An online homework system created for use by beginning calculus students is described. This system was designed with the specific goal of supporting student engagement outside of class by replicating the attempt-feedback-reattempt sequence of events which often occurs in a teacher's presence. Evidence is presented which indicates that this goal…

Discusses an interactive programing system (FCN) developed to assist the teaching of FORTRAN. The educational advantages drawn from incremental compilation of FORTRAN programs, specialized subsystems that can be used for intensive training, the intended role of this programing system, and its contribution to the curriculum are described. (CHC)

In this study, which used a statistics teaching program, feedback providing the correct answer was found to be superior to feedback simply saying whether the student's answer was correct or wrong. This in turn was superior to no feedback. (Author)

Interactive feedback, the most common feedback method for oral performance, cannot be used in activities that do not allow for instructor-student interaction, such as speeches and presentations, where feedback should occur after the performance. The conventional ways of providing post-performance or delayed feedback, however, are neither efficient…

An instructional monitor is a program which tries to detect, diagnose, and possibly help overcome a student's learning difficulties in the course of solving a problem or performing a task. In one approach to building an instructional monitor, the student uses a special task- or problem-oriented language expressly designed around some particular…

In order to measure the value of student feedback in contributing to the refinement of instructional frames in computer-assisted instruction (CAI), a stand-alone CAI frame was written around a question designed to elicit a wide variety of replies. Half of a real sample of fifty handwritten responses were submitted to the frame, with a match score…

This essay examines three issues that emerge from the literature on computer-mediated instruction and from the experience of teaching online oral communication courses: (1) To what extent can online courses realize economies of scale to reduce cost and increase enrollment? (2) What productive potential does tracking and monitoring online…

Online systems have come to be heavily used in education, particularly for online learning and collecting information not otherwise readily available. Most e-learning systems, including interactive learning systems, have been designed to "push" course materials to students but rarely to "collect" or "pull" ideas from them. The interactive…

Several studies have suggested that students working in groups with computer-assisted instruction (CAI) learn equally as well as students who work alone. Since one advantage of CAI is its ability to individualize and thereby improve instruction, some explanation is needed as to how equivalent learning can be effected in groups. A model of…

Although feedback is an important component of computer-based instruction (CBI), the effects of feedback on higher-order learning outcomes are not well understood. Several meta-analyses provide two rules of thumb: any feedback is better than no feedback and feedback with more information is better than feedback with less information. …

Different feedback formats were utilized on a series of computer assisted lessons on physical diagnosis for second year medical students. Each lesson in the series is broken down into four or five major sections; in each section, the student is presented with a list of possible actions to be taken. On each item, three forms of feedback, two of…

Discusses how to design effective user interfaces for computer-based training (CBT) programs. Four types of interfaces are described: presentation, including consistency; conversation, including feedback and flexibility; navigation; and explanation, including online help. A job aid for evaluating CBT interfaces is included. (Contains 13…

Examines the effects of providing people with information about their own dietary fat intake on their attitudes towards dietary change and their fat consumption. No subsequent reductions in fat consumption were found. Results are discussed in relation to their implications for health promotion strategies that focus on the motivational effects of…

This paper reports several experiments that investigated how performance feedback in a computer-based training environment affected students' acquisition of cognitive skills requiring substantial practice. College students worked on category-search or electronic troubleshooting tasks. Problems were presented, responses were recorded, and…

Issues and implications related to the use of microcomputers for providing practice activities are addressed, including which skills should be automatized, requirements for ensuring that a skill has attained automaticity, scheduling and amount of practice, and the type and use of data that should be collected on individual student practice…