Method
Of the 500 students enrolled in the course, a sample of 156 students were administered
a number of surveys during the term to monitor their use and evaluation of the course
web resources. The initial survey revealed that 40% (62) of the students rated themselves
as novices. In a survey administered after the first examination in the course, 24
of these novices reported that they were now heavy users of the web resources, and
38 were classified as infrequent or non-users of the web resources. The two groups
were compared on a number of possibly discriminating dimensions.
Results
The results(Table 1)
did not reveal any significant differences between the two groups in terms
of gender, attitudes about computer based instructional technology, perceived ease
of use, usefulness ratings of individual pages, or test performance. Significant
differences were found in access (heavy users were much more likely to use their
own computers to access the internet, t(60) =-3.02, p<.005, and infrequent users
found it more difficult to access the web pages, t(60) = 2.58, p<.02). In addition,
infrequent users reported more frustration in learning how to use the resources t(60)
= 2.91, p<005. Although both groups agreed that the course web resources were
a good idea, the infrequent and non-users were less positive [t(60) =-2.11, p<.05].
Discussion
While the results point to some significant differences that could guide interventions,
the failure to find differences in the other domains may be in part due to the initial
design criteria for these unique web resources. The resources were designed to be
comprehensive to insure usefulness (rather than the typical web sites that accompany
current introductory textbooks), simple and functional so that novices could easily
navigate without instruction, and presented with the student's point of view in mind.
As a result, this may be an example of how a well designed and useful tool overcomes
some of the traditional barriers to computer use. Characteristic of the great potential
of the web as a "platform," the resources themselves can be intuitively
self-instructing.
One of the most obvious barriers appears to be access. Students who don't have ready
access to the web resources, e.g. ability to use their own computer, are less likely
to use the resource even if access is available through campus labs. Limited access
is too inconvenient and undermines one of the benefits of the web resources, i.e.
24 hour availability at the learner's convenience. This access problem continues
to be one of the most significant equity issues in the transition to using the World
Wide Web as an integral platform to integrate course resources.
The novices who didn't become heavy users were not as positive about the overall
usefulness of the web resources as those who became heavy users. The fact that their
exam performance was similar to the heavy users indicates that the tool does not
appeal to all students as a necessary way to master the course content. This suggests
different learning styles still require a number of delivery modalities.
There were modest indications that some of the non-users could benefit from additional
training. These students reported higher levels of frustration in learning how to
use the resources on their own. Unfortunately, these at risk students do not readily
take the offer of individual tutoring outside of the classroom. It is hoped that
the computer literacy courses that all students are increasingly required to take
will eliminate the need for individual remediation once enrolled in the course.
References
Anderson, M., & Hornby, P. (1996). Computer attitudes and the use of computers
in psychology courses. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers,
28:341-346.
Baer, W. (1998). Will the internet transform higher education? In The Emerging
Internet: Annual Review of the Institute for Information Studies.
Nashville: Nortel and the Aspen Institute.
Slem, C. & Schultz, N. (1997). Psychology educational technology resources: The
Web Wiz Project. Psychology and Human Development Department, Cal Poly, San Luis
Obispo: http://www.fmdc.calpoly.edu/libarts/cslem/Wizdemo/splash.html
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