An Empirical study comparing the learning environments of open and closed computer laboratories

Journal of Information Systems Education, 2002 by Newby, Michael

ABSTRACT

In Computer Science and Information Systems courses, where the computer is an integral part of the course, there are two main ways in which the practical component of the course, the computer laboratory class, may be organized. They may be closed laboratories which are scheduled and staffed in the same way as other classes, or open laboratories where the students come and go as they please. In universities in the United States, the open laboratory is more common, whereas in Australia, it is the closed laboratory that provides the practical experience for students. This study investigates differences between students' perceptions of some aspects of the learning environment of open and closed computer laboratories, and also investigates differences in student outcomes from courses that adopt these two approaches to organizing computer laboratory classes. The use of closed laboratories requires more resources in terms of physical space and equipment and greater commitment on the part of the faculty. This study investigates whether the extra resources and commitment lead to an improvement in student outcomes. In the study, two previously developed instruments, the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory (CLEI) and the Attitude towards Computing and Computing Courses Questionnaire (ACCC) were used. The CLEI has five scales for measuring students' perceptions of aspects of their laboratory environment. These are Student Cohesiveness, Open-Endedness, Integration, Technology Adequacy and Laboratory Availability. The ACCC has four scales, Anxiety, Enjoyment, Usefulness of Computers and Usefulness of the Course. Of the environment variables, significant differences in the means were found for OpenEndedness, Technology Adequacy and Laboratory Availability. There was also a difference for Anxiety. There was no significant difference in achievement by students on the courses.

Keywords: Computer Laboratories, Learning Environments.

1. INTRODUCTION

The first electronic computer was developed in the 1940s, and up to the mid-1950s, the use of computers was restricted to scientific and engineering applications. Commercial applications of computers started in a small way in the late 1950s and expanded rapidly over the following 20 years. However, up to 1980, computer usage was not very widespread. At that time, organizations used a central computer and had a specialist Data Processing or Information Systems Department. These departments were usually the only part of the organization with access to computers. This situation changed with the advent of the microcomputer in the 1980s, and later the local area network. Following their introduction, the use of computers spread to all levels of organizations and today it would be unusual to find a desk in any organization without a workstation on it.

This evolution in the use of computers is mirrored in the provision of computer education and training. Initially, computer manufacturers ran specialist intensive courses in programming and operating systems over three to five days; this practice continues and indeed has been extended to cover many aspects of the computing and communications industries. The first university computing courses started in the 1960s. They had titles such as Computer Science, Computer Studies or Electronic Data Processing and were intended for the computing specialist, who would start their careers as programmers or systems analysts. Computer Science has established itself firmly as a discipline in most universities. The other terms mentioned have, in general, been replaced by Information Systems, which has emerged as a discipline in its own right with its focus on the application of computers to business problems. All academic programs within these disciplines involve the study of programming as the means by which computer-- based systems are developed.

The introduction of the microcomputer in the early 1980s led to the wider use of computers throughout post-secondary education in programs such as business, education and engineering. Here the computer is often used as a tool to assist in learning, as a means of delivering educational material and for on-line assessment. More recently, the availability of multimedia has extended the use of computers to graphic design and architecture, and the Internet has made the workstation an invaluable educational and research tool. This has led to the inclusion of some form of computer education in virtually every discipline at the university level.

2. COMPUTING LABORATORIES

The one aspect that most computing courses, both specialist and non-specialist, have in common is the use of computer laboratories. The use of a laboratory as part of a computing course began with the advent of interactive computing in the 1970s. It is understandable that laboratories play such a prominent role in such courses given that using a computer, particularly for programming, is perceived as a skill which cannot be learned by simply reading a book and needs practice in order for it to be acquired (Azemi, 1995). This skill must be mastered before any progress can be made, and laboratory classes provide an opportunity for students to gain proficiency. However, proficiency is not the only aim of a computer laboratory class. Other aims would include: