ABA Notes re Mac Authoring System (fwd)

[Guest guest]

Thought that some might be interested. Joe

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001 02:11:17 EST

From: Eshleman <JWESHLEMAN@...>

Reply- " Behavior2000: Behavior and Digital Technology List "

<BEHAVIOR2000@...>

BEHAVIOR2000@...

Subject: Slocum (1987) -- ABA Notes re Mac Authoring System

(These are notes that I took during a presentation by Tim Slocum

at ABA in Nashville in May 1987. The presentation dealt with Computer

Assisted Instruction (CAI), and much of what Tim stated 13 years

ago still applies to computer-based instruction today.) -- JE

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Presentation of A Macintosh Authoring System

Tim Slocum

University of Washington

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Paper presented at the Thirteenth Annual Convention of the

Association for Behavior Analysis, Nashville, Tennessee.

Replacement of Session #537, Tuesday, May 26, 1987,

3:00-4:00PM. Volunteer Room, Opryland Hotel. Chairperson:

Maloney.

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Authoring Systems

Why use one? It's hard to make a computer 'behave.'

There are 3 difficulties with CAI:

1. Get the computer to do what it ought to do.

2. Good instructional design.

3. Coming up with a good user interface.

All authoring systems (as of now [1987]) lock you into TEXT

on the screen, and keyboard input.

" Text displays and typed responses are not always the best

way to go. "

Programs that depend on reading limits play on the weakness of

the student.

The authoring system (to be presented here) has the instructional

design built into it.

The Main Problem with authoring systems: flexibility.

An authoring system has less flexibility than say BASIC does.

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The Macintosh Authoring System

The response is selecting part of a diagram. In other words, the

response is locating a part on a diagram.

Tutorial: Good to get student to 100% accuracy.

Practice component: To get student to a high rate.

Particular program presented:

Puts on a graphic of a map of South America. Countries highlighted.

With the mouse you put the pointer over a country (e.g., Surinam).

Press the button on the mouse -- beeped (correct).

Increasingly lean schedule of practice.

The authoring system teaches position heavily.

How program was made:

Use clip art or a digital scanner. " Bit mapped " graphics.

( " Scanners are getting cheap " -- (hey, Tim, in 2001 they're

a lot cheaper than they were in 1987! -- JE).

Prototype written in BASIC. A flowchart is arbitrary.

Practice sequence: (no arrow nor instruction).

2 correct responses in a row to get it.

Emphasis is on going fast.

If make an error, the correct country flashes.

A good player will avoid errors.

25-30 minutes of instruction across 2 days of instruction.

Tests of Transfer of Software

(1) Map with numbers & list of countries. Write number. 98%

(2) Map with numbers & list of numbers. Write names. 100%

(3) Textual only & list of numbers. Write names. 87%

Number 3 was really a discrimination task. It had examples such as

" What countries border Brazil? "

Students were tested 1 month later.

DEST scanner. Draw text command.

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Special Note: This was an impromptu presentation made in place of

a canceled presentation. Dr. Slocum graciously agreed to fill in

for the scheduled speaker, who could not be present. These notes

are the only record, that I know of, that this replacement talk occurred

at ABA.

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Note: These notes were recorded by W. Eshleman. They

were typed to text file on 6-25-87, and uploaded to the SC List

on Thursday, January 4, 2001. All typos or other errors, including

errors of transcribing or recording what the speaker was saying

are entirely mine. -- JE

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Comments?