The Journal of Computer Assisted Learning is a , peer-reviewed, international journal which covers the whole range of uses of information and communication technology to learning and wisdom exchange. It aims to provide a medium for communication between researchers and the practitioners and to foster collaborative research.

It is a rich source of material for examination students in areas such as collaborative learning, wisdom engineering, open, distance and networked learning, developmental psychology and evaluation. The themes are treated in a way which will maximize their influence on developments and put into practice in education, training and development. Each volume includes one, sometimes two, Special Issues and these provide readers with an in-depth perspective on a specific topic. First published in 1985, JCAL continues to have the aim of making the outcomes of contemporary and experience accessible.

During this period there have been major technological advances offering new opportunities and approaches in the use of a wide range of technologies to help learning and transfer more generally. There is currently much emphasis on the use of network functionality and the challenges its appropriate uses pose to teachers/tutors working with students locally and at a distance.

research has demonstrated girls to outperform boys on conventional literacy tests. The present studies concern gender differences on computerised educational tests. Seventy-one children were tested using LASS Secondary and a set of seven conventional measures. No significant gender differences were found on any of the LASS Secondary modules, although females did outperform males on a conventional spelling test. A further 126 pupils were tested on computerised and document versions of the LASS Secondary reading, spelling and reasoning modules. No gender differences were found on the computerised versions, but there were significant differences on the document versions of the reading and spelling modules favouring females. In a third study, 45 children were administered computerised and document versions of the LASS Junior reading and spelling modules.

There were no significant differences on the computerised modules, but girls performed significantly higher than boys on the version of the spelling module. It is possible that computerised does not detect the established gender effect due to differences between males and females in motivation, computer experience and competitiveness. Further large-scale studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

This document examines the evidence for the digital divide based on gender. An overview of published in the last 20 years draws to the conclusion that females are at a disadvantage relative to men when learning about computers or learning other material with the aid of computer-assisted software. The evidence shows that the digital divide affects people of all ages and across boundaries. We suggest that the digital divide is fundamentally a problem of computer anxiety whose roots are deep in socialization patterns of boys and girls and that interact with the stereotype of computers as toys for boys.

A model of the digital divide is presented that examines gender stereotypes, attribution patterns, and stereotype threat as antecedents of computer anxiety. Computer anxiety in turn leads to differences in computer attitudes and computer performance. A number of suggestions are offered to reduce the impact of the digital divide.

Abstract Despite huge efforts to position information and communication technology (ICT) as a central tenet of university teaching and learning, the fact remains that many university students and faculty make only limited formal academic use of computer technology. Whilst this is usually attributed to a variety of operational deficits on the portion of students, faculty, and universities, this considers the wider social relations underpinning the relatively modest use of technology in higher education.

The document explores how university use of computer technology is shaped into marginalized and curtailed positions by a variety of actors. From the ‘writing’ of ICT at a national policy level through to the marginalization of ICT within the lived ’student experience’, a consistent theme emerges where computer technology use is constructed in limited, linear, and rigid terms far removed from the innovative, productive, and empowering uses which are often celebrated by educational technologists. In the light of such constraints, the document considers how these dominant constructions of a peripheral and limited use of ICT may be challenged by the higher education community. In particular, it concludes by reflecting on current critical thinking about how educational technologists can foster a more expansive and empowered use of computer technology within university settings.

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Educational guides are a useful medium for delivering flexible deliverance when the topic and circumstances are conducive to it.

According to Bruhn and Guthrie (1994), a Learning Guide is a ’structured booklet designed to direct the learner through a series of educational activities and to a range of resources to achieve specified competencies or educational outcomes”.

A educational guide is not a ‘how to’ manual like manuals that accompany television sets, microwaves and computers etc, but they may be used in conjunction with them. The key focus of educational guides (hereafter ‘guides’) is that they guide users through a structured educational experience. Manuals don’t do that, they simply offer a number of activities users can follow to get certain outcomes. An example will highlight the difference.
Example:

On one occasion I used guides to cover a half dozen or so small topics that were important, but which did not warrant group training sessions (I later redeveloped them as computer based instruction modules delivered online). This was in an organisation that had six offices spread throughout the Northern Territory (Australia), two of which were remote. Costs for training delivery were often high due to the need for travel, therefore, it was desirable to find alternative modes in order to keep costs.
One of the topics my guides covered for example, was titled “Using Delegations” and consisted of only 16 pages.

Note: For those not familiar with delegations, they refer to the acts or omissions a person holding a specific job can do or not do eg, approve leave of absence for a staff member,buy goods and services valued up to $30,000, or terminate an employee’s service. People exercising a delegation are called delegates. If you don’t hold delegation, then you can’t lawfully execute a task.

It was important that delegates knew what they were, or weren’t authorised to do. Non-delegates had to know who had delegation to carry out the tasks required. My short educational guide included the following parts:
A Module Overview setting out the purpose, delivery strategy, learning outcomes, how to achieve the outcomes, resources required, and details about how the topic was to be assessed
Five educational activities
An assessment questionnaire
A summary and review page
An attached answers guide for the intermediate assessment topics (self assessment)

Learning activity one detailed the framework in which delegations exist ie, Constitutional and other legislative matters that allow delegation. There were two activities at the end of Educational Activity One. The first required learners to obtain a copy of an Act of Parliament and study several sections (about delegation). The second required people to read a description, find the section of an Act that related to that description and write in the answers on a blank table. (This was my way of making sure people actually read specific sections).

Educational activities two through five all had a similar process of getting learners to do something followed by a short self-assessment.

Finally, learners were expected to answer 10 “fill in the answer” questions and answers for two small case studies involving real life delegations activities.

The former required learners to refer to the organisation’s Delegations Manual and record which delegation (if any) fitted a specific circumstance. When learners completed the assessment questionnaire, they would fax it to the Training Department. One of my people would mark it and provide feedback about the result.

Each learning activity covered a separate, small part of the whole topic. (People learn in small bits). I provided feedback through self-assessment and faxed assessment. (People need feedback). Topics were logically sequenced. (People need to work from general concepts to specific concepts). Learners used the manuals and legislation that actually applied to them in their everyday jobs. (Adult learners particularly want to learn ‘real’, practical solutions, not deal with fiction).

You’ll understand now how the structure in a educational guide and the use of instructional design principles makes them different from a standard operating manual. One key advantage of educational guides is that you don’t have to incorporate documents that are elsewhere available … all you do is reference them. If they change, it’s not that difficult to update your learning guide.

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