Discusses ways of determining furniture requirements, specifications, and preferences early enough in new school planning to enhance school design. Planning for changes in the educational environment, establishing needs and expectations, budgeting, and breaking bids into multiple packages for specific school areas are explored. (GR)

This study of Israeli kindergarteners examined gender differences in the preferences to varying designs of multimedia learning interfaces in interactive multimedia stories. Highlights include a taxonomy of design of efficient user interfaces and the use of Lampert's Attitude Pollimeter to determine students' opinions. (Contains 19 references.)…

Discusses school design considerations for energy-efficient schools that provide learning environments that lead to improved student performance. Design myths are addressed as are use of daylighting and designing schools that can teach students and adults about the importance of conserving energy and money. Two online resources are included. (GR)

Presents a framework for the design of information representations in terms of previews and overviews, to aid designers of digital library interfaces. Defines previews and overviews, as graphic or textual representations of information abstracted from primary information objects, analogous to bibliographic records and catalogs; and describes four…

Examines problems in Web-site design from the perspective of network analysis. In view of the similarity between the hypertext structure of Web pages and a generic network, network analysis presents concepts and theories that provide insight for Web-site design. Describes the problem of home-page location and control of number of Web pages and…

Discusses the goal-based design concepts used to build a CD-ROM-based course for senior executives at Andersen Consulting. Topics include quality management; continuous improvement; problem-centered learning; video storytelling; feedback; multimedia learning environments; course organization; and possible future applications. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the poor technical and design quality of many Web sites and provides tips for improving quality: use meta tags; provide page sponsor identification, links back to home page, page titles; display a paragraph describing the purpose of the Web page; avoid using frames and publishing pages under construction; check language and mechanics;…

Describes a study that was conducted to identify, describe, and analyze the document representations of Web sites revealed in the hit list of subject searches conducted by four search engines: AltaVista, infoseek Ultra, Lycos, and Open Text Index. Problems are discussed, and implications for Web page design are considered. (LRW)

This article describes the process of designing the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site to illustrate both the principles and the practice of universal design for learning. How the Web site overcame barriers to learning, information representation, interaction and navigation, and engagement barriers is addressed. (CR)

Discusses indexing and access to digital resources, especially on the Internet. Topics include subject searching versus indexing; multiple terms of access; folk classification; basic level terms; folk access; Bradford's Law; Zipfian distributions; vocabulary scalability; the Resnikoff-Dolby 30:1 Rule; domain-specific indexing; and implications for…

Four contributing authors discuss perspectives on current trends in library interior design. Articles include: "Trends in Library Furnishings: A Manufacturer's Perspective" (Andrea Johnson); "Libraries, Architecture, and Light: The Architect's Perspective" (Rick McCarthy); "The Library Administrator's Perspective" (Chadwick Raymond); and "The…

Presents tips on how to create instructional Web sites with accessibility in mind and how to easily check existing sites for accessibility, based on a study of inaccessible Web-based components at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Provides a list of Web sites focusing on accessibility. (AEF)

Adaptive tests offer the advantages of reduced test length and increased accuracy in ability estimation. However, adaptive tests require large pools of precalibrated items. This study looks at the development of an item pool for 1 type of adaptive administration: the computer-adaptive sequential test. An important issue is the sample size required…

In this article, the author discusses his list of seven precepts for good research in leadership in education. These precepts are: (1) The need to be clear about what research is; (2) The need to have regard to the applied nature of the field; (3) The need to differentiate but not to balkanise; (4) The need to be comprehensive and inclusive; (5)…

Training students in assessment can not only help lighten grading load but also--and more importantly--equip students with a lifelong skill. The goal of educators in grading is to reinforce teaching concepts by identifying students' strengths and weaknesses. If educators require students to create Web site as a class project, this can become a…