Greg Kearsley

Educational Leadership in the Age of Technology: The New Skills.

AbstractThis article analyzes the concept of educational technology leadership. It is argued that leadership in the domain of educational technology is different in various ways from leadership in general. In particular, the skills underlying technology leadership need to be identified so they can be incorporated into training programs for teachers and school administrators. It is concluded that this is a critical research area because many educational technology efforts fail due to lack of good leadership at all levels of school systems.

Structural Issues in Distance Education

Abstract This article discusses the importance and implications of structure in distance education. The conceptual and theoretical basis of structure is discussed along with the primary elements that structure comprises: syllabi, study guides, course delivery format, the learning environment, and time scheduling. The article suggests that the appropriate type of structure will vary with the content, goals, audience, and length of a distance education course. These aspects of the Educational Technology Leadership program at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., are described, with the conclusion that a distance education program must have a high degree of structure to be successful.

Designing Educational Software for International Use

AbstractThis article discusses some of the major considerations in the design of educational software for international/multicultural use. Principles to follow include: avoid hard-coding anything that will be displayed, keep all text in data files, provide editing tools with the program so that it is easy to localize, and test the program in targeted countries as early as possible. A program that is well designed for international use will likely be more successful with all users.

Design of remote control units for seniors

HumRRO International, Inc. conducted a project to improve the human factors aspects of remote control unit (RCU) design. Although the research was oriented toward RCUs for future telerobots that older adults may use, the RCUs examined were currently available models. An observational study found that a sample of 18 persons aged 65-88 years made errors in performing a simple arithmetic task with four different handheld calculators and that 13 participants made errors operating 11 VCR remotes. Better human-machine designs in RCUs appear to be needed to reduce errors that might cause accidents in the future use of mobile telerobots and their manipulators. In addition, manufacturers of RCUs, gerontologists, and members of SeniorNet, a network of older adults interested in computers, were queried regarding the design of RCUs. The responses of these individuals and the participants in the observational study, together with human factors engineering analyses, suggested numerous design improvements that may be systematically examined.

Hypertext as a tool for the metatheoretical analysis of learning theories: the TIP database

THIS ARTICLE discusses the metatheoretical aspects of a hypertext database about learning and instructional theory. The links among 45 theories, 18 concepts, and 17 learning domains are analyzed. The highest number of links were between theories and concepts or domains; there were relatively few links among theories themselves. The results of this analysis suggest that different theories of learning and instruction have less overlap than is commonly supposed. The value of this kind of tool for research and practice is discussed.

Preparing engineers for collaborative technology: a graduate course

How can we prepare engineers and other professionals to work in collaborative environments? In the 1994 Fall semester, we offered an interdisciplinary graduate course in collaborative technology to explore this question. The class involved a variety of different teaching/learning activities including: student debates, videos, guest discussants, software demos, field trips, and hands-on sessions. The primary evaluation mechanism for the class was a team project on collaborative technology.