The integration of computer use in education

There is an increasing awareness that disappointing experiences with the introduction of computers in education are a consequence of insufficiently taking into account factors that are crucial when introducing change in educational settings. Many of the problems in the literature show great similarity with the kind of problems often experienced in curriculum implementation. In this context the endeavors to make computer use an integrated part of classroom activities are analyzed. Emphasis will be laid on the interaction between teachers and courseware; elements for a more effective strategy for the integration of computer use in educational practice will be presented, with special attention to the design of support materials as an essential part of courseware

Flexible learning in a partnership context for beginning teachers

A preliminary inventory was carried out for a sample of male and female student teachers who had email accounts. Preliminary inventory data revealed that the mean number of times per week that males used email was significantly higher than the mean number for female students. This inventory data indicated that characteristics such as gender affect Internet educational technology utilization, and this factor was addressed within the experimental design for the main study. In the main study, student teachers were assigned to four treatment groups for learning lesson‐planning skills. The first two groups received a traditional university lecture followed by a seminar. For group I, the seminar was provided at university. For group 2, the seminar was provided as part of the student's school‐based experiences. Groups 3 and 4 received identical tuition to groups 1 and 2 respectively, except that tuition was provided on a flexible learning basis, being delivered electronically via the Internet with tutorial support from the university lecturer by way of asynchronous email. It was found that student achievement was significantly higher when tuition was provided as part of the student's school‐based experiences, and also that achievement was significantly higher when tuition was provided on a flexible learning basis involving computer‐mediated communications. A separate AN OVA was carried out for the entire sample of the four treatment groups in order to address the factor of student gender, which was controlled in the experiment. However, there were no significant differences in achievement associated with student gender. This surprising finding suggests that although male. students may make greater usage of information technology, when required to do so, female students perform on a par with their male counterparts

A case study of the integration of ICT in teaching and learning in a smart school in Sabah

This research investigates teachers’ views of their use of ICT in teaching and learning (T&LICT). The objective of this research was to study in depth the thoughts, beliefs and opinions of the teachers’ attempt towards pedagogical improvement as part of the Smart School Project. Specifically this research examines and describes the teachers’ implementation of T&LICT in the classroom in terms of the instructional practice, the instructional roles and the instructional environment. A case study research methodology is employed. The case is Sekolah Menengah Bestari (a psuedonym), which is a Smart School in Sabah. Analysis of data from 52 survey questionnaires complemented the qualitative data from the 13 interviews and 3 observations, as well as document analysis. Findings indicated that hardware and software technology infrastructure were available to support the T&LICT implementation. Nevertheless, the teachers felt it was not enough to implement T&LICT effectively. It was estimated that about half of Sekolah Menengah Bestari staff, mainly Bestari and ETeMS teachers, implemented T&LICT. Findings indicated that teacher practices were little changed. IT was used mainly to support the existing teacher-directed and teacher-centered approach. The role of the teacher extended to that of facilitating without releasing control of lesson to the students

The use of innovation and practice profiles in the evaluation of curriculum implementation

Most generic curriculum reform efforts have to deal with a gap between the innovative aspirations of the initial designers and the daily reality of the intended audience of teachers. That tension is not alarming in itself. One might even say that without it no compelling reason for starting development work would exist. Unfortunately, many evaluation studies on the implementation and impact of curriculum development projects show that this discrepancy does not decrease over time. Apparently, not much improvement is made in detecting and reducing potential implementation problems.\ud This article presents some conceptual and instrumental guidelines for dealing with these problems, focusing on the use of `profiles¿ during evaluation of curriculum materials.\ud The paper starts with an introduction on the functions of exemplary curriculum materials and their possible representations, on the long road from original designers¿ ideas to effects of student learning. Next, we will explain the concepts of innovation and practice profiles. We will then provide guidelines for the development and use of such profiles, based on previous research experiences, and illustrated with some specific examples. Finally, we will reflect on the advantages and limitations of working with profiles

The evolution of a national research plan for computers in education in The Netherlands

This paper describes the evolution of a national research plan for computers and education in The Netherlands. This approach was initiated in 1983 and includes two phases: one from 1984 until 1988 and one from 1989 until 1992. The paper describes the research plans for the second phase, based upon the experiences of the first, and draws some general conclusions about the development of national research plans for computers in education

Course developers as students: a designer perspective of the experience of learning online

Academic developers of online courses may not have experienced this mode of learning and teaching from the learner perspective. This article makes a comparison between suggestions for online course design from research literature and user perspectives from a focus group, responses to questions on the most and least effective aspects of online study and lasting impressions, and from reflective diaries kept by two of the authors while they were engaged in study from online courses. This direct evidence is used to highlight key issues in the literature from the viewpoint of the learner

Courseware evaluation by teachers: An implementation perspective

This study has investigated teachers' criteria for the use of courseware packages in the classroom. The starting point of the study was the assumption that it is the teacher who decides whether or not courseware will be used in the classroom. The integration of courseware into the curriculum is conceived as a complex innovation. The study is oriented towards the process of decision making by teachers. A positive decision to actual use of courseware is one of the first steps towards integration of courseware into the curriculum. Three determinants of quality and practicality of an innovation, viz. instrumentality, congruence and cost, formed the theoretical framework of the study. From the study it can be concluded that at the very first stage of the process leading to the integration of courseware into the curriculum, courseware should motivate students, realize educational objectives better than traditional methods and its content should be an operationalization of teacher's ideas and beliefs