Competence representation and the use of educational technology support for Thai learners

摘要

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been adopted in Thailand for learning and teaching within higher education, where ClassStart, Moodle, and Learn Square have been commonly used. In this research, a conceptual model of competence is proposed as a learner's capability with respect to subject matter, and based on this model a tool is implemented called "Mytelemap" which supports linking web resources to subject matter, interactive visualization and creation of subject matter and competence maps, and identification of learning paths on the maps. Students used ClassStart and Mytelemap in alternation while completing a course on Web Programming, where their learning gain (difference in pre-test and post-test scores) in each of four topics was compared. The results showed that the use of Mytelemap was associated with significantly higher learning gain than the use of ClassStart, and that students were significantly more satisfied with the use of ICT than traditional (paper and pencil) tools in their learning. There was no significant difference in learning gain when the learning tasks comprised subject matter mapping versus competence mapping. These results support the continued use of ICT in Thai higher education, support the use of ICT tools for more active learning, suggest more extended research into the affordances of the Mytelemap tool, and show the difficulty that remains in attempting to move teaching and learning from its traditional focus on subject matter acquisition to a focus on competence development.