The general theme of my project is to explore the use of computer tutorials in student learning. The specific question is how can computers help us gain access to students during that critical phases of their learning when a student retreats to think, reflect and consolidate the information she/he has gathered. Computer tutorials offer us not only entry into this "inner sanctum" of learning but a way of having an active presence there. The impact of this project can be felt on at least three levels. The most important is the potential of creating a unique and direct presence in the student learning process. Second, computer tutorials may better accommodate different learning styles by providing a means for these students to repeatedly go over materials in private (i.e. out of the scrutiny of the class). Thirdly, use of computer tutorials may be helpful to the very challenging issues of asynchronous learning in distance learning situations. I plan to use a sophomore class - Introduction to Physiological Psychology, as the target course. The first phase will involve focus group interviews of students that have just completed this course to determine which topics might be helped with animations/tutorials. The next phase will involve producing these animations and placing them for testing. I plan to evaluate the efficacy of these with outcome measures that include exam scores as well as attitude towards the material and self-report about its helpfulness.
The specific issue I wish to explore is the use of computer tutorials in student learning. This is embedded in two general/global issues that must be considered : 1) where do students learn ; and 2) the "computer promise". In my view, there are three "theaters" in the process of student learning. The Public Theater is the classroom/laboratory in which the student is first formally exposed to the information and issues at hand in the particular course. While student participation and involvement and the development of the student's ownership of the materials is critical to the whole process, actual "learning" may be minimal in this theater. The Semi-Public/Semi-Private Theater is the office hour or class session meetings in which the student clarifies issues and information. Again, as important as this theater is to the whole process, actual "learning" may also be minimal in this theater as well. Finally, the Private Theater is wherever the student retreats to review the notes and perhaps engage in meta-note taking. That special "thinking place" where the student thinks and reflects about the information he/she has collected and gathered. It is here that I propose that the majority of actual learning occurs. It is here that we as teachers are not. Computer tutorials offers us entry into this "inner sanctum" of learning. Certainly we have a presence in the student's notes but in a well designed tutorial, we can have an active presence probing and answering questions, which brings me to the second general/global issues the "promise of computers". Running parallel to the national cultural change of appreciating teaching in higher education, are the breakthroughs and uses of various computer technologies in teaching. However, when one mentions educational computer technologies professors typically limit their considerations to improved presentation techniques (i.e. computer slides, etc.) and improved communication techniques. As important as these types of technologies have been in improving classroom activities, these are really vulgar (i.e. common) extensions of technologies we already have. The potential of creating a unique and striking presence in the student learning process is the exciting aspect of computer tutorials that may fulfill the "promise" of this technology for higher education.
This issue is critical on at least three dimensions. As we have just discussed above, the most important is the potential of impacting student learning in a new and direct way. Second, the use of computer tutorials addresses the problem of the artificial temporal constraints we impose on student learning, by necessarily having to test a student's learning at the end of a given time frame. Some students learn differently. The use of computer tutorials may better accommodate different learning styles by providing a means for these students to repeatedly go over materials in private (i.e. out of the scrutiny of the class). Thirdly, use of computer tutorials may be helpful to the very challenging issue of asynchronous learning in distance learning situations.
I plan to use a sophomore class - Introduction to Physiological Psychology (Psych 222) as the target course. This course is taught in all 4 quarters and so there is a good flow of subjects. In addition, it is a gateway class for many of the more advanced Neuroscience courses. The first phase will involve focus group interviews of students just completing Psych 222 to determine what were the significantly difficult conceptual topics and which of those might be helped with animations. The next phase will involve producing these animations and placing them as they are developed in the next available course for testing. I plan to compare the efficacy of these tutorials between students that have and those that do not have these tutorials. The outcome measure would include exam scores as well as attitude towards the material and self-report about its helpfulness. I plan to meet with assessment experts on campus to better fashion the dependent measures so there may be more elaborate questionnaires and/or interviews to determine the efficacy of these interventions on enhancing student learning. My meetings will also determine the kinds of statistics that would best test the significance of the findings. The ultimate goals are 1) to have 4 to 6 tutorials that could be tested in a single class; and 2) to begin development of a distance learning version of this class.
There are several avenues to introduce my observations and findings into the community of scientists examining these issues and of practitioners trying to improve student learning. The first are the platforms that the CASTL program offers. Second, the campus discussions initiated at the University of Washington offers a local vehicle to share and discuss these findings. Third, as I have mentioned above, the Society for Neuroscience has been offering opportunities at its national meetings for these data sets and I would take advantage of these to address my colleagues. Fourth a more traditional approach, the presentation of these and any findings in the appropriate journals would be a necessity along with the above activities.
Jaime Diaz
Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Washington
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