A hypertext-based tutorial with links to the Web for teaching statistics and research methods

Abstract

An online tutorial for research design and statistics is described. This tutorial provides a way for students to learn how scales of measure, research design, statistics, and graphing data are related. The tutorial also helps students determine what statistical analysis is appropriate for a given design and how the results of the analysis should be plotted in order to effectively communicate the results of a study. Initial research suggests that students using the tutorial are more accurate in their decisions about the design and statistics associated with a study. Students are also more confident in the decisions and find them easier to make when using the tutorial. Furthermore, practice with the tutorial appears to improve problem-solving ability in subsequent design and statistics scenarios. Implications for teaching statistics and research design are discussed.

A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems on college students’ academic learning.

“…Of the 35 reports, 33 each contained one independent study, one report (VanLehn et al, 2007) contained four studies, and another report (Koch & Gobell, 1999) contained two studies. The studies appeared between 1990 and 2011.…”

Web-based Tutorials and Traditional Face-to-Face Lectures: A Comparative Analysis of Student Performance

“…The current study recognizes Web-based tutorials as a viable option for learning by citing studies in which students using Web-based tutorials achieved as well or better as those learning in the lecture format (Alavi, 1994;Beerman, 1996;Schutte, 1996;Koch and Gobell, 1999;Maki and Maki, 2000;Andrewartha and Wilmont, 2001;Scheines, et al, 2005;Donovan and Nakhleh, 2007;Osborn, 2010;Cheng and Swanson, 2011;Sargent, et al, 2011;He, et al, 2012).…”

“…The results revealed that the students in the Web-based group outperformed their peers in the classroom environment on both the mid-term and final examinations. Koch and Gobell (1999) found that Web-based tutorials led to improved accuracy in decisions about design and the correct choice of statistics in an advanced course on research methods and statistics. Likewise, Maki and Maki (2000) found that the use of Web-based multimedia tutorials resulted in higher learning gains when compared to face-to-face lectures, with equal results found in 2003 whereby students in the Web-based version of the course did slightly better than students in the lecture version.…”

The Use of Educational Web Tools: An Innovative Technique in Teacher Education Courses

“…However, as highlighted in other studies the use of Internet for educational web activities has identified a number of benefits in using it for instruction such as convenience, speed of communication, quick and remote access to information, instant feedback, and cost saving [11,12,13].…”