Discusses basic principles of human-computer interface design that will be helpful to librarians involved in designing effective OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) screens. Highlights include physical features; general principles; menu screens; commands; inquiry screens; messages, including help screens; and organizational considerations,…

Describes research conducted at Lancaster University (United Kingdom) which investigated design considerations that were necessary for the development of effective interactive video (IV) courseware for management education. The advantages of a videotape-based system as opposed to videodisc are described, and technologies to minimize the drawbacks…

Discussion of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) focuses on what is required to evaluate the efficacy of an ITS. Research and development aspects of ITS are examined; and seven main principles that may be used to design, plan, and implement an effective ITS evaluation are described. (Contains 40 references.) (LRW)

Notes environmental factors affecting adult learning situations: territoriality, seating arrangements, sightlines, and equipment. A checklist for conducting a space audit includes features inside and outside the classroom. (SK)

This symposium paper is concerned with curriculum theory and development and the place of curriculum theory within the area of instructional technology. It first identifies the central questions of curriculum (e.g., what should we teach?) and discusses the implications of the resulting issues: (1) why should we teach this rather than that? (2) who…

Architectural considerations and recommendations to facilitate the work of an Educational Research Center for Child Development are presented. The purposes of the center are to demonstrate model programs for children, train student and child development professionals, and facilitate and disseminate research on young children. Program…

One of the situations in which the child spends much time is informal, outdoor play settings. Much of this time is spent in spontaneous play in neighborhoods, around the dwelling unit, and on designated playgrounds. Unstructured and spontaneous play is an important part of a child's development. It is through unstructured, child-initiated play…

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…

This investigation of the encoding features of graphs begins with a description of a cognitive framework which allows designers to factor into the process of designing displays how people interpret the information found and what display properties are responsible for this interpretation. The framework also provides a performance measure for use in…

Discusses the probabilistic nature of information retrieval, and describes a front end system designed to permit searchers to attach probabilistically interpreted weights to query terms, which could be adapted for conventional information retrieval systems without requiring radical changes in current indexing procedures. (37 references) (CLB)

Discusses the special information needs of the building industry, attributes of existing expert systems that support building design and construction, and current research to further develop the application of expert systems to this area. An annotated listing of related expert system developments is appended. (49 references) (CLB)

Outlines several factors to be considered by teachers when designing text displays for computer assisted instruction. Types of frames--introductory, pretesting, teaching/testing, practice, criterion testing, and rule-example--are defined and discussed to aid developers in organizing a computer assisted instruction lesson. (MBR)

Description of several computerized tutoring systems is organized around types of knowledge any tutor must possess--subject area, student's information, and how to teach and communicate. Data and control structures of Meno-tutor are described to illustrate use of artificial intelligence to model the student, a domain, and teaching strategies. (MBR)

Addresses the problems of unsuitable physical layout of the visual display terminal, keyboard, and document holder and improperly selected office furniture by discussing a group of office products dubbed "computer furniture," i.e., terminal tables and furniture for peripherals. Purchasing advice is included. (EJS)

Provides a brief overview of videotex systems currently in operation and discusses an analysis of those systems in which the various features of the videotex user-system interface were identified. System design considerations for videotex are outlined and the results of the feature analysis of existing systems are presented in three figures.…