Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users, please click the view more button below to purchase a copy of this dissertation from Proquest.

(Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Dissertation Collection, so please check there first.)

Educational technology: Learning in a computer -mediated environment

Karin Moyano Camihort, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of online versus pen and paper homework on college students' learning and performance, and explores their experiences in each modality. After familiarizing students with two different homework modalities, students' decision to work in the online versus the traditional environment was utilized as the student preference indicator. Students' gender and computer comfort levels were also recorded. Although differences were found on the computer comfort levels of male and female students, there were no significant differences on learning outcomes. The findings suggest that students can learn equally well in either modality, regardless of their preference, gender or computer comfort level. In the attempt to better understand their experiences, students were asked to describe and compare their learning in both modalities. According to the students, instant feedback was the most valuable feature. They enjoyed working with computers; it helped them stay interested and motivated. They mentioned, however, that they learn better writing down on paper rather than typing on a computer keyboard.

Subject Area

Educational software

Recommended Citation

Moyano Camihort, Karin, "Educational technology: Learning in a computer -mediated environment" (2005). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI3193885.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3193885

Share

COinS