The educational effectiveness of computer-based instruction

Although numerous studies have shown that computer-based education is effec tive for enhancing rote memorization, the impact of these tools on higher-o rder cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, is less clear. Existing m ethods for evaluating educational effectiveness, such as surveys, quizzes a nd pre- or post-interviews, may not be effective for evaluating impact on c ritical thinking skills because students are not always aware of the effect s the software has on their thought processes. We review an alternative eva luation strategy whereby the student's mastery of a specific cognitive skil l is directly assessed both before and after participating in a computer-ba sed exercise. Methodologies for assessing cognitive skill are based on rece nt advances in the fields of cognitive science. Results from two studies sh ow that computer-based exercises can positively impact the higher-order cog nitive skills of some students. However, a given exercise will not impact a ll students equally. This suggests that further work is needed to understan d how and why CAI software is more or less effective within a given populat ion. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.