Hashem Fardanesh, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Education, School of Humanities, Tarbiat Moddaress University, PO Box 14115/111, Tehran, IRAN
e-mail: ardan_h@net1cs.modares.ac.ir

In the last decade of the twentieth century a restitution of a once outdated definition of Instructional Technology (IT) is observed, which emphasizes the use of technologies in instruction, and ignores the instructional technology aspects of it. Why should IT as a field of study (a discipline), as an approach to instruction, and as a necessity for today's educational settings be used? Is IT the mere use of new educational technologies in instruction or a systematic way of dealing with instructional problems that comprise the use of new technologies in instruction? Is there a way of abandoning IT in all or some instructions, or is IT a necessity for all instructions? These questions, in writer's view, are of prime importance in a time of facing vital problems and decisions about the future of our school system and the way we are going to handle our instructional processes within schools.

The limitation of `time' allotted for instruction becomes evident in two forms: first, the limitation of man's lifespan, and second, the limited time of instruction that is allotted in 50 minute time slots. Considering these limitations, choosing to learn something is meant to exclude others, and people by choosing an aim or a topic in fact deprive themselves from other aims and topics; there is a real competition between aims and topics of instruction.

One way of dissolving this problem is to chose the `best' or the `most important' topics to teach/learn, but, redundancy and superfluity of knowledge with an increasing rate makes the task of choosing the topics more difficult.

Another way of resolving the problem of limited time is to increase efficiency of instruction in a given time limit. It is obvious that this solution does not resolve the problem completely either, but this is the only remaining path open to man, and the reason for renewed interest in IT. A discussion about the meaning of IT is in order.

Jeff Thomas, Centre for Science Education, Science Faculty, The Open University, UK

The UKOU Masters module Science and the Public includes a project element, where students undertake original self-selected research that addresses a specific and meaningful instance of science's impact on society. Students choose topics of personal significance, often related to their professional interests. Using a rich mix of questionnaires, interviews and content analysis, students were able to test many of the theoretical constructs developed in the module texts. Problems associated with project work in ODL institutions can be eased by extensive computer-based support. In this instance, the limited familiarity of science-based students with the research methods of social science made such supervision yet more crucial. Establishing a personal perspective via individual project work provided students an opportunity to develop a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the influence of science on the lay public.

Linda Cooper, Professor Macon State College, Division of Economics & Business, 00 College Station Drive, Macon, GA 31206
Phone: 912-471-2724
Fax: 912-471-2802
e-mail: lcooper@cennet.mc.peachnet.edu

A number of post-secondary institutions are looking more seriously at offering on-line courses to meet the educational needs of a fast-paced, computer-literate society. For instructors who are interested in offering on-line classes, this article provides various steps and procedures for increasing their effectiveness.

Christopher Philip, Helen Davies and Som Naidu, Contact: A/Professor Som Naidu, PhD, Multimedia Education Unit, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, AUSTRALIA.
e-mail s.naidu@meu.unimelb.edu.au

This paper describes and discusses work towards the improvement of the teaching and learning of the regional anatomy of the dog in veterinary science classes. The study of this topic in many veterinary schools entails repeated use of preserved dog cadavers. While the use of preserved specimens is a conventional and widely adopted approach in the study of anatomy in many veterinary schools, it is a practice that has several inherent problems. These problems are related to the repeated use and storage of preserved tissue, and the artificial appearance and texture of such specimens. The work reported here sought to address these concerns with an approach to the teaching and learning of this topic with multimedia-based preparation materials and the use of non-preserved specimens for dissection. An evaluation of this effort was conducted with the help of a print-based questionnaire. Students reported that the use of fresh tissues encouraged them to learn anatomical details, and that the multimedia-based preparation materials were helpful in getting a clearer idea of what was to follow in the dissection sessions and in the surgical processes..