Evaluation and assessment in the classroom: The computer aided tutorial

Abstract

Educational interventions are implemented by teaching staff in order to improve some facet of student learning. It may be a new teaching tool designed to encourage participation by students or a new assessment tool designed to measure a specific component of learning. In some cases, in particular where the cost in terms of time and resources is low, simple evaluations of the effectiveness of interventions are acceptable. In other cases where there may be substantial resource implications if a particular educational approach is adopted, the evaluation should be more robust. Many tutorial rooms are now equipped with computers and projection devices to aid teaching. This allows tutors to provide a learning experience supplemented by multimedia computer programs. It is not clear what, if any, are the advantages of such adjuncts on classroom dynamics or their influence on learning. A prospective randomised controlled trial was run at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, a teaching hospital in Adelaide, Australia. Fifty-five students in their second clinical year of medical school participated in the study where a computerised multimedia teaching tool was introduced as a teaching aid into a standard tutorial. Long-term retention of knowledge and understanding of the topics discussed in the tutorials was measured and student response to the introduction of the computer system was assessed. The results of the evaluation showed that the group dynamics differed sharply between those working with the tutor only and those where the computer was used as an adjunct to teaching, however there was no difference between the two groups in their long-term understanding of the material discussed.