Fostering Problem-Solving in a Virtual Environment

Abstract

This article investigates students’ perceptions of the relationship between Problem-Solving and the activities and resources used in a Web-based course on the fundamentals of Information Technology at a university in Montreal, Canada. We assess for the different learning components of the course, the extent of perceived problem-solving skills acquisition including research, creativity and critical thinking skills. The course entailed two categories of learning, namely resources-based and interactive components. The study aimed at answering the following questions: 1) To what extent do students understand the definitions of Problem-solving, Research, and Creative Idea Generation skills, and Critical Thinking skills? (2) What is the relative contribution of the various learning components (activities and resources) of the course to the perceived acquisition of Problem-Solving, Research, and Creative Idea Generations skills, and Critical Thinking skills; (3) Is the understanding of the definitions correlated with the perceived contributions of the learning components (activities and resources) of the course to the skills development? (4) To what extent is perceived Problem-solving skill acquisition explained by the acquisition of the other three skills?