Biomedical subjects

V J Shute

Publications and source records attributed to V J Shute.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Validity of measures of cognitive processes and general ability for learning and performance on highly complex computerized tutors: is the g factor of intelligence even more general?

Theoretical arguments and analyses from 2 studies provide compelling evidence that computerized measures of information-processing skills and abilities are highly useful supplements to more traditional, paper-based measures of general mental ability for predicting individuals' capacity to learn from and perform on highly challenging, multifaceted tutors. These tutors were designed to emulate learning and performance in complex, real-world settings. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence that a general, higher order factor model with general ability at the apex could quite adequately and singularly account for the individual-differences data, both traditional and cognitive-process measures. Results are interpreted in light of the utility and generality of human cognitive abilities.

Cognition↗

PubMed1998

Effects of practice and learner control on short- and long-term gain and efficiency.

This study investigated the effects of practice opportunities and learner control on short- and long-term learning from a computer-based introductory statistics curriculum. In all, 380 participants were assigned to one of five conditions. The first four conditions differed in terms of the number of problems to solve per problem set. The fifth condition allowed learners to choose the amount of practice. A subset (n = 120) of the original participants returned for testing following a six-month interval. Overall, the fixed-practice conditions showed learning gains that varied in relation to the amount of practice (i.e., more was better). The data from the learner-control condition was unexpected, showing learning gains comparable with the most extended practice condition yet the fastest tutor-completion times. We discuss implications of these findings in relation to the design of efficacious instruction. Actual or potential applications of this research include the modification of computer-based instruction that can enhance individuals' learning efficiency and outcome scores.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Analysis of part-task training using the backward-transfer technique.

Researchers conducted 2 experiments that used backward transfer to improve the efficiency of part-task training for a desktop flight simulator. In Experiment 1, a part-task group showed positive transfer but did not perform as well as a whole-task group. Backward-transfer analysis indicated that only a subset of the component tasks was critical to the criterion task. In Experiment 2, a part-task training regime that used the critical component tasks was compared with a whole-task regime and a part-task regime composed of noncritical component tasks. Results indicated that the critical part-task regime was as effective as the whole-task regime, validating the utility of the backward-transfer technique.

Adolescent↗