The effects of two teaching models on community college students in an online college algebra lesson

As the Internet continues to grow, more institutions are extending their services offering by offering courses over the World Wide Web. In terms of teaching models utilizing computer-assisted instruction, there are concerns as to the effectiveness of the direct instruction model. Reform efforts and performance data show an ever-widening gap in the performance level of students attempting college mathematics courses. In an effort to extend the base of research in mathematics education, follow through with current reform initiatives, and employ technology based instruction, it is necessary to find teaching models that will significantly increase student performance in mathematics. The primary research question in this study is, “How does the teaching model affect student performance in an online college algebra lesson?”;Participants included students from a community college on the south plains of Texas enrolled in a college algebra course for the Spring 2001 semester. A demographic survey and pre-test were administered prior to the treatment. The treatment involved participation in an online lesson teaching a topic customary to any college algebra curriculum, linear absolute value inequalities. Participants received either a direct instruction or concept attainment lesson. A repeated measures analysis was used to determine statistical significance in this experiment. The teaching model served as the independent variable, while scores on the post-test served as the dependent variable. Immediately upon completion of the online lesson, each participant was administered a post-test and post-intervention survey.;Results of this study indicated no statistically significant differences in the two treatment groups, meaning the direct instruction group performed similarly to the concept attainment group. However, these results indicate a need for instructional designers to employ alternative teaching models such as the concept attainment model in an attempt to provide varying means of instructional delivery within online mathematics lessons for college students.