Abstract:

This third edition of the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology is edited by J. Michael Spector (Florida State University), M. David Merrill (Utah State University), Jeroen J.G. van Merrienboer (Open University of the Netherlands), and Marcy P. Driscoll (Florida State University). It is published in 2008 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (ISBN-13: 978-0-8058-5849-5). The book is organized in six major parts: (1) Foundations; (2) Strategies; (3) Technologies; (4) Models; (5) Design and Development; (6) Research Methodologies. These parts reflect fundamental issues and applications involved in deploying information and communications technologies for educational purposes. Each part is led by one of the coeditors with assistance from a second coeditor and several external reviewers. The Handbook is considered to primarily be useful for doctoral students initiating a research review for their dissertation studies, for faculty as an additional resource for teaching courses on related topics, and for researchers seeking a quick review on a specific topic. All chapters have extensive lists of useful references for researchers who are new to a particular area of study and for doctoral students conducting their background research. Professional educators and educational researchers can also benefit particularly from the chapters in Parts I and VI. These chapters, as well as many others in the Handbook, are likely to be useful for those responsible for leading graduate seminars in the areas of educational technology, instructional systems, or learning environment design and development. Part I, led by Marcy P. Driscoll with assistance from J. Michael Spector, includes historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations and perspectives. Part II, led by M. David Merrill, focuses on strategies. Part III, led by J. Michael Spector, focuses on technologies. Part IV, led by Jeroen van Merrienboer, focuses on models. Part V, led by M. David Merrill, focuses on design and development. Part VI, led by Jeroen van Merrienboer, focuses on methodological issues. Let us now examine each part separately in more details.

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