The Development and Validation of a Computer-Aided Instructional Program in Mathematics for Business and Economics Majors

• Main Author: McCool, Kenneth Bland, 1942-
• Other Authors: Thomas, L. Fred (Lawrence Fred)
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: North Texas State University 1973
• Subjects: A Programming Language System 360; Mathematics > Computer-assisted instruction.; Mathematics > Study and teaching.; APL/360; computer assisted teaching; mathematics instruction
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc501009/

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of comparing the results of teaching community college students enrolled in a transferable mathematics sequence for business and economics majors by a computer-aided instructional program and by the traditional lecture method. In order to effectively resolve this problem, an A Programming Language System 360 (APL/360)-aided instructional program was developed and an experimental study was conducted. The APL/360-aided instructional program consisted of three sets of materials.: a manuscript on APL/360, a list of APL programs defining operators relevant to a computer-aided study of calculus, and a collection of problems based on these programs and calculus concepts. The subjects for the experiment were forty-four students enrolled in three sections of Mathematics 112 at Mountain View College of the Dallas County Community College District. The control group, students taught by the traditional lecture method, consisted of twenty-one students. The experimental group, students taught by the APL/360-aided instructional program, consisted of twenty-three students. The same instructor taught all students. The essential difference in the two teaching methods was the use of the computer as a teaching-learning aid in the computer-aided instructional program. The computer was a course supplement to classroom instruction and aided students in obtaining insight into the nature of mathematical concepts as well as serving as a computational aid.