Describes a study of the effectiveness of microcomputer-based instruction compared with the lecture method and independent-reading approaches in delivering instruction on library information retrieval skills to eighth-grade students. Results indicate the microcomputer-based courseware and lecture method were identical in instructional…

Describes a Scottish research project--Technique for Assessment of Practical Skills in Foundation Science (TAPS)--to identify practical laboratory skills that students should acquire and to produce methods of formative and summative evaluation of these skills. Examples of appropriate practical objectives, test items, and evaluation criteria are…

Reports a research study in Scottish secondary schools to create diagnostic tests for assessing historical skills--in particular in enquiry, interpretation, and reconstruction of historical materials. Examples of the diagnostic instruments used and the structure of a teaching module are given and favorable reactions from pupils and teachers are…

Suggests that failure to learn is often the result of inappropriateness of level of instruction and deficiencies in instructional procedures and educational strategies, and differentiates between the functions of criterion referenced tests and diagnostic tests. Results are reported from two studies of the teaching of osmosis and photosynthesis.…

Summarizes a study into the feasibility, problems, benefits, and implications of using mastery learning in teaching French to students in Scottish secondary schools. Examples are provided of target objectives, specimen test materials, progress cards, and class activity records, and implications on class organization are discussed. (EAO)

Discusses the problems of introducing diagnostic assessment into Scottish secondary schools in the light of existing assessment policies, teachers' assessment skills, assessment practices, and in view of internal and external influences which produce sociological problems. Problems that the diagnostic assessment itself can produce are then…

Outlines the development and evaluation of 2-day courses to improve lecturing methods in English universities, based upon surveys of lecturers' and students' views of university teaching methods. Results of the surveys are reported, as are ways in which techniques of structuring and presenting lectures are being improved. (EAO)

This classic paper, first published in 1964, discusses communication problems involved in a simple guessing game involving a deck of cards, describes a three-person experiment based on the game which used various control procedures to facilitate communications, and considers the effects of these controls on the investigation. Twelve references are…

Describes an experiment with 332 students enrolled in an instructional media course at Pennsylvania State University which evaluated the instructional effectiveness of self-paced instruction when units were accompanied by visual aids differing in amounts of realistic detail and the relationship to a student's reading comprehension level. Nineteen…

A study to assess techniques for presenting information in tape-slide format compared the effectiveness of a projected viewing guide with that of a printed viewing guide or tape-slide only, using pretest and posttest to assess retention. The projected guide resulted in improved retention of information. Fifteen references are listed. (EAO)

Investigation of the attitude of lecturers toward use of independent learning packages (ILP's) in higher education received 110 useful responses to a questionnaire from lecturers at Bristol Polytechnic. Analysis of responses is presented with conclusions concerning effects of ILPs on personal contact, student need, flexibility, and use of teaching…

Discusses appropriate technology such as folk theater and instructional radio in the development of Third-World nations and emphasizes the importance of community participation in all stages of the educational process. Ways in which this can be stimulated and channelled to support development in other areas are examined. Sixteen references are…

Describes a Scottish project--"School-based assessment using item banking"--investigating the feasibility of producing computer-based test marking and reporting facilities. Teachers would construct their own tests from item banks and carry out diagnostic assessment and criterion-referenced measurement to evaluate students with SCRIBE, a new…

Presents an overview of Instructional Programming System, an authoring tool used for production of programs for computer-assisted instruction, including its language, structure, and mode of operations. Illustrative examples of use and results of initial investigations of its potential as tool in open-learning environment are given. Eighteen…

Presents findings from study of design activities among 26 novice instructional designers which investigated prevalence of initial generation of more than one design solution; basis on which solutions are accepted or rejected; constraints encountered in proceeding with design; way in which designers know design is finished. Twelve references are…