On the cognitive transfer in CBL environments

View/ Open
Date
2003Author
Karoulis, Athanasis
Triantafillou, Evangelos
Pombortsis, Andreas
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In this paper we report on a longitudinal study of a Leonardo da Vinci program about the application of a
Computer Based Learning environment in three EU countries, Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands. Firstly we
clarify the notion of CBL environments, in comparison to multimedia and distance learning ones, and then we
provide some theoretical background about these environments. The main research question we tried to answer
was whether the application of the environment could perform adequately without the presence of a domain expert
as a «teacher», but relying on a «tutor» who had five main tasks to perform during the instructional phase, as
described in the paper. In order to answer this question, we designed and constructed an integrated environment
and, in addition to this, an instructional methodology for it. The application of the environment by the partners
showed our hypothesis to be correct, moreover we elicited results about the different user groups that worked with
the environment and their performance under different circumstances. We studied the combination of CBL
training and real practice in real environments, among some other issues concerning the application of CBL
environments in general, and we provide some statistical facts as observed and reported during the two pilot
studies and the five applications of the environment in the three participating European countries. We conclude by
arguing that the tutor, as described in this paper, performs more than satisfactorily and demands far fewer
resources than a real domain expert. We also pinpoint some points of concern about CBL environments as well as
their applicabiltiy in real circumstances with or without a tutor.