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

Journal of Information Systems Education, 2002 by Newby, Michael

* familiarizing students with the computing environment;

* reinforcing material taught in the lecture;

* teaching students the principles of using computers;

* providing closer contact between staff and students;

* stimulating and maintaining interest in the subject;

* teaching theoretical material not included in lectures;

* fostering critical awareness e.g. avoiding systematic errors;

* developing skills in problem solving;

* simulating conditions in an information systems development environment;

* stimulating independent thinking;

* developing skills in communicating technical concepts and solutions;

* providing motivation to acquire specific knowledge;

* bridging the gap between theory and practice. (adapted from Boud, Dunn, & Hegarty-Hazel(1986))

The joint Association of Computing Machinery -- Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (ACM-- IEEE) Curriculum Task Force recommended that introductory computer science courses should be supported by extensive laboratory work (Denning et al, 1989; ACM/IEEE-CS, 1991). The ACM SIGCSE (Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education) Working Group on Computing Laboratories published guidelines for the use of laboratories in computer science education (Knox et al, 1996). Their report was predicated on a number of assumptions, one of which was that laboratory experiences are relevant almost all computer science courses across all levels from literacy and language courses for non-specialists to graduate level theory courses. In a collaborative effort, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the Association for Information Systems (AIS), the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), and the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) developed guidelines for an undergraduate Information Systems Curriculum (Davis, Gorgone, Cougar, Feinstein, & Longenecker, 1997). In their report, they identified three types of laboratories, the structured laboratory, the open laboratory and the specialized laboratory. The structured laboratory is a closed or formal laboratory (Prey, 1996; Lin, Wu, & Chiou, 1996). It is scheduled in the same way as lectures and tutorials with specific exercises being set for students. Such laboratories are generally staffed by the instructor who is available to help guide the students. On the other hand, open or public laboratories are provided so that students may complete exercises and assignments outside scheduled laboratory classes. Students are allowed to come and go as they please with technical assistance, if any, being provided by laboratory assistants who are often senior students. For open laboratories an instructor assigns a problem and students work on it in their own time usually individually but sometimes in groups. Finally, there is the specialized laboratory, which is provided to support up-to-date programs with state of the art technology. Examples of specialized laboratories are systems development laboratories, providing access to CASE (Computer Assisted Software Engineering) tools, data communication laboratories with hands-on access to network management tools, and decision conferencing laboratories with access to group support systems software (Davis, et al., 1997).