Instructions for Searching

To access bibliographic citations related to assessing the impact of technology on student learning:
This database may be searched in several different ways including by author(s), research type, technology type, discipline, and assessment methods. The fields are not case sensitive.

If you want to see all the citations, along with a synopsis, choose Show Records from the sidebar. This will return all the entries in the database, ten at a time.

If you have any further questions, please e-mail: joni_spurlin@ncsu.edu.

Author
To search for papers by an author, use last name only in the search box. Authors are selected by text string, but most are listed in the database by last name, and first initial. If you are unsure of how to spell a last name, put a portion of the name in the box. The more exact your request is, the smaller and more precise the returned results will be. For example, if you type in Hall, you will only be returned citations by Hall, whereas if you input only ha, you will be returned the citations for both Hall, Hara and Graham..

Research Type
This drop box lists research type and methods, which we define as follows:

• Qualitative (descriptive, case studies)
• Quantitative (survey research, lab/class-based experiments)
• Book (edited, training handbooks, book chapters, published conference proceedings)
• Web resource (conference presentations, news articles, on-line non-referenced journals)
• Other (theoretical, literature review in journal, miscellaneous)

Technology Type
Technology type is divided into two separate drop boxes: on-line education and in-class use of technology (although some types/articles may appear in more than one drop box). Each drop box lists the different technology types, which we define as follows:

On-line education: Select one of the following technology categories related to on-line education:

• Assessment tools (assessment and evaluation strategies)
• Asynchronous learning networks (defined as time-delayed learning, where instructor-student interaction occurs intermittently. This could encompass self-paced on-line courses/tutorials, on-line discussion, and e-mail. There will be an overlap with citations resulting from a search using on-line courses and on-line discussion)
• Collaborative learning environments (virtual settings created to enable students at different locations to communicate and work together)
• Course management systems (web-based course management software)
• General technology usage (multiple technologies may be referred to)
• On-line course (specifically related to on-line courses)
• On-line discussion (specifically related to on-line discussion techniques, such as discussion boards and blogs)

In-class use of technology: Select one of the following technology categories relate.d to in-class use of technology. The technology may be used during classtime or as outside of class, but be part of a course or pedogogy that is related mor to face-to-face than on-line education:

• Computer-assisted learning (multimedia, computer-assisted instruction, personal response systems(e.g., "clickers" or "ask the ausdiencd" type systems), specialized softwae usage)
• Course management systems (software, often web-based)
• General technology usage (multiple technologies may be referred to)
• iPod (specifically related to use of iPods in classroom settings)
• Laptop (laptop computers or other handheld devices, such as PDAs)
• Other (in progress: the only citation we have included here at present is related to commercial simulators)

Discipline
This drop box lists disciplines, which include the following:

• Agriculture
• Business - includes economics, accounting
• Design
• Education
• Engineering including computer sciences, information technology
• Fine Arts including music, visual arts, performing arts
• Foreign Language
• Humanities including history, philosophy, english, communication
• Legal
• Life Sciences including biology
• Management
• Mathematical sciences including mathematics, statistics
• Medicine including allied health, nursing, medical education
• Natural Resources including parks, recreation, environmental studies, fitness, forestry
• Physical Sciences
• Social Sciences including chemistry, physics, geology
• Veterinary Medicine
• Multiple
• N/A

Assessment Methods
Materials can be selected by either direct or indirect assessment methods.

• Direct: This refers to the direct assessment of the impact of technology on student learning through such methods as: course-embedded measures, performance measures, simulations, pre- and post-tests, and portfolios.
• Indirect: This refers to indirect assessment methods such as: student evaluations, self-reported measures, satisfaction surveys, focus groups, alumni surveys, and faculty observations.

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