STAR: A Computerized Tutorial in General Psychology

This study investigated the use of a computerized tutorial--Self-Test and Review (STAR)--in a computer-managed general psychology course. STAR consists of four major modules which provide the student with a variety of learning exercises, including practice quizzes, practice final exams, performance reviews, and structured study questions. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students would choose STAR as a study tool, the effect of lecture versus self-paced settings on the use of STAR, whether students who used STAR would perform better than those who did not, and the effect of the timing of feedback in STAR on performance. Students were enrolled in either a lecture or self-paced setting. Students in lecture sections met in the classroom for a traditional lecture, discussion, and classroom activities. Students in self-paced sections met in a computer-managed testing center. Analyses of data on course performance and STAR usage indicate that: (1) 49% of the 1,136 subjects used STAR; (2) lecture versus self-paced settings did not affect the use of STAR; (3) the timing of feedback did not have an impact on performance; and (4) students who used the STAR tutorial performed well in the course and, as a whole, better than those students who did not use the tutorial. It is concluded that, while the results were generally positive, the findings of the study create other research questions concerning the impact of modification of lecture settings, the impact of STAR tutorials in other course formats, and the ways in which STAR influences student comprehension.