Experimental Evaluation of an Instructional Supporting Tool in Distance Learning
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| Title: | Experimental Evaluation of an Instructional Supporting Tool in Distance Learning |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Karoulis, Athanasis, Stamelos, Ioannis, Angelis, Lefteris |
| Source: | Educational Technology & Society. 2008 11(3):67-81. |
| Availability: | International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Athabasca University, School of Computing & Information Systems, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada. Tel: 780-675-6812; Fax: 780-675-6973; Web site: http://www.ifets.info |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education |
| Descriptors: | Undergraduate Students, Distance Education, Academic Achievement, Information Science, Foreign Countries, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Evaluation Methods, Statistical Analysis, Validity, Information Technology, Instructional Materials |
| Geographic Terms: | Greece |
| ISSN: | 1436-4522 |
| Abstract: | This paper describes a controlled experiment concerning the use of a learning aid during an open and distance learning (ODL) course. The core issue of investigation is whether this instructional aid can support, guide, and scaffold the distant student in his/her study. For this purpose, a controlled experiment was conducted with the participation of 191 undergraduate students at the department of informatics at a university in Greece. The considered domain was two lessons concerning human-computer interaction (HCI), the first in usability engineering and the second in interface evaluation methodologies. A test session was also conducted to collect data on the assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed tool. Descriptive statistics as well as a variety of statistical methods have been applied to the collected data in order to test the research hypotheses. The results have shown a statistically significant difference in performance for the student group that used the tool. In order to validate these results, a validity evaluation was also considered and presented. Finally, concerns about the application of the tool in a broader context and further research on the area are also presented. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.) |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 22 |
| Entry Date: | 2008 |
| Access URL: | https://www.ifets.info/abstract.php?art_id=868 |
| Accession Number: | EJ814401 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper describes a controlled experiment concerning the use of a learning aid during an open and distance learning (ODL) course. The core issue of investigation is whether this instructional aid can support, guide, and scaffold the distant student in his/her study. For this purpose, a controlled experiment was conducted with the participation of 191 undergraduate students at the department of informatics at a university in Greece. The considered domain was two lessons concerning human-computer interaction (HCI), the first in usability engineering and the second in interface evaluation methodologies. A test session was also conducted to collect data on the assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed tool. Descriptive statistics as well as a variety of statistical methods have been applied to the collected data in order to test the research hypotheses. The results have shown a statistically significant difference in performance for the student group that used the tool. In order to validate these results, a validity evaluation was also considered and presented. Finally, concerns about the application of the tool in a broader context and further research on the area are also presented. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.) |
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| ISSN: | 1436-4522 |
