Learning with Distributed Instruction

这项研究旨在确定技术的适当作用，部分是在开放的、以探究为导向的学习的背景下评估的。我们将*量化教学技术的成本效益，观察几个基于网络的、拥有大量用户基础的智能系统进行实证研究，*评估使用这些系统对学生学习的影响，以及*识别和构建关键组件技术，使其他人能够构建具有成本效益的教学应用程序。主要研究问题包括：如何有效地使用技术，以及这些使用到底有多有效？这些使用是否具有成本效益？我们的团队与教育工作者合作了十年，已经建立了四个大型的基于网络的系统，供数千名学生使用。我们将审查现有的和正在进行的向基于网络的智能系统的转换，并寻找有助于降低开发成本的规模经济。仔细的评估研究也是关键。关于学生的学习和教学效果，需要确凿的证据。我们需要容纳不同背景、不同动机和不同教育目标的学生。经验证据是必要的，以确认使用这些系统的个别学生的结果，并支持基于收集的证据进行持续的系统改进。这项研究将包括定性和定量措施，作为对项目及其成果提供有意义的、面向行动的反馈和丰富的文件记录的一种手段。通过对现有和新兴系统的仔细研究，我们将量化它们对学习效果的影响，并与其他大学的附属机构合作，将证明这些系统将在全国范围内普遍使用。组件软件承诺通过鼓励软件重用来降低成本。然而，软件重用的明显好处还没有实现。在这个项目中，我们将开发可重复使用的组件来创建基于网络的作业、讲座和辅导系统。我们将把现有系统的组件组装成更大的部件(例如，将基于网络的授课系统与家庭作业和辅导系统连接起来)。这种组件组装过程将推动可重用组件技术的发展。

This research is intended to identify appropriate roles for technology, assessed in part in the context of open, inquiry-oriented learning. We will*quantify the cost-effectiveness of instructional technology, looking at several web-based, intelligent systems with large user bases for empirical studies,*evaluate the impact on student's learning while using these systems, and*identify and build key component technologies that will allow others to construct cost-effective instructional applications.Major research questions include: how can technology be used effectively, and just how effective are these uses? Are these uses cost-effective? Our group has worked with educators for a decade and has built four large web-based systems used by thousands of students. We will examine existing and on-going conversions to intelligent, web-based systems and look for economies of scale that will help to reduce development costs.Careful evaluation studies are also key. Solid evidence is required about student learning and pedagogical effectiveness. We need to accommodate students with varied backgrounds, motivations and educational goals. Empirical evidence is necessary to confirm individual student outcomes using these systems and support continuous systems refinement based on the evidence collected. This research will include qualitative and quantitative measures as a means of providing moth meaningful, action-oriented feedback and rich documentation of the project and its accomplishments. Through careful studies of existing and emerging systems we will quantify their impact on learning effects and working with affiliates in other universities, will demonstrate that these systems will be of general use on a national scale.Component software promises to reduce cost by encouraging software reuse. However the obvious benefits of software reuse have not been realized. In this project, we will develop reusable components for creating web-based homework, lecture and tutoring systems. We will assemble components of existing systems into larger pieces (e.g. connecting the web-based lecture system with a homework and tutoring system). This component assembly process will drive development of reusable component technologies.