Xref: utzoo sci.math:6685 comp.edu:2283 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!versatc!leadsv!laic!nova!darin From: darin@nova.laic.uucp (Darin Johnson) Newsgroups: sci.math,comp.edu Subject: Re: Net Textbooks Message-ID: <556@laic.UUCP> Date: 17 May 89 21:23:22 GMT References: <611348814.15174@bu-ma.bu.edu> <2045@ubc-cs.UUCP> Sender: news@laic.UUCP Reply-To: darin@nova.UUCP (Darin Johnson) Organization: Lockheed AI Center, Menlo Park Lines: 67 >First of all, there is no doubt that the lecture is the least >efficient method known of imparting information. Psychologists have >for decades tested various ways of rote learning, and have found that >the lecture does most poorly. >.... >It can of course be argued that having 200 people in a room offers >little or no chance for dialogue. This is of course correct. However, >the solution involves decreasing class sizes more than anything else. When I was in school, I found that sections (which were designed for discussions and questions, etc.) had far fewer discussions than in lectures. Part of the problem was that students went to sections expecting to go over answers to the last test, etc. Also, there are not very many students willing to speak up. In a small section, that usually amounts to no-one wanting to enter a discussion. In a lecture, there are enough people that discussions are started easier. This was in CS, where there is plenty to discuss. In math and physics, lectures involved laying down the "way things are", and discussions (if any) centered around "We don't get the same answers, what are we doing wrong". Often the students are so overwhelmed that discussion is impractical. This may have changed in upper division classes since I had few of those in math. >Second, multimedia have their own problems. I haven't seen courses like this. But in a couple beginning CS courses, we had "self-paced" instruction. This can in some ways correspond to self-paced multi-media instruction. There were lectures once a week, but were optional after the first (and were attended mostly by people who were lost or felt that missing a lecture was a sin). Grades were based on how much you finished. After each section, you would have an automated quiz, involving questions or programming. You also had to have a proctor verify that you had done the assignments before taking the quiz. This was all well and good, but it was too easy to let that class slip while concentrating on other classes. You also had to do the sections in order. If you were on an early assignment and had an annoying bug that you couldn't find, you had to stick to it, even though you may have already known solutions to later problems; if you could take partial or no credit for that part, you could then work ahead and get a better grade than otherwise). Multi-media outside of college would help, since you could take as long as you wanted. I also had a 2 unit foreign-language class once (since I had to have 12 units to be full-time, and I couldn't take upper division classes until I finished ALL the lower division requirements) that was self-paced and involved listening to language tapes, etc. There was no lecture (because you could choose any language there were tapes for, and I had Danish :-) but 2 quizzes determined pass/fail. This class and the beginning programming classes had a common problem - you had to schedule your time to the times of the lab, and could only get a few hours a week. The programming class also had pre-sign ups, so you couldn't drop in at anytime (and woe if you aren't there when next weeks sign up is posted). There was another beginning programming class which was the more traditional lecture style that you could take instead of the self-paced class. The catalog hinted that it was a tougher course and should not be taken by freshmen. I proctored in both classes and found the the students in the lecture-style class had a much better understanding of what was going on and did better in later classes. Of course, this may have been due to other factors - only better students took it, it worked in spite of the lecture-style, you covered all the material, not just what you completed, you had to work harder, etc. Darin Johnson (leadsv!laic!darin@pyramid.pyramid.com) We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.