Summary: The Effects of Electronic Classrooms on Learning English Composition
Marquita LeShe’ Snow
Most universities require English Composition as a part of their core curriculum or as a part of their general curriculum. English Composition is a course usually taught by a professor in a classroom setting with desks, chalkboards, and is a traditional lecture class where students listen to the professor talk about the fundamentals of the English language, study the principles of compositions, and even write their own compositions. As technology begins to evolve, some universities have seen an apparent need to change their method of teaching from lecture to a new high technological way by using computers as a base of instruction. They have found that newer generations of students appeal to computers or computer-based classes more so than a class where they do not have the hands on ability with the learning process of mastering a skill such as writing which is a skill learned in English Composition. In this article, the ideas are the comparisons from a traditional way of learning English Composition in lecturing environment to those in a technological based environment.
Florida International University decided to update their curriculum by making their classrooms computer friendly. They built multimedia classrooms, which had computers, slide projectors, and many more breaking edge pieces of technology to assist with the learning process. These electronic classrooms were on the breaking edge of technology in which the university decided to try their Freshman Composition courses as a guinea pig to the new way of learning. Traditionally Freshman Composition courses are in a classroom with desks and a chalkboard only but with the new electronic classroom, students had access to computers, a stereo sound system with compact disc player, and many in-put devices. There was a huge difference in the traditional classroom setting and the electronic classroom setting. There were three sections of Freshman Composition all taught by the same professor. The professor taught two sections of Freshman Composition in the electronic classroom and the other section in the traditional classroom. It seemed that the electronic classroom became the more popular choice as well as majority of the students who were enrolled into the course that was taught in the electronic classrooms seemed to be prospering at a better rate than those in the traditional classroom setting.
The students that attended class in the electronic classroom seemed to like the new addition of using various methods, which the professor integrated computers, music, and even videos shown on a big projector screen. Students that were in the traditional classroom setting did not have the technological advantage that the other students had due to the equipment that was in the electronic classroom was not in the traditional classroom therefore they did not get the same effect that the electronic classroom students felt. The traditional classroom students had to look at an overhead projector to take notes and they took their quizzes on paper instead of like the students in the electronic classroom who took their quizzes on the computer. The electronic classroom environment was setup to show multimedia presentations as well as a great environment for students to have class discussions whereas in the traditional classroom this was not the case. In a traditional classroom, the multimedia presentations took time and the discussions seemed to disinterest the students.
With there being a great difference show between the electronic classrooms and the traditional classrooms due to environment issues there was also issues with the class experience. Students seemed to be more at tentative and engaged in learning in the electronic classroom but less at tentative and engaged in the traditional classroom. Students were also less truant and more successful with grasping the objectives of the course in the electronic classroom than in the traditional classroom. With the students in the traditional classroom not grasping the objectives of the course, they averaged a class grade of a C range whereas the students in the electronic classroom had a higher average. The students in the electronic classroom also gave better-written comments than those of the students in the traditional classroom.
With today’s society being so dependent on technology, electronic classrooms may not be such a bad idea. If more universities were to take into consideration that students are technological based and like to do work hands on then there may not be such a low-grade average among freshmen as well as upper-classman. If classrooms were to go, high-tech like the electronic classrooms there could be many advantages as well as disadvantages but it would be worth the try to find out if this would be a good idea for other universities to try.