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Use of computer technology to help students with special needs.

Millions of students across the United States cannot benefit fully from a traditional educational program because they have a disability that impairs their ability to participate in a typical classroom environment. For these students, computer-based technologies can play an especially important role. Not only can computer technology facilitate a broader range of educational activities to meet a variety of needs for students with mild learning disorders, but adaptive technology now exists than can enable even those students with severe disabilities to become active learners in the classroom alongside their peers who do not have disabilities. This article provides an overview of the role computer technology can play in promoting the education of children with special needs within the regular classroom. For example, use of computer technology for word processing, communication, research, and multimedia projects can help the three million students with specific learning and emotional disorders keep up with their nondisabled peers. Computer technology has also enhanced the development of sophisticated devices that can assist the two million students with more severe disabilities in overcoming a wide range of limitations that hinder classroom participation--from speech and hearing impairments to blindness and severe physical disabilities. However, many teachers are not adequately trained on how to use technology effectively in their classrooms, and the cost of the technology is a serious consideration for all schools. Thus, although computer technology has the potential to act as an equalizer by freeing many students from their disabilities, the barriers of inadequate training and cost must first be overcome before more widespread use can become a reality.

Adolescent↗

Computer skills among medical learners: a survey at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a survey at King Abdul Aziz University to assess computer and Internet related activities, needs, and attitudes of our medical students towards computer assisted medical learning. METHODS: A questionnaire containing 16 questions was distributed among medical students. The question form was prepared to assess the computer skills among students and their involvement in computer and Internet assisted medical and clinical learning activities. Each question was followed by a four or five points containing Likert-type multiple choice answer. RESULTS: A total of 303 medical member of the university filled the forms. Among them majorities were medical students constituting 247 (81.5%), 10 (3.3%) were interns, 9 (3%) residents and 36 (11.9%) were senior residents. 55% of the responders were male and 45% were females. The most important points with their brief responses are: Computer skills: 6.3% Not aware; 93.7% Aware. Purpose of using computer: Personal 62.5%; Professional 15%; Academic 21.9%. Software(s) used: MS office 9.4%; MS Office and Internet 31.3%; MS Office, Internet and any medical software 37%; No software 21%. Connecting to Internet or Email: Not at all 18%; Rarely 18%; Once a week 15%; Every alternate day 25%; Daily 12.5%; Multiple times a day 9.4%. Use of Internet for medical learning: Not at all 22%; Very rarely 22%; Some times 41%; Regularly 15%. Computers and Internet can improve studies and professional skills: No not at all 6%; Yes, to some extent 41%; Yes, too much 53%. CONCLUSION: The use of modern computer and Internet technology will result in more effective medical education. Expansion of computer-assisted learning requires careful strategic planning, resource sharing, staff incentives, and active promotion of multidisciplinary working and effective quality control.

Adult↗

Students can learn medicine with computers. Evaluation of an interactive computer learning package in geriatric medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a computer-aided learning program on dementia. DESIGN: Fourth year medical students were arbitrarily assigned to groups that used a computer-aided learning program (65) or had a tutorial covering similar material (73). These sessions were in addition to a base curriculum in a two-week course in geriatric medicine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The effectiveness of the teaching sessions was judged by the performance on a multiple choice questionnaire about dementia, given to the students on two occasions, one at the beginning and one at the end of the two-week course. RESULTS: Both groups of students scored significantly better on the second test (computer group, 66% [95% confidence interval, 64-69] to 81% [79-83] and tutorial group, 66% [63-67] to 74% [73-77]). The difference between the groups at the start of the course was not significant (F1,136 = 0.61, P = 0.61); however, there was a significant difference between the groups at the end of the course (F1,136 = 21.83, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both groups improved their knowledge of dementia during the two-week course. Students who used the computer-aided learning programs showed a greater improvement in score. Computer learning programs are effective learning tools and are a useful addition to traditional teaching methods. Further study is required to assess the effects of computer-aided learning programs in long-term studies of dementia knowledge.

Computer Literacy↗

Deriving design recommendations through discount usability engineering: ethnographic observation and thinking-aloud protocol in usability testing for computer-based teaching cases.

Usability engineering often involves experimental evaluation designs carried out in special usability laboratories. Though becoming more popular in medical informatics, the approach is little used. Possibly this is because of the expense involved in set-up, data collection, and data analysis. Excellent results may be obtained, however, by employing discount usability engineering and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis to generate recommendations to improve usability. A prototype computer-based teaching case was evaluated in a discount usability engineering approach by combining modified ethnographic observation with simplified thinking aloud protocol. Data was collected and analyzed using standard approaches for qualitative data. This approach led to helpful recommendations for designing teaching cases. The project team believes this economical approach to usability testing may be helpful to others engaged in interface design.

Computer Literacy↗

Use of information and communication technology among dental students at the University of Jordan.

The aim of this study was to investigate the current knowledge, skills, and opinions of undergraduate dental students at the University of Jordan with respect to information communication technology (ICT). Dental students from the second, third, fourth, and fifth years were asked to complete a questionnaire presented in a lecture at the end of the second semester in the 2002-03 academic year. The response rate was 81 percent. Besides free and unlimited access to computers at the school of dentistry, 74 percent of the students had access to computers at home. However, 44 percent did not use a computer regularly. Male students were more regular and longer users of computers than females (p<0.001). A significant number of students (70 percent) judged themselves competent in information technology (IT) skills. More males felt competent in basic IT skills than did females (p<0.05). More than two-thirds acquired their computer skills through sources other than at the university. The main educational use of computers was accessing the Internet, word processing, multimedia, presentations, Medline search, and data management. More clinical students felt competent in word-processing skills (p<0.05) and many more used word processing for their studies (p<0.001) than did preclinical students. More males used word processing for their studies than females (p<0.001). Students used computers for personal activities more frequently than for academic reasons. More males used computers for both academic (p<0.01) and personal activities (p<0.001) than did females. All students had access to the Internet at the university, and 54 percent had access at home. A high percentage of students (94 percent) indicated they were comfortable using the Internet, 75 percent said they were confident in the accuracy, and 80 percent said they were confident in the relevance of information obtained from the Internet. Most students (90 percent) used email. Most students (83 percent) supported the idea of placing lectures on the web, and 61.2 percent indicated that this would not influence lecture attendance. Students used the Internet more for personal reasons than for the study of dentistry. More clinical students used the Internet for dentistry than preclinical students (p<0.001). More males than females used the Internet for dentistry (p<0.01) as well as for pleasure (p<0.01). Time and availability were the main obstacles to Internet use. Dental students at the University of Jordan have access to substantial IT resources and demonstrated attitudes toward the computer and Internet technology and use that were similar to other students in other nations. However, the educational use of ICT among Jordanian students remains low.

Computer Literacy↗

Web-based vs. traditional classroom instruction in gerontology: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: Numerous studies have documented comparable outcomes from Web-based and traditional classroom instruction. However, there is a paucity of literature comparing these two delivery formats for gerontology courses in dental hygiene curricula. This study examines the effectiveness of alternative methods of course delivery by comparing student profiles and instructional outcomes from a dental hygiene gerontology course offered both on the Web and in a traditional classroom setting. METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to both groups of students completing the course. The instrument was designed to establish profiles of the participating students. The data collected included familiarity with Web-based instruction, extent of prior computer training, previous interaction with the elderly, and student evaluations of course effectiveness. Traditional instructional outcomes from evaluated course work were compared, as were post-course exam outcomes that assessed retention of course information six months after course completion. The statistical significance of these data was determined using Statistical Package for Social Scientists software (SPSS, Inc., version 12.0, Chicago, IL). RESULTS: A comparison of student characteristics enrolled in the two course formats revealed marked differences. The Web-based group (n=12) included dental hygiene students (67%) and other health care providers (25%). All participants in the traditional classroom format (n=32) were dental hygiene students. Half of the Web-based respondents were over 25 years of age, and the majority (n=8) had previously taken an online course. The majority of traditional classroom students were 25 years of age or younger (n=21) and had never taken a Web-based course (n=20). Statistically significant differences in instructional outcomes were observed between students enrolled in these two formats. Student retention of course material six months after completion of the course was greater in the Web-based format. CONCLUSIONS: Students selecting a Web-based course format demonstrated greater motivation and learning success based on final course grades, completion of assignments, and knowledge retention over time. Age, previous experience with online courses, and selection of teaching mode are factors that may confound course delivery method to influence instructional outcomes in a gerontology course within a dental hygiene curriculum.

Adolescent↗

A computer assisted tutorial for applications of computer spreadsheets in nursing financial management.

A computer-based tutorial for teaching nursing financial management concepts was developed using the macro function of a commercially available spreadsheet program. The goals of the tutorial were to provide students with an experience with spreadsheets as a computer tool and to teach selected financial management concepts. Preliminary results show the tutorial was well received by students. Suggestions are made for overcoming the general lack of computer sophistication among students.

Budgets↗

Change and technology in nursing education.

In 1989, the Faculty of Health Science (FHS) within the University of Central Queensland (UCQ, now the Central Queensland University) committed itself to a major instructional development project--eventually partly funded by an Australian government National Priority Reserve Fund (NPRF) grant--to develop computer-based learning materials for a new nursing education program. This study, extracted from Zelmer (1993), reports on the management of change within that project.

Attitude to Computers↗