Analytic Culture in the U.S. Intelligence Community (PDF) - CIA

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
The success of one-on-one tutoring may be explained by two factors. First,
measured in terms of questions asked and answered, tutors and their students
engage in many more instructional interactions per unit of time than is possible
in a classroom. Second, one-on-one tutoring can overcome the substantial
spread of ability, measured by the time needed to reach minimal proficiency,
that is found in practically every classroom. Tutoring reduces time-to-learn by
adapting each interaction to the needs of each student. Less time is spent on
material the student has already learned, and more time is spent on material
remaining to be mastered.
To investigate the intensity of instructional interactions, Art Graesser and
Natalie Person compared questioning and answering in classrooms with those
in tutorial settings. 5 They found that classroom groups of students ask about
three questions an hour and that any single student in a classroom asks about
0.11 questions per hour. In contrast, they found that students in individual tutorial
sessions asked 20–30 questions an hour and were required to answer 117–
146 questions per hour. Reviews of the intensity of interaction that occurs in
technology-based instruction have found even more active student response
levels. 6
Differences in the time needed by individuals in any classroom to meet
instructional objectives are also substantial. Studies on this issue have reported
ratios varying from 1:3 to 1:7 in the times the fastest learners need to learn compared
to the times needed by the slowest learners. Although these differences
may be due initially to ability, these studies suggest that such ability is quickly
overtaken by prior knowledge of the subject matter. 7 This effect is particularly
evident in instruction for post-secondary-school students, because prior knowledge
rapidly increases with age and experience. Technology-based instruction
has long been recognized for its ability to adjust the pace of instruction to individual
needs, advancing through instructional material as quickly or as slowly as
required. The overall result has been substantial savings in the time required to
meet given instructional objectives. 8
It should be emphasized that these benefits are not achieved at the expense
of instructional quality. Research has found that many instructional technologies
have a positive impact on learning across a wide variety of student populations,
settings, and instructional subject matters. 9
This research suggests that technology-based instruction results in substantial
savings of time and money. Studies have shown that the times saved aver-
5
Art Graesser and Natalie Person, “Question-Asking During Tutoring.”
6
J. D. Fletcher, Technology, the Columbus Effect, and the Third Revolution in Learning.
7
Sigmund Tobias, “When Do Instructional Methods Make a Difference?”
8
J. D. Fletcher, “Evidence for Learning From Technology-Assisted Instruction.”
9
Ken Spencer, “Modes, Media and Methods: The Search for Educational Effectiveness.”
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