A brief discussion of the need to define social studies is followed by methods for developing selection criteria for microcomputer programs in the social studies, a model for lesson development on a microcomputer, and evaluation criteria. The need for educators to carefully state what should be learned is emphasized in terms of controlling the…

A study was conducted to answer several research questions involving: (1) decision models used by teachers; (2) nature of preactive and interactive decisions made by teachers; (3) what governs teachers' decisions; (4) interaction between teachers' decision making and the need to maintain activity flow; (5) how teachers establish a "learning…

To assist managers of complex training systems in making decisions that result in changes in the existing training syllabus, this study provides a model for estimating and comparing the costs of training system components and of potential changes to the components. In the first part of the study, this assessment model is broken down into five…

This paper makes a distinction between the formative evaluation that can be carried out in the early stages of the development of educational television programs, i.e., from the emergence of the idea through the development of a script, and those that have to be executed in the later stages of development, i.e., during the production process. The…

College summer institutes should be allowed to coach high school debaters on the current high school debate topic. Every individual forensic practice must be viewed as part of a dynamic process, the totality of which ought to be assessed for its competitive and educational balances. The activity of debate becomes endangered not when students allow…

A three phase study evaluated the comparative effectiveness of various features that comprise a postsecondary writing program. The first phase of the study examined the college composition programs on the 19 California State University (CSU) campuses to identify and describe distinctive program features. The second and third phases measured both…

Current issues in educational communications and technology are addressed in this collection of 48 papers, in which research reports predominate. Topics discussed include factors related to the learner, e.g., field dependence/independence, learning strategies, information processing, spatial ability, cognitive style, and cognitive strategies.…

Instructional Accomplishment Information (IAI) Systems data bases provide the opportunity for new and powerful studies relevant to educational policy issues at a local and/or national level. This report discusses the methodology for "schooling policy studies." The procedures are illustrated using a yet-to-be-completed analysis of the Los…

Assessment and decision-making practices of a national sample of 60 teachers serving handicapped preschool children were examined. Teachers were surveyed regarding the assessment information they and other professionals collect on their students and how they use it in educational programming. It was found that teachers used behavioral observations…

This paper examines the changing instructional role of the high school librarian from 1951 to 1984 to determine: (1) if the purported changes in the instructional role have been fictional or factual; (2) if the changes were those of substance or of form; (3) if the changes represented a process of growth and development in direct relationship to…

Specially designed for teenagers, this experience-based training program of five units provides information about working with young children and is the learner's counterpart of a separate set of materials designed for leaders working with the teens. Units of instruction concern working in a team, observing the world of the child, facilitating the…

The Los Angeles Community College District's Core Curriculum Development Laboratory (CCDL), a task force of faculty members and resource staff, was established to identify successful teaching practices and programs within the district, sponsor curricular projects, assist in designing new instructional models, and make recommendations to promote…

The use of different types of media for distance education, and the examination and evaluation of a computer-based distance training program in Thailand are the focus of this paper. After a discussion of the characteristics and types of media-based distance education--including print-based, audio-based, video-based, and computer-based…

A description is provided of the development of a course in business communication for office administration majors at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) in California. The steps involved in the development of the course are explained, including: (1) a review of the educational and business literature on business communication; (2) a review of current…

This chapter explains how the Guided Design method of teaching can be used to solve problems, and how this method was used in the development of a new method of teaching. Called the Feedback Lecture, this method is illustrated through an example, and research data on its effectiveness is presented. The Guided Decision-Making Process is also…