MediaMatrix, a new, computerized instruction, authoring system, enables instructional developers to build adaptive programmed instruction and adaptive testing systems. Instructional development can focus simultaneously on systematic improvement of comprehension and problem-solving skills while providing for adaptive content presentations that…

Reports on the first stage of a British phonetic training project in foreign language learning that used a repurposed videodisc developed by using the editing capabilities of an authoring tool. Topics discussed include student motivation; content issues; teaching strategies; questioning/feedback techniques; text and graphic screens; and manuals…

Describes a social studies assignment developed for Arizona eighth graders that focuses on Arizona history but also incorporates English, math, and computer programming skills to create a computer program about traveling through the state. Topics discussed include classroom management, computer requirements, community involvement, and interaction…

Compares the experiences of a group of Internet students to those of conventional distance learning students in the same Computer Science course at the Open University (United Kingdom). Discusses learning styles; background questionnaires that included computer use, email experience, programming, education, and attitudes; learning outcomes;…

Describes an assignment where students are given the task of using a computer-authoring system to develop a multimedia lesson on DNA and RNA molecules. (PR)

Educators recognize that group work and physical involvement with learning materials can greatly enhance the understanding and retention of difficult concepts. As a result, math manipulatives--such as pattern blocks and number lines--have increasingly been making their way into classrooms and children's museums. Yet without the constant guidance…

Hypermedia has long been considered to have great potential to support educational tasks and applications. Many success stories of hypermedia support in education have been reported. Much of this work has been done in the context of traditional closed hypermedia systems rather than more contemporary open hypermedia systems. Developing hypermedia…

This article reports on the development and systematic evaluation of an innovative early years programme aimed at encouraging young children to respect differences within a deeply divided society that is emerging out of a prolonged period of violent conflict. The programme, the Media Initiative for Children--Northern Ireland, has been the product…

If the notion of public and private spheres seems somehow quaint or old-fashioned, the distinction between public and private corporations will be that much more obscure. Yet Channel One broadcasts in a public school classroom are indisputably the result of a contract between a private corporation (Alloy Media + Marketing) and a public corporation…

The 4th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2011) brings together researchers from computer science, education, psychology, psychometrics, and statistics to analyze large datasets to answer educational research questions. The conference, held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, July 6-9, 2011, follows the three previous editions…

MOO stands for "Multi-user domain, Object-Oriented." Early multi-user domains, or "MUDs," began as net-based dungeons-and-dragons type games, but MOOs have evolved from these origins to become some of cyberspace's most fascinating and engaging online communities. MOOs are social environments in a text-based virtual reality…

In February 1993, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting commissioned focus groups with Hispanic viewers to determine the perceptions of public television by Hispanics. The project was conducted by Norman Hecht Research and included Hispanic viewers and non-viewers in four cities--New York, Miami, San Antonio, and Los Angeles. The topic for…

Implementation of the first U.S. television program rating system based on identifying content that could be viewed by specific age groups began in January, 1997. This exploratory survey examined the context of how young people responded to the ratings system. Participating in the May 1997 survey were 462 students in fourth, eighth, and tenth…

Duquesne University (Pennsylvania) has committed to the electronic delivery of an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) program to Northern Jiaotong University in Beijing, China. This paper describes the process of preparing a course for electronic delivery, along with related course preparation issues. The university's partnership with…

The Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) Committee of the Mississippi Legislature is authorized to review any public entity at the request of the legislature. In response to numerous allegations by agency employees and citizens and to anonymous complaints, the PEER Committee reviewed the Mississippi…