----

##  Using Technology in Remedial Education. ERIC Digest.                         

"Remedial education," "academic upgrading," and "basic skills                   instruction," are among the many terms used to describe higher                  education programs for students who are not academically prepared               for college-level work. Regardless of the semantics, remediation is             a continuing challenge for higher education institutions. This is               especially true for community colleges where the majority of                    students requiring remedial curricula is concentrated. In an effort             to increase financial efficiency and learning effectiveness,                    community colleges have investigated the use of technology and                  computer-aided instruction in remedial education (Wilson, 1992;                 McMillan, Parke & Lanning, 1997). Over the past few decades, a                  burgeoning technology industry has struggled for a place in the                 traditional education system. The real question regarding technology            use in higher education curriculum is not "whether to use computers             in education, but how" (Rapp & Gittinger, 1993, p. 2). Many                     potential benefits of computer-aided instruction have been suggested            including privacy, objectivity, timeliness of feedback,                         individuation of learning, flexibility, convenience, and a                      non-threatening learning environment for students (Wilson, 1992).               These features of computer-aided instruction appear to offer an                 arena for the integration of educational goals with technological               advancements in remedial education. 
This Digest discusses two                 specific computer-aided instruction systems used in remedial                    education programs at two-year colleges in the United States and                Canada: SYNERGY and INVEST. Additionally, general observations                  regarding the student outcomes from the use of these computer-based             systems will be addressed including some critical points regarding              the implementation and adjustment process for institutions utilizing            technology and computers in remedial education programs. THE                  INSTRUCTION SYSTEMSAs implemented in the Nova Scotia Community              College System in Canada, the INVEST system is a Local Area                     Network (LAN) computer system that incorporates approximately 4,000             lessons into a three-tiered system. Tier 1 provides Literacy-Based              Instruction, Tier 2 focuses on Adult Basic Education, and Tier 3                furnishes General Education Development (GED) Exam Preparation.                 Mathematics, reading, writing, and life-skills instruction are                  available in each of the three tiers, and instructors determine the             level of mastery required of students to progress within the                    tier. 
A pre-test determines where students are placed initially               within the lessons in each subject area. These computerized lessons             provide information and opportunities for practice in the four                  subject areas. Performance on a post-test measures students' mastery            of the subjects. A successful performance on the post-test allows               the student to advance to the next module of pre-test and lessons in            that tier. Instructors are made aware of student difficulties                   through a "lock out" mechanism on the program. That is, after the               maximum number of unsuccessful attempts (as previously determined by            the instructor) is reached on the mastery tests, the program will               freeze and require the student to see the instructor in order to                continue the program (Moore, 1993). 
Another means instructors used            to communicate with students in the Nova Scotia Community College               INVEST project is a computerized journal. One file of the journal is            private, and students are encouraged to write in it daily. The other            file is an interactive teacher-student journal. Students are                    expected to write comments, concerns and questions on a daily basis,            and the instructor reads and responds to the student communication.             According to both Wilson (1992) and Moore (1993), student gains were            achieved in both reading and math. The increase in reading was not              significantly different from the gains found in reading among                   students in a traditional, non-computerized remedial program.                   However, the increase in mathematics achievement using the INVEST               system, particularly in the areas of mathematical concepts and                  problem solving, was greater than the gains in classrooms using                 traditional teaching approaches (Wilson, 1992; Moore,                           1993). 
Project SYNERGY is an instructional management system that             was developed through the efforts of 19 two-year colleges and three             four-year colleges under the direction of Miami-Dade Community                  College in Miami, FL. The system and instructional software are the             result of research conducted by 39 faculty members at four                      institutions. They reviewed over 298 software packages to assess                quality, amass a bank of questions to test for basic skills mastery,            and conduct software implementation tests (Anandam, 1994). The end              product of the review is the Project SYNERGY integrator, an                     adaptive, computerized management system for remedial                           education (Anandam, 1994). 
The Project SYNERGY Integrator (PSI)               facilitates basic-skills development through a Windows-driven access            module for the student and command module for the instructor. The               integration of these two modules allows instructors to set                      preferences, monitor the students' progress, receive reports, modify            the curriculum, send e-mail, and personally intervene in the                    learning process. Additionally through the system, the student is               able to create a personalized curriculum based on computerized                  placement tests. The student is also able to ask for assistance from            other students or the instructor at any time during the learning                process. GENERAL OBSERVATIONSIn discussions of computer-aided             instruction, an often-raised question is, "Is it better than text-              or lecture-based instruction?" With regard to remedial education,               the results have been quite positive. Initial findings about the                effectiveness of computerized programs have largely been determined             through the use of student evaluations and student and instructor               feedback. Regardless of the source of the feedback, the type of                 computer-assisted instruction, or the location of the program,                  several observations were consistent. 
The first of these                      observations is that "self-paced," "self-directed,"                             and "self-sufficient" computerized technology used by students in               remedial programs may change the role of the instructor to that of a            facilitator, but the computer does not replace the instructor. The              role of the instructor is critical in the management of the                     educational systems, especially in introducing students to computer             use (sometimes for the first time), and monitoring and providing                timely feedback on the student's progress. In one sample of feedback            from students using the INVEST program at the Cumberland Campus of              the Nova Scotia Community College System, 80 percent stated they                wanted more time with the instructor to confirm what they were                  learning from the computerized lessons (Moore, 1993). However, one              main complaint of instructors was that various systems of                       computer-aided remedial instruction require the instructor to                   function so much as a "system manager" that the role of the                     instructor as a "learning facilitator" may suffer (Wilson, 1992;                Moore, 1993; Perry & Ford, 1994). Clearly this is an area for                   refinement in the future of computer-assisted remedial                          instruction. 
A second general observation from many institutions              using these types of programs is that collaborative learning is a               critical component to computer-assisted remedial education.                     Student-to-student communication was either a built-in component to             the computer system or was strongly encouraged in                               remedial/developmental programs. Student and instructor feedback                indicated that this was easy to accomplish through e-mail and Local             Area Networks and was an important part of the learning                         process. 
Finally, researchers have identified certain student,                faculty, and institutional features that facilitate the                         implementation and success of these computer-assisted remedial                  education systems. Perry and Ford (1994) cite mature, independent               students, a sophisticated computer system, and a well-equipped                  computer lab. Cornell, Fazio, Florschuetz, Howard, Leyva, Martinez,             Mee, O'Brien and Reinders (1996) found a relevant and holistic                  curriculum with clear learning objectives to be integral to success.            Anandam (1994) lists such features as faculty involvement, an                   institutional commitment to technology, faculty development                     programs, and realistic expectations and assessment                             procedures. CONCLUSIONThe demand for remedial education at the            post-secondary level continues to increase and provides new                     pressures for many community colleges. Based on positive student and            instructor response to computer-aided instruction, it appears that              technology can provide one answer to this growing challenge. Several            common themes emerge when discussing the successful implementation              of computer-aided remedial curriculum and should be considered in               the planning and implementation stages of remedial education                    programs. Formal systems such as INVEST and SYNERGY are beginning to            provide an infrastructure for community colleges to systematically              handle the challenges and demands of remedial education through the             use of technology. REFERENCESAnandam, K. (April, 1994). "A New            Direction for Developmental Education Using Technology." Paper                  presented at the Annual Convention of the American Association of               Community Colleges, Washington, DC. (ED 368 420) 
Cornell, V.,                 Fazio, G., Florschuetz, T., Howard, L., Leyva, R., Martinez, T.,                Mee, G., O'Brien, P., and Reinders, D. (February, 1996). "An Anatomy            of an Innovation: Balancing the Needs of Developmental Students with            the Needs of an Institution." Paper presented at the Annual                     International Conference of the National Community College Chair                Academy, Phoenix, AZ. (ED 394 545) 
McMillan, V.K., Parke, S. and              Lanning, C.A. (1997). "Remedial/Developmental Education Approaches              for the Current Community College Environment." New Directions for              Community Colleges, 25 (4), 21-32. (ED number forthcoming) 
Moore,             A. (May, 1993). "Computer Assisted Instruction (ILS) for Adults."               Paper presented at the Annual International Conference of the                   National Institute for the Staff and Organizational Development on              Teaching Excellence and Conference Administrators, Austin, TX. (ED              377 897) 
Perry, P. and Ford, C. (November, 1994). "Our First Year             of Guides." Paper presented at the Annual Conference on Information             Technology of the League for Innovation in the Community College,               Houston, TX. (ED 376 885) 
Rapp, R.H. and Gittinger,                           D.J. (November, 1993). "Using Computers to Accommodate Learning                 Disabled Students in Mathematics Classes." Paper presented at the               Annual Conference on Information Technology of the League for                   Innovation in the Community College, Nashville, TN. (ED 364                     272) 
Wilson, A.M. (1992). "The INVEST Program: A Computer-Based               System for Adult Academic Upgrading. A Pilot Study." Research                   report, Cumberland Campus of Nova Scotia Community College. (ED 377             896) 
The ERIC Clearinghouse is administered by the National                   Library of Education and operates under OERI Contract No.                       RR93002003. The opinions expressed in this digest do not necessarily            reflect the position or policy of NLE/OERI and no official                      endorsement by NLE/OERI should be inferred.                                  **Title:** Using Technology in Remedial Education. ERIC Digest.                         **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** http://www.gse.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html                                       **Descriptors:** Academic Achievement, Basic Skills,  Community Colleges, Comparative            Analysis,  Computer Assisted Instruction, Foreign Countries, Program            Implementation,  Remedial Instruction, Remedial Programs,  Teacher              Student Relationship, Two Year Colleges                                      **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
###
[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]