An Evaluation of STAR: A Computerized Tutorial in General Psychology

Three studies were conducted to investigate the use of the computerized tutorial, STAR (Self-Test And Review) as a study tool in the general psychology course. The impact of STAR use on course performance was examined under several different classroom environments. Classroom formats included either voluntary STAR usage outside of class time, required STAR usage during class time, or voluntary STAR usage during class time.

Overall, almost half of the students enrolled in the course used the STAR tutorial. Results from the experiments indicated that the students who used STAR as a study tool, regardless of the classroom environment, performed better in the course than students who did not use the STAR tutorial. In addition, those students who used STAR were among a heterogeneous group with respect to academic ability. Performance in the course, in general, was found to be better than previous semesters where STAR was either not available or not formally introduced to the students. Implications of these results and the use of the computer as a study aid in other course formats are discussed.