Asynchronous learning networks and cognitive apprenticeship: A potential model for teaching complex problem-solving skills in corporate environments.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Cognitive apprenticeship is an instructional design model which focuses on the development of higher level thinking skills such as problem-solving. In my study, this instructional design approach was tested for its effectiveness in teaching technical skills to adult learners in an on-line learning environment.
Two six-week Object Oriented Analysis (OOA) courses were offered to IBM professionals and NYU graduate students during the winter and spring semester of 1999. An Asynchronous Learning Network was used as the online platform for these courses. Students accessed the courses using either a Lotus Notes client or a web browser. The courses were collaborative and varied in terms of the instructional design: traditional text based with audio or cognitive apprenticeship.
Forty-three students were recruited for the study, twenty IBM professionals, and twenty-three NYU graduate students. The results of data analysis on pretests indicated no difference between the groups in their initial knowledge of OOA. After the completion of each six-week course, a posttest was administered. A panel of three expert OOA professionals was recruited to assess student performance. Solutions were rated based on the inclusion and quality of four components: a Use Case, Object Model, Interaction Diagram, and Glossary of Objects. The results of data analyses revealed that while both groups showed significant improvements in OOA knowledge as a result of the OOA course, the cognitive apprenticeship group outperformed the text-based group on aspects of the OOA solution which required complex problem-solving (creating Object Models and Interaction Diagrams). No difference between the groups was observed with respect to their ability to identify a Use Case. The text-based group scored higher with respect to creating a Glossary of Objects. It is felt that students spent their time on tasks they considered to be most important or on those with which they felt most comfortable completing. The overall conclusion is that the cognitive apprenticeship group developed better complex problem-solving skills than the text-based group.