A pilot television series reached some 100,000 Ontario elementary school students with a series on meteorology and ecology. Flexible interactive opportunities (via broadcast, newsletter, phone, mail, personal contact) were utilized; resources not available were provided, while at the same time local options were preserved and encouraged. Use of…

A research project built an author-controlled computer-assisted instruction (CAI) system to study ease-of-use factors in student-system, author-system, and programer-system interfaces. Interfaces were designed and observed in use and systematically revised. Development of course material by authors, use by students, and administrative tasks were…

A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) project designed a system to teach the elementary properties of statistical distributions in a probability course. It was used to reinforce teacher material with graphic displays and to provide laboratory exercises, the objectives being to promote easier grasp and retention of subject matter. The system…

SPIRES (Stanford Public Information Retrieval System) is a computerized information storage and retrieval system intended for use by students and faculty members who have little knowledge of computers but who need rapid and sophisticated retrieval and analysis. The functions and capabilities of the system from the user's point of view are…

On-line retrieval system design is discussed in the two papers which make up Part Five of this report on Salton's Magical Automatic Retriever of Texts (SMART) project report. The first paper: "A Prototype On-Line Document Retrieval System" by D. Williamson and R. Williamson outlines a design for a SMART on-line document retrieval system…

The basic objective of the development of man-machine interactive systems is to design a system that will most effectively take into account the limitations and talents of both man and machine, recognizing that the human factors are, in certain aspects, diametrically opposed to those of the computer. This document briefly investigates those…

This progress report covers a two-year project which is part of a program that is exploring the value of computer aids in augmenting human intellectual capability. The background and nature of the program, its resources, and the activities it has undertaken are outlined. User experience in applying augmentation tools and techniques to various…

The five technical working papers that comprise the two volumes of this document are related to the problem of creating a valid process model of human communication in dialogue. In Volume 1 both papers consider reference as a phenomenon in text. The first surveys reference identification and resolution methods in various existing natural language…

The technical working papers that comprise the two volumes of this document are related to the problem of creating a valid process model of human communication in dialogue. In Volume 2, the first paper concerns study methodology, and raises such issues as the choice between system-building and process-building, and the advantages of studying cases…

Assesses the advantages of computer-based instruction on speech education. Concludes that, while it offers tremendous flexibility to the instructor--especially in dynamic lesson design, feedback, graphics, and artificial intelligence--there is no inherent advantage to the use of computer technology in the classroom, unless the student interacts…

Explores what an intelligent information retrieval system involves and why expert system techniques might interest system designers. Expert systems research is reviewed with emphasis on components, architecture, and computer interaction, and it is concluded that information retrieval is not an ideal problem domain for expert system application at…

Introduces the Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System (CANSIM), one of Canada's first computerized databases consisting entirely of Canadian data. System design, distribution network, services (time series, cross-classified system, summary data system), information retrieval, data presentation, and the graphic displays of Telichart…

Describes the TIS Intelligent Gateway, developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which uses an extensible meta-machine approach to accommodate unlimited target resources, and provides a universal user interface to simplify communications between the user and target resources. (6 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes the design of a database interface for infrequent users of computers which consists of a graphical display of a model of a database and a natural language query language. This interface was designed for and tested with physicians at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. (LRW)

Stresses the importance of teaching the skills necessary for students to understand computer communications, including microcomputer and remote computer commands; how to get information from human resources through a bulletin board service or information utility; and keyword searching and Boolean logic. (EM)