Using Computer Technology to Foster Learning for Understanding

Abstract

The literature shows that students typically use either a surface approach to learning, in which the emphasis is on memorization of facts, or a deep approach to learning, in which learning for understanding is the primary focus. This paper describes how computer technology, specifically the use of a multimedia CD-ROM, was integrated into a microbiology curriculum as part of the transition from focusing on facts to fostering learning for understanding. Evaluation of the changes in approaches to learning over the course of the term showed a statistically significant shift in a deep approach to learning, as measured by the Study Process Questionnaire. Additional data collected showed that the use of computer technology supported this shift by providing students with the opportunity to apply what they had learned in class to order tests and interpret the test results in relation to specific patient-focused case studies. The extent of the impact, however, varied among different groups of students in the class. For example, students who were recent high school graduates did not show a statistically significant increase in deep learning scores over the course of the term and did not perform as well in the course. The results also showed that a surface approach to learning was an important aspect of learning for understanding, although only those students who were able to combine a surface with a deep approach to learning were successfully able to learn for understanding. Implications of this finding for the future use of computer technology and learning for understanding are considered.

Problem-Solving Skills Among Precollege Students in Clinical Immunology and Microbiology: Classifying Strategies with a Rubric and Artificial Neural Network Technology

“…An ideal approach would be to observe the step-wise progression that students take through a real-life problem in order to understand what content knowledge students understand and if they know how to apply it. Methods, such as think-aloud, pen and paper, observation, and interviews, do exist to ascertain this sequential process (1,24), but they are timeconsuming on the part of both educators and students and limiting in the number of students that can be assessed in a given time (4). However, software technology does exist to follow large numbers of students as they solve complex problems (17,18,21).…”