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Figure 13. A view of the program interface, labeled “Text Editor Emulation” in the title bar.
The previously required format for entering the program is eliminated for this interface, and
this is evident in the correct code displayed in the white key-in space. The “Review” button
takes the learner back to the third pass in the row interface
where the scale anchors were 1 = Not at all confident, I do not know how to use the symbol
to 5 = Totally confident, I know how to use the symbol . The student was also asked to write
a Java Applet, entered into a WebCT text box that was saved for analysis, to display a text
string as a Label object in a browser window. Previous research has also used the learner's
construction of a program as an index of training effectiveness in such programming
languages as BASIC (e.g., Perkins, Schwartz, & Simmons, 1988).
At the conclusion of the 3 hours that were allotted to the tutoring system or whenever
a student finished the tutor prior to that time, a post-tutor questionnaire was administered.
This questionnaire repeated the above confidence assessment, and it also included writing
the Java Applet into the WebCT text box. A third five-point rating scale assessed the
student's overall reaction to the tutor, where the scale anchors were 1 = Totally negative, I
did not like the tutor to 5 = Totally positive, I liked the tutor . A fourth five-point rating scale
assessed the student's opinion of the effectiveness of the tutor in learning Java, where the
scale anchors were 1 = Totally negative, The tutor did not help me to learn Java to 5 = Totally
positive, The tutor did help me to learn Java . A fifth five-point rating scale assessed the
student's opinion about the usability of the tutor interfaces, where the scale anchors were
1 = Totally negative, The tutor was difficult to use to 5 = Totally positive, The tutor was easy
to use . The students were then dismissed from the class, and the tutor continued to be
available for those students who were motivated to access the tutor outside of class.
During the immediately succeeding class period, which occurred five days later, the
instructor discussed the Applet code with the students using a lecture and discussion format.
The students entered the code into a Unix text editor at the time the items were presented and
discussed on the board. The WWW directory tree and HTML file were also presented and
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