Dissertation
Learning on the open road: examining the effect of non-sequential user choice on learning from OERs
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2018
DOI: 10.17077/etd.3ub4-p757
Abstract
<p>In recent decades, open, online learning environments have become progressively more popular and well-funded. An integral aspect of this open learning movement is the transition of a substantial amount of control of the learning process from designers and instructors to the users engaging with the environment. With heavy investments coming from both the public and private sectors, and an ever-growing market of online learners, it is crucial that we better understand how the provision of user control over the learning process affects the quality of that learning process.</p>
<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of one aspect of open learning environments that has yet to be fully understood: user choice of learning sequence, or non-sequential user choice. Building on previous research with open educational resources (OERs) designed to help drivers learn about adaptive cruise control (ACC), an advanced car safety system, this research compared the learning process of subjects with (N = 42) and without (N = 42) control of the learning sequence. Specifically, this study sought to investigate two core issues: 1) the effect(s), positive or negative, that non-sequential user choice has on the development of mental models of ACC, as measured by a post-test assessment; and 2) the relationship among post-test performance, chosen order of resources, and time spent engaging with individual learning resources.</p>
<p>To examine these issues, two primary analyses were completed. To address the effect of non-sequential user choice, subjects’ performance on scenario problems and a declarative knowledge post-test was compared using independent sample t-tests (α = .05). A multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship among post-test performance, chosen order of resources, and time spent on each of three learning resources (α = .05). Subjects in the experimental (choice) condition scored significantly worse on the post-test assessment than subjects in the control (non-choice) condition (t[82] = -2.116, p < .05, d = -0.462). The regression analysis found a significant regression equation (F(4,37) = 3.930, p < .05) with an R2 of 0.298 (Adjusted R2 = 0.222). Surprisingly, however, only one of the resource time predictor variables was an individually significant predictor of post-test performance.</p>
<p>Possible explanations for these findings are explored based on the available research literature. These explanations include the possibility of choice overload, poor decision-making by subjects, confusion due to a lack of instructional guidance, and the development of choice apathy. However, further research is necessary to determine why non-sequential user choice had a negative effect, as well as to expand research on non-sequential user choice to other contexts and content areas.</p>
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Learning on the open road: examining the effect of non-sequential user choice on learning from OERs
- Creators
- Ethan Philip Valentine - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Benjamin DeVane (Advisor)Joyce Moore (Committee Member)Miguel Encarnação (Committee Member)Pamela Wesely (Committee Member)Kathy Schuh (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2018
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.3ub4-p757
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- ix, 140 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2018 Ethan Philip Valentine
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- color illustrations, forms
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-118).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
We are living in an era of social media, search engines, and free, online encyclopedias. The way we learn is no exception to this trend, with freely-accessible, online learning seeing rapid growth in the last few years. Online, open learning materials are becoming more and more common, from badge systems providing specialized certifications to open educational resources (OERs) that give learners access to information wherever and whenever they wish.
Built into this larger open education movement is a focus on providing learners with more control over their own learning process and allowing them to discover important ideas for themselves. Using a set of OERs created to help drivers learn about new car safety systems, this study focuses on just one aspect of the control that open learning provides: choice of learning sequence. Very little research has examined the effects of giving learners the opportunity to choose the order in which they use a set of learning resources, despite the fact that this choice is almost always present in everyday life.
In this study, one group of subjects was able to choose the order in which they used three OERs, while another followed a pre-planned sequence. Surprisingly, considering the focus on learner control in modern education, subjects who could choose learning sequence performed significantly worse on a test of learning than those who followed the pre-made sequence. Possible explanations are explored, but further research is needed to determine why choice of sequence had a negative effect.
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9983777140602771
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