The purpose of this study was to assess the achievement of older learners when using computer-assisted-instruction tutorials with no time limits and to compare this achievement with that of other older students who were taught by the conventional lecture method of instruction. The effects of prior formal education, physical limitations, socioeconomic status, and sex were also identified. Students in the age categories fifty-five to sixty-seven and sixty-eight and over were placed at random in either a control group that would receive instruction in the conventional lecture method or a treatment group that would receive computer-assisted-instruction. Each of the students in the study completed a demographic data form, received instruction, and was tested over the topics which had been covered. The test scores and demographic data were summarized and analyzed using two-way analysis of variance. The purpose of the analysis was to determine (1) if there was a significant difference in the effectiveness of the two methods of instruction, (2) if there was a significant difference in the performance of the two age categories, (3) if there was a significant interaction between the age levels and the methods of instruction, and (4) if the test scores were affected by past formal education, physical limitations, socioeconomic status, or sex. It was determined that students in the computer-assisted-instruction groups scored as well as those in the conventional lecture method of presentation groups. There were no significant effects from past formal education, physical limitations, socioeconomic status, or sex. However, there were trends in the data that warrant further study. It was recommended that educators be encouraged to use computer-assisted-instruction tutorials when working with older students. CAI was found to be at least as effective as the more conventional lecture method, and the growth and expansion of computer technology makes this a viable option for future educational programming.

Promising results from the use of problem-based learning (PBL) as a teaching method in medical programs have encouraged many institutions to incorporate PBL into their curricula. This study investigates how applying hybrid-PBL (H-PBL) in a microbiology laboratory impacts students' higher-order thinking as compared to applying a lecture-based pedagogy. The experimental design compared the learning outcomes of two groups of students: the control group and the H-PBL group, for whom PBL cases comprised 30% of the curriculum. Both groups were taught basic skills for the microbiology lab by the same instructor. Using the traditional teaching style for the control group, the instructor offered each student what they needed for their experiments. The H-PBL group practiced experimental design, data analysis, theory proposal, and created research questions by using six study cases that were closely linked to the area of study. The outcome was measured using a pre- and post- assessment consisting of 24 questions that was designed by following Bloom's taxonomy of learning levels. A one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The results showed that for the first three levels of Bloom's taxonomy— knowledge, comprehension, and application—there were no statistically significant differences between the H-PBL and control group gain scores as determined by a one-way ANOVA. For the knowledge level, f (1, 78) = .232, and p = .632; for the comprehension level, f (1, 78) = .004, and p = .951; and for the application level f (1, 78) =. 028, and p =.863. On the other hand, the gain scores for the three higher levels—analysis, evaluation, and creativity—improved for the H-PBL group. The analysis level showed statistically significant differences, with f (1, 78) = 4.012, and p = .049. Also, there were statistically significant differences in students' performance at the evaluation level, with f (1, 78) = 11.495, and p = .001, and the creativity level, with f (1,78 ) = 23.432, and p = .000. In conclusion, the study results supported the value of incorporating hybrid problem-based learning (H-PBL) into the traditional microbiology laboratory curriculum.

This study focuses on perceptions of a group of Computing lecturers at a large post ’92 Scottish university of the changes that have occurred in the student body. It also considers whether or not the changes have had any impact on the identity and role of the lecturers and whether the lecturers have adapted their practice to accommodate the needs of the diverse student population. An empirical approach was used consisting of semi-structured interviews with a targeted random sample of lecturers. The findings indicate that the impact of the changes which have taken place within higher education have not been uniform and have varied depending on the perceived status of the institution as well as the discipline within the Higher Education (HE) hierarchy. The findings identify a number of areas for consideration by university managers, lecturers and higher education researchers. There appears to be a gap between university policies on widening access and student retention and the implementation of the policies by the lecturers. The findings show that the lecturers are aware of the greater diversity of the student body, but that many of the lecturers share the traditional view of a university student and therefore expect the students to adapt to fit the existing system rather than considering changing their approaches to suit the students. The lecturers in my study have adopted a number of strategies to cope with the constant changes taking place within higher education. However, many of them are unclear as to what is expected of them and unsure about how they should prioritise the numerous demands on their time. This study differs from and complements other work because it focuses on the lecturers’ perceptions of the changes in their role as well as in the student body. The outcome of my study is a better understanding of the perceptions lecturers have of their role and the students that they teach. Although my study is small scale and specific to a particular academic discipline within a large university, the findings should be of value not only to the particular institution in the study, but the wider academic community as well.

The research study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the instructional methods, particularly the lecture-discussion instructional method as a teaching and learning method at grade 7 level, in Shurugwi district, Zimbabwe. The subject taught being English language. The experimental method (quasi-experimental) used at the twenty chosen schools was the pre-test and post test group method. It was found that the lecture-discussion instructional method produced better results in more cases than the discussion method alone. It was also found that work produced by the lecture-discussion instructional method was more refined than work produced by the discussion method alone. Guided learners were more work focused than learners discussing alone without a teacher. Average and below average learners did not enjoy learning without the presence of the teacher talk. The learners, during teacher absence, seemed hesitant and confused at times. The lecture-discussion method seems to cater for all the learners and their learning styles. The importance of the teacher in the class was clearly demonstrated by the work and results produced by the learners at the twenty selected primary schools in Shurugwi district, Midlands province, Zimbabwe. All the learners that received treatment from the experiment produced better results than their control groups that did not receive the treatment. However, conclusions and generalisations can not be made because the samples used and the areas covered were too small in size. The learners studied were too few to make meaningful generalisations and conclusions for the country. Further researches should be carried out in future. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The problem that guided this study was a socio-constructivist view of education via online learning. Based in the extant literature, a deficiency existed that directly correlated online learning closing the academic achievement gap between student populations. In other words, schools invested in technology; however, few empirical data sets existed that established a connection between technology integration and the academic achievement of different student groups. The purpose of this pooled regression analysis study was to determine whether the method of class instruction effected academic achievement gaps between three subpopulations based on gender, race, and SES. Specifically, this study examined whether gender, race, and SES could predict semester grades within and across traditional, blended, and online course instructional methods. The dependent variable for this study was student success in the form of an end-of-unit test grade designed to evaluate student understanding of the curriculum. The independent variables included student gender, ethnicity, and SES. Quantitative data were collected through an analysis of Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) data and student end-of-unit exam grades. The research suggests one combined interaction, [gender x race] in the traditional learning environment, is statistically significant while several independent interactions are significant. Those independent interactions are TAKS scores, gender, and Socio-economic status. According to the trends in this research, no significant differences exists in academic achievement between African American males and White males enrolled in traditional, blended or online classes. This non-significance is important. As suggested, when all other external factors, in this research, are held constant and the academic playing field is level, male students perform equally within the classroom, also, because no significant differences exists in academic achievement, the quality of instruction from well-trained, highly qualified educators can be an integral factor in closing the achievement gap between African American, low-SES male students.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

The research study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the instructional methods, particularly the lecture-discussion instructional method as a teaching and learning method at grade 7 level, in Shurugwi district, Zimbabwe. The subject taught being English language. The experimental method (quasi-experimental) used at the twenty chosen schools was the pre-test and post test group method. It was found that the lecture-discussion instructional method produced better results in more cases than the discussion method alone. It was also found that work produced by the lecture-discussion instructional method was more refined than work produced by the discussion method alone. Guided learners were more work focused than learners discussing alone without a teacher. Average and below average learners did not enjoy learning without the presence of the teacher talk. The learners, during teacher absence, seemed hesitant and confused at times. The lecture-discussion method seems to cater for all the learners and their learning styles. The importance of the teacher in the class was clearly demonstrated by the work and results produced by the learners at the twenty selected primary schools in Shurugwi district, Midlands province, Zimbabwe. All the learners that received treatment from the experiment produced better results than their control groups that did not receive the treatment. However, conclusions and generalisations can not be made because the samples used and the areas covered were too small in size. The learners studied were too few to make meaningful generalisations and conclusions for the country. Further researches should be carried out in future. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The goal of this thesis was to create a model of how video-taped law lectures (authentic materials) can be used in designing individual lessons which will, in general, incorporate current EAP practices and standards in aiding the LL.M. students to improve their lecture listening comprehension skills. More specifically, my model will show how within each lesson the video-taped law lectures can be used to target either a particular linguistic form or lecture construct feature for which studies have shown to be problematic in L2 lecture comprehension. Moreover, this model will further demonstrate how these lessons should address lecture organization specific to the study of law, as well as show how general lecture listening strategies can be presented as an integral part of every lesson.

Online courses in higher education have a reputation for having a lower course completion or retention rate than face-to-face courses. Much of this reputation is based upon anecdotal evidence, is outdated, or is on a small scale, such as a comparison of individual courses or programs of instruction. A causal-comparative analysis was conducted among 11 large, high research public universities. The universities were compared to each other to determine if differences existed between online and face-to-face course completion; undergraduate and graduation online course completion was analyzed for differences as well. The findings suggested the magnitude of the differences between online and face-to-face completions rates was small or negligible. The area which showed a higher magnitude of difference was in the comparison between undergraduate and graduate online course completion; the practical significance could be worth considering for educational purposes.

Students in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa come from many different backgrounds and have varied educational experiences. Some students, especially those from non-English speaking backgrounds, may encounter linguistic difficulties with various academic tasks. In order for students to be successful at university, they must become academically literate. That is, they must master all the reading, writing, listening and comprehension tasks required by the disciplines in which they are studying. One such task is presented by the academic lecture which is an integral part of any course of study. Linguistically, the academic lecture can be seen as a particular genre with unique characteristics. This study investigated some linguistic characteristics of academic lectures. The discipline of Political Science, as a Social Science, was chosen because there is little research that has been done on language in the Social Sciences. The Political Science sub-disciplines of Political Philosophy, South African Politics, and International Relations were used in this research. First year lectures were recorded from each of these three sub-disciplines. The linguistic characteristics of lectures were analysed using techniques drawn from Systemic Functional linguistic theory. The analysis concentrated on the aspects mode and field as they were realised in the lectures. In addition, higher level generic structure was also analysed. The insights gained from the analysis were validated through interviews with the lecturers who gave the lectures. The aim of this research was to develop a linguistic characterisation of the lecture genre as it occurs in the three sub-disciplines of Political Science. The results of this research suggest that although there is a unified academic lecture genre, there is variation according to sub-discipline. The implications of this variation are discussed with reference to their relevance to teaching academic literacy.