Investigates the computer knowledge and attitudes of undergraduate early childhood majors enrolled in a teaching-methods course which has not historically emphasized the potential of computerized simulation in instruction. Results are discussed in terms of the need to broaden preservice teachers' exposure to computers if they are expected to use…

Provides activity structures for and gives examples of problem-solving projects to be used with educational telecomputing. Highlights include information searches, electronic process writing, sequential creations, parallel problem solving, simulations, social action projects, and instructions for accessing information about these and other…

Business games have begun to assume a role in the education of the students in many universities in Hong Kong. Yet quantitative information on simulations used in the Hong Kong tertiary institutions has been very limited. A major survey covering all seven Hong Kong universities, polytechnics, and colleges was administered to examine current usage…

The Virtual Gorilla Modeling Project--a professional development project--is a collaboration of middle and high school inservice teachers, Zoo Atlanta primatologists, science and computer educators, and students. During a 10-day professional development summer workshop, middle and high school teachers explore the world of the gorilla through…

This study describes high school students' conceptual development of the basic astronomical phenomena during real-time interactions with a Virtual Solar System (VSS). The VSS is a non-immersive virtual environment which has a dynamic frame of reference that can be altered by the user. Ten 10th grade students were given tasks containing a set of…

Based on current theories of chemistry learning, this study intends to test a hypothesis that computer modeling enhanced hands-on chemistry laboratories are more effective than hands-on laboratories or computer modeling laboratories alone in facilitating high school students' understanding of chemistry concepts. Thirty-three high school chemistry…

Virtual Reality has been defined in many different ways and now means different things in various contexts. VR can range from simple environments presented on a desktop computer to fully immersive multisensory environments experienced through complex headgear and bodysuits. In all of its manifestations, VR is basically a way of simulating or…

This fourth edition of the New Media Consortium's (NMC) annual "Horizon Report" describes the continuing work of the Horizon Project, a research-oriented effort that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression within higher education. Drawing on ongoing…

There is little debate among researchers, policymakers, and educational stakeholders that reading achievement among African American students is an important issue (Strickland, 1994). While several scholars have contributed greatly to the research literature on matters pertaining to African American students and reading, additional research is…

Higher education and in particular Colleges of Education are viewed as falling behind in the use of technology for teaching and learning (Lederman & Niess, 2000). With today's student population identified as digital natives and the evening news discussing the potential of virtual worlds as new learning environments, an examination of the…

Safari is a cooperative project involving four Quebec universities, two industrial partners (Virtual Prototypes, Inc., providing the VAPS software package, and Novasys, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in artificial intelligence and training), and government. VAPS (Virtual Applications Prototyping System) is a commercial interface-building and…

This paper describes a case study/client scenario approach used in an advanced medical/surgical nursing course; its methods of interactive learning are facilitated by the computer technology available in a "master classroom." This approach incorporates concepts of adult learning theory and creativity and group interaction. The equipment,…

A dilemma in designing computer simulations for instruction is how to provide a challenging exploratory environment and yet provide sufficient support so that students do not become lost. Directive support such as corrective feedback may detract from the exploratory quality of a simulation. Two methods of non-directive support are: (1) simplifying…

There has been a rapid growth in the events industry in Victoria and Australia over the past five years with an increase in large scale events--resulting in substantive economic impact. The growth in events in Australia is projected to continue to beyond 2001. The Department of Management at Victoria University of Technology (VU) received a…

A popular method of analyzing test items for differential item functioning (DIF) is to compute a statistic that conditions samples of examinees from different populations on an estimate of ability. This conditioning or matching by ability is intended to produce an appropriate statistic that is sensitive to true differences in item functioning,…