Examines the effectiveness of grammar checking computer software in the journalism classroom. Finds that grammar checkers, in their current stage of development, may detract from learning rather than enhance it because of numerous errors in students' writing that went undetected. (RS)

The updated HyperCard is reviewed, and instructions are given for "unmasking" the full program. It is concluded that the improvements are powerful and give the program the potential to be a useful tool for educators who need to customize or create their own applications. (six references) (LB)

"Power Tools--Design and Application" (Furtaw) looks at differences between professional and ordinary consumer tools. "Low Budget Laser Printing Solutions" (Dose) gives graphic arts instructors tips on purchasing equipment for high quality output. (SK)

An electronic performance support system (EPSS) was tested by 14 instructional designers, compared with 12 controls working with traditional methods. The EPSS group produced a significantly better end product, but the control group scored significantly higher on a knowledge test. (SK)

Provides a step-by-step approach to test the Y2K readiness of computers. Gives advice on what actions to take if an organization's computer systems fail the test. (GR)

SOLAS is a general-purpose program for univariate statistical analysis with the ability to perform multiple imputation (MI) for dealing with missing data. Several completed data sets can be obtained and analyzed separately, and results can be combined so that extra variability due to missing data is taken into account. (SLD)

Provides reviews of four distance learning software products: (1) LearningSpace, (2) LearnLinc I-Net, (3) LOIS (Learning Organization Information System), and (4) Symposium. Includes a comparison of the features of each of them. (JOW)

Over the last decade, the Intelligent Computer Tutoring Group (ICTG) has implemented many successful constraint-based Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) in a variety of instructional domains. Our tutors have proven their effectiveness not only in controlled lab studies but also in real classrooms, and some of them have been commercialized.…

Teachers in e-learning play a crucial role as facilitators of the students' learning experiences. To this end, a teacher needs to monitor, understand and evaluate the activity of the students in the course. What is more, e-learning can be enhanced if tools for supporting teachers in this task are provided. In this paper, two experiences are…

This paper explores a relatively new area in the design and development of assessment procedures for the evaluation of coursework and student performance on computer and video games degrees. Emphasis is placed on an assessment which involves the development of and interaction in a virtual world, where lecturers and students are represented as…

Like any infrastructure technology, Virtual World (VW) platforms provide affordances that facilitate some activities and hinder others. Although it is theoretically possible for a VW platform to support all types of activities, designers make choices that lead technologies to be more or less suited for different learning objectives. Virtual World…

This paper describes a study aimed to identify most common impediments related to the introduction of an open-source mathematical software package GeoGebra. We report on the analysis of data collected during a three-week professional development programme organised for middle and high school teachers in Florida. The study identified challenges…

In this paper we report on the sustained research and development work at the AMSTEL Institute of the University of Amsterdam to improve mathematics and science education at primary and secondary school level, which has lead amongst other things to the development of the integrated computer working environment Coach 6. This environment consists of…

In this article, Annick Janson and Robin Janson introduce research from the Microsoft New Zealand's Partners in Learning Programme by documenting the impact of digital learning objects (DLOs) on educational practice. Janson and Janson describe the impact of DLOs on the teaching practice of a primary school in New Zealand, tracing the effects of…

The aim of this study was to assess the learning effectiveness and motivational appeal of a computer game for learning computer memory concepts, which was designed according to the curricular objectives and the subject matter of the Greek high school Computer Science (CS) curriculum, as compared to a similar application, encompassing identical…