Comparison of a Computer-Based to Hands-On Lesson in Experimental Design

In this study, we compared our computer tutor (“TED” for Training in Experimental Design) to a teacher-guided control lesson also targeting experimental design but incorporating hands-on learning. Students in both groups showed significant gains in ability to design unconfounded experiments. TED instruction was significantly more efficient than the control lesson. When the teacher’s ratings of student ability were co-varied, students in the TED condition significantly out-performed control students on both immediate and delayed far transfer assessments taken three weeks after instruction. Students in both groups also reported a preference for physical over virtual materials.