A comparison of the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction using microcomputers and classroom instruction on three selected topics in a college algebra course

The study compared four sections of the college algebra course at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro during the Spring 1988 semester. There were two instructors participating in the study. Each instructor taught one control class (using the usual classroom instruction) and one experimental class (using computer-assisted instruction by means of tutorials in three selected topics). Complete data were collected for 21 students in each class. A pretest was given to all sections prior to any instruction; a posttest immediately after completion of instruction; and a delayed posttest embedded in the final exam for the course.;The analysis of the pretest results established that the four classes were comparable in prior knowledge of the topics selected for the study. No significant difference in mean scores was found between the control and experimental classes for each instructor on either the posttest or the delayed posttest. Further, no significant difference in mean scores was found between the two control classes combined and the two experimental classes combined on either the posttest or the delayed posttest. Thus, the use of the software package was as effective as classroom instruction on the three topics used in the study.