Documentation Report, Self-Paced Physics, Course Evaluation.

A self-paced, individualized, multimedia physics course developed by the New York Institute of Technology for the U. S. Naval Academy with funds provided by the U. S. Office of Education is evaluated. Student performance is measured by "core problems." A core problem is a terminal objective in problem form. The student uses his results as a basis for choosing one of three alternatives: to proceed to the next core problem, to try the core prime problem (a variation of the core problem), or to address a sequence of enabling problems (illustrating major steps for the achievement of the core problem). In comparisons with "conventional" instruction, no achievement differences were found between the forms of instruction. However, reasons were cited which indicated that under the conditions of the experiment the self-paced students were placed at a disadvantage with respect to these criteria. It was concluded that the individualized, self-paced system makes a substantial difference in performance over conventional instruction. Included are evaluations of the media used and the cost effectiveness of the program. Extensive tables of statistical data are added as appendices. (Author/TS)