- Summary, Findings, and
Conclusions
- 1.
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- The subject of this case study is the use
of Daedalus courseware to teach basic English
writing at Baruch College in the City
University of New York system.
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- 2.
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- Each term since 1990 at least one section
of a basic English writing course has been
taught using the Daedalus courseware, an
interactive writing program that allows all
participants to read and comment upon the
work of others.
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- 3.
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- In spring term 1997, Daedalus was used
for the first time in a course titled
"College Literacy" (ENG 0160). The course
differs from standard basic (or remedial)
writing in that students placing in it fail
to demonstrate minimal proficiency in reading
as well as in writing (as determined by
standard tests used throughout the City
University of New York). Presumed to have
more serious problems with literacy and
language proficiency (because they fail the
reading test as well as the writing test),
the students are taught in sections that are
smaller than the standard basic writing
sections and meet for one additional hour
each week.
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- Benefit
Comparisons
- 4.
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- Learning Outcomes. (a)
Seventy-five percent of the 16 students in
the Dadaelus section of ENG 0160 passed the
CUNY Writing Assessment Test. This compares
to a 53 percent pass rate for the 15 students
in the control section (taught by an equally
experienced and effective instructor). The
difference in the passing rate was not
statistically significant. (b) The
instructor's assessment of the exit exams
(each of which was graded by three
independent readers) was that "the students
in the computer-enhanced section consistently
wrote longer ...essays rich in ideas and
details, organizationally complex, remarkable
in their fluency."
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- 5.
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- Student Persistence. Improved pass
rates in ENG 0160 should have the potential
to improve a student's persistence to
re-enroll in subsequent terms and eventually
to complete a degree. Data are not available
at this time, however, to test this
hypothesis.
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- 6.
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- Institutional Renewal. The
computer courseware has not been generally
adopted to teach the basic (remedial) English
courses. The courseware, which now involves
synchronous computer use in a classroom,
represents the beginning of a transition that
will evolve to courseware available on the
Internet that will be accessible by students
at any time from sites both on- and
off-campus.
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- Cost
Comparisons
- 7.
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- The computer-enhanced and regular
classroom versions of the course are taught
with essentially the same enrollments and
workload credit for the instructors. For
purposes of this comparison it is also
assumed the faculty salary costs for the
computer and regular classroom sections are
equal.
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- The imputed costs of the courseware and
the computer lab add approximately $540 to
the cost of the computer section, i.e., the
computer section is $540 more expensive than
the regular classroom section. This
represents a 7 percent increase in cost per
student enrolled in the computer section
compared to the classroom section.
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- 8.
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- Assuming the same model described above,
and a pass rate of 50 percent for the regular
version of the course and 75 percent for the
computer version, the cost per passing
student is approximately 29 percent less for
the computer version of the course.
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- 9.
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- Students who fail the remedial course the
first time must retake it before they can
graduate. Students who repeat the course
generate "second round" costs for the campus.
Assuming that all failing students from both
the computer and regular sections retake the
course allows for a calculation of these
second round costs which are then added to
the original course costs. Because fewer
students fail the computer course, the second
round costs associated with the computer
version are less. On this basis, and assuming
the courseware does have the potential to
increase course pass rates, the computer
section shows a potential to reduce costs by
11 percent over what would have occurred with
the regular version of the course.
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