THE EFFECT OF COMPUTER RELATED ASSIGNMENTS ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 17, 1990 175 THE EFFECT OF COMPUTER RELATED ASSIGNMENTS ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Bahram Adrangi, University of Portland ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of computer- related assignments on the performance of business and economics students INTRODUCTION During the last decade or two, the use of computers as an educational tool has increased dramatically. Almost every discipline is affected. The fields of economics and business are no exception. The students in marketing or business policy courses apply some of the tools they learn to manage hypothetical firms in computer simulation games. Other software packages such as SAS, TSP, and SPSS provide timesaving tools for statistical studies. Business schools and Economics departments depend heavily on these packages for pedagogical purposes Henry et al., (1978). Teaching basic statistics, econometrics and forecasting would be significantly hampered without them. Although no one can deny the value of using computers in reinforcing the classroom experience, it is not clear to what extent these tools improve student performance. The ramifications of this issue are significant. If there is no evidence that student performance improves with use of these tools, then there is no justification for evaluating students on the results of a computer- related game or project. If evidence indicates otherwise, the use of computers and various software should be emphasized and increased. Methodology It is clear that a student’s performance in a course. as measured by grade, is a function of many variables. Some of these variables, such as SAT scores or cumulative CPA are quantitative. Other variables, such as attitude toward a class or subject matter and motivation level, are difficult to measure objectively. This study relies on statistical methods that require quantitative measurement of the variables. The study assumes that a student’s cumulative CPA reflects some of the qualitative variables. This assumption imposes some limitations on the interpretation of the results but is not unrealistic. Data on student motivation levels and interest in the subject matter, are difficult to collect and are often unreliable for the purpose of statistical analysis. The study is based on two sets of tests. first, the average grades of two groups of students are compared. One group actively used a statistical package or simulation game and the second group did not. The null and the alternative hypotheses to be tested are as follows: where AG1 and AG2 represent the average grades of the two groups, respectively. This is done by analysis of variance. The second set of tests uses regression analysis. As discussed earlier, course grades are a function of several variables. This functional relationship can be expressed as follows: where G is the grade in the class; CGPA (cumulative grade point average) is used as a proxy for the level of student motivation and interest in college education due to lack of direct measures. The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is entered to reflect the level of student ability. Finally, D represents a dummy variable that takes on values of 1 and 0, depending on whether computer assignments were used in a class or not. The following explicit functional forms are estimated: The estimated coefficient of the dummy variable measures the sensitivity of a student’s grade to the usage of computer-related assignments. The relevant null and alternative hypotheses to test its significance are as follows: If the test result indicates that the coefficient is positive and statistically significant, one concludes that the use of computer- related assignments has significant effect on student performance. Otherwise student performance is not affected by the use of computer-related assignments. Data The students in two different courses taught by the author comprise the necessary samples. The students in the Introduction to Economics course have participated in a computer-based simulation (Microsim by Gold et al.) since the fall semester of 1984. From Spring Semester. 1983 till Fall Semester, 1984 the business simulation game was not required. The sample for this part of the study consists of 97 students. The second part of the data involves the users of the Time Series Processor (TSP) by Hall (1983), in the Managerial’ Economics course. Toward the end of each semester, (since fall 1983) teams of two students estimate a demand function for a product. The teams analyze the computer output for their particular data. In the analyses, students are expected to indude various tests studied, such as, t-statistic, F-statistic, R2, and Durbin-Watson d-statistic. This exercise was not required during the Fall Semester, 1982 and Spring Semester, 1983. One hundred and thirty students from various semesters comprise the sample for this part of the study. Summary of Results and Conclusion The conclusion is that participation in computer-related projects appears to have no significant effect on student performance measured by course grade. Overall academic performance (measured by cumulative CPA upon entering the course) is consistently (in different samples) a significant determinant of a student’s performance. To the extent that grades reflect student knowledge of the subject matter, student “knowledge” does not improve by using computer-related assignments. Therefore, these tools should be used as complementary vehicles to teach business and economics rather than substitutes for conventional methods. Tables and references available upon request. Table of Contents Volume 17, 1990 The Impact of Decision Support Systems on the Effectiveness of Small Group Decisions - Revisited The Relationship Between Financial Performance and Other Measures of Learning on a Simulation Exercise Use and Effectiveness of an Analogy-Based Expert System Suggestions for Computerized Business Authors Dealing with Power: An Experiential Exercise Using Movie and Personal Diary Analysis Techniques A Model for Developing Student Skills and Assessing Outcomes Through Outdoor Training Computer-Aided Exercises Versus Workbook Exercises as Learning Facilitator in the Principles of Marketing Course An Exposition of Guilford's Si Model as a Means of Diagnosing and Generating Pedagogical Strategies in Collegiate Business Education Formal Planning and Simulation Team Performance: A Cross Sectional Approach Cases: Real Organizations in Real Time in the Classroom An Empirical Investigation of the Internal Validity of Marketing Simulation Game An Empirical Evaluation of the Pedagogical Value of Playing a Simulation Game in a Principles of Marketing Course Factors Affecting Effective Teaching of Strategic Planning: Some Preliminary Evidence An Experiential Exercise for Learning About the Relationship Between Organizational Form & the Project Management Process Accounting Communication Skills can be Taught in the Auditing Course Modeling Cost Functions in Computerized Business Simulation: An Application of Duality Theory and Sheppard's Lemma A Life Cycle Analysis of Decision Making for a Strategic Management Team What's the Problem? A Dynamic Model for Teaching Problem Solving Skills Experientially International Currency Fluctuations: Money$im, A Simulation Superstores: A Specialized Retailing Simulation Within a Specialized Marketing Curriculum Factors Affecting Student Perceptions of Learning in a Business Policy Game VC + EL = VL The Name Game: An Experiential Exercise in Intergroup Relations The Effects of Experiential Accounting Work Experience on Student Performance in Intermediate Accounting Courses The Results of Using the Experiential Activity Group Performance Evaluation in a Business Policy Setting Using a Legal Database to Describe the Legal Environment of Marketing (and Business) Matching Environmental Uncertainty and Organizational Configuration An Instructional Computer Simulation of Tampering in QC Executive Evaluation of Student Learning in the Looking Glass Simulation Group Personality Composition and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance An Expert System for Selecting Analytical Techniques for Analyzing Marketing Research Data Effects of Cognitive Styles on Responses in an In-Basket Simulation A Psychometric Analysis of Kolb's Revised Learning Style-Inventory Selecting and Developing Experiential Exercises Using Movies Application of a Real-World Strategic Management Model in the Classroom Demand Equations which Include Product Attributes Consumption as the Objective in Computer-Scored Total Enterprise Simulations The Effects of Decision Format and Evaluation on Simulation Performance, Decision Time, and Team Cohesion The Effects of Computer Related Assignments on Student Performance in Business Administration The Money Game: A Dynamic Simulation Including Random Shocks for Money and Banking Courses Methods for Evaluating Performance on Business Simulations: A Survey The Effects of Synergogy on the Policy Course: Significant Improvements in Student Learning and Teacher Evaluation Conditions and Outcomes of Trust in a Two-Person Bargaining Exercise Bankgame Enhancing Computer Business Simulation with the Use of VGA Graphics An Experiential Approach to Entrepreneurship An Advanced Simulation Method (ASM) for Multiple Objective Problems The Influence of Experiential learning Techniques on Student Recognition of Non-Primary Learning Styles Negotiating Mergers and Acquisitions: A Cocktail Napkin Approach Identification of Unintended Effects in Experiential Laboratory Exercises An Experimental Comparison of Paper and Pencil and Computer Aided Decision Support Tools Porting a Simulation from the IBM World to the Macintosh World A Transaction Cost Analysis of Experiential Learning The Development of Experiential Exercises for Courses in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management The Assessment Center as and Experiential Classroom Exercise Pricing Strategy Algorithms for Playing Business Simulations Organizational Structures for International Operations: An Experiential Activity Simulation Emphasis in the Business School Capstone Course An Integrated Approach to Computerizing the Business Curriculum Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations Exercise Organizational Socialization and Gender Differences in Students at Work Understanding Student Work Experience: A Content-Analytic Approach Introducing Executive MBA Programs with Management Games An Analysis of Improvement in Business Decision Outcome with Sequential Use of Two Simulation Games Teaching Business Policy Utilizing Mass Lecture and Individual Case Labs Potholes Along the Road to Evaluating Learning Outcomes: The Case of Outdoor Management Training Experiential Learning for Interior Design Students: Using CADD, Lotus 1-2-3, and Wordperfect Cognitive Learning Using a Computer-Based, Qualitative Interactive Business Simulation Sex Discrimination: Does the Woman get the Job or Does the Best Man Win? A Search for Visual Aids to Support Experiential Learning Through the 1990's An Experimental Analysis fo the Effectiveness of Student Role-Playing in Sales Training How to Have Students Learn from their Term Projects Self-Evaluation Exercise (SEE): An Assessment of Class Contribution A Study of the Influence of Team Formation on Attitudes and Performance in Management Games A Hardware Based CIM Simulation Laboratory Model Test Substance Abuse in Organizations Micro Computer Training Models Teaching Forecasting, Cash Budgeting and Inventory Model Building Using SBTools A Comparison of the Effects of Experiential Learning Activities and Traditional Lecture Classes An Adjunct Writing Instruction Assistant, The Computer; With an Illustration Classroom Software for ABC Analysis Utilizing Information Processing Technology to Enhance the Business Policy Simulation Experience Progressive Cases Realistic Job Previews Vs. Traditional Job Previews: Experiencing the Differences and Understanding the Consequences Investment Analysis Using the Pragmatic Multiplier Approach A Computer Simulation Interface for Competitive and Firm Analysis Self-Assessment of Ethical Decision Making Predispositions Preparing Managers for Overseas Assignments An Inquiry into Japanese Marketing: Workshop on Teaching Japanese Marketing The Performance Appraisal Feedback Interview: A Role Play for Human Resources Management Teaching Counselor Selling techniques Using Experiential Techniques to Teach International Topics International Management Simulation Gaming: Current Status and Future Developments A Realism Comparison of Simulation Technologies/Methodologies A Time-Efficient Game to Illustrate Concepts Taught in Management Courses and Management Development Programs Teaching the Management of Technology The Concept of Face and the Applicability of Experiential Exercises in an Oriental Culture's