This book offers the reader new achievements within the Assistive Technology field made by worldwide experts, covering aspects such as assistive technology focused on teaching and education, mobility, communication and social interactivity, among others. Each chapter included in this book covers one particular aspect of Assistive Technology that…

These two papers discuss ways of improving the quality of educational texts used by the Open University in distance learning courses. The first discusses how text numbering systems should be used and when it is appropriate to use them; five recommendations are given. The last paper discusses how instructional design teams can best approach…

The three papers included in this report address typography for graphic communication, typographic access structures for educational texts, and typography as macropunctuation. The first paper considers the consequences of an aesthetic bias in the literature of typography, and identifies two misleading assumptions about textbooks; i.e., that print…

Designing and remodeling educational facilities are becoming more complex with options that include computer-based collaboration, classrooms with multimedia podiums, conference centers, and workplaces with desktop communication systems. This book provides a collection of articles that address educational facility design categorized in the…

Three discussion papers about the Open University's correspondence texts consider (1) the role of a transformer, i.e., any person working in communication media who is responsible for the effectiveness of his/her decisions; (2) factors involved in the design of Open University texts, including their use as a resource for a range of different…

Computer assisted instruction, software design, and course organization are among the topics discussed in this varied, 15-paper collection which includes descriptions of specific projects, general essays and practical suggestions for improving or implementing computer-oriented instruction. The following papers are presented: (1) "Organization…

This guide, a collection of 14 articles by experts in the field, highlights the key features related to the planning and construction of educational facilities. The guide is to be used as a tool in the planning, design, remodeling, and construction of educational facilities. The focus is on practice rather than theory. The book starts by dealing…

Four articles respond to the Bader and Nyce position that it is unlikely cultural analysis will become a routine tool for information systems developers with these arguments: ethnographic work can aid software development; the problem lies with inappropriate application of social science methods; the problem is technique, not fundamentals; and…

Six conference panel discussions on uses of technology in education are presented. The first panel, "The Use of Hypermedia in the Teaching and Learning of Programming" (Tom Boyle, Chair, and others) discusses achievements in hypermedia-based instruction, design needs, and experiences. The second panel, "Virtual Clayoquot Video…

This book presents an argument for, and invites, critical examination of teacher preparation and assessment practices--in light of both the complexity and demands of urban settings and the theories of learning and learning to teach that guide teacher education practices. This dynamic approach distinguishes the authors' stance on urban teacher…