As it was initially implemented, e-learning did little other than supply facts and information, offering limited opportunity for interactivity and problem-solving. Designers need to find ways to address past limitations and bring the engagement of classroom training to the web. One method that merits attention is scenario-based learning. The…

This study aims at highlighting the collaborative activity of two high school students (age 14) in the cases of modeling the complex biological process of plant growth with two different tools: the "paper & pencil" concept mapping technique and the computer-supported educational environment "ModelsCreator". Students' shared activity in both cases…

Spatial abilities are fundamental to human functioning in the physical world. Spatial reasoning allows people to use concepts of shape, features, and relationships in both concrete and abstract ways, to make and use things in the world, to navigate, and to communicate. Surgeons, pilots, architects, engineers, mechanics, builders, farmers, trades…

This article discusses the relationship between procedural and conceptual problem solving in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment designed within the field of science education. The contribution of this article, and our understanding of this phenomenon, is anchored in our socio-cultural interpretation, and that implies…

Although self-regulated learning is considered as a characteristic of individual students, the question may be raised as to whether a community of learners with its emphasis on inquiry learning in teams of students provides an appropriate environment to acquire and develop active and dynamic self-regulation strategies. Two cases of communities of…

This is the final evaluation report of the On Growth and Form (OGAF): Learning Concepts of Probability and Fractals by Doing Science project that aimed at engaging high school students in hands-on science activities, experiments, and computer simulations that use probability and fractal geometry to model ragged structures in the real world.…

In this study, learners worked with a simulation of harmonic oscillation. Two supportive measures were introduced: model progression and assignments. In model progression, the model underlying the simulation is not offered in its full complexity from the start, but variables are gradually introduced. Assignments are small exercises that help the…

As part of the research leading to the implementation of computer-based case simulations (CCS) for the licensing examinations of the National Board of Medical Examiners, gender differences in performance were studied for one form consisting of 18 cases. A secondary purpose of the study was to note differences in style or approach that might…

This pamphlet presents brief reviews of 38 population education software and online systems currently available. It includes mathematical models, simulations, databases, problem-solving games, online systems, and associations. The review includes a description of the program, the level at which it is aimed, required computer hardware, the vendor's…

A multidimensional item response theory (IRT) model for polytomously scored items, based on the graded response model and using the normal ogive, is developed; and an EM algorithm that may be used to estimate the parameters of the model is also discussed. The model is illustrated through a simulation study in which the polytomous item responses of…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recently expanded its national survey to include state representative samples on a trial basis. In 1992, the NAEP undertook studied non-response in the trial assessment through two simulation projects. The first looked at state assessments that were similar to NAEP tests for states with low…

A systematic study was conducted with a group of 10- to 12-year-olds using computer assisted instruction in a unit on fire which included a computer simulation of combustion. Three research questions were addressed to learn more about how the computer experience challenged the students' preconceptions: what the students thought the computer knew,…

This paper establishes the roots of computers and automated teaching in the field of psychology and describes Dr. S. L. Pressey's presentation of the teaching machine; B. F. Skinner's teaching machine; Meyer's steps in composing a program for the automated teaching machine; IBM's beginning research on automated courses and the development of the…

This guide for using computers in the whole language classroom provides teachers with practical ideas for the use of computers to promote group interaction and cooperative learning, including: (1) software webs to assist theme development; (2) pre-computer activities to motivate students; (3) computer activities to develop software competence; (4)…

Credentialing agencies that use multi-test examinations (MTEs) should be concerned with the quality of pass/fail outcomes as well as with the proportion of candidates passing. This study addressed three questions: (1) the effects on passing rate of MTE reliability, number of tests comprising a MTE, and correlations between pairs of component…