Education Commons^™

Benefits And Challenges Of Computer-Assisted L2 Chinese Learning In Higher Education, Min Hu

Theses and Dissertations

The first article is a literature review that analyzed 32 articles on computer-assisted L2 Chinese learning in higher education from 2005-2021. Findings revealed current trends, such as mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and the use of Web 2.0 technologies, and the importance of speaking as the most researched language skill. Most studies employed mixed methods and showed the positive effects of computer-assisted learning on L2 Chinese skills. Challenges identified included limited access to technology, technical difficulties, lack of time and support, and insufficient online/blended pedagogies and competencies. The second article used Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior to examine L2 Chinese instructors' …

Implementation And Evaluation Of Computer-Assisted Science Vocabulary Modules With Students With An Intellectual Disability And Autism: An Action Research Study, Jamie Lee Taber

Theses and Dissertations

Students with disabilities are struggling to meet expectations in science at the national and local level. Many studies have linked difficulties with science content to difficult and technical vocabulary, and this has been evident at the local level, too. To try to improve science instruction for students with disabilities, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of computer-assisted science vocabulary modules with students with an intellectual disability and autism in an adapted environmental science class. This study aimed to answer how the implementation of computer-assisted vocabulary modules, which adhere to evidence-based practices of special education vocabulary instruction, …

Next Evolution Of Workforce Experiential Learning For 21st Century Global Access Learners, Jasmine D. Darnell

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid pace of technological innovations has created opportunities, but also made it difficult for higher education institutions to keep up with 21st Century workplace readiness skills for students. By the time students graduate from college and enter the workforce, many are lacking the skills and capabilities needed to be proficient in their job functions. These skill and capability gaps are even wider for global access learners, or online learners. Due to new entrants possessing skill and capability gaps, leaders in workforce development, typically housed in learning and development, talent management, or other human resources arm, have taken ownership of …

The Effects Of Using Direct Instruction And Computer-Assisted Instruction On Teaching Decoding Skills To Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities, Jessica Lauren Schramm

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are to examine the effect of the Project Read program in teaching decoding skills to students with learning disabilities, and evaluate the effects of the supplemental computer program, Explode the Code. Three second grade students with learning disabilities participated in this study. Both interventions were administered to each student, at different times, during the school day. Project Read was administered followed by 15-20 minutes of Explode the Code. A multiple baseline research design across students with A B phases was used in this study. The results of the current study showed significant growth in the …

A Multiple-Cutoff Regression-Discontinuity Analysis Of The Effects Of Tier 2 Reading Interventions In A Title I Elementary School, Eli A. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Reading failure in elementary school is highly correlated with future academic and social problems. Schools commonly use Tier 2 reading interventions in Response to Intervention (RtI) frameworks to help close the gap between at-risk readers and their peers who read on grade-level. This dissertation presents the findings of a quasi-experimental research study of the effects of three Tier 2 reading interventions in an urban Title I elementary school's RtI framework. A regression discontinuity design (RDD) with two cutoff points was used to assign 320 students in grades 1-6 to two types of Tier 2 reading interventions administered by paraeducators: direct …

Learning Within A Computer-Assisted Instructional Environment: Effects On Multiplication Math Fact Mastery And Self-Efficacy In Elementary-Age Students, Loraine Jones Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of basic multiplication mastery (0-12) and self-efficacy outcomes for elementary age students attempting to master multiplication facts in a Computer-Assisted Instructional (CAI) environment. Timez Attack (TA), a modern Internet based 3-D multiplication video game, was the computer program used in this study. Four third- and four fourth-grade classes of students at a public charter school received either 12 20-minute Teacher-Led Instructional (TLI), or TA multiplication practice sessions. Pre- and post Math Attitude Survey (MAS), timed multiplication tests, observations, and informal interviews were used to assess and compare TA and …

Evaluation In Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Benjamin L. Mcmurry

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation of Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) needs to be scrutinized according to the same standards of evaluation as other professional materials. Evaluation can be divided into two distinct, yet similar, categories: formal (following a prescribed evaluation model) and informal. The aim of this dissertation is two-fold. The first purpose is to benefit the field of CALL by situating CALL evaluation in the context of frameworks used formal evaluation. The second purpose is to discover informal evaluation practices of CALL practitioners. First, with regard to formal evaluation of CALL materials, practices and insights from the field of evaluation would help CALL …

Design And Implementation Of Preparation Strategies For Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System Stakeholders, Judith Josephs

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide better access to current preparation strategies for passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test. The test preparation strategies did not meet the needs of the students. The students did not know how to use the computer to study for the test and did not know how to study at home for the test. Teachers also did not know of the availability of electronic information to enrich their lessons and increase the achievement of vocational high school students.

The researcher developed strategies to train students and teachers on Bridges Transitions (1999) testGEAR and …

Going The Distance With Distance Learning: An Analysis Of Motivational Factors That Influence E-Learning Course Completion Rates, Kevin A. Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

This research asked the following question: is there a correlation between types of organizational culture and factors influencing knowledge transfer? It hypothesized that organizations scoring high on the cultural factors of openness to change/innovation, and task-oriented organizational growth would be fertile to knowledge transfer. Second, it hypothesized that organizations scoring high on the factors of bureaucratic and competition/confrontation would be infertile to knowledge transfer. The research looked at Air Force squadrons, surveying a representative sample of the 1,495 active-duty squadrons included in the study with a 62-item, 5-point Likert-type instrument. Overall, 51 squadrons were surveyed, and 22 produced usable results. …

A Generic Intelligent Architecture For Computer-Aided Training Of Procedural Knowledge, Freeman A. Kilpatrick Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) development is a knowledge-intensive task, suffering from the same knowledge acquisition bottleneck that plagues most Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. This research presents an architecture that requires knowledge only in the form of a shallow knowledge base and a simulation to produce a training system. The knowledge base provides the basic procedural knowledge while the simulation provides context. The remainder of the knowledge required for training is learned through the interaction of these components in a state-space scenario exploration process and inductive machine learning. These knowledge components are used only at the interface level, allowing the internal …

Advanced Educational Methods In The Department Of Defense: Application Of Case Theory And Computer-Assisted Instruction To Business Process Reengineering, Brian A. Brown, Susan M. Brown, Karen L. Cook

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to create a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) prototype tutorial to teach the fundamental principles of integrated, computer-aided manufacturing definition activity modeling (IDEFO), a component of business process reengineering within the Department of Defense. To accomplish this, the authors evaluated current instructional material related to IDEFO, then adapted the material to a computerized learning environment using the Authorware Professional™ authoring software and a hybrid methodology which incorporated elements both of instructional design and software development. One of the most notable characteristics of this hybrid model was a series of iterations at each phase of development, which …