Two educational models are described: Alternative S, the structured situation stands for security and sureness gained through the equating of system and structure and through organization which preserves the status quo. Alternative O, openness, stands for ongoingness, and opportune moments for growth. Values and latent dangers of these two diverse…

The feasibility of using programed instruction materials for a session of a Management Training Conference conducted for first-level supervisory personnel of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation was studied. A programing format utilizing a series of gated segments, each preceded by a test item, was designed to accommodate the variability among…

At Baruch College of the City University of New York, a study was begun using nontraditional, small group classroom techniques to determine if students' achievement in an intermediate accountancy course could be influenced. Quiz and examination results showed no significant difference between the traditional and nontraditional classes. (JMD)

A field study was conducted in which 304 fifth-grade students spent three class periods per week for 6 weeks in small interdependent learning groups. As hypothesized, students in the interdependent learning groups (experimentals) manifested higher self-esteem than controls and liked groupmates more than other classmates. Further, black and Anglo…

Describes a high school developmental program in which newspapers are used to motivate students to read. Discusses how this approach helps improve students' reading and study habits and boost their attitudes toward reading. Identifies four general reasons for students' negative reaction to traditional reading skills material. (JD)

Includes two reports on the current integration of technology in postsecondary education. Mara Mayor and Peter Dirr discuss the relationship between technology and access and quality. Valerie Crane presents study results on how students use and evaluate telecourses compared to on-campus courses. (DMM)

Describes a study designed to determine whether the use of computer word processing would improve both the amount and quality of revision done by high school student writers. The effects of word processing on composition length and revision, and students' attitudes toward writing and word processing are discussed. (47 references) (CLB)

Two generally unexamined premises about education that have contributed to recent disappointment in the outcomes of education are examined: (1) that learning is always pleasurable; and (2) that no difference exists between formal and experiential learning. (MSE)

Performance of 100 middle school students during and immediately after instruction showed that (1) students exposed to pre-instructional concept lessons have a higher achievement rate, (2) the Taba and the inquiry methods yield better performances than the expository method, and (3) field independent students are somewhat superior to field…

A Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) inquiry approach for university general biology laboratory was tested against a well-established commercial program judged to be highly directive. The BSCS was found to be more effective in learning biology laboratory concepts than the commercial program as measured by a laboratory concepts test.…

This study compared the familiarity of text-only/Telnet and graphical/Web-based online library catalogs of 83 traditional to 17 nontraditional students who were new to Kent State University (Ohio) as of the spring semester of 2000. A questionnaire was distributed to all students prior to any formal library instruction provided by the university.…

This paper reviews a set of studies designed to test the hypothesis that the presence of animated pedagogical agents in multimedia environments can promote deep learning. This was done by first comparing the learning and motivational outcomes of students who learned in the context of social-agency to students who learned in a more traditional text…

The problem of low graduation rates for diverse students in engineering has many causes. Low retention rates for all students in the first two years of an engineering program is a significant problem which must be addressed if universities are going to increase the number of graduates in engineering programs. Faculty and administrators agree, not…

As a new century approaches it is time to re-assess the foundations on which instructional design currently rests, as well as the "mode of thinking" that it promotes. Traditional theories regarding instructional design have largely been implicitly based on out-moded eighteenth century conceptions of the physical universe (a mechanistic world view)…

Focuses on changes necessary in higher education to implement a systems approach to teaching-learning. (Editor)