Describes a systematic training for flight instructors in Europe who were becoming tutors in a distance learning course on the Internet. Establishes requirements that flight instructors need to become distance tutors, including types of knowledge, communication requirements, and information storage and retrieval; and links requirements to specific…

Describes and discusses critically a unique experiment called The Business Cafe that used a combination of broadcast television and an interactive Web site to reach people interested in business and management. Outlines the nine broadcasts, which were collaborations between the Open University (United Kingdom) and the BBC (British Broadcasting…

Describes the development of a Web-based tutorial in the forensic science teaching program at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland). Highlights include the theoretical basis for course development; objectives; Web site design; student feedback; and staff feedback. (LRW)

Discusses a study that focused on assessing with children the story outline for developing an animated story about children's fear of the dark. Describes interviews and observations that showed children's reactions to fear of the dark and their response toward the planned visuals for the animation. (LRW)

Interface and instructional design guides almost completely ignore sound, and research suggests many promising instructional uses remain largely unexplored. Examines information processing and communication theoretical foundations for sound's systematic use in the instructional communication system and proposes a framework for a program of…

Focusing on whether computer-based study tasks should use multiple-choice or constructed-response (CR) question formats, this study hypothesized that a CR task with feedback would be superior to multiple-choice study tasks that allowed either single or multiple tries (STF, MTF). As hypothesized, CR scores were larger than MTF and STF scores,…

Several issues related to the educational uses of varied resources must be addressed in order to successfully implement resource-based learning environment. This paper traces the changing nature of resources and perspectives in their use for learning in the digital age, describes the overarching structures of resource-based learning environments,…

Proposes the use of specific coaching strategies to facilitate student use of expert-like problem-solving strategies while analyzing and solving instructional design case studies. At two universities, 37 students analyzed 6-10 case studies in class and in online discussions. Findings suggested primary influences on the incidence of expert…

Examines the role of discussion groups in a case-based environment. College students completed two cases individually or in small discussion groups. Overall, participants in groups liked their method significantly better than those who worked alone, felt they learned more working in a group than they would have working alone, and expressed a…

Presents a two-phase instructional design model that focuses on optimizing step size in whole-task approaches to learning complex, mainly non-recurrent, cognitive skills. Step size in a multiple-step whole-task approach-needed for the process worksheets-is determined on the basis of estimated part-task complexity. A developmental study of the…

This study examined whether small groups of grade 5 students in a London primary school, without teacher supervision, progressed linearly through an interactive storybook on CD-ROM, and whether such diversions as cued animations affected pupil comprehension. Results showed students' recall of the storyline was poor. (Author/LRW)

Presents results from a study of teaching and learning characteristics and the role of teachers in ICT (information and communication technology) learning environments of 25 technology-rich primary and secondary schools in five European countries. Results indicate that learning environments are more pupil-centered when there is greater curriculum…

Discussion of electronic information resources and information literacy in higher education focuses on the information handling skills students need and the factors influencing their acquisition in two networked resource-based courses at the United Kingdom Open University. Offers guidelines for course designers incorporating electronic resources.…

Discusses the use of portfolios to evaluate student work, evaluates a Web-based learning portfolio, analyzes its impact on students' learning processes, reports on the validity and reliability of the questionnaire used in the evaluation study, proposes suggestions for revisions, and recommends future research. (LRW)

Discussion of the effectiveness of distance education focuses on Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance and a study of learners' experiences with the World Wide Web in a university course in Taiwan. Highlights include learner-instructor interaction; learner-content interaction; learner-learner interaction; learner-interface interaction; results…