Date of Award
1992
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Valda M. Robinson
Keywords
students
Abstract
The purposes of this research project were to (1) develop a computer keyboarding seminar for personnel with units of the U.S. Army in Europe, (2) validate that seminar, and (3) develop plans for implementation and evaluation. The need for such a program was evident, as Army units in Europe must arrange local training for many personnel who use computers but who have never been trained because formal training courses have not been modified to include computer keyboarding. The need for- local keyboard training will continue because computers are being increasingly used by Army personnel in more activities. The following research questions were addressed by this project!
1. What should be the overall seminar goals?
2. What behavioral objectives are necessary to attain those goals?
3. What instructional Methodologies are appropriate to achieve those behavioral objectives?
4. What are the results of validation after development?
5. How can the program be implemented after development and validation?
6. How can the program be evaluated after implementation?
Data and information for this research were obtained from several sources. Relevant literature was reviewed seventeen Maryland community colleges and prospective students from military units were surveyed. information and data were organized into tables and scrutineered with appropriate tests or were qualitatively described. Three community colleges were visited to follow up on data collected in the mail survey and because programs at those institutions offered information potential beyond the initial survey.
Two pilot seminars were conducted in the Wuerzburg military community in the spring of 1991 to test two seminar formats. Both pilot seminars resulted in graduates with statistically significant improvements in keyboarding speeds and improvement in keyboarding speeds for students in the interval format were significant at higher levels.
The program was validated. Plans for implementation and evaluation after evaluation were made. A keyboarding seminar program with interval scheduling will be implemented when sufficient funding is available, probably in the second quarter of fiscal year 1992 which begins on October 1, 1991. Two-month blocks of seminars will be planned to facilitate student and Instructor scheduling and to insure optimum utilization of instructor time. After implementation, ongoing evaluation of the program will be accomplished by pre- and post-tests of keyboarding speeds and by having students and instructors complete end-of-seminar evaluations.