Educational Technology Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Distance education does not offer freedom of eligibility.

Distance education is built around the learner's freedom: he can study at his own pace, at a time that suits him, and through a choice of media such as printed material, broadcasts and online resources. These freedoms of pace, time and medium are what make it flexible for working adults and others who cannot attend regular classes.

Eligibility is different. To be admitted to a distance programme a learner must still meet the entry qualifications the institution prescribes, such as a school-leaving certificate for a degree course. The learner cannot choose his own eligibility, so this is the freedom not offered.

Answer: C

The University's key gives concept comparison. What could and could not be confirmed: no account of Crowder's branching programme was found that ties it to concept comparison rather than concept formation, so the keyed option rests on the key.

A branching (intrinsic) programme, associated with Norman Crowder, presents a larger block of material followed by a multiple-choice question, and sends the learner to a different frame according to the answer chosen: forward on a right answer, to remedial material on a wrong one. Because the learner's choice among alternatives reveals a particular misunderstanding, the design suits content in which alternatives have to be compared and told apart, which is the reading under which the key's 'concept comparison' fits. A linear programme in small steps, as Skinner designed it, suits plain knowledge of facts.

The choice among comparison, formation and the other options is the key's, not one a source settles.

Answer: B

The fourth step is controlling of teaching.

Ivor K. Davies applied the functions of management to the teacher's work. In his model the teacher is a manager of learning who performs four functions: planning (setting objectives and analysing the task), organising (arranging resources and learning activities), leading (motivating and guiding learners) and controlling (evaluating whether objectives have been achieved and taking corrective action).

Evaluation is part of controlling but is not the name Davies gave to the step. Reinforcement and administration are not among his four steps, which follow the classical management sequence of planning, organising, leading and controlling.

Answer: C

It is an example of simulation instruction.

A simulation presents a model of a real or imaginary situation in which the learner takes a role and makes decisions, seeing the consequences as he would in the real situation but without its risks. Playing the part of a hunter in a jungle created by a computer program is exactly this kind of CAI.

Drill and practice gives repeated exercises on skills already taught. Information (tutorial) instruction presents new content and checks understanding. Problem-solving CAI sets problems to be worked out. None of them places the learner in an active role within a modelled environment, which is the mark of simulation.

Answer: C

Asynchronous learning is based on constructivist theory.

In asynchronous learning, learners and teachers do not interact at the same time; learners work through materials, discussion forums and assignments at their own pace. This places the learner in control: he explores resources, reflects before responding and builds understanding through discussion with peers. Constructivism, which holds that learners actively construct knowledge through experience and social interaction, is the theory that underlies such learner-directed, collaborative online learning.

Behaviourism stresses stimulus, response and reinforcement under the teacher's control. Cognitive theory focuses on internal mental processes, and Gestalt theory on perception and insight. None of them is the basis of self-paced, discussion-based learning.

Answer: D

The University's key gives the multimedia approach. What could and could not be confirmed: no source that could be opened ties changes in the affective domain (interests, habits and attitudes) to the multimedia approach in particular, and the software approach (option B) is the option many textbooks pair with changes in behaviour, so the keyed option rests on the key.

The affective domain covers feelings, interests, attitudes and values. In the usual textbook division the hardware approach concerns machines and equipment, the software approach concerns the design of instructional material and the behaviour it is meant to change, and the system approach treats instruction as a whole. A combination of media can carry sound, pictures and film, which affect attitude and interest more than print alone, and that is the reasoning behind the key. The question is a matter of the key's textbook, not a settled fact.

Answer: C

Assistive technology is used specifically for disabled learners.

Assistive technology is any device or software that helps a person with a disability to perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. In e-learning it includes screen readers and Braille displays for blind learners, captions for deaf learners, alternative keyboards and switches for learners with physical disabilities, and speech recognition software.

Slow learners and advanced learners need differences in pace and enrichment, and hyperactive learners need help with attention and behaviour. These are supported by teaching methods, not by assistive technology, which is designed for learners with disabilities.

Answer: C

Circles are a characteristic of Google+.

Google+, Google's social network launched in 2011 and closed to consumers in 2019, organised contacts into 'circles'. A user could place people in different circles, such as one for each class, and share posts with a chosen circle only. This let a teacher manage communication with different groups of students separately.

Facebook organises contacts as friends, lists and groups, and Twitter as followers. WordPress is a blogging and website platform rather than a social networking site. The term 'circles' belonged to Google+.

Answer: A

A characteristic of an online library is lower maintenance cost.

An online (digital) library stores its material electronically. Once the material is digitised, it needs no shelves, no building space and no physical handling, and one copy can serve many users at once, so the cost of maintaining the collection is lower than for a print library.

Maximum physical space for storage is the opposite of the truth: a digital library needs very little physical space. Lower fees depend on the institution's policy, not on the medium. Ease of reading is doubtful, since many readers find long texts harder to read on a screen than on paper.

Answer: D

An advantage of an online survey is flexibility of design.

Online survey tools allow many question formats, skip logic that takes respondents through different routes depending on their answers, randomised question order, and multimedia items. The questionnaire can also be changed easily, and data are collected automatically.

A decrease in response rates is a disadvantage, and online surveys often do suffer from low response. Difficulty in gathering data is also a disadvantage, and the reverse of the case, since collection is easy. Maximum reliability is not a feature of the medium: reliability depends on the instrument, and online samples raise their own problems of coverage.