The Development and Evaluation of the Microcomputer Modules Entitled Photophosphorylation.

This study investigated short term information retention of college biology students who used computer assisted instruction (CAI) with students who studied the same subject matter in printed form. An introductory computer program on photophosphorylation (the light reactions of photosynthesis) was written in Applesoft Basic for the Apple II microcomputer. From this, a printed version was made, almost verbatim. After using either the computer module or the written version in a laboratory environment, all students were tested using the same multiple-choice objective test. Results indicated that, when teaching photophosphorylation, CAI induced better learning in students than written materials, as measured by the test employed. The study is organized into these sections: (1) introduction (barriers to CAI, types of CAI, principles of learning, CAI compared to textbooks, past research); (2) methods/materials (development, formative/summative evaluation, data analysis); (3) results; (4) discussion; and (5) summary and conclusions. Appendices include complete photophosphorylation program listings, user's guide, written version, study guide, text (with correct answers), and related lecture material. (Author/JN)