Computer Managed Instruction in the Navy. II. A Comparison of Two Student/Instructor Ratios in CMI Learning Centers.
Abstract
Students at the Basic Electricity and Electronics School, San Diego were assigned to learning centers (LCs) with either an 18:1 or 30:1 student/instructor (S/I) ratio to determine the effects on student and instructor behavior in an individualized computer-managed instruction (CMI) course. Results of data analyses revealed that the 30:1 S/I ratio resulted in longer training time for students in certain career patterns than did the 18:1 S/I ratio. The S/I ratio had no consistent differential effect on: first-try scores on module or phase tests, number of remediations per module, number of unsatisfactory performance tests, or student attrition from the course. Instructors in the 30:1 S/I ratio spent less time per question answering student technical questions and more time on administrative duties than did instructors in the 18:1 condition. It was recommended that CMI courses should be developed or revised to allow the computer to perform the maximum amount of administrative functions to reduce the CMI instructor workload. In any future efforts to assess the effects of S/I ratio changes, technical schools should consider performance data for students and instructors, and relate it to variables such as course content, testing strategies, and LC operating procedures. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA096063
Entities
People
- Kathleen A. Lockhart
- Lisa Squire
- Marc Hamovitch
- Nick Van Matre