The effects of orienting activities and practice on performance and student behaviors in a cooperative learning environment were studied with 80 graduate education majors in an educational psychology course. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used, with orienting activity (advance organizer versus objectives) and type of practice (verbal information…

Progress is reported on research conducted in school settings to investigate methods to help students--especially at-risk students--to acquire and use knowledge to solve problems. The methods incorporate principles of learning and instruction derived from basic research on cognition. Specifically, the research involves using microcomputer and…

This report describes activities of the PLATO Education Group (PEG), the educational research and development arm of the Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (CERL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Staff, funding sources, and an overview are presented for the four projects summarized, along with additional,…

The second of four symposium papers brings together the results of four separate statistical analyses of findings on computer-based instruction (CBI) in 199 comparative studies, of which 32 were conducted in elementary schools, 42 in high schools, 101 in universities and colleges, and 24 in adult education settings. Each was a controlled,…

This guide was prepared for staff members responsible for preparing materials for a program of external teaching at Brisbane College of Advanced Education. It includes information on the planning, development, and production of teaching units, including instructional design guidelines for: clarifying goals and objectives; maximizing student…

This document provides an overview of a Critical Literacy Project (CLP), involving a year-long faculty development seminar designed to help faculty reevaluate teaching strategies and redesign courses to include critical reading, writing, and thinking. The CLP addresses problems common to many community colleges: a large proportion of students…

A computer assisted instructional program was developed for teaching data processing technicians at Naval Recruiting Command in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to create database records using CONDOR Database Management System Software. The procedure used in developing the program was based upon the Dick and Carey model of instructional…

A content analysis was performed to determine the trends and issues in educational technology for the period from October 1, 1988, through September 30, 1989. Sources for the analysis included four leading professional journals in educational technology, papers given at annual conventions of three professional associations, dissertations from five…

This research project was designed to explore ways of making computer text presentations more readable as a way of compensating for the constraints that computers impose on the display of text as compared with print-on-paper displays, e.g., limited screen resolution and display area. Forty-eight undergraduate teacher education majors enrolled in…

Distance education has been used by Ontario universities since before the turn of the century to provide university programs to adults who are unable to attend traditional classes. Currently, 11 of Ontario's universities have distance education programs using broadcast or cablecast television, videotape, teleconferencing, audiocassettes, or print.…

Several text format variables were examined in an attempt to identify the ways in which these variables interact in specific design combinations. The variables include: heading location (embedded or isolated); line length (short or long); space between lines (single or double); paragraph indication (indented or spaced); use of running heads…

Two studies investigated the differential effects of organizational cuing and strategy training on learning disabled (LD) adolescents, a group which, it has been suggested, is particularly insensitive to the effects of organizational cues. Participants for the first study included 37 LD and 50 nonhandicapped high school students who were randomly…

This bibliography for trainers and teachers interested in open or distance learning lists 68 books and articles devoted to particular aspects of the "learning revolution," i.e., arrangements to enable people to learn at the time, place, and pace that satisfy their circumstances and requirements. Materials are listed under 12 headings:…

This paper reviews research on school effects and teacher effects on student achievement. In general, academic learning is influenced by the amount of time that students spend engaged in appropriate academic activities. Students learn more efficiently when their teachers instruct them actively by structuring new information and helping them relate…

These proceedings include papers on such topics as authoring systems, computer-managed instruction, testing, instructional design, management education, simulations, intelligent computer-assisted instruction, and other areas related to computer-based education. Fifty-six papers and 104 abstracts are organized by Association for the Development of…