Sharon A. Shrock

Contributing to success in an introductory computer science course: a study of twelve factors

This study was conducted to determine factors that promote success in an introductory college computer science course. The model included twelve possible predictive factors including math background, attribution for success/failure (luck, effort, difficulty of task, and ability), domain specific self-efficacy, encouragement, comfort level in the course, work style preference, previous programming experience, previous non-programming computer experience, and gender. Subjects included 105 students enrolled in a CS1 introductory computer science course at a midwestern university. The study revealed three predictive factors in the following order of importance: comfort level, math, and attribution to luck for success/failure. Comfort level and math background were found to have a positive influence on success, whereas attribution to luck had a negative influence. The study also revealed by considering the different types of previous computer experiences (including formal programming class, self-initiated programming, internet use, game playing, and productivity software use) that both a formal class in programming and game playing were predictive of success. Formal training had a positive influence and games a negative influence on class grade.

Faculty perceptions of instructional development and the success/failure of an instructional development program: A naturalistic study

ISSN 0148-5806 One of the frustrations frequently voiced by instructional technologists is the relatively small impact that technology has had on instruction. In spite of our conviction that our technology could dramatically improve learning, most elementary, secondary, and college instruction proceeds today as it always has. Armed with research findings and their logical implications, we frequently encounter resistance to technology that appears irrational to us. One of the deficiencies in our research

The Effects of Required and Optional Computer-Based Note Taking on Achievement and Instructional Completion Time

This study investigated the effects on achievement and on instructional completion time of mandatory and optional note taking during a Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) lesson. Eighty-one undergraduate subjects participated. The required note-taking group had to enter notes on every screen of the HyperCard lesson before the instruction would advance. Subjects could see their notes during the instruction and were allowed to review their notes briefly before taking the post-test. An analysis of variance revealed that the required note-taking group scored significantly higher on the post-test and took significantly longer to complete the instruction than did the optional or control groups. Furthermore, the optional note-taking group scored significantly higher on the post-test and took significantly longer to complete the instruction than did the control group.

The Role of the Child Microcomputer Expert in an Elementary Classroom: A Theme Emerging from a Naturalistic Study

AbstractThe interaction of the child microcomputer expert emerged as a major theme during a naturalistic study of the social interaction surrounding a microcomputer in an elementary classroom. The study was conducted in a naturally occurring classroom at the time of a microcomputer’s introduction into each of the classrooms of a private elementary school. The study employed observation, videotaping and transcriptions, questionnaires, and interviews over a period of four months, beginning two weeks before the introduction of the microcomputer and continuing for fourteen weeks afterwards. It became evident that one child had more experience with microcomputers and programs than the other students. Because the teacher was relatively inexperienced in microcomputer use, the teacher designated this child as the resource person for students learning to use the microcomputer. Several negative characteristics of the expert-peer interaction were observed. The effect on role definition of “teacher” and the frequency...

A reaction to Mazoue’s deconstructed campus

Mazoue’s (J Comput High Educ, 2012) article, The Deconstructed Campus, is examined from the perspective of instructional design practice. Concerns center on: the knowledge base of precision instruction; the differential effectiveness of teaching procedural as opposed to declarative knowledge; the reliance on assessment of online learning; and the factors that would promote centralization of online instruction creation and subsequent restriction of choice among academic programs. Serious consequences for the long-term quality of online instruction, graduate programming, research, and the vetting of formal knowledge in the wake of losing our place-based universities are discussed.

Instructional systems development in the schools

The authors of this commentary take exception to several points made in an article that appeared in the most recent issue of this journal (ETR&D, Vol. 38, No. 2). Following this explanation of their concerns is a reply by the authors of the original article.