........ published in NEWSLETTER # 46
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........ published in NEWSLETTER # 46
COMPUTER-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND PROBLEM SOLVING
by Professor E. De Corte and Professor L. Verschaffel, University, Leuven (Belgium)
Professor M.C. Linn, University, Berkeley/CA (U.S.A.)
Professor H. Mandl, University, Munchen (Germany)
Most would agree that the acquisition of problem-solving ability is a primary goal of general education. Yet, recent international assessments of student achievement reveal that, despite the growing interest in this ability, students' problem-solving performance often remains disturbingly poor. This volume (NATO ASI SERIES F84) documents that a large amount of research carried out in different parts of the world and in a variety of content domains, has resulted in a series of significant findings and principles, that provide a fairly sound basis for improving the learning and instruction of problem solving. An important force in this improvement in teaching and learning problem- solving skills was the emergence of computer learning environments in the early 1980s. Due to the unprecedented possibilities for data presentation and handling, for high-level interactivity, and for quick and individually adapted feedback, the computer was expected to become a unique instrument in the hands of the teacher for enhancing students' cognitive skills.
A substantial number of studies has been conducted relating to the hypothesis that computer-based learning environments can significantly facilitate the acquisition and transfer of higher-order thinking and learning skills. These investigations have been done from different theoretical perspectives (e.g. discovery learning versus guided instruction), using different kinds of software (programming languages, educational games, and subject-matter related software), and with learners from different ages and cultural backgrounds. This research has produced divergent, sometimes even conflicting results relating to the cognitive- effects hyopthesis: while some researchers have reported highly significant positive effects of computerized learning environments on subjects' ability to apply valuable cognitive skills, others have found no significant gains. As a result of this work a substantial body of theoretical, methodological, and developmental knowledge has accumulated.
The present volume contains reviewed and revised papers presented at a NATO Advanced Research Workshop, held in Leuven, Belgium, that aimed at assembling, discussing and reviewing this knowledge in a multidisciplinary confrontation of experts in cognitive science, computer science, educational technology, and instructional psychology. Contributors describe the most recent results and the most advanced methodological approaches relating to the application of the computer for encouraging knowledge construction (Part 1), stimulating higher-order thinking and problem solving (Part 2), and creating powerful learning environments for pursuing those objectives (Part 3). As such the volume is an important milestone in the ongoing discussions about as well as in the shaping of future research activities on the psychological and educational foundations of technology-based learning environments in general.
Reference books: F67, F76, F78, F80, F81, F84, F85, F86, F87, F89, F90, F91, F92, F93, F96, F97, F104, F105