Computer assisted instruction....

 

 

 

 

ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

 

 

 

 

  Subject: COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                           Submitted by,

                                                                                             KRIPA K NAIR

                                                                                                      SEMESTER-1

                                                                                                       KUCTE ANCHAL

                                                                                 PHYSICAL SCIENCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Computers have become omnipresent and ubiquitous today and found in every walk of life. Computer influences every sphere of human activity and bring changes in education, health care, scientific research, social sciences, law, music and painting. It have different purposes like instructional purpose, curriculum development, educational administration and management, educational planning, educational documentation, educational test construction, educational surveys, educational research etc. Computers may aid the learning process in the following ways: By providing information and instruction, by asking questions, by being tirelessly repetitive, by stimulating processes, by selecting the right speed for providing information for individual learners, etc. The use of computers in education started in the 1960s. With the advent of convenient microcomputers in the 1970s, computer use in schools has widespread from primary education through university level and even in some preschool programs.  The active use of computers improve the quality and learning outcomes. Teachers can use audio, video and graphics aids through computer to prepare lesson plans. The multimedia presentations are easy to deliver by the teachers and for interactive participatory pedagogy. Instructional computers are basically used in one of two ways: either they provide a straight forward presentation of data or they will fill a tutorial role in which the student is tested on comprehension.

 

COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI)

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) or Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) is a natural outgrowth of the application of programmed instruction. The aim of CAI is to provide individualized instruction to meet the special needs of each learner. It needs some efficient and flexible device that can store a gigantic amount of organized information and use selected portion to meet the needs of individual learner. A computer is such device which can cater to the needs of individual learner. Computer can store a vast amount of information suiting to the needs of individual learner.

Definitions

Ø Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that take place.

Ø A self-learning technique, usually offline/online involving the interaction of students with programmed instructional material.

CAI allows every student to move at his own speed. In classroom the teachers will be too fast or too slow for students. In either case the students will loose interest. CAI can eliminate this problem. It allows students to study any subjects at any time they wish. The normal school with a fixed timetable does not give this freedom. The computer also give special attention to each student, keeps tracks of his or her difficulties and is extremely patient.

Apart from teaching subjects like mathematics, CAI can also be used for science experiments without the student going to a library. In one such lesson, the screen shows all the items of apparatus needed for an experiment. The student has first to assemble the items correctly and make the set up on the screen. She does this by touching an item on the screen and then touching that part of the screen to which she wants the items to be removed. The screen is sensitive to touch and the computer shifts the items on the screen as desired.

If the students give a wrong instruction, it is not obeyed. A suitable message appears and a small lesson is given to enable the student to make the correct choice. Once the setup is made the student has to conduct the experiment. In a chemistry experiment for example, she has to specify when and where each chemical should be added, when the burner is to be lighted and so on.

The screen shows the experiment in progress if all goes well, it also shows the results. But if the students has mixed the wrong chemicals, there may be an explosion on the screen. Thus the students learns all about the experiment- what to do and what not to do. She has simulated the experiment on the screen and she can now confidently go to the actual laboratory. Such simulations can be done in diverse areas like spacecraft control, sea navigation, history (simulations of famous battles), and geography- in fact, in any fields of science or humanities. The student can be involved in dangerous or hazardous tasks without any risk. Experiments that may take years can be shown in a few minutes.

CAI is particularly good for subject like arithmetic, languages and computer programming. In one experiment a computer was very successful in teaching three year old children the basic skills of reading and writing. Even retarded children did well in the computerized classroom. CAI uses a combination of text, graphics, sound and video in enhancing the learning process. The computer has many purpose in the classroom, and it can be utilized to help a student in all areas of the curriculum. CAI refers to the use of computer as a tool to facilitate and improve instruction. CAI programs use tutorials, drill and practice, simulation and problem solving approaches to present topics and they test the student’s understanding. If the computer has a tutorial programme, the student is asked a question by the computer, the student types in an answer and then gets an immediate response to the answer. If the answer is correct, the student is routed to more challenging problems; if the answer is incorrect, various computer messages will indicate the flaw in procedure, and the programme will bypass more complicated questions until the student shows mastery in that area. There are many advantages to using computers in educational instruction. They provide one-to-one interaction with a student, as well as an instantaneous response to the answers elicited and allow students to proceed at their own pace. Computers are particularly useful in subjects that require drill, freeing teacher time from classroom task so that a teacher can devote more time to individual students.

A computer program can be used diagnostically and once a student’s problem has been identified, it can then focus on the problem area. Finally because of the privacy and individual attention afforded by a computer, some students are relieved of the embarrassment of giving an incorrect answer publically or of going more slowly through lessons than other classmates. There are drawbacks to the implementation of computers in instruction, however they are generally costly systems to purchase, maintain and update. There are also fears whether justified or not, that the use of computers in education decreases the amount of human interaction.

One of the most difficult aspects of instructional computers is the availability and development of software or computer programs. Courseware can be bought as a fully developed package from a software company, but the program provided this way not suit the particular needs of the individual class or curriculum. A course ware template may be purchased, which provides a general format for the test and drill instruction, with the individual school system or teacher. The disadvantage to this system is that instruction tend to be boring and repetitive, with the tests and questions following the same pattern for every course. Software can be developed in house that is a school, course, or teacher could provide the courseware exactly tailored to its own needs, but this is expensive, time consuming and may require more programming expertise than is available.

Types of CAI

ü Drill and practice method

ü Tutorial mode

ü Simulation

ü Instructional game

ü Problem solving

Drill and practice method

·       Simplest level of CAI

·       Drill and practice method provide opportunities for students to repeatedly practice the skills that they have previously learned and further practice necessary for mastery.

Criteria of drill and practice method

·       Format is interactive

·       User can establish the pace

·       Provision made the progression in levels of difficulty

·       Items of same level came selected at random

·       Employs motivational technique

·       Rewards presented for correct responses

·       Incorrect responses handled properly

·       Teacher can modify content

Tutorial mode

o   The program tutors or teaches the student a body of knowledge by presenting information and asking questions, giving hints if students.

o   Tutorials can free the faculty members from teaching some of the routine basic material.

o   At the same time the students may find the tutorials more interesting and fun than the instructor’s lecture.

Simulation

ü Clear direction

ü Simple keyboard paddle use

ü Realistic situation for role playing

ü High level of interest is maintained throughout

ü Results predicted in user impulse

ü Varying levels of difficulty

Game mode

 Game software often creates a contest to achieve the highest score and either beat others or beat the computer. The extend of learning depends on the type of game. E.g.  Games on spelling’s name of place and general knowledge

ADVANTAGES OF CAI

Ø CAI enables instruction to be individualized. It is helpful in adult education and continuing education.

Ø Helpful for physically impaired learners; it can provide learning inputs through audio and video.

Ø Helps in extending the reach of children to distant and remote areas and among various sections of the society.

Ø Very useful in training of a variety of skills from typing to flying aero planes using the technique of simulation

Ø Enables high quality instruction for distant learning, made possible through net varsities and the internet.

Ø The learning materials are usually available on CD-ROMs and can be conveniently handled, since these digital discs possess large storage capacities. Such disc are cheaper compared to equivalent quantities of printed matter.

Ø Educational software not only carry information in the form of graphics, audio and video, but also provide interactive learning experience. They contain hyperlinks to navigate to related topics, provide quizzes and give feedback and reinforcement for correct answers, thus making learning a pleasant experience.

 

LIMITATIONS OF CAI

§  Speech or writing analysis by computer, in a useful form, seems to be many years away.

§  The computer fails to appreciate the emotions of the students. The emotional and warmth climate which is created by the teacher in direct classroom interaction with the students is missed by the students in CAI.

§  The peripheral equipment puts constraints in the way on which a student can interact with the computer.

§  Commenting upon the limitations of the computer, Longuit-Higgins put it, “The human student is a rather rich information source. Reducing him to a short of Morse code consisting of a string of multiple choice answers we lose a lot of this information and so reduce the possibility of understanding his difficulties”.

§  CAI fails to develop essential features of language competency

§  Some students get more tired in CAI than conventional study.

§  CAI is a sort of mechanical approach to education.\

CONCLUSION

CAI provide an alternative to traditional instructional planning. There are variety of formats available. It engages technologically based learners and allows diversity in teaching methods. CAI is applicable to multiple teaching situations and offers instructor more time to devote to problem solving and critical thinking activities. Its effectiveness is supported through research. It enforces teachers in enhancing teaching learning process. This occurs by means of increasing the educational values, promoting learning and providing students with good experience. However it is important to recognize that computers are not substitute for effective teaching. Computers are a tool, they are simply a type of supplement to curriculum in teaching.

REFERENCE

1.    Computer assisted instruction- Britanica

2.    Computer assisted instruction-Wikieducator