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Benefits
of CAI for Teaching Electronics and Electrical Technology
The term "CAI", Computer
Aided Instruction, is used in the broadest sense in this document. CAI
will refer to any use of computers that interacts with students in any
way in the educational process.
(1) CAI allows students
to practice procedures as long as required to achieve defined competencies.
This helps level the ground where students bring a wide range of native
skills and educational backgrounds to a classroom. Students with a strong
desire to learn electronics can succeed even with weak backgrounds when
given the right learning tools and a supportive environment.
(2) Immediate feedback provided
by CAI saves time and prevents learning the "wrong" concepts. In traditional
training, students do substantial amounts of homework. Unfortunately, a
student can do a number of problems entirely wrong on a homework assignment.
The student would not be aware of his misconceptions until the teacher
grades his homework and returns the paper to the student. Now, the student
must not only learn the proper procedures but "unlearn" the wrong procedures
as well.
(3) With CAI, students can
determine their own weaknesses and concentrate efforts on overcoming those
weaknesses before moving on more advanced concepts. All too often, students
continue work on more advanced concepts while still holding misconceptions
about the fundamentals of a topic. This leads to irritation and the feeling
that electrical concepts are more complex than they are in reality. How
many electronics technology students give up and drop out simply because
the training system failed to diagnose misconceptions quickly?
(4) Good CAI materials reward
students immediately for correct responses and behaviors. This encourages
students to confidently move to more complex concepts. CAI can make learning
interesting and exciting. What could be a more boring waste of time than
practicing a procedure over and over that has already been mastered? On
the other hand, some students are satisfied with only a cursory grasp for
important fundamental concepts. This often leads to problems in that the
student's understanding of a concept is not sufficient to enable her/him
to progress smoothly to the next concept. CAI materials can help such students
stay on a task or concept until it is fully mastered.
(5) A small but nevertheless
important benefit of good CAI material is on-line immediate evaluation
and grading of student work. Very few instructors and professors will miss
the hours of mindlessly correcting and scoring student homework. More importantly,
this aspect of CAI leaves the instructor more time to work with students
on an individual basis.
All aspects being considered,
CAI does not necessarily replace teachers, textbooks, classrooms, or laboratories.
CAI is another aspect of training that harnesses the computer and makes
it a tireless participant in the educational process. Perhaps the greatest
benefit of CAI is giving the marginal student that small boost which leads
to success.
CAI Materials Available
for Electricity and Electronics Training
Tutorials
Tutorials are self-instructional
programs or documents that present lessons on the computer screen in some
combination of text and graphics. The quality and effectiveness of tutorials
is highly variable. A key element in effectiveness is the level and quality
of interactivity required of the learner. Some tutorials appear very attractive
on the surface while requiring the learner to do almost nothing. Pretty
graphics and carefully composed text is often developed with the buyer
rather than the learner in mind. Students will quickly become bored and
lose attention if the interaction required is weak or nonexistent. Some
tutorials have interactivity that is limited to right or left arrows that
only allow students to turn pages. Good interactivity should be more complex
than an occasional multiple-choice question with a fixed answer. Another
quality indicator in tutorials is intelligent loops and branches based
on learner behavior. Good highly interactive tutorials are expensive. Tutorials
require reasonable reading comprehension, self-discipline, and long attention
spans to succeed. These traits are often missing in the students we are
teaching.
Drill
and Practice
Some educational experts
do not hold drill and practice CAI programs in high esteem. However, in
subjects, such as electricity and electronics, that require students to
learn many mathematical analysis procedures, drill and practice CAI programs
can be highly effective. The ability of a computed program to compose many
variants of a circuit or problem can be used to expose students to more
variety than is possible using textbooks alone. The immediate correction
and grading is without question highly motivational to students. When carefully
constructed, drill and practice programs can present students with challenges
rather than chores. The motivational and learning value of immediately
seeing "CORRECT!" appear on the computer screen after working a complex
problem is enormous. Drill and practice CAI programs can be used to good
advantage to reinforce procedures and processes taught in the classroom/textbook
or through a computer based tutorial. Good drill and practice CAI should
have use a random generator to create a variety of variations of each problem/situation
presented to learners to make repeating a lesson worthwhile. To the extent
possible, good drill and practice material should measure not only on a
correct/incorrect basis but time on task or other meaningful measures of
accomplishment.
Simulation
Simulation CAI programs
can be a very powerful tool for teaching the operation of complex circuits
and systems. Obtaining an instant answer to a "what if" question can generate
interest and a "feel" for how a thing operates not quickly possible through
mathematical analysis. Good simulation programs do have a learning curve.
Student must use some time to learn to operate and interact with the simulation
program that is often not as intuitive as tutorial programs and drill and
practice programs. Simulation programs are generally combined circuit design
and training tools. Therefore, the professor must design into his/her course
situations and activities involving the simulation program in a useful
instructional fashion. A few CAI programs combine simulation with drill
and practice to produce easy to use virtual circuits that can be measured,
tested and repaired on the computer screen.
Commercial
Training Systems
Several major manufacturers
of electronics training systems have "total training solutions" available.
The systems consist of some mix of tutorial CAI software, drill and practice
CAI software, possibly some simulation CAI software, laboratory trainers,
and possibly electronic test equipment. Generally, the system is structured
and programmed such that the software can't be used independent of the
hardware. The advantage of such systems is obtaining an integrated complete
training system at a single price. The professor or instructor should be
able to walk in and start teaching without buying another item. Content
and curriculum is difficult to alter and generally can be changed substantially
only by the system's original manufacturer.
Additional Considerations
The choice of the CAI software
selection by a specific training program depends on many factors beyond
the analysis of general benefits and projected positive outcomes. The professor's
or instructor's teaching style and opinions must be taken into consideration
when it is possible. Instructors rarely use instructional materials unless
they personally feel that the material has educational merit. A teacher
who believes strongly in the value of a training aid, CAI or otherwise,
will tend to work vigorously to obtain good results from the material.
Student opinions often reflect teacher assessments of the value of instructional
aids, CAI or otherwise. Cost is also a driving force in many instances.
The cost for adding CAI to an electricity or electronics training program
can be as little as a few dollars per student up to ten thousand dollars
or more per training station. The least expensive CAI materials are supplemental
training software programs that reinforce the existing classroom/textbook/laboratory
training. |
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