Simon Hooper

Cooperative learning and computer-based instruction

Much published research focuses on the benefits of learning in small groups. However, little research has differentiated small-group learning methods or considered the implications of related research for designing instructional software. In this article, the origins of small-group learning are traced, and one method, cooperative learning, is distinguished from other small-group learning methods. The instructional and social benefits of cooperative learning are examined and theoretical explanations for the effects of grouping are presented. Finally, issues relevant to designing instructional software for cooperative learning are examined and suggestions for future research are made.

The effects of group composition on achievement, interaction, and learning efficiency during computer-based cooperative instruction

This study investigated the effects of cooperative group composition, student ability, and learning accountability on achievement, interaction, and instructional efficiency during computer-based instruction. A total of 125 sixth- and seventh-grade students were randomly assigned to heterogeneous or homogeneous dyads. Groups were designated as having either group or individual account-ability for mastery of lesson content. Cooperative dyads completed a tutorial on a novel symbolic mathematics topic, featuring basic symbol learning and application of the symbols. Indicators of ongoing cooperation were collected during instruction. Five days later, students completed a posttest. Low-ability students interacted more and completed the instruction more efficiently in heterogeneous than in homogeneous groups. High-ability students completed the instruction more efficiently in homogeneous than in heterogeneous groups. Cooperation was significantly related to achievement for heterogeneous ability groups, but not for either homogeneous high- or low-ability students.

Cooperative CBI: The Effects of Heterogeneous versus Homogeneous Grouping on the Learning of Progressively Complex Concepts.

This study compares the achievement of high and low ability eighth-grade students working cooperatively during computer-based instruction. Students were grouped either homogeneously or heterogeneously on ability, and received identical instruction on a fictitious rule-based arithmetic number system. No significant differences in achievement were found between the two grouping methods. However, the mixed ability treatment substantially improved the achievement of the low ability students without an accompanying significant reduction in the achievement of the high ability students. The results indicate that designers and teachers may have little to risk in terms of achievement, but potentially much to gain in socialization and interaction, by cooperative heterogeneous grouping during computer based instruction.

Effects of individual and cooperative computer-assisted instruction on student performance and attitudes

In this study, the performance and attitudes toward instruction of learners working individually on a computer-based sex education lesson were compared with those of learners working cooperatively in dyads. A tatal of 60 eighth-graders received treatments that either required individual work or encouraged cooperation with a partner. Results indicated that students who worked cooperatively significantly outperformed those who worked individually. On an attitude measure, interactions were detected between instructional method and gender, as well as among instructional method, gender, and ability. High-ability males and females reported comparable attitudes toward each instructional method, but ratings for low-ability students were differentiated according to instructional method: Low-ability males responded most favorably, while low-ability females responded least favorably to individualized methods, and low-ability females responded most favorably and low-ability males least favorably to cooperative methods.

Reducing HIV risk behavior of men who have sex with men through persuasive computing: Results of the Men's INTernet Study-II

Objective:The primary objective of this study was to develop and test a highly interactive Internet-based HIV prevention intervention for men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM remain the group at highest risk for HIV/AIDS in the United States and similar countries. As the Internet becomes popular for seeking sex, online interventions to reduce sexual risk are critical. Given previous studies, a secondary objective was to demonstrate that good retention is possible in online trials. Design:A randomized controlled trial with 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, and 12-month follow-up design was employed. Methods:In 2008, 650 participants were randomized to an online, interactive sexual risk reduction intervention or to a waitlist null control. Results:Retention was 76–89% over 12 months. At 3-month follow-up, results showed a 16% reduction in reported unprotected anal intercourse risk among those in the treatment condition versus control [95% confidence interval (95% CI) of rate ratio: 0.70–1.01]. No meaningful differences were observed at 12-month follow-up. Conclusion:Internet-based, persuasive computing programs hold promise as an effective new approach to HIV prevention for MSM, at least in the short term. Further, online trials can be conducted with acceptable retention provided strong retention protocols are employed. Four directions for future research are identified.

Computers as cognitive media: Examining the potential of computers in education

Despite a history of achieving only marginal benefits from using technology in education, many schools and other educational organizations are investing heavily in computer technology. This paper examines common criticisms of educational computer use, considers how society and schools have reacted to previous technological trends, and outlines relationships between diverse approaches to computer use and the ensuing outcomes that can be expected. Two approaches to media use, representational and generative, are described in an attempt to identify instructional approaches that improve educational quality.

Effects of Peer Interaction during Computer-Based Mathematics Instruction

Abstract This study compared individual learning with group learning. It also investigated the effects of ability grouping on achievement, instructional efficiency, and discourse during computer-based mathematics instruction. A total of 115 fifth- and sixth-grade students were classified as having high or average ability and were randomly assigned to group or individual treatments. Students in the group treatments were further assigned to heterogeneous or homogeneous dyads, according to ability. Students completed a mathematics tutorial and a posttest. Results indicated that students completed the instruction more effectively in groups than alone. Within groups, achievement and efficiency were highest for high-ability homogeneously grouped students and lowest for average-ability homogeneously grouped students. Generating and receiving help were significant predictors of achievement, and high-ability students generated and received significantly more help in homogeneous groups than in heterogeneous ones.

An integrated framework for CBI screen design and layout

Abstract Screen design decisions are arguably among the most important made by CBI designers in that they represent the external, tangible products of the lesson design and development processes. Yet, many view screen design as largely intuitive and tend to underestimate the importance of screen design decisions. In this paper, screen design is considered from an integrated perspective, based upon the ROPES model for CBI lesson design.

The Effects of Cooperative Learning and Learner Control on Students' Achievement, Option Selections, and Attitudes

We investigated the effects of studying alone or in cooperative-learning groups on the performance of high and low achievers, using either learner- or program-controlled computer-based instruction. A total of 92 sixth-grade students were classified by Stanford Achievement Test scores and randomly assigned to group or individual treatments, stratified by achievement scores. Both high and low achievers in the cooperative treatment performed better and had more positive attitudes toward grouping than did students working individually, on both program-controlled and learner-controlled computer lessons. In addition, the cooperative-learning group exhibited significantly greater improvement from immediate to delayed post-test than did the individual-learning group. For low achievers, the greatest improvement was in the program-controlled condition, and for the high achievers, in the learner-controlled condition. The learner-controlled cooperative-learning group, compared to the learner-controlled individual-learning group, chose to check its concept learning more often and spent more time interacting with the computer-based tutorial. These results suggest that cooperative learning provides beneficial effects, and imply a need for software designers to adapt computer-based instruction for cooperative learning to the different learning styles of high-and low-achieving students.

The effects of digital video quality on learner comprehension in an American sign language assessment environment

The effects of digital video frame rate and size on American Sign Language (ASL) learner comprehension were investigated. Fifty-one students were randomly assigned to one of three video-size treatment groups: 480×360, 320×240, and 240×180 pixels. Within each treatment, three 30-second videos of signed narratives at frame rates of 6, 12, and 18 frames per second were presented to students. Participants used ASL to retell each story, while a digital video camera captured their performances and archived them for evaluation. Three ASL experts evaluated the video performances and generated a fluency score for each student. The results indicate that frame rate and the interaction between frame rate and ASL level had significant effects on learner comprehension, but video size did not significantly affect comprehension. These results were used to generate frame rate and video-size recommendations for displaying and recording student performance and instructor feedback videos in an ASL performance assessment software environment.