Discusses the need for adequate student user manuals for computer software and presents guidelines to help teachers develop these manuals. The sections that a student manual should contain are outlined, including objectives, pretests and posttests for self-evaluation, and worksheets; and examples are given for further clarification. (LRW)

Reports on ways in which interactive video-based courseware is being used with students studying for vocational qualifications at Thames Valley University (United Kingdom). Two alternative models using interactive video are described, one using multiple workstations and one using a single workstation led by a tutor. (Contains six references.) (LRW)

Considers issues that need to be addressed when incorporating audio in courseware design. Topics discussed include functions of audio in courseware; the relationship between auditive and visual information; learner characteristics in relation to audio; events of instruction; and audio characteristics, including interactivity and speech technology.…

Describes and analyzes a study of the influence of computers on pupils ages 12-14 in Spain. Four fields of action are defined: (1) research; (2) teacher training; (3) student and teacher activities; and (4) the development of teaching materials. An example of the curricular development of units for mathematics is included. (Contains 21…

Discusses the use of virtual reality in educational software. Topics include CAVE (Computer-Assisted Virtual Environments); cost-effective virtual environment tools including QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality); interactive exercises; educational criteria for technology-based educational tools; and examples of screen displays. (LRW)

Discusses courseware development, including intelligent tutoring systems, under the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme and the Byzantium project that was designed to define computer-aided learning performance standards suitable for numerate business subjects; examine reasons to use computer-aided learning; and improve access to educational…

Announces the winners of an annual software contest for innovative software in physics education. Winning entries include an application to help students visualize the origin of energy bands in a solid, a package on the radioastronomy of pulsars, and a school-level science simulation program. Also includes student winners, honorable mentions,…

Concludes that creating online instructional sites by hand with the help of an HTML editor is generally preferable to using "course-in-a-box" software because instructors can select the components needed to support their pedagogy and construct successful learning experiences for their students. (RS)

Describes Hyper Apuntes, an interactive learning environment developed at the University Carlos III of Madrid which teaches students the basic concepts of computer programming. Discusses results of an evaluation of the courseware that assessed its usability and utility and collected suggestions for improving the system. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the creation of multimedia lessons on computer for three poetry units, and offers suggestions for developing such lessons. Describes purposes, methods, and conclusions from two years of working with an authoring software called Toolbook, and an ancillary software for doing multimedia lessons more economically than in the multimedia…

Confusion over the role to be played by technology in college instruction is common, with administration sometimes in opposition to faculty over transformation of courses into courseware and the action of teaching into commercially viable property. The major proponents of such a transformation include vendors of network hardware, software, and…

Discusses limitations of existing publisher-based computer-assisted instruction (CAI) products. Provides two examples of interactive multimedia courseware, discussing the potential for each in the United States History survey: (1) "Eunice: A Captivity Simulation" and (2) "Intercultural Sensitivity." Describes each courseware. (CMK)

Assessed MedEthEx Online, a computer-based learning program, in improving communication skills as part of a required bioethics course for medical students. Exam scores of users were comparable with non-users, although computerized-learning students scored higher in specific exam areas, felt somewhat more clinically prepared, and rated the course…

Describes the design and testing process that resulted in the production of "Un Meurtre a Cinet" and "Un Misterio en Toluca," two role-playing applications that ask students of French and Spanish to collaborate to solve a murder mystery using e-mail, listservs, and a culturally-rich Web site. (Author/VWL)

The article presents technology projects that provide real-life reasons for students to learn geography. A variety of online networks take students on online field trips, linking them with scientists, zoologists, archaeologists, and explorers. Other interactive software is available to simulate trips to various locations around the world. (SM)