Structures 2 Course: T-Test Results
In structures 2, the students were given two tests. The results of T-Test comparing the performance of students in the control and experimental group in the structures 2 course showed an overall improvement in both tests. The class mean grade for the first test in the experimental group improved by 10.4 points with a significance of 0.000. The result of the second test did not show a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group performance. This could be explained in relation to the content of second part of the course, which concentrated on sizing structural members and did not involve using the I.S. DVD.
Structures 2 course: Mann-Whitney Test Results
In general change in student response to the survey questions were less drastic than structure 1 course. Although the attitudes toward the structures course still improved with exposure to I.S. DVD in the experimental group, the results were only statistically significant in a few questions. For example, when students were asked whether they find the methods of teaching material related to structures in the architecture curriculum educational and appropriate, the post-survey in control group showed a 31% increase in the positive answers with a significance level of 0.003, indicating that the I.S. DVD offers a more appropriate teaching method. When asked if an understanding of structural concepts makes them more employable, there was an increase of 22.5% of strongly agreed and a 25% increase in agreed responses in post-survey of the experimental group.
The less keen responses in the structures 2 courses could be related to the fact that by the time the students took the post-survey in structures 2 experimental course, they were answering the same survey questions for the fourth time, and have been using the I.S. DVD for two consecutive semesters, thus being less enthusiastic in their answers.