The Works Metallurgist: an evaluation of a CAL package on phase diagrams

Blake, Canan; Butcher, Philip; Scanlon, Eileen and Jones, Ann (1996). The Works Metallurgist: an evaluation of a CAL package on phase diagrams. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 4(1) pp. 55–57.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0968776960040109

URL: http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index....

Abstract

The Works Metallurgist is used in the Open University course: Materials — Engineering and Science. It is being evaluated as part of a larger study of CAL teaching in Science and Technology at the Open University. With 540 students, the course provides a sufficiently large sample for a range of evaluation methods to be employed in a variety of settings (e.g. home, residential school). The methods used include questionnaires, attitude scales and pre/post achievement tests, observations and interviews. The focus of the evaluation exercise is on the effectiveness of CAL in contributing to student learning. The issue of the educational quality of the program and its instructional features are considered in this paper, in association with the goals of the program.