The Relationship between Learning Tools and Academic Achievements in Acquiring Computer Skills in Self-Directed Learning in Higher Education

In the era of the 21st century, computer and information skills are essential skills for day to day life, industry demands and academic success. Hence, computer skills should be learnt and serve as a role model of innovative pedagogy, such as self-directed learning (SDL) in distance learning. In SDL the learner should be active, goal oriented and highly motivated. He/she should perform organizing, monitoring, managing and planning skills. Within the SDL course there are several scaffoldings and learning tools. These can be classified by the type and the character of the learners, their perceptions regarding its benefits as opposed to their disadvantages, and the stage of the learning process. The study purposes were: to examine the contribution of five learning tools on student teachers` (STs) learning, and to examine the variance between students with different levels of knowledge and their preferences of learning tools to acquire computer skills. Two hundred STs participated in a self-study course. The dependent variable was STs` academic achievements, and the independent variables were five learning tools. The study instruments included a pre-course knowledge exam, post-course knowledge exam and a questionnaire examining perception of the learning tools` contribution to learning. Results will be presented and discussed.