Computerized multistage testing (MST) designs require sets of test questions (testlets) to be assembled to meet strict, often competing criteria. Rules that govern testlet assembly may dictate the number of questions on a particular subject or may describe desirable statistical properties for the test, such as measurement precision. In an MST…

The term "sexual health" is often used in sexuality education without any concrete, operational definition, and students are left to ascertain the meaning for themselves. In the absence of a clear definition, students may adopt diverse or narrow understandings of this vague term, without learning the full scope of everything that sexual health…

This book is about the Computer Clubhouse--the idea and the place--that inspires youth to think about themselves as competent, creative, and critical learners. So much of the social life of young people has moved online and participation in the digital public has become an essential part of youth identities. The Computer Clubhouse makes an…

With the expansion of e-learning, the understanding and evaluation of already created e-learning environments is becoming an extremely important issue. One way to dealing with the problem is analysis of case studies, i.e. already created environments, from the reuse perspective. The paper presents a general framework and model to assess UNITE, the…

As with commercial stations, the underlying premise of the college radio station is to serve the community, whether it be the campus community or the community at large, but in unique ways often geared to underserved niches of the population. Much of college radio's charm lies in its unpredictable nature and constant mutations. The stations give…

As part of a larger study, this study provided a critical-interpretive perspective of Whittle Communications' Channel One programming, a microcosm of the growing national trend of commercialism in public schools. Several board meetings held at the East Side Union High School District, San Jose, California, generated the discourse for analysis. A…

Because of the close proximity of countries in the Middle East, broadcast signals freely cross national boundaries, bringing not always friendly endemic populations into contact with each other through radio and television programming--a fact that has not been lost on the governments which fund broadcasting facilities. National anthems are…

The design of a re-usable instructional algorithm for computer based instruction (CBI) is described. The prototype is implemented on IBM PC compatibles running the Windows(TM) graphical environment, using the prototyping tool ToolBook(TM). The algorithm is designed to reduce development and life cycle costs for CBI by providing an authoring…

Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs), are text-based virtual reality environments in which participants separated by great physical distances can communicate and collaborate in programming. Most MUDs started out as adventure games but are quickly being adapted for more "serious" endeavors. This paper presents a case study of the experiences of a…

Public broadcasting in the United States frequently draws criticism from conservatives who accuse it of pursuing an agenda promoting environmentalism, gay rights, affirmative action, reproductive choice, and other liberal causes, and of being hostile to conservative interests such as defense, the pro-life effort, and the promotion of Christian…

With regard to sexual content, an argument is often made that sexual jokes, innuendoes, and behavior on television "go over kids' heads." To address this issue, focus groups were conducted with children between the ages of 8 and 13. Children viewed a tape of a selection of clips containing sexual content from programs aired in 1996…

An optimization model is presented that allows test assemblers to control the shape of the observed-score distribution on a test for a population with a known ability distribution. An obvious application is for item response theory-based test assembly in programs where observed scores are reported and operational test forms are required to produce…

Noting that peaceable classrooms grow out of understanding how children develop ideas about peace, conflict, and violence, this guide is intended to help early childhood educators create a classroom where preschool through grade 3 children learn peaceful alternatives to the violent behaviors modeled for them in society. The guide is based on the…

The Miscellaneous Studies section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 12 papers: "Revelatory Silences: A Critical Analysis of the Structuring Absences in Sydney Pollack's 'Out of Africa'" (Brenda Cooper and David Descutner); "The Cox Fight with the FCC: Gamesmanship, Hidden Agendas, and Personal…

This report analyzes revenues from state governments and combined revenues from state government and state university sources for each state, as reported to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by public broadcasting licenses in the Annual Financial Report survey, Fiscal Year 1997. All revenue amounts contained in this report include cash,…