Use of Advanced Technology in Remedial Instruction

In fall 1995 and 2000, postsecondary institutions were asked whether they offered remedial courses through distance education. Institutions were instructed to include any remedial courses delivered to remote (off-campus) locations via audio, video (live or prerecorded), or computer technologies.²³ In fall 2000, institutions were also asked about

• technologies that are used as primary modes of instructional delivery for remedial courses offered through distance education; and
• the use of computers as a hands-on instructional tool for on-campus remedial reading, writing, or mathematics courses.

Distance Education

Institutions indicated whether they offered remedial courses through distance education in fall 1995 and 2000. To further explore the use of distance education in 2000, institutions were asked whether they used four types of technology as a primary mode to deliver remedial instruction through distance education—two-way interactive video, one-way prerecorded video, Internet courses using synchronous (i.e., simultaneous or "real time") computer-based instruction, and Internet courses using asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) computer-based instruction.²⁴ Institutions were also given the option to specify other types of technologies that were used as a primary mode to deliver remedial education through distance education.

Use of Distance Education

In fall 2000, 13 percent of all institutions offered remedial courses through distance education (figure 9).²⁵ Public 2-year colleges were more likely than all other institutional types to offer remedial courses through distance education; 25 percent of public 2-year colleges, 8 percent of public 4-year institutions, 4 percent of private 4- year institutions, and less than 1 percent of private 2-year institutions offered remedial courses in this way.

Between 1995 and 2000, there was an increase (from 3 percent to 13 percent) in the proportion of institutions overall that offered remedial courses through distance education (figures 9 and 10). Changes were also observed for public 2-year and 4-year institutions. The proportion of public 2-year colleges offering remedial courses through distance education increased from 6 percent in 1995 to 25 percent in 2000, and the proportion of public 4-year institutions offering remedial courses in that way increased from 4 percent to 8 percent during this time period.

Technology Use in Remedial Distance Education Courses

In fall 2000, the primary mode of delivery for remedial instruction through distance education was Internet courses using asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) computer-based instruction; 64 percent of the institutions identified this technology as a primary mode of delivery (figure 11).²⁶ Fewer institutions (25 to 27 percent) cited the use of two-way interactive video, one-way prerecorded video, or Internet courses using synchronous computer-based instruction as a primary mode of delivery. Eight percent of the institutions identified some other technology as a primary mode of delivery of remedial courses offered through distance education.

Use of Computers for Instruction

In fall 2000, about one-third (31 to 35 percent) of the institutions reported that computers were used frequently by students as a hands-on instructional tool for on-campus remedial reading, writing, or mathematics courses (table 12).²⁷ Computers were used occasionally by 40 to 41 percent of institutions for instruction in remedial reading, writing, or mathematics courses. The proportion of institutions indicating that they never or very rarely used this technology for remedial instruction in the various subject areas ranged from 24 to 29 percent.

Public 2-year colleges were more likely than public or private 4-year institutions to report that they frequently used computers as a hands-on instructional tool for on-campus remedial reading, writing, and mathematics courses in fall 2000 (table 12). For example, frequent use of this technology for remedial reading instruction was reported more often by public 2-year colleges (42 percent) than public or private 4-year institutions (27 and 23 percent, respectively).

²³ As with previous chapters, the data are presented by institutional type: public 2-year, private 2-year, public 4-year, and private 4- year.

²⁴ Two-way interactive video refers to two-way video with two-way audio, and one-way prerecorded video includes prerecorded videotapes provided to students and television broadcast or cable transmission using prerecorded video. Examples of Internet courses using synchronous computer-based instruction are interactive computer conferencing or Interactive Relay Chat; examples of Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction are e-mail and most World Wide Web-based courses.

²⁵ The most recent NCES study on distance education found that 56 percent of all 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions offered any type of distance education course during the 12-month 2000-2001 academic year (Waits and Lewis 2003).

²⁶ Institutions could report more than one type of technology as a primary mode of delivery for remedial instruction through distance education.

²⁷ Institutions were instructed to exclude remedial courses offered through distance education.

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