Training for Better Transfer in an Online Competency- Based Higher Education Program: Using Enhanced Technology-Based Instruction to Improve Student Learning And Assessment Outcomes

Training for Better Transfer in an Online Competency- Based Higher Education Program: Using Enhanced Technology-Based Instruction to Improve Student Learning And Assessment Outcomes

Authors

  • Sean P. Gyll
     Western Governors University, UT 84107
  • Heather Hayes
     Western Governors University, UT 84107

Keywords:

Technology-based instruction, Instructional design, Training transfer, Skill acquisition, Learning science, Cognitive science, Workforce readiness

Abstract

Online Competency-Based Higher Education (OCBHE) programs offer students an innovative way to navigate the traditional education landscape. Within OCBHE, learning is an active process acquired through various instructional and media types. While little has been written on the technology-based methods underlying OCBHE's success, learning science has indicated which instructional practices will likely lead to superior performance. This paper investigates some key technologybased principles currently being incorporated into Western Governors University's teaching science. We investigated two different technology methods, and their effect on learning outcomes: (1) traditional online instruction, whereby students access the content through a mix of video lectures supplemented with learning resource materials, and (2) enhanced online instruction, whereby students access the content through a variety of innovative technology types. Results showed that students in enhanced online instruction courses achieved higher summative assessment scores, demonstrated significantly higher course completion rates, and completed their studies faster than in traditional online classes. These findings have profound implications for optimizing student outcomes using enhanced technology, especially in OCBHE.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2024-06-18

How to Cite

Gyll, S. P., & Hayes, H. (2024). Training for Better Transfer in an Online Competency- Based Higher Education Program: Using Enhanced Technology-Based Instruction to Improve Student Learning And Assessment Outcomes. Journal of Applied Testing Technology. Retrieved from https://jattjournal.net/index.php/atp/article/view/173213

Issue

Online First

Section

Articles

References

Alexander, P. A., & Murphy, P. K. (1999). Learner profiles: Valuing individual differences within classroom communities. Learning and individual differences: Process, trait, and content determinants. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Anderson, J. R. (1993). Rules of the Mind. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Brown, T. L., & Carr, T. H. (1989). Automaticity in skill acquisition: Mechanisms for reducing interference in concurrent performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 15, 686700. https://doi.org/10.1037//0096-1523.15.4.686

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., III, & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it Stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt6wprs3.7

Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155-159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155 PMid:19565683

Dollár, A., & Steif, P. S. (2008). An interactive, cognitively informed, web-based statics course. International Journal of Engineering Education, 24, 1229-1241.

Fitts, P. M. (1964). Perceptual-motor skill learning. In A. W. Melton (Ed.), Categories of Human Learning, (pp. 243285). New York: Academic. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4832-3145-7.50016-9

Ford, R., & Gopher, R. (2015). Competency-based education 101. Procedia Manufacturing, 3, 1473-1480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.325

Gervais, J. (2016). The operational definition of competency based education. The Journal of Competency-Based Education, 1, 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbe2.1011

Gyll, S., & Ragland, S. (2018). Improving the validity of assessment in higher education: Steps for building a bestinclass competency-based assessment program. The Journal of Competency-Based Education, 3, 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbe2.1058

Harris, D. N., & Sass, T. R. (2008). Teacher training, teacher quality, and student achievement. http://www.caldercenter.org/PDF/1001059_Teacher_Training.pdf.

Holding, D. H. (1991). Transfer of training. In J. E. Morrison (Ed.), Training for Performance: Principles of Applied Human Learning (pp. 93-126). New York: Wiley.

Hoogveld, A. M. (2003). The teacher as designer of competencybased education. Heerlen: Open University of the Netherlands.

James, R. (2003). Academic standards and the assessment of student learning. Tertiary education and management, 9, 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2003.9967103

Johnston, H. (2011). Proficiency-based education. www.educationpartnerships.org.

Johnston, W. A., Strayer, D. L., & Vecera, S. P. (1998). Broad-mindedness and perceptual flexibility: Lessons from dynamic ecosystems. In J. S. Jordan (Ed.), Systems theories and a priori aspects of perception (pp. 87-103). Elsevier Science B. V. https://doi.org/10.1016/S01664115(98)80019-8

Kramer, A. F., Larish, J. F., & Strayer, D. L. (1995). Training for attentional control in dual-task settings: A comparison of young and old adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 1, 50-76. https://doi.org/10.1037//1076898X.1.1.50

McClarty, K. L., & Gaertner, M. N. (2015). Measuring mastery: Best practices for assessment in competency-based education. AE Series on Competency-Based Higher Education.

Merrill, D. (2002). A pebble-in-the-pond model for instructional design. Performance Improvement, 41, 41-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.4140410709

Morrison, M. (2015). Primacy and recency effects in learning. https://rapidbi.com/primacy-and-recency-effects-inlearning.

Penuel, B., & Cohen, A. (1999). Designing learning: Cognitive science principles for the innovative organization (Tech. No. 10099).

Prentice, D. A., & Miller, D. T. (1992). When small effects are impressive. Psychological Bulletin, 12, 160-164. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.160

Schumacher, D. J., Englander, R., & Carraccio, C. (2013). Developing the master learner: Applying learning theory to the learner, the teacher, and the learning environment. Academic Medicine, 88, 1635-1645. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182a6e8f8 PMid:24072107

Spiro, R. J., Feltovich, P. J., Jacobson, M. J., & Coulson, R. L. (1991). Cognitive flexibility, constructivism, and hypertext: Random access instruction for advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. Educational Technology, May, 24-33.

Van Merrienboer, J. G., & Kirschner, P. (2013). Ten steps to complex learning. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203096864

Walser, T. M. (2014). Quasi-experiments in schools: The case for historical cohort control groups. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 19, 1-8.

Woodrow, H. (1927). The effect of type of training upon transference. Journal of Educational Psychology, 18, 159-172. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0071868