Computer-based instructional programs are being used more frequently in classrooms. While these programs offer many benefits from traditional teaching methods, humans still need to program them. There is inconsistency in the literature regarding the best way to design such programs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three training procedures in teaching individuals to type a specified three-letter response in the presence of a corresponding symbol. Results show that the training format that prompted individuals to copy the correct response before the opportunity to respond was more efficient than viewing the correct response after an error, or copying the correct response after an error. A discussion of the results as well as implications for classroom use is also provided.

University peer-mentoring programs have shown to increase the retention rates of students, including students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and improved satisfaction with the college experience. The perceived quality of a mentee-mentor relationship may predict satisfaction with a peer-mentoring program; therefore, teaching peer mentors to engage in behaviors that could contribute to a high-quality mentee-mentor relationship may be beneficial. The current study identified target outcomes, operationally defined target behaviors, and developed a computer-based instruction (CBI) training module. The CBI training module was divided into four submodules that incorporated teaching through examples and nonexamples and discrimination training. The efficacy of each CBI submodule was evaluated using a pretest/posttest design with two mentors in a university peer-mentoring program. Results suggested that the CBI training module produced an increase in the frequency of correct responses in seven out of eight submodule posttests across both participants. The CBI training program also produced an increase in the frequency of target behaviors emitted by both participants across all submodules. These findings suggest that this CBI training module can be used to teach peer-mentors the behaviors that may improve their relationship with their mentee.

Educators in the United States (U.S.) are increasingly turning to intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) to provide differentiated math instruction to high school students. However, many struggling high school learners do not perform well on these platforms, which reinforces the need for more awareness about effective supports that influence the achievement of learners in these milieus. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors of the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS), an ITS, are predictive of struggling learners' performance in a blended-learning Algebra 1 course at an inner city technical high school located in the northeastern U.S. The theoretical framework consisted of knowledge base theory, the zone of proximal development, and cognitive learning theory. Three variables (student retention, engagement time, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced) were used to predict the degree of association on the criterion variable (mathematics competencies), as measured by final course progress grades in algebra, and the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSATm) math scores. A correlational predictive design was applied to assess the data of a purposive sample of 265 struggling students at the study site; multiple regression analysis was also used to investigate the predictability of these variables. Findings suggest that engagement time and the ratio of mastered to practiced topics were significant predictors of final course progress grades. Nevertheless, these factors were not significant contributors in predicting PSATm score. Retention was identified as the only statistically significant predictor of PSATm score. The results offer educators with additional insights that can facilitate improvements in mathematical content knowledge and promote higher graduation rates for struggling learners in high school mathematics.

This project report describes the instructional design, development and evaluation of the Chinese Radical and Character Tutorial (CRCT) project. The web-based CRCT project integrated hypermedia resources (audio, video, graphics, animation and hyperlinks) to teach undergraduate and graduate students basic Chinese radical and character recognition and writing. One-to-one test, expert review and small-group test were utilized in the formative evaluation. Statistical significance was found in the small-group test, which suggests that supplemental hypermedia material can effectively facilitate student learning of Chinese reading and writing outside of the classroom. Moreover, the qualitative data indicated that students enjoyed using CRCT's drills, feedback features and video-writing demonstrations to facilitate their learning. The web-based environment provided interaction and allowed them to practice at any time and place.

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Skrivning är en central del av undervisningen för elever i årskurs 4–6. Under vår verksamhetsförlagda utbildning har vi märkt att elevers attityder till skrivande ser olika ut beroende på om texten skrivs för hand eller på dator. Litteraturstudien undersöker hur användandet av datorer i undervisningen påverkar elevers skrivutveckling i årskurs 4–6. De frågeställningar som besvaras är: Vad är avgörande för att en datorbaserad undervisning ska bli gynnsam för elevers skrivutveckling? Vilka effekter har datorn på elevers skrivutveckling?   Litteraturstudien bygger på internationell och nationell forskning om hur en datorbaserad undervisning påverkar elevers skrivutveckling med utgångspunkt i årskurs 4–6. Även forskning gällande övriga elever i grundskolan samt gymnasiet har inkluderats. Studien innehåller tio vetenskapliga artiklar, en doktorsavhandling samt ett konferensbidrag.   Resultatet av litteraturstudien visar att datorn har positiva effekter på elevers skrivande då de upplever att de kan ägna mer tid åt textens innehåll och mindre tid åt formandet av bokstäver och eventuella stavfel. Litteraturstudiens resultat visar att för att användandet av datorer ska vara gynnsamt krävs det att eleverna ges möjligheter att utveckla sina kunskaper om datorns utformning och hantering. Litteraturstudiens resultat visar även att lärares intresse och kunskaper är avgörande i alla årskurser, för att datorn ska kunna användas som ett arbetsverktyg i undervisningen. Slutligen har vi i litteraturstudien kommit fram till att lärare behöver erbjuda en varierad undervisning där eleverna ges möjlighet att skriva texter både för hand och med dator för att tillgodose alla elevers förutsättningar och behov.

Constructivism is a learning theory that states that people learn by actively constructing their own knowledge, based on prior knowledge. Many different perspectives exist on constructivist pedagogical principles and on how to apply them to instructional design. It is thus not only difficult to evaluate the conformity of existing learning systems with constructivist principles, it is also quite hard to ensure that a new learning system being designed will ultimately facilitate and stimulate constructivist learning. A critical characteristic often mentioned in learning systems is adaptability. That is, the ability to provide a learning experience that is continuously tailored to the needs of the individual learner. The present research aims to help designing truly constructivist and adaptive learning systems. For that purpose, it is necessary to clarify what constructivism entails in an operational manner: I propose a set of criteria for certain aspects of constructivism and use it both as guidelines for designing learning systems and for evaluating the conformity of learning systems with these constructivist principles. One facet often mentioned as being strongly relevant to constructivism is cognitive flexibility, meaning the ability to spontaneously restructure one's knowledge, in many ways, in adaptive response to radically changing situational demands. The claim I make in the present thesis is that the operational approach I proposed makes the design and use of adaptive learning environments supporting cognitive flexibility straightforward and effective. More specifically, the dissertation makes four main contributions to the interdisciplinary field of learning and e-Learning technology. Firstly, the thesis proposes operational criteria for cognitive flexibility and presents both justifications and examples of their use. The set of criteria may be used in different instructional situations for designing and evaluating conditions of learning. Secondly, on the basis of the criteria for cognitive flexibility, the thesis proposes an operational instructional design process and shows an example of its use. The process may also be applied in a variety of instructional situations for the design and use of learning systems fostering cognitive flexibility. Thirdly, the thesis introduces a new, open-source, domain-independent, Web-based adaptive e-Learning platform, named COFALE, and illustrates an example of its use. The platform may be used for designing adaptive learning systems supporting cognitive flexibility in various domains. And fourthly, the thesis reports on a preliminary evaluation of the example handled by COFALE with actual learners. The study provides a certain number of encouraging results for fostering cognitive flexibility by means of ICT-based learning conditions.

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of two different methods of dynamic geometry based computer instruction on seventh grade students&rsquo / attitudes towards geometry, attitudes toward mathematic and technology and spatial abilities compared to traditional textbook based instruction and to get the students&rsquo / views related to the effects of computer based instruction on their learning. The sample consisted of 57 seventh grade students from a private elementary school in Kayseri. The study was conducted in the 2006-2007 academic year, lasting 14 lesson hours (two weeks). The data were collected through spatial ability test, mathematics and technology attitude scale, geometry attitude scale, and interviews. The quantitative analyses were carried out by using multivariate covariance analyses. The results revealed that two different methods of dynamic geometry based computer instruction didn&rsquo / t have a significangt effect on students&rsquo / spatial abilities compared to traditional textbook based instruction. The results also indicated that two different methods of dynamic geometry based instruction had a significant effect on students&rsquo / attitudes toward geometry, mathematics and technology compared to traditional textbook based instruction. The results of the interviews indicated that computers created a dynamic learning environment which supported students&rsquo / development and computers also helped students to explore mathematic in a far more meaningful way.

Web-based lessons teaching graph construction techniques (via the internet) were presented to 144 undergraduate and graduate college students. One group experienced program-controlled tutorials requiring them to construct answers in a defined sequence. A second group experienced identical lesson material in the form of typographically cued text presentations. The programmed instruction students performed significantly better than the cued-text group on an immediate computer-based posttest assessing comprehension of the graphing lesson material. The cued-text group performed better on an applied graphing assignment. The experiment did not account for individuals internet study habits or the metacognitive approaches to learning employed by the study participants.

Sixth grade students at a Mid-Atlantic, urban, PreK-8 public school have shown weak mathematical performance. In accordance with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the local district has implemented numerous policy changes to improve performance, but no substantial improvements in test scores have been seen so far. This project study focused on the development of automaticity and fluency of math facts to address this problem. The theoretical framework of the study was based on Haring and Eaton's instructional competency hierarchy framework, which claims that students who master basic mathematics skills are better able to progress to more general and abstract skills. A modified, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control-group design was used with 2 groups of 20 sixth grade students who were neither randomly selected nor assigned to either group. Data analysis using one-way analysis of variance revealed that computer aided instruction--specifically, Fluency and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching and Technology (FASTT) Math--was more effective than the other classroom's mathematics instruction in developing multiplication fluency. In response, a curriculum policy recommendation was drafted as a project and will be presented to the board of education to conduct additional evaluations of FASTT Math as a supplemental tool in third through eighth grades in the district. This project is expected to contribute to social change by improving mathematics achievement which will create a mathematically literate cadre of students to meet the needs of 21st century employers, thus improving the quality of life in the broader community.