Kay A. Persichitte

Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping: Applications in Education

Fostering conceptual and cognitive change in learners can be difficult. Students often come to a learning situation with robust, implicit understandings of the material under study. One explanation for the implicit nature of these understandings is a lack of metaknowledge about the knowledge to be acquired. Helping learners create metaknowledge may free paths to conceptual change. This paper proposes the use of fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) as a tool for creating metaknowledge and exploring hidden implications of a learners understanding. Two specific educational applications of FCMs are explored in detail and recommendations are included for further investigations within educational contexts. ©2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Differential Effects of a Multimedia Goal-based Scenario To Teach Introductory Biochemistry--Who Benefits Most?

This study investigated the relationship of cognitive and demographic variables to learning outcomes from a multimedia Goal-Based Scenario (GBS) lesson on DNA. The demographic variables under investigation were gender, ethnicity, prior science coursework in college and high school, final score in current chemistry course, and prior experience with computers. The cognitive variables under study were logical thinking ability, spatial ability, and disembedding ability. The subjects for this study were a total of 488 college students enrolled in introductory chemistry classes for nonmajors at one of four participating institutions in the United States and Canada. All subjects completed content pre- and posttests, a demographic questionnaire, and three cognitive tests: Test of Logical Thinking, Hidden Figures Test, and Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test. Students completed Whodunnit?, a multimedia GBS developed to teach basic biochemistry concepts pertaining to DNA. Logical thinking ability was the only cognitive variable to show a relationship with learning outcomes. There was no relationship between gender or ethnicity and academic outcomes. The number of science courses completed in high school was a significant predictor of academic outcomes. A relationship was observed between course rank and learning outcomes, as students with final course grades in the upper quartile of the sample scored significantly higher on the posttest than those in all other quartiles.

A Continuing Journey toward Technology Infusion within Teacher Preparation

By Kay A. Persichitte, Edward P. Caffarella, and Donna Ferguson-Pabst A pprenticeship models, contextualized learning, standards-based curricula, techproved greatly during the mid-1990s sophomore year and ET 301 was renology infusion within preservice teacher instruction, focused curricula on the integration of technology, and performance-based assessments have become the hallmarks of the preservice teacher technology courses at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). The process, though, for this transition has been evolutionary and dependent on many of the same types of support reported as critical in the existing integration and change literature (e.g., Buck, 2001; Cuban, 1986; Hall, Dossett, & Wallace, 1973; Leggett & Persichitte, 1998). The transitions have required additional time, expertise, access, resources, and support and have occurred over a period of about seven years. In 1995, we required one three semester hour course (ET 401) in the use of technology of all preservice teachers prior to their student teaching experience. The assignments for ET 401 (though performance-based) were largely completed during class time since most preservice students did not have access to the hardware and/or software necessary to complete the projects. As in many teacher education institutions, access to computvice students were required to comer-based technologies at UNC implete ET 201 before the end of the

Kay’s Voice: Never in My Wildest Dreams

This chapter describes the professional journey of Dr. Kay Persichitte: from high school math teacher to higher education faculty member to President of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Kay shares specific examples of the women (and men) who have strongly influenced her journey.