Effectiveness and Cost of Interactive Videodisc Instruction in Defense Training and Education

In response to Congressional direction, a quantitative, analytical review a meta-analysis was completed of interactive videodisc instruction applied in Defense training and in the related settings of industrial training and higher education. Over all instructional settings and applications, interactive videodisc instruction was found to improve achievement by about 0.50 standard deviations over less interactive, more conventional approaches to instruction. This improvement is roughly equivalent to increasing the achievement of students at the 50th percentile to that of students currently at the 69th percentile. It was equally effective for knowledge and performance outcomes. It was less costly than more conventional instruction. Overall, interactive videodisc instruction demonstrated sufficient utility in terms of effectiveness, cost, and acceptance to recommend that it now be routinely considered and used in Defense training and education.