This document discusses how to conduct a needs assessment for inservice teacher education. It states that the form or method of conducting a needs assessment must be decided upon after first considering teacher preferences, cost, and the capabilities of the local organization implementing the survey. Three methods of conducting needs assessment…

This study involved an in-depth floor space analysis of Cardozo Senior High School, and a review of design plans for a modernized McKinley Tech High School (both in Washington, DC), in order to prompt District of Columbia public schools to develop accurate measurements of useable (i.e., net) floor space, thereby allowing design standards flexible…

Surveys were returned from 40 of 235 climbing gyms nationwide in an effort to identify or verify issues concerning the design, construction, and use of artificial climbing walls. The survey was complemented by discussions with wall manufacturers, architects, engineers, climbing gym owners, wall managers and staff, competition organizers, and…

Reading speed and acceptance rates were obtained as a function of type size, type style, line width and line spacing in two experiments with older adults. Significant differences were found for different styles, as well as sizes of type. Significant interactions were also found for line width and spacing. (Author/SJL)

Describes results of a study of the work activities, priorities, and degree of satisfaction with the office environment of faculty at a California university. Implications for office design are discussed. (Author/WB)

Presents the design and implementation of a reliable multipeer protocol (RMPP), which is written in Java and is suitable for applications in the area of distributed virtual environments (DVEs). Discusses motivation, protocol classification, design goals and the error recovery algorithm and lists implementation issues. Presents two possible…

Describes a project to define the images of Telluride (Colorado) held by its residents and tourists and contributing to sense of place. Discusses the design of the town's entry points and efforts to maintain their visual environments in harmony with the town's defined character during ongoing community development. (SV)

Explores how the 6-D framework can form the core of a comprehensive systemic strategy and help provide a supporting structure for more robust design and development while allowing organizations to support whatever methods and models best suit their purpose. 6-D stands for the phases of Web design and development: Discovery, Definition, Design,…

While most existing online learning environments cater for needs identified during the 1990s, a new generation of digital students has emerged in the developed world. Digital students are young adults who have grown up with digital technologies integrated as an everyday feature of their lives. Digital students use technology differently, fluidly…

The Universal Design for Play (UDP) Tool is an instrument designed to evaluate the presence of universal design (UD) features in toys. This study evaluated its psychometric properties, including content validity, construct validity, and test-retest reliability. The UDP tool was designed to assist in selecting toys most appropriate for children…

This paper compares two alternative computer architectures that have been proposed to provide the control mechanism that enables an intelligent tutoring system to decide what instructional action to perform next, i.e., discourse management networks and blackboards. The claim that an intelligent tutoring system controlled by a blackboard…

A survey of a range of introductory university level textbooks in the social sciences found little use of network diagrams (NDs), i.e., graphic representations of processes, organizations, systems, and mechanisms. NDs can be viewed as a text/picture hybrid medium with titles and captions serving to qualify and identify the meaning and status of…

The broad patterns exhibited by history museums and their collections--the politico-geographical base, the size and collections, unsystematic acquisition, wide range of object types, and lack of categorization, and the lack of scholarly discipline to help development--differ from those of art and science museums, making their electronic data…

The report describes research and recommendations regarding architectural and environmental accessibility for visually handicapped persons. A three phase study was conducted in which visually handicapped persons helped identify mobility problems and evaluate tactile floor signals to identify areas of imminent danger (staircases, dropoffs, and…

The comments contained in this paper are excerpts from intensive interviews with 27 teachers in open area primary schools, asking their recommendations for architectural changes in future open area schools and in traditional type schools to accommodate open education techniques. They were also asked, "Would you like to see this school more…