An Empirical Study Comparing the Learning Environments of Open and Closed Computer Laboratories

In Computer Science and Information Systems courses, where the computer is an integral part of the course, there are two main ways in which the practical component of the course, the computer laboratory class, may be organized. They may be closed laboratories which are scheduled and staffed in the same way as other classes, or open laboratories where the students come and go as they please. In universities in the United States, the open laboratory is more common, whereas in Australia, it is the closed laboratory that provides the practical experience for students. This study investigates differences between students’ perceptions of some aspects of the learning environment of open and closed computer laboratories, and also investigates differences in student outcomes from courses that adopt these two approaches to organizing computer laboratory classes. The use of closed laboratories requires more resources in terms of physical space and equipment and greater commitment on the part of the faculty. This study investigates whether the extra resources and commitment lead to an improvement in student outcomes. In the study, two previously developed instruments, the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory (CLEI) and the Attitude towards Computing and Computing Courses Questionnaire (ACCC) were used. The CLEI has five scales for measuring students’ perceptions of aspects of their laboratory environment. These are Student Cohesiveness, Open-Endedness, Integration, Technology Adequacy and Laboratory Availability. The ACCC has four scales, Anxiety, Enjoyment, Usefulness of Computers and Usefulness of the Course. Of the environment variables, significant differences in the means were found for Open- Endedness, Technology Adequacy and Laboratory Availability. There was also a difference for Anxiety. There was no significant difference in achievement by students on the courses

Essential Concepts and Learning Outcomes for Cell and Molecular Biology

In the new, transformed Biology BS program for conversion from quarter to semester, multiple faculty will teach varied courses under the “Cell and Molecular” requirement for our program. Our old program required multiple core courses, leading to bottlenecks as students could not get seats in needed classes. We have designed our new program to provide students with options under core categories, providing students more flexibility which should improve time to graduation. Students must take at least ONE of the courses, although students who chose to focus on Cell and Molecular Biology should be able to learn new material in ALL courses. The courses which satisfy the “Cell and Molecular” requirement include Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Microbiology. For this faculty learning community, we aimed to develop our courses to ensure that ALL courses within the “Cell and Molecular core category cover essential concepts and learning outcomes, but yet remain distinct so that students who want to place emphasis on Cell and Molecular Biology can learn from all the courses. To accomplish this, faculty who teach these courses met together to discuss scholarly articles regarding essential concepts and expected learning outcomes for cell and molecular degree programs. We present here our final reflection and the new syllabi for each of the Category A courses. We conclude our new core category A will cover essential concepts and learning outcomes, but yet remain distinct so that students who want to place emphasis on Cell and Molecular Biology can learn from all the courses

Evaluation of the development and application of multimedia computer assisted learning in Higher Education.

This thesis deals with approaches to the evaluation of multimedia computer assisted learning in higher education. The thesis is presented in two parts. The first part consists mainly of a literature based review of the rationale and methods employed in the development of multimedia CAL systems focusing on the ability of such systems to deliver a variety of pedagogic aims and objectives which the literature on the subject generally attributes to them. This was done in order to identify and examine the important features which should be incorporated in the effective evaluation of such systems. 1) the pedagogical basis of multimedia learning environments with particular reference to the mechanism by which they claim to encourage an approach to learning which facilitates 'deep' rather than 'shallow' learning' (Chapters 3 and 4); 2) the basis on which multimedia CAL systems claim to provide interactive learning environments which allow the teaching materials to be tailored by learners to accommodate their own individual preferences for adopting particular learning strategies. In particular this focused on the importance of individual learning styles and learners' degree of computer confidence (Chapter 5); 3) the institutional/delivery factors which must be understood to explain fully the context in which evaluations are carried out and which may have important effects on the outcomes of evaluation (Chapter 6). This literature review, together with a practical survey of a range of existing CAL courseware and an e-mail survey of CAL developers provides the basis for presenting an approach to evaluation which differentiates systems on the basis of the pedagogic approach they adopt and the context in which they are implemented. Finally, a critical review of existing evaluation methods was undertaken and important elements within these methods were incorporated into a new framework for evaluation. The framework provides a tool for determining an evaluation strategy that encompasses all stages of development, formative and summative evaluation of CAL courseware. Evaluation is based on the explicit aims and objectives of the courseware being provided and is moderated by contextual factors that define the pedagogical approach being taken, any individual learner differences that must be taken into account, and the institutional/delivery context within which the courseware is used. An analysis of the implications of the framework when formulating an evaluation strategy demonstrates weaknesses in the assessment instruments currently being used in evaluation studies - particularly for providing reliable measures of 'learning effect' as part of summative evaluation and also with respect to accurate quantification of costs associated with development and use of CAL courseware. The second part of the thesis tests the framework. The approach taken was to develop and formatively and summatively assess a multimedia CAL system used to teach parts of a course on bibliographic classification to students at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Qualitative and quantitative tests to accomplish this are described and the result of statistical analyses of learner performance when using the system are presented. This empirical study provides further insights into the practical problems involved in developing and evaluating a multimedia CAL system and in particular highlights: 1) the influence which individual learning style (as measured by the Gregorc Style Delineator) has on student performance in a context in which postgraduate students were required to use the CAL courseware rather than attend lectures - results indicate that CAL does not serve all learners equally; 2) the importance of the delivery context in a study in which undergraduate students were provided with CAL materials to supplement the delivery of their course. The evaluation framework was found to be a robust framework for developing and testing didactic teaching packages which were developed in the context of improving the quality of the teaching and learning of bibliographic classification to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Recommendations are provided for future research based on using the framework to explore other contexts in which courseware is developed and implemented

Advanced Technology for Engineering Education

This document contains the proceedings of the Workshop on Advanced Technology for Engineering Education, held at the Peninsula Graduate Engineering Center, Hampton, Virginia, February 24-25, 1998. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Computational Technology and NASA. Workshop attendees came from NASA, other government agencies, industry and universities. The objectives of the workshop were to assess the status of advanced technologies for engineering education and to explore the possibility of forming a consortium of interested individuals/universities for curriculum reform and development using advanced technologies. The presentations covered novel delivery systems and several implementations of new technologies for engineering education. Certain materials and products are identified in this publication in order to specify adequately the materials and products that were investigated in the research effort. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement of products by NASA, nor does it imply that the materials and products are the only ones or the best ones available for this purpose. In many cases equivalent materials and products are available and would probably produce equivalent results

Web-based Hypermedia Courseware in Higher Education: A Proposed Framework

This thesis is concerned with hypermedia and learning, and in particular with the design and development factors that need to be considered for the creation of hypermediabased courseware in higher education that uses the Web as a delivery platform. One of the most commonly cited problems with educational hypermedia is related to the design and structure of the educational material. It appears that Web-based instructional authors have not had access to an instructional model, which has been empirically tested. However, there is a large body of knowledge in the field of instructional design from which one can draw suitable conclusions for the design process of Web-based educational hypermedia. The current research recommends that a precondition for effective Web-based courseware design in higher education is careful consideration of the traditional body of knowledge in the field of instructional design which should act as a foundation for future developments in the design process. In addition, the end-users' input should be sought as it can confirm the above and enhance further our understanding toward the implementation of this new medium in higher education. Based on this recommendation, a framework is proposed in terms of its design, user input and evaluation for the development of Web-based courseware in higher education aimed at supporting the delivery of physical modules. The thesis describes how the different stages of the proposed framework were implemented through the develop moot of two Web-based courseware applications aimed at supporting the delivery of two higher education modules taught in De Montfort University, U.K. In order to test the validity of the proposed approach, that a Web-based courseware developed according to the experimental framework could effectively support the delivery of physical modules compared with conventional teaching methods, two empirical studies have been conducted. They were concerned with the summative evaluation of the two Web-based courseware applications, which were developed according to the proposed framework. The results from the evaluation of the two empirical studies indicated significant improvements in users' performance and satisfaction compared with conventional teaching methods. Thus, the proposed framework can indeed offer a solution for the development of Web-based courseware that aims to support the delivery of physical modules in higher education. Moreover, the experimental framework can also provide a detailed starting point and can be adapted for the design and development of Web-based courseware aimed at addressing distance learning or other forms of Web instruction.Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY

Resilient Computing Curriculum Draft -- ReSIST NoE Deliverable D16

This Deliverable presents the first version of ReSIST's Curriculum in Resilient Computing, limited to the description of the syllabi for the first year (Semesters 1 and 2) and indicates the line and title for the curriculum in the second year (semesters 3 and 4) and propose it to the general discussion for improvements. The curriculum will be updated and completed in successive versions that will take advantage of a large open discussion inside and outside ReSIS

Computer education : Ireland : a case study

The research described in this thesis is born mainly of the author's experience within the Executive Committee of the Computer Education Society of Ireland (CESI) in trying to get computing onto the curriculum of Irish Second level schools...(continues). The thesis concludes by formulating general guidelines as to why Information Technology should be introduced into the Schools Curriculum. The author insists that, only under the terms of a National Plan and adequate funding can Computer Education, or, in its wider sense, Information Technology, become a viable proposition in Irish schools. A number of recommendations are made and some areas of further research are indicated

A basic guide to open educational resources (OER)

133 p. : ill.Libro ElectrónicoThis Guide comprises three sections. The first – a summary of the key issues – is presented in the form of a set of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. Its purpose is to provide readers with a quick and user-friendly introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) and some of the key issues to think about when exploring how to use OER most effectively. The second section is a more comprehensive analysis of these issues, presented in the form of a traditional research paper. For those who have a deeper interest in OER, this section will assist with making the case for OER more substantively. The third section is a set of appendices, containing more detailed information about specific areas of relevance to OER. These are aimed at people who are looking for substantive information regarding a specific area of interestContents Acknowledgements 1 Overview of the Guide 3 A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources: Frequently asked questions 5 What are Open Educational Resources (OER)? 5 Is OER the same as e-learning? 5 Is OER the same as open learning/open education? 6 Is OER related to the concept of resource-based learning? 7 How open is an open licence? 8 What is the difference between OER and open access publishing? 9 Shouldn’t I worry about ‘giving away’ my intellectual property? 9 Who will guarantee the quality of OER? 12 How can education benefit by harnessing OER? 13 Is OER really free? 14 Does use of OER preclude use of commercial content? 16 What policy changes are needed for institutions to make more effective use of OER? 16 What are the best ways to build capacity in OER? 17 Where do I find OER? 18 How can I share my OER with others? 19 How much can I change OER for my own purposes? 20 Making the Case for Open Educational Resources 23 Introduction 23 Defining the concept 24 The implications for educational planners and decision-makers 39 Conclusion 44 References 45 Appendix One: Overview of Open Licences 47 Introduction 47 Creative Commons Licences 48 Appendix References 52 Appendix Two: The Components of a Well-Functioning Distance Education System 53 The Components 53 The Rationale for Use of Distance Education Methods 55 Appendix Three: Technology Applications 57 iii Appendix Four: Open Source Software Applications in Education 61 References 64 Appendix Five: Mapping the OER Terrain Online 65 Introduction 65 OCW OER Repositories 65 University OCW Initiatives 70 Subject-Specific OCW OER 74 Content Creation Initiatives 78 Open Schooling Initiatives 81 OCW OER Search 84 Conclusion 85 Appendix Six: A Catalogue of OER-Related Websites 87 OCW OER Repositories 88 Open Schooling Initiatives 92 OCW OER Search 93 University OCW Initiatives 95 Subject-Specific OCW-OER 104 OER Tools 109 Other OER Sources 113 Appendix Seven: Some OER Policy Issues in Distance Education 115 Appendix Eight: OER Policy Review Process 123 Appendix Nine: Skills Requirements for Work in Open Educational Resources 13