Promoting the development of students' scientific inquiry capabilities is a major learning objective in science education. As a result, teachers require effective assessment approaches to evaluate students' scientific inquiry-related performance. Teachers must also be able to offer appropriate supplementary instructions, as needed, to students.…

This dissertation questions the common assumption that e-learning requires a "learning management system" (LMS) such as Moodle or Blackboard. Based on an analysis of the current state of the art in LMSs, we come to the conclusion that the functionality of conventional e-learning platforms consists of basic content management and…

Today's post-secondary students are technologically savvy and they expect faculty to use myriad web technologies for course delivery. This includes taking advantage of email, course web sites, and online learning communities. However, expectations now also include RSS, blogs, web- and pod-casting, extending the classroom experience to provide…

High-ranking officers require advanced military education in war tactics for future combat. However, line officers rarely have time to take such courses on campus. The conventional solution to this problem used to take the inefficient correspondence courses. Whereas Internet technologies progress, online course is the current trend for military…

In teacher education, electronic portfolios provide an authentic form of assessment documenting students' personal and professional growth. Using the engineered-based system, College LiveText, and an off-the-shelf general tool, HyperStudio, pre-service teachers constructed e-portfolios as part of their teacher preparation requirements. This case…

Lakeland College, a small rural institution on the Canadian prairies, used to face the dilemma of needing a Web presence without having the funds, staff, and technology infrastructure to support it. This article relates how Lakeland's librarian hired ShirWin Knowledge & Learning Systems, Inc., a small software company based in Edmonton,…

Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), which uses NeXT computers, was dismayed when the technically superior operating system was orphaned but are now delighted that the company has been bought by Apple Computer and will make the operating system standard on Apple computers. The object-oriented operating system allows relatively unsophisticated users…

Outlines the basic principles and research supporting the concept of narrative intelligence and its applicability to the ways in which people make sense of digital video. Explores relevant theory and research in sense-making, surrogates, narrative, and narrative intelligence and presents preliminary results of two research studies. Results have…

Questions how anthropomorphic human computer interface design should be. Observes: the impulse to anthropomorphize technology has been longstanding, employed with artifacts besides computers; evolution of technologies proceeds through an introductory phase wherein a culture becomes acclimatized to the new technology; and the perception of…

Discusses a research program at Utah State University that is developing an advanced instructional design theory to help produce an integrated computer-based system. Highlights include a theoretical base that organizes knowledge about instructional design, a methodology for representing domain knowledge; miniexpert systems; instructional…

Replies to Watts's article concerning computer-aided careers guidance systems (1993). Reviews the U.K. experience of computer-aided guidance systems, comments on the development of PROSPECT which Watts uses as a case study, identifies strengths and weaknesses of existing research, and sets out a research agenda. (JPS)

Discussion of performance support focuses on Canada's Bell-Northern Research's views of embedded performance support systems. The establishment of a corporate center of excellence for performance support system (PSS) development is explained; a pilot project is described; and a business case showing the benefits of implementing a PSS is presented.…

The review examines six personal computer-based optical character recognition (OCR) systems designed for use by blind and visually impaired people. Considered are OCR components and terms, documentation, scanning and reading, command structure, conversion, unique features, accuracy of recognition, scanning time, speed, and cost. (DB)

Discusses document processing software packages and describes the TEX system, a document compiler intended to produce high quality typesetting. It is noted that the X-window system provides a windowing environment that makes the system faster, more efficient, and more user friendly, and its use in connection with the TEX system is explained. (four…

Discussed is one facet of a broad range of research activities that fall under the rubric of a study commonly called virtual reality. Projects developed by IBM and other academic and industrial laboratories are described. The limitations of virtual reality are presented. (KR)