Feedbackmodel voor blended learning

Dit project liep vanaf oktober 2005 en is februari 2006 met deze projectrapportage afgeslotenHet geven van feedback aan grote aantallen studenten via contactonderwijs staat onder druk vanwege het arbeidsintensieve karakter (en daaraan verbonden kosten). Maar ook bij kleinere aantallen studenten via afstandsonderwijs moet naar alternatieve feedbackvormen worden gezocht. Waarmee moet je rekening houden bij feedback binnen blended learning? Wanneer moet de docent in interactie met studenten op maat gesneden feedback geven? Welke rol kan aan computers en virtuele leeromgevingen worden toebedacht? Dit document bevat de beschrijving van een ‘feedbackmodel’ als stapsgewijze werkwijze bij de bepaling van de functies en middelen van feedback, inclusief richtlijnen en vragen bij de invulling van concrete organisatievormen De bruikbaarheid en waardering van dit feedbackmodel is op beperkte schaal bij potentiële gebruikers getoetst en bij experts bevraagd. Vanuit dit commentaar Worden aanbevelingen gedaan voor vervolgprojecten, die op deze verkenning van de problematiek kunnen voortbouwen.Digital Unversity Consortium (www.du.nl

High versus Low Contextual Interference in simulation based training of troubleshooting skills: Effects on transfer performance and invested mental effort.

The effects of contextual interference on practice behavior, transfer performance, and cognitive load for learning troubleshooting skills were studied. A low contextual interference (LCI) condition, in which subjects practiced to diagnose system failures in a blocked schedule, was compared with a high contextual interference (HCI) condition, in which failures were practiced in a random schedule. The following hypotheses are stated. Hypothesis 1: during practice, subjects in the HCI group will require more time to reach a high performance level (i.e., more accurate and/or faster diagnoses of system failures) on practice problems and will have to invest more mental effort relative to subjects in the LCI group. Hypothesis 2: subjects in the HCI group will show higher performance and lower invested mental effort on far transfer test problems, relative to subjects in the LCI group, but there will be no difference between the groups on near transfer test problems. The results showed that subjects in the HCI group were more accurate in diagnosing far transfer problems, although during practice they needed more time to diagnose system failures and made significantly more incorrect diagnoses

Strategies for computer-based programming instruction: program completion vs. program generation

Two instructional strategies were implemented in a two-and-a-half hour computer-based training program that was designed to teach elementary turtle graphics programming techniques to novice undergraduate students (N = 40). Learning activities that either emphasized the completion of existing programs or the generation of new programs were studied for the two strategies. In the completion group, the information needed to perform the program completion tasks appeared to be largely available in the to-be-completed programs; in the generation group, students frequently had to search for useful examples while they were performing their program generation tasks. It is hypothesized that during practice, the direct availability of examples in the form of incomplete computer programs facilitates the acquisition of programming language templates, especially because students cannot complete a program without carefully studying it so that “mindful abstraction” is explicitly provoked. Data in this study on learning outcomes support this hypothesis: the completion group showed a superior use of programming language templates in both a program construction test and a multiple choice test that measured the knowledge of language statements

The transfer paradox:Effects of contextual interference on retention and transfer performance of a complex cognitive skill

In an exploratory study, the effects oi contextual interference on retention and transfer performance were studied for learning A complex cognitive skd, namely, troubleshooting a computer-based simulation oC J chemical process plant. Support was found for the "transfer paradox": high contextual interference had negative effects on performance during practice and none on number of retention problems solved after the training but positive effects on number of new problems solved (transfer). Implications for the design of training are discussed

ADAPTIT: Tools for training design and evaluation

This article describes a set of computerized tools that support the design and evaluation of competency-based training programs. The training of complex skills such as air traffic control and process control requires a competency-based approach that focuses on the integration and coordination of constituent skills and transfer of learning. At the heart of the training are authentic whole-task practice situations. The instructional design tools are based on van Merriënboer's 4C/ID* methodology (1997). The article describes a training design tool (Core) that supports the analysis and design for competency-based training programs and an evaluation tool (Eval) that supports the subsequent revision of this training design

High versus low contextual interference in simulation-based training of troubleshooting skills: effects on transfer performance and invested mental effort

The effects of contextual interference on practice behavior, transfer performance, and cognitive load for learning troubleshooting skills were studied. A low contextual interference (LCI) condition, in which subjects practiced to diagnose system failures in a blocked schedule, was compared with a high contextual interference (HCI) condition, in which failures were practiced in a random schedule. The following hypotheses are stated. Hypothesis 1: during practice, subjects in the HCI group will require more time to reach a high performance level (i.e., more accurate and/or faster diagnoses of system failures) on practice problems and will have to invest more mental effort relative to subjects in the LCI group. Hypothesis 2: subjects in the HCI group will show higher performance and lower invested mental effort on far transfer test problems, relative to subjects in the LCI group, but there will be no difference between the groups on near transfer test problems. The results showed that subjects in the HCI group were more accurate in diagnosing far transfer problems, although during practice they needed more time to diagnose system failures and made significantly more incorrect diagnoses

Redirecting learners' attention during training: Effects on cognitive load, transfer test performance and training efficiency

Cognitive load theory provides guidelines for improving the training of complex cognitive skills and their transfer to new situations. One guideline states that extraneous cognitive load that is irrelevant to the construction of cognitive schemata should be minimised. Experiment 1 (N=26) compares completion problems, conventional problems, and a learner-controlled condition in which learners may choose between problem formats. Completion problems decrease cognitive load during training and have a zero or positive effect on transfer performance. A second guideline states that germane cognitive load that is directly relevant to schema construction should be optimised. In Experiment 2 (N=69) practice schedules of either high or low contextual interference are compared (HCI and LCI). HCI increases cognitive load during training and shows a trend towards higher transfer performance. Experiment 3 (N=87) combines both guidelines in a factorial experiment with the factors problem format (completion vs. conventional) and contextual interference (HCI vs. LCI). It is hypothesised that redirecting attention from extraneous to germane processes will improve training efficiency, i.e. positively affect the balance between cognitive load during training and transfer test performance. In support of this hypothesis, it is found that the completion-HCI group shows highest training efficiency. But transfer test performance for this group is disappointing. The results are discussed in relation to the operationalisation of HCI in combination with completion problems