Evaluation of Three Computer Based Instructional Strategies in Basic Electricityand Electronics Training

摘要

Job requirements for Navy enlisted electronic technicians include extensiveknowledge of basic electricity and electronic (BE/E) fundamentals. Historically the BE/E material has proved difficult for trainees to learn and has resulted in high setback and attrition rates. The objective was to evaluate alternative computer-based instructional strategies for teaching complex technical content. There were four instructional conditions: computer based drill and practice instruction (CBDP), enhanced computer based instruction (ECBI), a computer-based adventure game (GAME), and the existing classroom instruction (Cl). The trainees were evaluated on the schoolhouse comprehensive test, a specially designed cognitive skills test, and a motivation questionnaire upon completion of the instruction. In addition, time to complete the instruction was recorded and analyzed. In general the CBDP and CBI groups outperformed the CI and GAME groups on all measures. The GAME condition performed no better than the CI condition. When there were differences between the ECBI and CBDP groups, the ECBI group performed better.