The effects of computer-assisted material on students’ cognitive levels,misconceptions and attitudes towards science

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a Computer-assisted Instruction Material (CAIM) related to “photosynthesis” topic on student cognitive development, misconceptions and attitudes. The study conducted in 2002–2003 academic year and was carried out in two different classes taught by the same teacher, in which there were fifty two 11th grade high school students, in central city of Trabzon in Turkey. An experimental research design including the photosynthesis achievement test (PAT), the photosynthesis concept test (PCT) and science attitude scale (SAS) was applied at the beginning and at the end of the research as pre-test and post-test. After the treatment, general achievement in PAT increased by 10% in favour of experiment group (EG) at (p < 0.05) significant level. Although the increase in cognitive development at knowledge level was 14.8% in the EG and 18.2% in the control group (CG), the development at comprehension and application levels were 19.8–18.5 in the EG and 1.75–0.86 in the CG, respectively. This result showed that using CAIM in teaching photosynthesis topic was very effective for students to reach comprehension and application levels of cognitive domain. However, CAIM did not change major misconceptions related to photosynthesis topic in EG as expected. Meanwhile, same misconceptions in EG about source of energy for plants and their nutrition were decreased more than CG. It was also found out that there was little change about students’ attitudes towards science education in both groups.     

Design and development of a technology enhanced hybrid instruction based on MOLTA model: Its effectiveness in comparison to traditional instruction

Using the model for learning and teaching activities (MOLTA), a new technology enhanced hybrid instruction was designed, developed and implemented. The effectiveness of the hybrid instruction in regard to students’ achievement, knowledge retention, attitudes towards the subject, and course satisfaction was evaluated in comparison to traditional classroom instruction. Experimental study with pre-test, post-test control group design was carried out. The sample of the study consisted of 50 university students enrolled in “Computer Networks and Communication” course. The control and experimental groups composed of 24 and 26 students respectively, and the experiment lasted 14 weeks. The findings of the study indicated no significant difference between the hybrid course and the traditional course in students’ achievement, knowledge retention, satisfaction, and attitude.     

The effects of integrating technology,observation and writing into a teacher education method course

The purpose of this study was to integrate asynchronous learning technology with teaching strategies on observation and writing into a teacher education method course. The research questions were to explore the effects of the innovative teaching method and to compare it with the traditional teaching method. There were 134 preservice teachers involved in this study. This study used a mixed method design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The main data included questionnaires, observation reports, and on-line information. According to the findings, there were significant differences in the “teaching and learning interaction” and “application of technology and theories” (F = 9.728, P < 0.01, and F = 16.88, P < 0.001, respectively.), but there were no significant differences in the other aspects. The results also showed the experimental teaching method combined the effect of both traditional classroom and online teaching, and reinforced the integration of teaching theories and practices. The preservice teachers reflected that they had learned how to integrate technologies with teaching through the learning environment of the asynchronous learning network and teaching observation. The interactive teaching and learning of this study could supplement the any existing deficiencies in traditional teaching. Therefore, the experimental teaching method is not only a way to construct knowledge, theories and experiences of teaching, but also a good strategy to promote the utilization of instructional technology within teaching for preservice teachers. The limitations in the asynchronous learning technology and the difficulties associated with the preservice teachers’ learning processes were also discussed.     

Informatics meets foreign languages COOL ideas for a cross-curricular cooperation

Informatics or computer science (the terms informatics and computer science are used as synonyms in this paper) in Austrian secondary schools is often considered “difficult” and “not interesting” because of mainly mathematical and economical contents. But informatics is much more; it is used in almost every part of the working life and can also cooperate with every subject at school. It offers a wide range of possibilities for COOL (COoperative Open Learning), an Austrian teaching model based on the Dalton Plan that provides also cooperation between different subject matters. Besides the COOL concept this paper describes some ideas for cooperation between informatics and foreign languages at secondary schools and at University level besides just ICT (Information and Communication Technology) or computer-assisted language learning. The presented tasks are part of the project “COOL Informatics” (according to COoperative Open Learning) that aims at developing COOL teaching material based on neurodidactical (Neurodidactics is a relatively young research field that combines the findings of brain research, pedagogy, cognitive psychology and other related fields.) principles for informatics and cross-curricular cooperation from primary school up to University. On the basis of the developed material the following main research questions of the project shall be examined in the course of the next school year: (1) Can COoperative Open Learning methods help to enhance learning? (2) Can learning be enhanced by considering neurodidactical principles in the design of teaching material and in the classroom? As the first test phase of the developed material is still in progress the evaluation is not available at the moment. But the first informal feedback of a vocational school and a programming course at the University shows that it is worth fostering COoperative Open Learning and cross-curricular cooperation.     

The influence of computer-assisted instruction on students’ conceptual understanding of chemical bonding and attitude toward chemistry: A case for Turkey

In this study, the effect of computer-assisted instruction on conceptual understanding of chemical bonding and attitude toward chemistry was investigated. The study employed a quasi-experimental design involving 11 grade students; 25 in an experimental and 25 in a control group. The Chemical Bonding Achievement Test (CBAT) consisting of 15 two-tier questions and the Chemistry Attitude Scale (CAS) consisting of 25 item were the principal data collection tools used. The CBAT and CAS instruments were administered in the form of a pre-test and post-test. Analyses of scores of the two groups in the post-test were compared and a statistically significant difference was found between groups in favor of experimental group. It also seems students from the experimental group were more successful than the control group students in remediation of alternative conceptions. The results of this study suggest that teaching–learning of topics in chemistry related to chemical bonding can be improved by the use of computer-assisted teaching materials.     

The effect of scaffolding students’ context-generating cognitive activity in technology-enhanced case-based learning

This study investigates the hypothesis that students’ learning and problem-solving performance in ill-structured domains can be improved, if elaborative question prompts are used to activate students’ context-generating cognitive processes, during case study. Two groups of students used a web-based learning environment to criss-cross and study case-based material in the software project management domain. The experimental group was additionally prompted to consistently answer a set of questions based on a model of context-generating processes, meant to engage students in deeper processing of information presented in cases. Students were also classified as having either “complex” or “simple” EB profile (based on their epistemological beliefs record), thereby establishing a 2 × 2 factorial design. Results indicated that scaffolding treatment had a significant main effect on students’ performance, with the experimental group performing better in both domain knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer post-test items. There is also tentative indication that EB profile and scaffolding treatment interact, with complex-EB learners benefiting most from the scaffolded condition. Overall, the study provides evidence that it is possible to improve individual learning in a technology environment for case-based learning, by implementing appropriate questioning strategies that trigger students to activate their context-generating cognitive processes, while studying the contextually rich material of cases.     

The effect of an information ethics course on the information ethics values of students - A Chinese guanxi culture perspective

The development of information technology has a significant influence on social structure and norms, and also impacts upon human behavior. In order to achieve stability and social harmony, people need to respect various norms, and have their rights protected. Students’ information ethics values are of critical and radical importance in achieving this goal. Using qualitative approach, the present study utilizes Kohlberg’s CMD model to measure improvement in students’ “information ethics values” through “technology mediated learning (TML)” models, and to assess the extent to which it is influenced by gender and Chinese guanxi culture. We find that while e-learning improves female students’ “respect rules,” “privacy,” “accessibility” and “intellectual property” values more than male students, the percentages relating to “intellectual property” for females in the higher stages remain lower than for males. Moreover, these results are interpreted from a Chinese guanxi culture perspective. In light of these results, educators should take account of such improvements when designing effective teaching methods and incentives.     

The effects of conceptual change texts accompanied with animations on overcoming 11th grade students’ alternative conceptions of chemical bonding

This paper aims to determine the effect of conceptual change texts accompanied with computer animations on 11th grade students’ understanding and alternative conceptions related to chemical bonding. One experimental group (EG; N = 28) and one comparison group (CG; N = 30) were used in the study. While the comparison group taught traditional instruction, the experimental group received conceptual change text accompanied with computer animations instruction. Chemical bonding achievement test was applied as pre-test, post-test and delayed test to collect data. The results of the study indicated that while there is no statistically significant difference between groups in pre-test, performance of EG students is greater than the CG ones in post-test and delayed test. And also, the EG students are better in remediating their alternative conceptions related to chemical bonding. Based on the study, it is concluded that conceptual change texts combined with computer animations can be effective instructional tools to improve students’ conceptual understanding of chemical concepts.     

Re-thinking physics teaching with web-based learning

There is extensive uptake of ICT in the teaching of science but more evidence is needed on how ICT impacts on the learning practice and the learning outcomes at the classroom level. In this study, a physics website (Getsmart) was developed using the cognitive apprenticeship framework for students at a high school in Australia. This website was designed to enhance students’ knowledge of concepts in physics. Reflexive pedagogies were used in the delivery learning materials in a blended learning environment. The students in the treatment group accessed the website over a 10 week period. Pre and post-test results of the treatment (N = 48) and comparison group (N = 32) were compared. The MANCOVA analysis showed that the web-based learning experience benefitted the students in the treatment group. It not only impacted on the learning outcomes, but qualitative data from the students suggested that it had a positive impact on their attitudes towards studying physics in a blended environment.     

Comments on “Generalised finite Radon transform for N × N images”

In Kingston and Svalbe [1], a generalized finite Radon transform (FRT) that applied to square arrays of arbitrary size N × N was defined and the Fourier slice theorem was established for the FRT. Kingston and Svalbe asserted that “the original definition by Matúš and Flusser was restricted to apply only to square arrays of prime size,” and “Hsung, Lun and Siu developed an FRT that also applied to dyadic square arrays,” and “Kingston further extended this to define an FRT that applies to prime-adic arrays”. It should be said that the presented generalized FRT together with the above FRT definitions repeated the known concept of tensor representation, or tensor transform of images of size N × N which was published earlier by Artyom Grigoryan in 1984-1991 in the USSR. The above mentioned “Fourier slice theorem” repeated the known tensor transform-based algorithm of 2-D DFT [5-11], which was developed for any order N₁ × N₂ of the transformation, including the cases of N × N, when N = 2^r, (r > 1), and N = L^r, (r ≥ 1), where L is an odd prime. The problem of “over-representation” of the two-dimensional discrete Fourier transform in tensor representation was also solved by means of the paired representation in Grigoryan [6-9].     

The F5 criterion revised

The purpose of this work is to generalize part of the theory behind Faugère’s “F5” algorithm. This is one of the fastest known algorithms to compute a Gröbner basis of a polynomial ideal I generated by polynomials f₁,…,f_m. A major reason for this is what Faugère called the algorithm’s “new” criterion, and we call “the F5 criterion”; it provides a sufficient condition for a set of polynomials G to be a Gröbner basis. However, the F5 algorithm is difficult to grasp, and there are unresolved questions regarding its termination.This paper introduces some new concepts that place the criterion in a more general setting: S-Gröbner bases and primitive S-irreducible polynomials. We use these to propose a new, simple algorithm based on a revised F5 criterion. The new concepts also enable us to remove various restrictions, such as proving termination without the requirement that f₁,…,f_m be a regular sequence.     

The relative effects of positive interdependence and group processing on student achievement and attitude in online cooperative learning

This study investigated the effects of positive interdependence and group processing on student achievement and attitude in online learning. Students in three university courses received initial instruction about teamwork skills and cooperative learning and were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups in each course. The “positive interdependence” and the “group processing” groups received subsequent associated skills training. The “no structure” control group received no additional training. Following the treatment, the “positive interdependence” groups had significantly higher achievement than the “group processing” or the “no structure” groups. There was no significant difference among any of the three groups on student attitude.     

Courseware development model (CDM): The effects of CDM on primary school pre-service teachers' achievements and attitudes

The main purpose of this study is to design a “Courseware Development Model” (CDM) and investigate its effects on pre-service teachers' academic achievements in the field of geography and attitudes toward computer-based education (ATCBE). The CDM consisted of three components: content (C), learning theory, namely, meaningful learning (ML), and multimedia (M). The CDM is designed to show the synthesis of the C and M components under ML. In this study, an experimental design including pre-test and post-test groups is used to define the efficiency of the CDM. There are 31 pre-service teachers in the control group, 28 pre-service teachers in the meaningful learning theory group-ML, and 30 pre-service teachers in GTC group that uses geography teaching courseware-GTC based on the CDM. The results of the analysis indicate that the courseware is quite effective, improving pre-service teachers' academic achievements as well as their ATCBE scores. The results also suggest that the new model has an appropriate structure for courseware design.     

The effects of request formats on judgment-based effort estimation

In this paper we study the effects of a change from the traditional request “How much effort is required to complete X?” to the alternative “How much can be completed in Y work-hours?”. Studies 1 and 2 report that software professionals receiving the alternative format provided much lower, and presumably more optimistic, effort estimates of the same software development work than those receiving the traditional format. Studies 3 and 4 suggest that the effect belongs to the family of anchoring effects. An implication of our results is that project managers and clients should avoid the alternative estimation request format.     

Successful implementation of user-centered game based learning in higher education: An example from civil engineering

Goal

The use of an online game for learning in higher education aims to make complex theoretical knowledge more approachable. Permanent repetition will lead to a more in-depth learning.

Objective

To gain insight into whether and to what extent, online games have the potential to contribute to student learning in higher education.

Experimental setting

The online game was used for the first time during a lecture on Structural Concrete at Master’s level, involving 121 seventh semester students.

Methods

Pre-test/post-test experimental control group design with questionnaires and an independent online evaluation.

Results

The minimum learning result of playing the game was equal to that achieved with traditional methods. A factor called “joy” was introduced, according to [Nielsen, J. (2002): User empowerment and the fun factor. In Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, July 7, 2002. Available from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020707.html.], which was amazingly high.

Conclusion

The experimental findings support the efficacy of game playing. Students enjoyed this kind of e-learning.     

Implementation of Web-based dynamic assessment in facilitating junior high school students to learn mathematics

This research adopts the Graduated Prompting Assessment Module of the WATA system (GPAM-WATA) and applies it to the remedial teaching of junior high school mathematics. The theoretical basis of the development of GPAM-WATA is the idea of ‘graduated prompt approach’ proposed by Campione and Brown, 1985, Campione and Brown, 1987. In GPAM-WATA, when examinees fail to answer items correctly, they obtain instructional prompts (IPs) in a graduated way. This research developed the contents of IPs based on the mathematical problem-solving theory of Mayer (1992, pp. 458–460). A quasi-experimental design was adopted. Ninety-six junior high school seventh graders from three different classes participated in this research. The three classes were randomly divided into the GPAM-WATA group (n = 31), the N-WBT group (n = 31) and the PPT group (n = 34). All students received traditional mathematics instruction from the same teacher. After traditional mathematics instruction, all students took the pre-test of the summative assessment. The students in the three different groups then respectively received remedial teaching in the form of GPAM-WATA, normal Web-based test (N-WBT), and paper-and-pencil test (PPT). After the remedial teaching, all students took the post-test of the summative assessment. The results indicate that compared with other groups, performing remedial teaching using GPAM-WATA has significantly better effectiveness. Moreover, it is found that the IPs in GPAM-WATA are effective in remedial teaching for not only those students most lacking in different types of mathematical problem-solving knowledge but also all the other students.     

The evolution of the Computers and Writing Conference, the second decade

This article, written for the twentieth anniversary of the Computers and Writing Conference, is the sequel to “The Evolution of the Computers and Writing Conference” (Computers and Composition, 12(3), November, 1995). The earlier article analyzed many of the intellectual concerns, values, and language expressed in presentations at the Computers and Writing Conference from 1982 to 1994. This article does the same for the second ten conferences, 1995-2004. Throughout the second decade, we have developed a new comfort with computers, expanded our idea of “writing” beyond the traditional essay, and gained a respected place in the academy. Computers and writing has become an institution. At the same time, we sometimes worry about losing control over our teaching and can feel overwhelmed by the size of the task we undertake. Many of our values have stayed the same; however, we are optimistic about the place of technology in our work and in the culture at large, we love to experiment, and we routinely weave ideas from other disciplines and other areas of our lives into our computers and writing research.     

Developing an assessment-centered e-Learning system for improving student learning effectiveness

This research used Web-based two-tier diagnostic assessment and Web-based dynamic assessment to develop an assessment-centered e-Learning system, named the ‘GPAM-WATA e-Learning system.’ This system consists of two major designs: (1) personalized dynamic assessment, meaning that the system automatically generates dynamic assessment for each learner based on the results of the pre-test of the two-tier diagnostic assessment; (2) personalized e-Learning material adaptive annotation, meaning that the system annotates the e-Learning materials each learner needs to enhance learning based on the results of the pre-test of the two-tier diagnostic assessment and dynamic assessment. This research adopts a quasi-experimental design, applying GPAM-WATA e-Learning system to remedial Mathematics teaching of the ‘Speed’ unit in an elementary school Mathematics course. 107 sixth-graders from four classes in an elementary school participated in this research (55 male and 52 female). With each class as a unit, they were divided into four different e-Learning models: (1) the personalized dynamic assessment and personalized e-Learning material adaptive annotation group (n = 26); (2) the personalized dynamic assessment and non-personalized e-Learning material adaptive annotation group (n = 28); (3) the non-personalized dynamic assessment and personalized e-Learning material adaptive annotation group (n = 26); and (4) the non-personalized dynamic assessment and non-personalized e-Learning material adaptive annotation group (n = 27). Before remedial teaching, all students took the prior knowledge assessment and the pre-test of the summative assessment and two-tier diagnostic assessment. Students then received remedial teaching and completed all teaching activities. After remedial teaching, all students took the post-test of the summative assessment and two-tier diagnostic assessment. It is found that compared to the e-Learning models without personalized dynamic assessment, e-Learning models with personalized dynamic assessment are significantly more effective in facilitating student learning achievement and improvement of misconceptions, especially for students with low-level prior knowledge. This research also finds that personalized e-Learning material adaptive annotation significantly affects the percentage of reading time students spend on the e-Learning materials they need to enhance learning. However, it does not appear to predict student learning achievement and improvement of misconceptions.     

Smart PAC-learners

The PAC-learning model is distribution-independent in the sense that the learner must reach a learning goal with a limited number of labeled random examples without any prior knowledge of the underlying domain distribution. In order to achieve this, one needs generalization error bounds that are valid uniformly for every domain distribution. These bounds are (almost) tight in the sense that there is a domain distribution which does not admit a generalization error being significantly smaller than the general bound. Note however that this leaves open the possibility to achieve the learning goal faster if the underlying distribution is “simple”. Informally speaking, we say a PAC-learner L is “smart” if, for a “vast majority” of domain distributions D, L does not require significantly more examples to reach the “learning goal” than the best learner whose strategy is specialized to D. In this paper, focusing on sample complexity and ignoring computational issues, we show that smart learners do exist. This implies (at least from an information-theoretical perspective) that full prior knowledge of the domain distribution (or access to a huge collection of unlabeled examples) does (for a vast majority of domain distributions) not significantly reduce the number of labeled examples required to achieve the learning goal.     

The “runs” conjecture

The “runs” conjecture, proposed by Kolpakov and Kucherov (1999) [7], states that the number of occurrences of maximal repetitions (runs) in a string of length n, runs(n), is at most n. We almost solve the conjecture by proving that runs(n)?1.029n. This bound is obtained using a combination of theory and computer verification.