This report explores environmental alternatives and optimums for a regional center for hearing impairment. The intent is to inform planners, architects, and educators of needs that are hopefully translatable into socially purposeful architecture. The objective is to encourage environmental solutions that reflect the educational concerns and social…

Educational facilities for handicapped children are examined in terms of environmental design planning and needs. The first of four sections reports basic findings of the project Physical Environment and Special Education: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Research, which appraised by questionnaires and site visits the present status of special…

A 6-month study of elementary and junior high school bicycle riders and events accruing to everyday use of their vehicles was conducted in Raleigh, North Carolina. Of the 2,369 mail questionnaires that recorded demographic and bicycle description data and information which permitted calculation of bicycle ownership rates by sex, 495 useable…

The paper presents a summary overview of the major methods by which human environments have been assessed and characterized. Six general types of dimensions are identified: 1) Ecological Dimensions which include both geographical and meteorological and architectural and physical design variables; 2) behavior settings, which are the only units thus…

This manual analyzes techniques and procedures for determining needs for major types of general support facilities (i.e., athletic/physical education facilities, recreation facilities, lounges, residential facilities, dining halls, and student health facilities.) In general, these facilities reflect an institution's method of providing for…

Describes an integrated online library system developed at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) which incorporates a number of database management features that enhance efficiency, for record retrieval and display. Design features related to record storage and retrieval and the design of linked files are described in detail.…

This analysis of trends in computer-based instruction (CBI) during the past decade briefly describes evaluation criteria from 1974 and discusses changes in attitudes toward CBI (costs, instructional effectiveness); system selection criteria (graphics, input devices, quantity and quality of software); the CBI marketplace (including transportability…

Proposes a taxonomy which describes interactivity and adaptation outside the context of any particular medium. Designed to facilitate the instructional design and media selection processes, this taxonomy is represented as a cube whose axes represent interactivity and internal and external adaptation levels. Levels of interactivity and adaptation…

Discusses the design and development of the user-computer interface in terms of the personal computer user's psychological needs and physical, perceptual, and conceptual contact with the system. Principles for the development of a user-system dialog that meets the requirements of transparency and visibility are suggested. Twenty-six references are…

The MUMEDALA (MUlti-Media Authoring LAnguage) system is an authoring facility that is designed to enable the creation and control of a sophisticated interactive learning environment. This paper presents an overview of the system, its design features, and progress being made towards its realization. Twenty-three references are included. (Author/MBR)

This paper presents proposals for improving the way the District of Columbia decides how to improve its public facilities and other infrastructure. It recommends a practical decision process that will help the District plan effectively for capital improvement, up-grade the condition, utilization, efficiency and attractiveness of its public assets,…

Ensuring that people have the appropriate level of numeracy skills is particularly important in jobs which involve a risk to public safety and the environment. This research investigates the job-related numeracy requirements in the chemical spraying and handling operations of the horticulture, local government, outdoor recreation and warehousing…

This 15-minute VHS videotape introduces an interdisciplinary math, science, and language arts project for eighth grade. Students learn about and apply laws of motion, linear functions, and technical reporting as they design and present an ultimate roller coaster. The project is organized in five phases that generate knowledge about design…

Modeling in all its forms (two-dimensional, three-dimensional, mathematical, and computer) is an essential feature of designing and making. This paper describes how 10 untutored technology education students in grade 7 used three-dimensional modeling while designing and making a solution to a technological problem. This paper is part of a larger…

This study determined the perceptions of selected architects, administrators, and teachers concerning essential design elements for new middle schools. Professionals from 14 south and southeastern states ranked statements from not applicable to essential in the following 5 categories: planning, design, site selections; environmental factors; space…