Toward People’s Community Control of Technology: Race, Access, and Education

This field review explores how the benefits of access to computing for racialized and minoritized communities has become an accepted fact in policy and research, despite decades of evidence that technical fixes do not solve the kinds of complex social problems that disproportionately affect these communities. I use the digital divide framework—a 1990s policy diagnosis that argues that the growth and success of the internet would bifurcate the public into digital “haves” and “have-nots”—as a lens to look at why access to computing frequently appears as a means to achieve economic, political, and social equality for racialized and minoritized communities. First, I present a brief cultural history of computer-assisted instruction to show that widely-held assumptions about the educational utility of computing emerged from utopian narratives about scientific progress and innovation—narratives that also traded on raced and gendered assumptions about users of computers. Next, I use the advent of the digital divide framework and its eventual transformation into digital inequality research to show how those raced and gendered norms about computing and computer users continue to inform research on information and communication technologies (ICTs) used in educational contexts. This is important because the norms implicated in digital divide research are also present in other sites where technology and civic life intersect, including democratic participation, public health, and immigration, among others. I conclude by arguing that naïve or cynical deployments of computing technology can actually harm or exploit the very same racialized and minoritized communities that access is supposed to benefit. In short, access to computing in education—or in any other domain—can only meaningfully contribute to equality when minoritized and racialized communities are allowed to pursue their own collective goals.

COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE

This study determined the students’ academic achievement and engagement in science. A quasi-experimental research design was utilized. The study results showed that students exposed to CAI obtained “fairly satisfactory” results in the post-test, while those exposed to non-CAI showed “needs improvements” both in the pretest and post-test. Moreover, for students’ engagement in science, the CAI group had a high engagement level for affective, cognitive, and behavioral domains. In contrast, the non-CAI group had moderate engagement before and after the intervention. The students’ academic performance in science exposed to CAI is significantly higher than those exposed to non-CAI. Also, there is a significant difference in students’ engagement level for a cognitive domain in favor of CAI. It is concluded that CAI as a science learning tool enhances the students’ cognitive engagement.

Efforts to Improve Problem Solving Skills and Critical Thinking Skills Through Problem-Based Integrated Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) in Vocational Education

Based on research conducted by PISA, the ability to solve problems and think critically of Indonesian students is still below the average score set by PISA. Problem based learning is one of the learning models recommended by the Ministry of Education and Culture to be applied in improving these abilities. However, the lack of problem-based learning that has been applied so far is the lack of use of media that can be used as support in learning activities, resulting in inconsistencies in the impact of problem-based learning in improving student skills. The importance of these skills for students to have in this era of the industrial revolution 4.0, makes educators have to be more creative and innovative in implementing learning. Therefore, this study aims at seeing efforts to improve problem solving skills and critical thinking skills through problem based integrated computer assisted instruction (CAI). This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design. The population in this study were undergraduate students of Mechanical Engineering Education, Padang State University. The instrument used in this research is a questionnaire which is used to see students' problem solving and critical thinking skills. The data analysis technique in this study is in accordance with the research hypothesis, where research hypotheses 1 and 2 use independent sample t-test and research hypothesis 3 uses MANCOVA. The research covered by his study is in line with higher education's continuing search for effective SCL approaches

Improving Quality of Life among Thalassemia Major in Adolescents: Video Assisted Teaching

Background: Thalassemia major (B-TM) a grave health concern that poses serious health consequences during which there arises a mandatory need for regular blood transfusions that is vital for survival.. This led to the conception of this video assisted teaching to improve the Quality of Life (QOL) among B-TM patients. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of video assisted teaching on knowledge regarding quality of life among Thalassemia Major Adolescence and to find the association between knowledge regarding quality of life among Thalassemia Major Adolescence with selected demographic variables. Materials and methods Sample: A Pre- test and post - test designs was conducted in Gujarat. A total of 50 adolescents were included in study. The data from the thalassemic major adolescents is collected using a predefined questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data, and the results were interpreted in terms of the study's goal and hypothesis. The 0.05 level of significance was chosen. Results: Post-test result shows that majority of thalassemic major adolescence 11(22%) were having adequate knowledge, 39(78%) were showing moderate knowledge regarding quality of life among thalassemic major adolescence. Conclusion: The study's goal was to see how efficient video assisted education is at improving knowledge about quality of life among thalassemia major adolescent.The goal of measuring thalassemia major adolescent knowledge and evaluating the effectiveness of video assisted instruction, researchers used a one-group pre-test and post-test approach. The knowledge of thalassemia major adolescents was assessed using a questionnaire.The data was interpreted by suitable appropriate statistical methods.

Deployment of Computer Assisted Instruction in Higher Educational Organization

The current study looked at how computers help students of different reading abilities. Studies have been conducted on the effect of computers on educational achievement and attitudinal levels. During this study, we have gone through the impact of Bloom’s taxonomy over the conventional system and then focused on integrating CAI in higher education. This research is branching out to encompass the use of computers in the education system. The paper aims to outline and elaborate on the way computers aid every department of life, including education. Information is much more valuable when presented within the context of education or training. Teaching to reflect well is known as “advance” teaching. This research paper is concerned with the educational faculties, facilities, and the organizational structure of the educational process. This study aims to focus on CAI to improve the quality of higher education in India. We have also discussed the areas where we can implement this technology

Impact of GeoGebra on the Students’ Conceptual

The paradigm shift from traditional didactic instruction to technology-enriched teaching and learning environments significantly benefits learners. Educational technology can visualize abstract mathematical concepts contextually and graphically and allow learners to actively construct this knowledge. This study aims to ascertain the efficacy of a computer-assisted instruction method using GeoGebra in further developing the concept of the function limit for grade XI students. This study employed a quasi-experiment static-group comparison design with 60 students from Gongzim Ugyen Dorji Central School at Haa in Bhutan. The students were divided into two equal groups. Group ‘A’ used the GeoGebra software, while group ‘B’ used the conventional method to learn the limit of the function. The data was collected through a Conceptual Knowledge Test of Limit Function. In addition, an independent sample t-test was employed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0). This study demonstrated that students who were taught using GeoGebra outperformed those who learned through conventional methods. The results confirmed that GeoGebra software could enhance and significantly improve students’ conceptual understanding of the limit of the function.

Computer-assisted instruction versus inquiry-based learning: The importance of working memory capacity

The Covid-19 pandemic has led millions of students worldwide to intensify their use of digital education. This massive change is not reflected by the scant scientific research on the effectiveness of methods relying on digital learning compared to other innovative and more popular methods involving face-to-face interactions. Here, we tested the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in Science and Technology compared to inquiry-based learning (IBL), another modern method which, however, requires students to interact with each other in the classroom. Our research also considered socio-cognitive factors–working memory (WM), socioeconomic status (SES), and academic self-concept (ASC)–known to predict academic performance but usually ignored in research on IBL and CAI. Five hundred and nine middle-school students, a fairly high sample size compared with relevant studies, received either IBL or CAI for a period varying from four to ten weeks prior to the Covid-19 events. After controlling for students’ prior knowledge and socio-cognitive factors, multilevel modelling showed that CAI was more effective than IBL. Although CAI-related benefits were stable across students’ SES and ASC, they were particularly pronounced for those with higher WM capacity. While indicating the need to adapt CAI for students with poorer WM, these findings further justify the use of CAI both in normal times (without excluding other methods) and during pandemic episodes.