Computerized Education: What is Behind the Attractive Curtain?

Abstract

This study is aimed to analyze the internal structure and effectiveness of computerized (web-enhanced on-campus and on-line) education that is currently spread worldwide and which appears to be irreversible. Most publications dealing with computerized education are focused on its advantages and only a few of them contain cautious and reasonable skepticism based on the fact that the computerized technology usage (and the Internet as its delivery system) does not guarantee a better educational process. In contrast with a traditional style, which is based on Instructor-Student communication, the computerized approach involves at least one more party, the technical support staff, operating within either Intranet or Internet environment. This component could be involved into the educational process either in succession or in parallel providing opposite outcomes to the educational effectiveness. The formal algorithm describing the computerized educational process is developed on the basis of a combination of the AND and OR logical operators applied to the set of communication topologies. This algorithm allows comparing qualitatively and quantitatively different scenarios of learning as well as estimating the relative contribution of each local component into the entire process.