A Computer-Based Multimedia Instruction Program for Woody Plant Identification

Seiler, John R.; Peterson, John; Taylor, C. David; Feret, Peter P.

doi:10.2134/jnrlse.1997.0129

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…CAI may be a viable instructional method for teaching woody plant identification to students (Shaw, 1993;Seiler et al, 1996) and can provide students the unlimited ability to see and review plant specimens at their convenience. Students could also view a greater number of plants in less time than in a traditional laboratory setting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Computer-assisted Instruction Be Used by Students for Woody Plant Identification?

Kahtz¹

2000

horttech

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The cognitive learning style theory of field dependence and independence was used to examine the academic achievement of students using a computer assisted instruction (CAI) program in a woody plant identification course. The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was used to determine the students' level of field dependence and independence. Students were blocked and randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Participants in the experimental group used a nonlinear drill and tutorial type of CAI program as a partial laboratory substitute. The CAI program had no influence relative to traditional laboratories upon either field dependent or field independent students' long term memory of course material. However, the CAI program was of equal benefit to field dependent and independent students' academic achievement. Qualitative interviews were also conducted to assess the effect of the CAI program. Data indicated that field dependent students benefited from the CAI program as a presentation source of recall cues in the reviewing of course material, but not for the initial acquisition of knowledge. Field independent students may be able to use the CAI program to initially acquire knowledge, but its best usage may be as a method of presenting recall cues to refresh their memory. These results showed that the CAI program could be used as a partial laboratory substitute for traditional woody plant identification laboratories with no adverse effect upon student academic achievement, regardless of their level of field dependency.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Computer-assisted Instruction Be Used by Students for Woody Plant Identification?

Kahtz¹

2000

horttech

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A Woody Plant Identification Tutorial Improves Field Identification Skills

Seiler

Popescu

Peterson

2002

Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education

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We tested a woody plant identification computer tutorial for its ability to improve field identification skills. If a specific field skill such as tree identification can be taught on the computer, students would have increased flexibility for studying, and the possibility of online computer courses for tree identification could be investigated. Our specific goal was to determine if knowledge gained from the computer tutorial transfers readily to the field environment, where it has its primary value. We also examined relationships among computer use time, grade point average, and grade earned in a woody plant identification course. Three different types of controlled experiments all indicated that use of the computer tutorial does improve field identification skills. One study found final grades increased from 75.9 to 80.8% for students who used the program. In a separate study in which students learned to identify trees only on a computer, field identification increased from 9.3% (before use) to 65.8% (after use). There were no correlations among class grade, grade point average (GPA), and computer use. Collectively, these results strongly suggest that students can learn field identification using a computer.

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Live Specimens More Effective than World Wide Web for Learning Plant Material

Taraban

McKenney

Peffley

et al. 2004

Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education

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Soil Science, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX 79409; and A. Applegarth, Lubbock, TX. ABSTRACTThe World Wide Web and other computer-based media are new teaching resources for plant identification. The purpose of the experiments reported here was to test whether learning plant identification for woody and herbaceous plant material over the web was as effective, more effective, or preferred by undergraduate students when compared with instruction in the greenhouse. Students were exposed to web and greenhouse instruction (Exp. 1, N = 47; Exp. 2, N = 225) or they were randomly assigned to web or greenhouse learning conditions (Exp. 2, N = 225; Exp. 3, N = 224). The dependent measure was accuracy on identification tests of live specimens in the greenhouse. In each case, mean scores of participants receiving live instruction were significantly higher than those receiving web instruction. Questionnaire data revealed that students preferred live instruction over web instruction, that students perceived live instruction as superior to web instruction, that they preferred to learn new plant material in the classroom rather than on the web, and that web learning was frustrating. The findings indicate that web instruction is not in general superior to live instruction for plant identification, when students are required to use web instruction.

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A Computer-Based Multimedia Instruction Program for Woody Plant Identification

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

Can Computer-assisted Instruction Be Used by Students for Woody Plant Identification?

Can Computer-assisted Instruction Be Used by Students for Woody Plant Identification?

A Woody Plant Identification Tutorial Improves Field Identification Skills

Live Specimens More Effective than World Wide Web for Learning Plant Material

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