June 1997 — Features
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The Future of Computers and Learning
The importance of our languages in our role as humans is hard to underestimate. Learning furnishes a good example. We expect voice input to be of increasing importance for computer-based learning.
SYSTEMS FOR DEVELOPING HIGHLY INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE
If we are to have an extensive collection of highly interactive computer-based courses, extensive software development is essential. But current software tools available do not stress the creation of highly interactive software. We need new tools and new systems to carry out this new task.
One set of such tools emphasizing the production of highly interactive software has been developed in our joint work with friends at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Papers are available [2] and the software can be demonstrated. Plans for further development exist.
A similar system was developed in Japan by Fujitsu, modeled after the work just described. Other systems are possible; all such systems need further exploration.
In the Irvine-Geneva system we consider three steps in designing highly interactive material, as described in the next sections.
Pedagogical Design
The beginning stage of development in the Irvine-Geneva system is pedagogical design.
Design involves two stages, the initial overall design, and the detailed design of each learning unit. In each the designers should be skilled teachers in the area involved, experienced in understanding the likely problems students will have, and knowledgeable in helping students with these problems. Locating these excellent teachers, and training them to work in groups, is essential. This design activity is the most critical stage in developing highly interactive learning material.
The teachers need an environment for design. In the Irvine-Geneva system these good teachers work in groups of about four, discussing the likely problems students will have at each point. The program must recognize these problems, and offer several types of help if it is to work with all students. The teacher groups are essential in the Irvine-Geneva system if the material is to function well. Discussions within the groups lead to better material than that created by any one individual. We prefer that the design groups work full-time.
In our older work, the script, recording the pedagogical decisions, was done on paper. More recently it is done directly on the screen, using an on-line script editor developed at the University of Geneva. The on-line script editor allows the program to be easily changed.
The script editor also provides facility for converting learning material to other natural languages. This is important if international marketing is being considered, or if the problems of poorer countries are to be recognized, or if the country involved uses several different languages. Maintaining the program in several languages is part of the design of the script editor.
