The effect of classroom use of an electronic group support system on student critical thinking, performance and satisfaction

Abstract

The use of an Interactive Computer Classroom (ICC) as compared to a traditional lecture format (LEC) for a nursing management course taught during the fall semester 1996 was examined in this study. The ICC was structured around Group Systems Support software, a tool previously used in business settings for group decision-making activities. The outcomes included critical thinking, measured by written responses completed at the end of each class and by scores from the California Critical Thinking Skills Test; academic performance, measured by the management course's midterm grades; and student satisfaction, measured by attendance and course evaluations. To consider generalizability of performance, the midterm examination scores of a concurrent nursing course were also measured. The management course midterm scores of the ICC group were significantly higher than those of the LEC group. The response to the open-ended-questions of the student evaluations indicated strong support of the participation made available by the computer activities but frustration with the computer hardware and software. Further evidence supporting student satisfaction was that six students requested to be transferred to the ICC group when the study was completed at mid-semester, while no students chose to move to the LEC group. There were no significant differences in scores for the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, the midterms grades for a concurrent nursing course, and class attendance.