This paper reviews the empirical research that has been done with computer assisted instruction (CAI) in an attempt to gain an overview that will allow the effectiveness of CAI to be evaluated. In the review, the area of CAI is divided into four basic modes: drill and practice, problem solving, tutorial, and simulation. Each mode is defined, and…

This study describes various patterns of peer tutoring and is based on the use of cultural traditions and endogenous methods, on techniques and equipment acquired from other cultures, on problems presented by the adoption of educational technologies, and on methods needing little sophisticated equipment. A dozen peer tutoring systems are…

The experience of teaching a University of Aberdeen distance learning course to students in the Scottish Highlands and Islands using audio conferencing suggests that with new technologies the benefits of distance learning can be preserved while the problems of traditional distance courses can be mitigated. The results of a survey of 45 students…

Educational institutions are increasingly adopting "closed" learning environments that hide learning materials in password-protected areas. While this may be a logical solution to a range of problems, much is lost in this mode of course delivery. Although there are logical reasons for moving toward closed environments, we may be erring…

Editor-in-chief James Morrison talks with organic education proponent Hugh Osborn at the 2005 World Future Society conference. The current school system in America is inflexible and not conducive to technological innovation; a complete reform of American education, Osborn feels, is required. Osborn calls for a move to organic education, a…

This document is a compilation of eight papers which present the advantages of, and the need for, the systems approach in all areas of education. The first paper, an explication of the SIGGS theory model, explains set theory, information theory, and graph theory, and demonstrates their integration. Project PRIME, concerned with the mainstreaming…

The original authors address several concerns expressed in four responses to their article: terminology; the need for expert and intensive pedagogy (including early intensive language training); pessimistic attitudes; the need for caution in setting total habilitation as a goal; and a research model. (KM)

This collection of writings presents leading research and key considerations to assist educational leaders in making decisions about new programs and new directions for their schools. Twenty-six chapters make up the book: (1) "Changing Demographics: A Call for Leadership" (Bud Hodgkinson); (2) "Media and Political Misrepresentation of Public…

This digest explores media options as they relate to instructional design for distance education, because the function and design of each medium needs to be understood, if it is to lead to learning. It also describes other types of delivery media used in the history of distance learning before online learning programs: print, radio and telephone,…

This paper discusses two approaches to designing and studying integrated media applications, relating each to current theories of learning and thinking. After a discussion of the "curriculum embellishment" and "break-the-mold" approaches, alternatives to decontextualized curricula are examined in the context of new and revised goals for learning.…

A problem solving protocol is described and then applied to a teacher training problematic situation in science and technology education. The problem consists of improving a learning community involved in education research, development and communication. Some remarks concerning the strengths and limitations of using the protocol are made in…

This document reports on the Radio Mathematics Project (RMP) over a five-year period. In 1973, the United States Agency for International Development (AID) asked the Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences (IMSSS) at Stanford University to develop an instructional program with radio as the medium of delivery. IMSSS was to devise…

Intervention advances in mental retardation have enabled some individuals to function as independent, nonretarded persons. Establishing total habilitation (a term needed to describe this outcome) as a major goal of intervention will promote research and the development of an intervention continuum that includes prevention, total habilitation, and…

Examples of new environmental education strategies in developing countries are provided including, among others, programs which stress that properly-conceived development should include respect for the local environment and research projects helping villagers define what is meant by development. Provides an example of the use of television in the…

In June 2004, "Thwarted Innovation: What Happened to e-learning and Why," a report by Robert Zemsky and William F. Massy, created a minor stir among many professionals associated with distance learning. This article addresses many of the issues arising from the publication of "Thwarted Innovation," and in addition, it borrows several concepts from…