arts classrooms. Highlights include increased reading achievement; student attitudes; changes in the curriculum and in the roles of students and teachers; children's books and reference books; characteristics of CD-ROM books; integrating CD-ROMs into the curriculum; and examples…

Using the Big Six research process, students at Live Oak Elementary (Round Rock, TX) supplemented information from traditional print and electronic sources with e-mail exchanges around the world to complete a library research collaborative project culminating in an original folk tale. Describes the Big Six process and how it was applied. (PEN)

Describes an exploratory study that examined the potential of combining teaching cases with telecommunications to stimulate learning communities of new and experienced teachers. Experienced and beginning history teachers had informal subject matter conversations using CD-ROM cases and videoconferencing. There were high levels of engagement between…

Reviews books, videos, and software for multicultural education in elementary and secondary grades. The 37 works reviewed explore issues of race and gender equity, ethnicity, disabilities, hate crimes, effective instruction, and other aspects of education for cultural awareness. Some instructional kits are included. (SLD)