Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Al Renshaw
Phone: 1-800-577-9040
e-Mail: Al Renshaw
QUANTUM® ANSWERS INSTRUCTOR DEMAND
FOR IMPROVED STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES IN ACCOUNTING
Quantum Tutors® solve limitations
of textbooks and homework systems by providing personalized learning
paths, targeted practice and step-by-step feedback to improve student
conceptual understanding and retention.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - April 12,
2011, Quantum Simulations, Inc., a leader in artificial intelligence
(AI) innovation, announced today a new AI-based learning method, Targeted PracticeSM, which is proven to improve student learning efficiency and
optimize study time effectiveness. The learning approach is a component
of Quantum’s tutoring software which provides students with
individualized homework feedback and instructors with on-demand assessment
tools summarizing improvement and mastery outcomes.
In a study evaluating student learning
at the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis
Obispo, California, 88 undergraduate students taking an Introductory
Financial Accounting course were randomly divided into two groups.
Half of the students practiced with conventional textbook problems
and half used Quantum’s Targeted PracticeSM approach which applies
principles of cognitive load theory, a research-based model of how
memory works, to maximize student comprehension and retention.
After one 50-minute class session on
the topic of transaction analysis, the group that used Quantum’s
Targeted PracticeSM performed 15.5% faster and achieved 26.5% more correct
answers than those practicing with textbook problems. Furthermore,
the Targeted PracticeSM group was able to apply what they learned to
other problems not practiced, outperforming the textbook group by
9.1%.
“With Quantum’s approach,
students are better able to transfer knowledge acquired from Targeted PracticeSM to new problems not previously encountered,” stated
Mr. Erik Slayter, accounting instructor in the Agribusiness Department
at Cal Poly. “Students are able to achieve understanding at
a conceptual level with less study time, which has a powerful impact
on successful student outcomes.”
“The results do not imply that
conventional textbook problems should be discarded, but rather that
beginning with Targeted PracticeSM before transitioning to conventional
problems builds stronger knowledge of the concepts more quickly, providing
an improved path to mastery of the very same textbook problems,”
added Dr. Benny Johnson, president/CEO at Quantum®.
Dr. Johnson is presenting the results
from a paper titled “Impact of Structure of Early Practice on
Student Performance in Transaction Analysis” at the Teachers
of Accounting at Two Year Colleges (TACTYC) Conference, May 12-14
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Quantum Tutors® can be used with
ANY publisher’s textbook, is proven to increase test scores
at least a full letter grade and is rated as "Very Helpful"
or "Helpful" by 99% of students surveyed. The full paper
on Targeted PracticeSM along with more information about the Quantum Tutors® and Assessment Reporting is available at www.quantumtutors.com/accounting.html.
About Quantum®
Dedicated to its mission to improve education, Quantum Simulations, Inc. is a leader in intelligent technologies and is on the cutting edge of innovation. Quantum® develops unique artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring, assessment and professional development software for accounting, science and mathematics that empowers instructors and inspires students in K-16, adult learning and distance education programs to achieve more. Quantum's intelligent learning software is available stand-alone or integrated with web-based homework products and learning management systems. Through funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, including the SBIR program, the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health and in collaboration with educators nationwide, Quantum® is realizing its vision of inquiry-based learning to teach students how to become better learners and independent thinkers.
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