Erica McAteer

Integrative Evaluation: An Emerging Role for Classroom Studies of CAL.

Abstract This paper reviews the work of a team over two and a half years whose remit has been to “evaluate” a diverse range of CAL—computer assisted learning—in use in a university setting. It gives an overview of the teams current method, including some of the instruments most often used, and describes some of the painful lessons from early attempts. It then offers a critical discussion of what the essential features of the method are, and of what such studies are and are not good for. One of the main conclusions, with hindsight, is that its main benefit is as integrative evaluation: to help teachers make better use of the CAL by adjusting how it is used, rather than by changing the software or informing purchasing decisions.

Computer‐mediated communication as a learning resource

Evaluative studies of CMC can produce misleading or even contradictory results due to an (understandable) focus on how the characteristics of the medium affect usage, ignoring the dialectic between technology and culture, of mutual adaptation over time. CMC exchanges in Higher Education take place within a broad teaching and learning system, of which most participants already have extensive experience. This system provides the context within which participants make sense of, and adapt to, the use of on-line communications. Thus interpretations of the processes shaping exchanges and their outcomes have to take into account: who participants see themselves as communicating with and why, how this serves longer-term learning goals, and what past experience of engaging with both task and audience they have had; what kinds of exchange are facilitated, both by the medium itself and how the task is organised, and how such affordances are honed over time; and also, how these interactions impact on other aspects of teaching and on learning outcomes.

New approaches to supporting students: strategies for blended learning in distance and campus based environments

The availability of electronic media challenges our approaches to student learning support in a variety of ways. In spite of much work into online course design and delivery, we have tended to neglect the contribution of other modes and media used in learner support, and there has been a critical lack of overt integration of online use with other good learning support systems. In the SOLACE project, we have been exploring current practices for learner support and the degree to which tutor interventions and interactions with their students map to their use of communication media. The main focus for this study is ‘traditional distance’ tutors at the Open University, and contrasts are drawn with three courses taught within a ‘traditional campus’ setting at the University of Glasgow. Preliminary findings from the first phase of this project reflect present practice in learner support for a range of courses, and describe factors influencing the use of media in a blended solution to learner support.

Measuring learning resource use

Abstract Contact time is only part of a students learning, especially in higher education, and teachers and lab classes are only two of the resources students draw upon. Despite this, there is a prevalence of studies which appear to be evaluating a piece of courseware in isolation. Learning gains from a CAL package are important, but since acquisition and retention of knowledge is really what is ultimately important and will depend on other learning experiences in the course, an additional question in any learning situation therefore is: what resources is a student using? And, following up on that, which are most useful, are some better than others, or do they complement each other in essential ways? This paper describes the design and application of the Resource Questionnaire, the instrument we are developing in an attempt to gather information on the learning resources used by students. The resources asked about may include not only lectures, tutorials and courseware, but books, handouts, notes and discussions with other students. Some preliminary results are described and the importance of this information to teaching staff in assessing and increasing the value of the resources to students by ensuring their effective integration into a course, is discussed.

The effect of software type on the quality of talk

Research was undertaken comparing teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil dyads using computer-assisted learning programs, of both ‘open’ (where the means of achieving the task goal are under the users’ control) and ‘closed’ (where the routes to achieving the task goal are much more controlled by the computer) types. The interactions within teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil dyads whilst using the programs were videorecorded and subsequently analysed to ascertain whether the nature of the software (open or closed) exerted any constraining effect upon the dyads’ interactions. Variations in interactional styles were identified using quantitative methods; these, plus other more qualitative data are discussed with reference to specific examples of software. It is concluded that the open-closed distinction conflates several dimensions of machine behaviour, particularly the number of options of action available to users at any given point, the frequency of computer interventions, the nature of computer interventions (eg. prompt versus question) and the granularity of the task.

Active Learning in a Large First Year Biology Class: A Collaborative Resource-Based Study Project on "AIDS in Science and Society".

SUMMARY Didactic instruction encourages passive learning and deters students from developing inquisitive‐ness, reasoning, problem solving and teamwork. We therefore introduced a Study Project, AIDS in Science and Society, to our first year Biology students (n = 550 to 750). For 30 to 40 hours of resourced‐based learning, students worked in autonomous study groups, preparing for inter‐group debates and the submission of personal written work. No academic lecture support for AIDS was provided. Independent staff assessed the quality of written work and held interviews and questionnaire sessions with students and tutors. The quality of student written work was highly acceptable, and tutors supported the exercise. The participation rate by students was very high (93%) and 89 to 92% of students stated that the project was a good way to learn. Students without prior qualifications in biology completed the project as satisfactoraly as others. A resource bibliography is included.

Computer Mediated Communication as a resource in the University

Discussion on the effectiveness of teaching Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) by analyzing the role of cultural context into which a portion. The authors propose a detailed evaluation of this resource to be taken into account the large medium, participants and context.

The Psychologist's Companion Edition III, by Robert J. Sternberg, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge(1993), pp. vii + 226, £10-95, ISBN 0-521-45756-4 paperback; £3000, ISBN 0-521-45I23-X hardback.

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