The Video Nova Authoring System (VNAS) was developed by computer programmers and instructional designers to provide noncomputer programmers with a tool to design interactive videodisc programs. VNAS allows the instructor complete design freedom, and although menu-driven, doesn't rely on preset lesson plans. Illustrations and sources for evaluation…

Six papers on future developments in computer-assisted learning (CAL) focus on the impact of computers on the future of education, use of path algebras for network analysis, impact of "programing literacy" on courseware, microcomputers as classroom teaching aids, Prestel for preschool education in the home, and courseware development and…

Outlines the development of Plato, a unified computer system linking terminals to a central educational network; critically reviews Plato's new Homelink system which provides access to 273 games and lessons; and discusses its present capabilities and possible future improvements to make Homelink attractive to home users interested in educational…

If democratic workplace theories now popular in Scandinavian countries were to be widely applied in the United States, major changes would be necessary in education. To produce workers able to participate in problem solving and decision making, the schools would have to liberate learning from authority-bound, drill-oriented practices. (PP)

Discusses instructional systems and information retrieval systems and highlights the growing role of retrieval systems in learning. Topics discussed include cognitive psychology; degree of learner control; interaction with the systems; technological trends, including storage capacity, integrated media, and interlinked systems; hypermedia; and…

Discusses the difficulties encountered by children and adolescents when they are confronted with different types of catalog access modes in public and school libraries. Suggestions for alleviating these difficulties include the design of friendly features in online catalogs and cooperative planning by public and school libraries. (five references)…

Discussion of interactive technologies and open learning focuses on computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), especially computer based message systems, and their effects on open learning. Topics discussed include cooperative learning; distance learning; individualized instruction; local area networks; group communication; and design principles…

Presents an Intelligent Negotiating Neural Network Design Model for solving the problem of poor information retrieval in subject searches of online catalogs. The purpose of the network, its architecture, and three different sessions of the user interface are described. Nineteen figures showing screens of the three sessions are appended. (Contains…

Discussion of information retrieval in the humanities focuses on a study of 10 graduate students at Indiana University as they conducted literature searches using databases on CD-ROM. Highlights include a review of related literature, search strategies, relevance assessments, human-computer interaction, and databases and indexing. (LRW)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is focusing on interactive and multimedia technologies, within the framework of a virtual commons, to promote the study of people, their environments, and their resources. (AEF)

Discusses the Science Library Catalog, an online catalog intended for use by children at the Los Angeles Public Library, and describes the process of reorganizing the MARC-based database by using clustering algorithms to extend the Dewey Decimal Classification. Examples of screen displays are included. (18 references) (LRW)

Discussion of expert systems and how they can be used focuses on recent research and empirically validated interface features. Highlights include immediate feedback; text brevity; graphics; explanations and human information processing abilities; novice user learning styles; multioption displays; users' mental models; incidental learning; and…

Argues for simplification in the use and development of bibliographic standards to increase usability by librarians and patrons and to reduce costs for libraries. The application of technology such as hypertext is also considered. (EA)

This article describes differences between the graphical user interface and traditional character-based interface systems, identifies potential problems posed by graphic computing environments for blind computer users, and describes some programs and strategies that are being developed to provide access to those environments. (Author/JDD)

Describes a study that investigated the effects of using different forms of computer-based feedback on high school students' learning of science material. Hypotheses tested are discussed, five feedback conditions are described, posttests are explained, and results are discussed in terms of the information processing effects of different feedback…