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Session 3130

Threats to Validity in a Study of the Effects of Hypermedia Instruction on Learning Outcomes - a Switched Replications Experiment

Malgorzata S. Zywno Ryerson University

Abstract

Educational researchers in university settings face many difficulties in trying to conduct controlled action research studies on the effects of hypermedia on learning outcomes, where threats to validity and reliability are often beyond the influence of the investigator. Switched Replications experiment and another, semester-long study, where all students received hypermedia instruction in which it was embedded, were specifically conducted to address several validity threats. In each of the two weeks of the experiment, one group of students received a hypermedia lecture, while the other group received a conventional lecture on the same topic. The two lectures were immediately followed by a test. Two instructors were involved. The hypermedia-instructed group performed significantly better both times, regardless of which instructor made presentations. However, there were no statistically significant differences in overall academic achievement of the students in the course, offered in a hypermedia mode for 12 out of its 13 weeks. This indicated that the choice of instructional media had a strong effect on student achievement, while the effect of instructor differences was negligible. Selection bias, novelty factor, differences in instructional design and social threats to the internal validity of the study were also rejected as a possible explanation for the observed differences in achievement.

I. Introduction

Background

The study was situated in the sixth semester Control Systems course (ELE639) in an undergraduate program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Hypermedia (text, graphics, video and sounds, linked in a non-linear, associative manner) have been introduced into the course to support experiential learning 1, 2 . A pilot project 3 with classroom hypermedia presentations took place in 1999. The academic performance of students was significantly higher, compared with those registered in the conventional version of the course. As well, positive attitudes towards technology-aided instruction were observed. A formal comparison study conducted in 2000 confirmed these findings, and pointed towards hypermedia

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Zywno, M. (2002, June), Threats To Validity In A Study Of The Effects Of Hypermedia Instruction On Learning Outcomes A Switched Replications Experiment Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11175