Contact-2: a computer-assisted instructional strategy for promoting conceptual change

Previous research seems to support the assumption that students need instructional guidance to activate and correct their preconceptions. Such an instructional strategy is the CONTACT strategy, characterised by continuous, computer-assisted activation of the conceptions of individual learners. Our previous study showed that the CONTACT strategy was effective in promoting conceptual change in text processing (domain: physical geography) because students (fifth- and sixth-graders, primary education) constructed more correct conceptions. However, students mainly seemed to focus on the central concepts from the training texts, disregarding other information. Therefore, the strategy was adapted to solve this problem of selective attention and to increase its effectiveness. Subjects (74 fifth- and sixth-graders) were assigned to three instructional conditions (original CONTACT condition, revised CONTACT-2 condition and control condition NO ACTIVATION). A mixed between-within-subjects design was used with 2 between-subjects factors (instructional condition and students' familiarity with the central concepts from the 7 texts used). Dependent variables concerned quality of conceptions and learning performance. Students from the CONTACT-2 condition constructed better conceptions and achieved higher learning performance scores than students from the other two conditions. Moreover, the effectiveness of the CONTACT-2 strategy appeared not to depend on the degree of conceptual resemblance between the performance test questions and the central concepts from the texts and on the moment of testing. Additional research should shed some light on the instructional conditions required to teach students how they themselves can initiate and perform learning activities aimed at conceptual change.     

Toward a post-modern agenda in instructional technology

“Post-modernists look to the past and future equally and position themselves in the present, seeing time as a broken continuum in need of acknowledgement” (Jencks, 1992b, p.6). Traditional views in instructional technology are often based on the application of scientific knowledge. Post-modernism, an alternative paradigm, questions whether science alone offers the best approach to teaching and learning. Post-modernism holds promise for guiding research and development in instructional technology.; however, its potential contributions to the field require clarification. Accordingly, cogent definitions of post-modernism have been constructed—from an instructional technologist's point of view—and implications for the field have been presented to address the concerns of critics. This paper received the 1999 ETR&D Young Scholar Award and the author notes that the termpost-modern shall be hyphenated to symbolize “the continuation of Modernism and its transcendence” (Jencks, 1995, p. 30). David Solomon is completing his dissertation in the Instructional Technology program at Wayne State University. In addition to teaching college students at the secondary and postsecondary levels, he has more than 13 years experience designing, developing, and implementing instruction and performance improvement solutions for multinational and privately held businesses, and can be reached.     

Concept substitution: An instructional strategy for promoting conceptual change

Numerous studies have shown that students often hold conceptions that conflict with accepted scientific ideas, both prior to and after instruction. The failure of instruction to affect students' conceptions can be interpreted as a failure to facilitate conceptual change. In this paper, an instructional strategy will be described that facilitates conceptual change in the special case where conceptual difficulties appear to arise because students confuse related physics concepts. The strategy involves two parts. Firstly, students observe an experiment or demonstration that conflicts with what they expect to see. Secondly, the instructor identifies students' intuitions that are correct but that they have associated with an incorrect physics term, and substitutes the correct physics term. Students can thus develop more scientifically acceptable understandings of physics concepts without having to give up their intuitive ideas. The use of this strategy will be illustrated in two domains of physics. Specializations: physics education, conceptual development, instructional design, improvement of tertiary science education.     

International couples in instructional technology: The curdas

Conclusion Although our life is not without its challenges, our perspective is that it is not that unique. We are simply two professionals in the same field attempting to strike a balance between work and family life. We think of ourselves first as a couple. This has led to marital success and other benefits, but has not come without making an effort. We rarely think of ourselves as international, although we can certainly identify specific rewards we reap as a result of our diversity. We have tried to provide both our personal perspectives and relevant research findings to represent our experiences. Our final perspective on being an international couple in IT is that we cannot imagine having it any other way. We plan on publishing and perishing together.     

Toward a philosophy of instructional technology: thirty years on

A current assessment of the "philosophy" of instructional technology is made using a 1970 BJET article as the basis of comparison. Each hypothesis of the original article is revisited and updated according to contemporary trends: (1) instructional technology is not yet a discipline; (2) the behavioural science concept of instructional technology is more valid than the physical science concept; (3) technology offers the best organizing concept for the development of the field and its evolution into a discipline; and (4) any statement of philosophy regarding instructional technology is tentative. The influence of distance education, public acceptance of media and technology, and training by artificial intelligence procedures in business and industry are nominated as important factors in bringing about major changes in the field. Each professional should develop a unique philosophy based on personal experiences in the field.     

Direct instruction revisited: A key model for instructional technology

Rooted in behavioral theory, particularly the radical or selectivist behaviorism of B.F. Skinner (1953, 1954, 1966, 1968, 1974), the direct instruction (DI) approach to teaching is now well into its third decade of influencing curriculum, instruction, and research. It is also in its third decade of controversy. Our purpose is to present the DI model with the notion that the designer can and should use the model effectively based on appropriate assessment of the learners, content, context, and task at hand. To accomplish our goal, we begin with a general discussion of the basic DI framework, followed by a summary of the major DI models that have been used in live instructional contexts. We then shift to a review of how DI has been used in technology-based learning environments. Finally, we conclude with a look into the future of DI.     

Process and structure: Reorganizing the university for instructional technology

The university must be reorganized in order that the new instructional technologies be effectively utilized. The present organizational structure is based on the assumption that the critical dimension in teaching is subject matter expertise. However, teaching is the process of changing people. Not only is knowledge in this process required, but new organizational roles as well. The control of instruction by instructional experts will meet social and individual needs more adequately than they are met at present. One possible organizational arrangement for the coordination of instructional experts is suggested. The proposed reorganization would facilitate both the teaching and the research mission of the university.