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…

Offers tips and techniques for authoring computer-based training and courseware products. Describes basic design concepts and points that pertain to individual components. Focuses specifically on the visual elements associated with the use of video, text, graphics, animation and interactivity in multimedia courseware. (AEF)

Introduces global positioning system (GPS) technology to nonspecialist geographers and recommends a framework for implementing GPS instructional modules in college geography courses. GPS was developed as a worldwide satellite-based system by the U.S. Department of Defense to simplify and improve military and civilian navigation and positioning.…

Outlines the teaching environment that led to the conception of a digital tutor for teaching the concepts and techniques of geographic information systems (GIS). Explains the design and prototyping, introduces the tutor's capabilities, and shares insights gained from using this teaching aid. Includes teachers' and students' responses. (MJP)

Describes the process by which Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York), beginning in the 1980s, became a leader in computer applications in college instruction. Focus is on the leadership provided by the administration and the process of reengineering institutional operations in many instructional and administrative areas. Outlines three…

This article, written by a high school student, describes how he helped his school attain access to state-of-the-art technology and to the Internet. Topics include problems, security issues, teacher training, examples of student Internet projects, technical details of the school's computer system, and how the school encouraged this student's…

Describes the successful, grass-roots approach to staff development at Winona Middle School in Winona, Minnesota. Discusses categories of learners from early adapters to technophobes, staff training models, technical support, networking, policy plans, funding, and new challenges. (AEF)

Some faculty feel that, as tasks become "unbundled," technology may take over instructional duties that define professor's jobs, with courses designed outside the institution, lectures replaced by Web sites, tests created and administered by outside organizations. Others feel that computers foster more interactive and lively learning environments…

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…

Provides an overview of NetLinkS, a professional development project for networked learner support in United Kingdom higher education institutions. Topics include objectives; results of focus groups; current trends; library-based services, including user education and support for distance learners; and future plans. (Author/LRW)

Examines distance learning delivery by the LE (Learning Environment) Club project, a collaboration between several Further Education colleges and Fretwell-Downing, a library automation company. The project integrates computer-supported learning with library automation systems, and addresses issues of user interface metaphors; tracking and…

Civilization, Colonization, and SimCity are three CD-ROM simulation programs that provide authentic learning experiences for elementary and secondary level social studies. Benefits include a problem-solving design structure; student-controlled experiential learning; transferrable skills; and improvement of cognitive skills and reading…

Argues that, if teachers of English as a Second Language deepen their understanding of learning styles and strategies, they can maximize the potential of computer-assisted individualized instruction for their students. The article suggests that, when teachers share their resources with their students and then let them go, the students will find…