Computer Learning Problems Briihl, D.S.(2001)

¶ … Computer Learning Problems

Briihl, D.S.(2001) Tips and suggested activities for a web based introduction to psychology class. 1-11 (ED453707) Unpublished Document. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Thought this work is unpublished it offers a great introduction to the needs, challenges and possible pitfalls of web based instruction from a real teacher in the virtual classroom. The work describes several potential difficulties and how to mitigate them, including the possibility of students feeling isolated mitigated by live chat sessions and interactive live communications between students. Also the concern regarding cheating as a possible difficulty which the instructor offers several solutions to, including increasing the type of items graded, as apposed simply to tests and quizzes, limiting the time and watermarking test pages to discourage printing of test materials. Lastly and probably most importantly the instructor makes clear that the most important part to avoiding difficulties in online teaching is providing a highly organized structure and making sure that the technology is working and accessible to everyone and alternatives exists when it is not.

Bulu, S., & Pedersen, S. (2010). Scaffolding middle school students' content knowledge and ill-structured problem solving in a problem-based hypermedia learning environment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(5), 507-529. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Bulu & Pedersen look at how students are supported (scaffolded) by computer technology to solve ill-structured problems, or problems that are vague, open ended and non-linear. The work looked at the domain specific or non-domain specific scaffolding options and found that domain specific scaffolding was most effective. In other words general scaffolding or that which was not specific to the problem content was less effective than domain or content related scaffolding.

Cunningham, U. Fagersten, K.B. Holmsten, E. (Mar 2010)."Can You Hear Me, Hanoi?" compensatory mechanisms employed in synchronous net-based English language learning . International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11 (1), 161-177. (EJ881584) Retrieved from ERIC database.

Cunningham, Fagersten & Holmsten argue in their work for the introduction of live (virtual) seminar experiences in language learning as without such events the auditory aspect of language learning is lost and virtual students will be at a severe disadvantage regarding the ability to translate language learning outside of text and into conversation and voice usage. The researchers stress that the excitement over the possibility of just in time learning (when the individual can log on from anywhere at any time) does not fully support the auditory aspect of language learning and this aspect is absolutely essential and may be necessary in other virtual learning opportunities as well.

Gunel, K. Asliyan, R. (Jul 2009) Determining difficulty of questions in intelligent tutoring systems . Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology -- TOJET, 8 (3), 14-21 (EJ859488) Retrieved from ERIC database.

This work describes the possible difficulty of mathematics and other learning in static software or computer aided learning models. The point of the work it to describe the positive effects of a computer aided learning environment that is intelligent, i.e. that it bases future decisions about what type and difficulty of questions it asks the student as it provides tutoring feedback.

Kinshuk, Liu, T., & Graf, S. (2009). Coping with mismatched courses: Students' behaviour and performance in courses mismatched to their learning styles. Educational Technology Research and Development, 57(6), 739-752. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Kinshuk and Graf first establish the fact that students are often required to learn material that is not adaptive to their preferred learning style. The work then goes on to analyze how an interactive adaptive online/computer aided system could aide these students in allowing individual learning through designs that were more adaptive to learning style preference (i.e. had multiple ways of learning the same material) the work indicates that non-adaptive computer aided designs, i.e. that simply teach with one learning style are not as effective as those which offer students in mismatched courses several ways to learn material.

Sahin, a., Cermik, H., & Dogan, B. (2010). Is it "Writing on Water" or "Strike it Rich?" The experiences of prospective teachers in using search engines. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 10(1), 535-546. Retrieved from ERIC database.

This work describes pre-teacher education performance on search engine information gathering. The work stresses that special instruction and live intervention, either by peers or a technology instruction aide is most effective to illicit positive results as search engine searching can be difficult and requires adept skills to achieve the results desired.

Slof, B., Erkens, G., Kirschner, P., & Jaspers, J. (2010). Design and effects of representational scripting on group performance. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(5), 589-608. Retrieved from ERIC database.

This work analyses interactive complex group learning tasks through the implementation of computer learning models. The research indicates that the computer model must be structured in a specific way to best aide the student in finding answers to complex learning tasks. The model that was most effective involved task specific step processes organized in a linear way and computer aided scripting (through chat) to help the learner answer enduring questions about the subject and the computer program, with a pre-task orientation to the system by a computer learning aide live in the computer lab, where each student worked independently on his or her own computer.