Computer Based Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Computer Based Learning - Essay Example Others find that it hinders their efforts, as secondary education students tend to use it for entertainment and not as intended. Within the context of writing classes and writing research, Computer Based Learning (CBL) / Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) have been employed primarily to support collaborative writing endeavours. (Zakrzewski 2003) The feature sets of CBL and CAAs provide a rich environment for the activities of group writing tasks, peer reviewing, and information exchange. Further, CBL and CAAs provide opportunities for instructors to expose secondary education students to knowledge, as well as opportunities for secondary education students to build their own knowledge through interaction via an electronic communications medium. (Mccabe 2000) The exposure to and development of secondary education student knowledge transpires as a function of the dynamic interaction process within the learning environment. Thus, usage of CBL and CAAs may promote active learning of course material by engaging the secondary education student in communication activities and behaviours that stress interaction among secondary education students and between the secondary education student and the instructor(s). (Salmon 2003) However, secondary education students must use (and adapt usage of) the CBL and CAA in a manner that supports effective interaction to gain such benefits. (Zakrzewski 2003) Research has shown the following characteristics of some students who tend to have and unfair advantage in CBL and CAA, communicative interaction significantly influence such student's effectiveness: communication message content, communication exchange format, and communication exchange timing. The secondary educator of today faces a difficult challenge when given the choice of employing CBL and CAAs in traditional face-to-face or distance learning situations. Administrators facing pressures to cut university costs (and maximize usage of faculty resources) argue for the use of CBL and CAAs, whereas conventional secondary education students research presents conflicting results regarding the effects of CBL and CAA use in higher education settings (see, for example, Alavi; Alavi; Leidner and Ruberg). What is an educator to decide The purpose of this study is to shed light on this very real problem today is higher education faculty face. In this study, we focus on exploring secondary education student interaction within the context of CBL and CAA usage to gain a deeper, situated understanding of how secondary education students choose to use the CBL and CAA to meet assignment requirements, and ultimately to uncover factors that may influence secondary education student learnin g outcomes. (Mayer 2003) Nevertheless, before we can isolate factors that influence secondary education student learning, we must first have a well-grounded understanding of the type and kind of interaction that actually occurs when secondary education students complete computer-based communication assignments on their own, with minimal instructor intervention. (Mandinach et al.