This publication focuses on promising new and emerging technologies and what they might mean to the future of K-12 schools. Half of the volume contains articles devoted in some way to "Vision," and articles in the other half are under the heading of "Leadership." Contents in the "Vision" section include:…

This article explores the interdisciplinary course offerings at 164 institutions that participated in a 1998 curriculum analysis by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges. It examines interdisciplinary courses in the context of the total curriculum, and discusses examples of existing interdisciplinary programs, the benefits and…

This paper describes Maine's high standards for all students and a model for personalizing instruction and assessment to fit student needs, thus providing fair opportunities for all children to achieve the standards. Maine's academic standards, the Learning Results, are structured in three levels: broad performance goals for all students (guiding…

In order to encourage foreign-language faculty to increase their use of technology in the classroom, the University of South Carolina has created a new role for the Academic Director of its Foreign Language Learning Center. The director oversees a Faculty Development Center for faculty interested in incorporating technology into their curricula.…

A study examined academic literacy in high-risk South African students entering postsecondary education, and the relationship of academic literacy to instructional development. Data were gathered in discussions with academic staff at South African universities and technikons and at the University of Saskatchewan. The report begins with background…

Educators in higher education are increasingly being called upon to design, develop, and deliver courses via the World Wide Web. Although reasons for the strong push to develop online courses are varied, it is clear that the perceived need for such courses is steadily increasing. Also needed are prescriptions for creating courses that are dynamic,…

An experiment designed to determine the aptitude level(s) and group size which would provide optimal feedback for formative evaluation of instructional materials found that revisions based on feedback from one-to- one sessions with a mixed aptitude group were more effective than those based on feedback from a group or single aptitude level. (EAO)

Describes a project at Bell Laboratories which sought a compromise between ideal formative evaluation procedures and more feasible procedures necessitated by restrictions on time and resources. Local-trial and field-trial stages of a phased approach are discussed, as well as the benefits of field-tests. (EAO)

Reports research on computer assisted instruction (CAI) which has attempted to understand why CAI often accomplishes learning goals in less time and describes the "Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study" which investigated the way students use their time, actual time-on-task, and quality of student involvement with subject content. (EAO)

Describes the introduction of professionally qualified instructional designers into the Professional Education Division of Arthur Anderson and Co., an international public accounting and professional services firm. The difficulties and misunderstandings that were overcome and the role the instructional designers now play in providing training…

Research on teachers' judgments, instructional planning, and decision making during classroom interaction is reviewed. (MP)

H. S. Bhola's CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model, when applied to instructional development, can: (1) anchor instructional development in real time and space; (2) assist in focusing the variables involved; (3) help determine the range of choices; and (4) assist with implementation and evaluation. It can help developers…

Discusses three steps in learning-strategy analysis--determining the potential errors, categorizing them as being verbal or motor, and identifying appropriate training objectives, learning strategies, and teaching objectives. Then follow descriptions of concept and principle learning, motor performance, and motor chain learning. The task analyzed…

Describes the results of a study of three programs successfully teaching basic skills. Characteristics of successful schools include careful alignment of curriculum and instruction and grade-level instructional planning. (Author/JM)

Provides a model for "coordinate status consultation," a method of improving instruction in which the client-professor and the counselor-instructional developer work together as equals. This paper defines the process, summarizes the conceptual basis, describes the major phases in the process, and provides an example of its use. (JJD)