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Pre-Trip Inspection of the truck and trailer is one of the components of the current Commercial Driver's License (CDL) test. This part of the CDL test checks the ability of the student to identify the important parts of the commercial vehicle and their potential defects. The Virtual Check Ride System (VCRS), a computer-based application, is an assessment and feedback tool that mirrors the inspection component of the actual CDL. The VCRS has provided an after action review (AAR) via a feedback session that helps in identifying and correcting drivers' skill in inspecting parts and for overall safety. The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the VCRS in truck driving training programs. An experimental study was conducted with truck driving students at Mid Florida Tech, located in Orlando, Florida. The students were divided into control and experimental groups. Students in the both groups received regular training provided by Mid Florida Tech. The experimental group received additional training by making use of the VCRS. A total of three paper-based tests were given to all subjects during first three weeks; one test at the end of a week. Both groups were given the same paper-based tests. A two-way analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the effect of the VCRS in the experimental group. This analysis found a significant difference between control and experimental groups. This effect showed that the students in the experimental group increased their performance by using VCRS. Moreover, there was a main effect in the scores of each week. However, there was not an interaction between the two factors. Follow up Post Hoc tests were conducted to evaluate the pair-wise differences among the means of the test week factors using a Tukey HSD test. These Post Hoc comparisons indicated that the mean score for the third week's test scores were significantly better than the first week's test score in the experimental group. It was concluded that the VCRS facilitated learning for the experimental group and that learning also occurred for both groups as a result of repeated testing.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1993 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / In today's world, the importance of training for telemetry systems continues to grow as new technologies provide users with ever-increasing capabilities. Successful training programs ensure telemetry systems quickly become operational yielding the acquisition of critical test data. Over the years, training programs have been greatly impacted by the changes in defense contracts -- specifically funding. Today's aggressive telemetry market requires contractors to develop complex telemetry systems within the constraints of Firm Fixed price (FFP) contracts and within very short schedules. As a result of these conditions, training programs have changed significantly over the last ten years. Projects which used to have dedicated training personnel (instructors, technical writers, etc.) now rely on the system developers to provide the training. In actuality, the quality of training has improved with this new approach. Now students benefit from having the most knowledgeable personnel teach them about the system and, often times, latent problems with the system are efficiently identified and corrected. This paper will summarize the evolution of training programs for telemetry systems developed by Computer Sciences Corporation. The benefits of a scenario where the system architects train the end users with the use of increased "hands-on" training will be explored.

An Electronic Meeting System (EMS) is a computer-based environment that supports group meetings that may be dispersed in space and time. The focus of this dissertation is on EMS meeting rooms containing networked computer workstations that enable groups to meet face-to-face, with computer-supported electronic communication used to support or replace verbal communication. This electronic communication provides anonymity, the ability to work in parallel, and the ability to structure group interaction. This dissertation presents 10 laboratory and field studies using the University of Arizona GroupSystems EMS. The first experiment found 6- and 12-member EMS groups to be more satisfied and to generate more ideas of greater quality than similarly-sized verbally interacting groups. Experiments Two and Three found 9- and 12-member (respectively) EMS groups to be more satisfied and to generate more ideas than similarly-sized nominal groups (i.e., individuals working separately). Experiment Four found 18-member groups to generate more ideas than two 9-member groups, six 3-member groups or 18 individuals; and 12-member groups to generate more ideas than three 4-member groups or 12 individuals. The remaining three experiments examined the separate impacts of anonymity, parallelism, and structure. Parallelism and structure both had significant effects on performance; anonymity did not. The three field studies were conducted to help understand how organizational groups used this technology, and whether there was any evidence to support the theory developed and tested in the laboratory. The first studied 10 operations management groups, the second six small project teams, and the third organizations' use of EMS in the strategic management process. These field studies found EMS groups to perceive EMS support to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. These effects were stronger for larger groups and for groups that used more electronic communication relative to verbal communication. Parallelism, and to a lesser degree structure, where seen to be important. Anonymity was very important for groups with power and status differences, but had few effects for groups of peers or groups whose members worked together on a regular basis.

This study examined the statistical consequences of employing various methods of computing and cumulating effect sizes in meta-analysis. Six methods of computing effect size, and three techniques for combining study outcomes, were compared. Effect size metrics were calculated with one-group and pooled standardizing denominators, corrected for bias and for unreliability of measurement, and weighted by sample size and by sample variance. Cumulating techniques employed as units of analysis the effect size, the study, and an average study effect. In order to determine whether outcomes might vary with the size of the meta-analysis, mean effect sizes were also compared for two smaller subsets of studies. An existing meta-analysis of 60 studies examining the effectiveness of computer-based instruction was used as a data base for this investigation. Recomputation of the original study data under the six different effect size formulas showed no significant difference among the metrics. Maintaining the independence of the data by using only one effect size per study, whether a single or averaged effect, produced a higher mean effect size than averaging all effect sizes together, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. The sampling distribution of effect size means approached that of the population of 60 studies for subsets consisting of 40 studies, but not for subsets of 20 studies. Results of this study indicated that the researcher may choose any of the methods for effect size calculation or cumulation without fear of biasing the outcome of the metaanalysis. If weighted effect sizes are to be used, care must be taken to avoid giving undue influence to studies which may have large sample sizes, but not necessarily be the most meaningful, theoretically representative, or elegantly designed. It is important for the researcher to locate all relevant studies on the topic under investigation, since selective or even random sampling may bias the results of small meta-analyses.

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) present with impairments in working memory and executive functions, and these cognitive deficits contribute to difficulty self-regulating the production of expository writing. Cognitive processes involved in carrying out complex writing tasks include planning, generating text, and reviewing or revising text produced. Intervention targeting the process of revision during the writing process may contribute to improved self-regulation of expository writing for people with ABI, of which college undergraduates are a subset of writers experiencing challenges. This study evaluated a computer-based revision prompting intervention for expository essay writing for undergraduate writers with acquired brain injury using a single-case, non-concurrent multiple-probe design across four participants. Primary outcome measures included number of revisions and quality scores. I used brief interviews to evaluate participants’ writing knowledge at the start of the study, and a post-intervention questionnaire to evaluate participant perceptions of the intervention, and perceived changes in writing ability. Visual inspection of data points plotted for Overall Quality Scores indicated a functional relation between the intervention and increased Overall Quality Scores compared to baseline, observed as a change in level at three distinct points in time across three participants. Visual inspection of data points plotted for number of revisions revealed no increase from baseline to intervention phases. Results suggest that the computer-based revision prompting intervention has potential to improve expository writing in undergraduate writers with ABI, though mechanisms of improvement require clarification in subsequent studies. I discuss results in terms of potential mechanisms of improvement, including cueing of self-monitoring and prior knowledge, and stimulation of task schemas for self-regulation of expository writing.

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Testing centers are a useful tool to help instructors deliver computer-based tests, but computers resources are expensive and therefore limited. This paper describes a method by which testing center(s) may use iNetTest, a web-based computer aided testing system, to house and administer exams. The algorithm discussed in this paper makes it possible for instructors to schedule tests for a given time frame while ensuring that enough computer resources will be available to all of the students. The algorithm prevents the testing center from getting overwhelmed with students while attempting to maximize the usage of the valuable computer resources.

Denna litteraturstudie undersöker hur datorbaserad inlärning påverkar lågpresterande elever i matematik. Syftet med denna studie är att göra en sammanställning av befintlig forskning, för att bidra med kunskap om hur datorbaserad inlärning kan förbättra förståelsen av matematik för elever med matematiska inlärningssvårigheter. Vidare jämförde och undersöktes effekterna datorbaserad inlärning beroende på om det används i form av spel eller instruerande undervisning. Resultaten visar att elever som använder datorer i undervisningen visade signifikant bättre resultat på eftertesten som gjordes i studierna. Den generella slutsatsen från denna studie är att det behövs mer forskning på området. Konsekvenser för framtida matematiska studier diskuteras. / This literature review has an interest to investigate how computer based learning affects low-performing students in mathematics. The purpose of this study is to make a compilation of existing research to contribute knowledge on how computer based learning can improve understanding of mathematics for students with mathematic difficulties. This also leads to an interest of comparing and investigate the effects of computer based learning depending on whether it is games or instructional teaching. Results show that students who use computers in their learning showed significantly better results on the posttests. Conclusions made in this study are that more research is needed. Implications for future mathematic studies were discussed.

This dissertation investigated the effectiveness of a newly designed intervention for adolescents with test anxiety. This CBT-based intervention is comprised of two parts: self-guided psychoeducational computer modules, and an online social networking group. The intervention was designed to provide adolescents with an effective means of reducing test anxiety symptoms, delivered through a familiar medium—the Internet. This study was conducted in classrooms in Houston, TX, with high school student participants. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: those receiving the computer modules component only, those receiving the computer modules and social networking group, and those receiving no treatment (control). Test anxiety levels were assessed with the self-report Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, et al., 1980). Changes in test anxiety levels over time were compared to changes in a measure of academic achievement. The author compared changes in test anxiety level among the three groups using repeated measures ANOVA. It was hypothesized that participants in the two treatment groups would show improvements in test anxiety symptoms over time, while those in the control condition would not. It was further hypothesized that decreases in test anxiety symptoms would correlate with increases in academic achievement. Participants in all three groups showed some decrease in anxiety symptoms. There were no statistically significant differences between groups; however, there were some intriguing trends in the computer module only group, which showed a clinically meaningful, but not statistically different, decrease in anxiety. There was no association between changes in test anxiety symptoms and academic achievement. Results of this study suggest that this intervention may not currently present an effective option for treating the symptoms of test anxiety. Results may be used to make data-driven improvements to address the limitations and unforeseen weaknesses of this intervention approach. / text