Community colleges serve the most diverse student populations in higher
education. They consist of non-traditional, part-time, older, intermittent, and mobile
students of different races, ethnic backgrounds, language preferences, physical and mental
abilities, and learning style preferences. Students who are academically challenged may
have diverse learning characteristics that are not compatible with the more traditional
approaches to the delivery of instruction. With this need come new ways of solving the
dilemma, such as Computer-aided Instruction (CAI). This case study investigated the use
of CAI as a laboratory component of college-level biology in a small, rural community
college setting. The intent was to begin to fill a void that seems to exist in the literature
regarding the role of the faculty in the development and use of CAI. In particular, the
investigator was seeking to understand the practice and its effectiveness, especially in
helping the under prepared student. The case study approach was chosen to examine a
specific phenomenon within a single institution. Ethnographic techniques, such as
interviewing, documentary analysis, life's experiences, and participant observations were
used to collect data about the phenomena being studied. Results showed that the faculty
was primarily self-motivated and self-taught in their use of CAI as a teaching and learning
tool. The importance of faculty leadership and collegiality was evident. Findings showed
the faculty confident that expectations of helping students who have difficulties with
mathematical concepts have been met and that CAI is becoming the most valuable of
learning tools. In a traditional college classroom, or practice, time is the constant
(semesters) and competence is the variable. In the CAI laboratory time became the
variable and competence the constant. The use of CAI also eliminated hazardous
chemicals that were routinely used in the more traditional lab. Outcomes showed that
annual savings from operations were realized after the initial capital investment for
computer hardware and software were made. / Graduation date: 1998
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/33720 |
| Date | 11 December 1997 |
| Creators | Barrett, Joan |
| Contributors | Parnell, Dale |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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