Students' attitudes towards control methods in computer-assisted instruction

Abstract Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has been used in the teaching of dental students for the last decade at the Royal Dental College Aarhus, Denmark. In oral radiology a number of programs structured according to different teaching principles have been available. The aim of this study was to investigate students' attitudes to three main structures: a fully teacher-controlled structure (TC), a menu based structure with partial learner control (structural communication, SC), and a fully learner-controlled structure (LC) applied on programs for oral radiology. Fifty-seven students were interviewed. Most students (53%) preferred the LC structure, and 56% recognized that they had most influence on program progression in this structure. Male and female students' attitudes differed, however, as significantly more males than females preferred the LC structure ( p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found between the two sexes when asked which structure provided the greatest learning effects and learner influence, but the female students found the SC as efficient as the LC structure.