Pilot study: Application of constructive theory to educational software architecture.

摘要

The premise of this study was that educational software products should be evaluated not just on content, but also on software design. Criteria was established that was based on sound Constructive theory, by key Constructive theorists, and their individual different outlooks on Constructivism, and the Criteria was used to evaluate the products software design for Constructivism.;Software products were evaluated on the established Constructive Criteria, and Content Analysis methodology was used to determine the extent that the Criteria was applied to the software design in each product researched. A model of Criteria was established, and the software products were analyzed, with the emphasis on evaluating software design not on, "what student learn," but, on "how they learn." Constructivism was the preferred theory that was most applicable to educational software because of its open ended, interactive, self learning, features that used progression, real world, and discovery as some of its qualities that were conducive to learning, and sustained the test of time.;The Products although representing a small sample of educational software products, were however, representative in observing the presence of Criteria found in each Product. The results of the Content Analysis strongly indicated that software design is often neglected when software products are developed. The disparity found was, the software developers did not understand sound educational theory, while educators could not evaluate software design, and they were focused on content, the lesson plans to be covered. The study also indicated a need for basic Constructive Criteria that is easy to understand and evaluate for both educators and developers.