The national average Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Excel certification exam pass rate on the first try is relatively low. The problem addressed in this study was the effectiveness of asynchronous instruction with adult learners using computer-based instruction (CBI) programs and if these interactions affect the successful completion of the…

As educational systems move from onsite to online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers face the difficulty of designing online examination formats which minimize opportunities for dishonesty. In this paper, we expose our design of such a format: a protected Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing short-answer questions, which was implemented in a…

Spreadsheets are a core computational tool for practicing engineers and engineering students. While Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and other spreadsheet tools have some differences, numerous formulas, functions, and other tasks are common across versions and platforms. Building upon learning science frameworks showing that interactive activities…

Data analytical skills are essential to compete in today's competitive economy. The ability to understand, use, codify, and manipulate data to make business decisions is an essential factor of information competence. One way to ensure that students are well-prepared in terms of their technological literacy is through the use of certifications in…

Practice is an essential component in learning any new skill. For learning the quantitative disciplines at the university level, web-based homework management systems provide the means for extensive practice with immediate feedback, which research suggests should lead to increased student learning (Palocsay & Stevens, 2008; Titard,…

In the Manchester Pharmacy School, we first adopted summative on-line examinations in 2005. Since then, we have increased the range of question types to include short answers, short essays and questions incorporating chemical structures and we achieve time savings of up to 90% in the marking process. Online assessments allow two novel forms of…

The study addressed two questions: what is the ICT level of confidence of the course specialists handling Open University classes, and to what extent do course specialists integrated ICT applications such as word processing, electronic spread sheet, presentation software, YouTube and etc. in their OUS classes? The instruments were administered to…