ABSTRACT
The term Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) covers a range of
computer-based packages, which aim to provide interactive instruction usually
in a specific subject area, and many predate the Internet. These can range from
sophisticated and expensive commercial packages to applications developed by
projects in other educational institutions or national initiatives to simple
solutions developed by individuals with no funding or support to tackle a very
local problem. The amount of time and money invested in development is high and
partly because of the very subject specific nature of the education market as
well as the very personalised nature of the teaching process – particularly at
FE and HE level – means that commercial success is difficult to achieve and work
done in one subject area rarely transfers to others subject areas.
In general, the use of computers in education through CAL has
been sporadic a great deal of effort was expended with little general impact.
Many of those academics that took part in that earlier crusade are now cynical
about the effectiveness of computers in teaching. There are still good reasons to use CAL rather
than Internet based technologies. CAL is run either straight from a CD or
floppy disk drive, or over a local network so the constraint of the internet –
slow download times for multimedia materials may not apply. This, coupled with
the fact that CAL technology has been around a bit longer, means that CAL
packages have the potential to offer more advanced, interactive, multimedia learning
experiences than it is currently reasonable to expect from the Web. This has
been changing as Web technologies develop and bandwidths improve but there are
currently many things that can only be achieved with CAL rather than the Web
and CAL has been an integral part of the curriculum in many departments at
Warwick for some time
ORGANIZATION
OF WORK
This project
work is primarily designed to give an insight into computer assisted learning
software for linear algebra.
Chapter one
talks about introduction to computer assisted learning, CAL software system,
study of problem and objectives as well as definition of the scope.
Chapter two
comprises the literature review. Chapter three gives the detailed information
about the existing (old) system, while chapter four and five deals with the
design and implantation of new system.
Chapter six
documents the project work, while chapter seven summaries, conclusion and
suggestions were made.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background
of the study 1
1.2 State
of the problem 2
1.3 Purpose
of the study 3
1.4 Aims
and objectives 3
1.5 Scope
of study 5
1.6 Limitations
of study 5
1.7 Assumptions 6
1.8 Definition
of terms 7
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW 8
CHAPTER THREE
- Description and analysis of existing system 15
- Fact finding method used 17
- Organization structure 19
- Objectives of Existing system 21
- Input, Process and Output Analysis 22
- Information Flow Diagrams 26
- Problems of the Existing System 27
- Justification of the New System 28
CHAPTER FOUR
- Design of the New System 30
- Input Specification and design 30
- Output specification and design 32
- File Design 34
- Procedure chart 36
- System flow chart 38
- System requirements 40
CHAPTER FIVE
- Implementation 42
- Program Design 45
- Program Flowchart 48
- Pseudo code 54
- Source Program: Test Run 59
CHAPTER SIX
Documentation 60
CHAPTER SEVEN
- Recommendation 62
- Conclusion 64
Bibliography 65
1.0 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Computer-assisted learning is similar to the experiential model of learning. The adherents of experiential learning are fairly adamant about how we learn. Learning seldom takes place by rote. Learning occurs because we immerse ourselves in a situation in which we are forced to perform. You get feedback from the computer output and then adjust your thinking-process if needed. Unfortunately, most classroom courses are not learning systems. The way the instructors attempt to help their students acquire skills and knowledge has absolutely nothing to do with the way students actually learn. Many instructors rely on lectures and tests, and memorization. All too often, they rely on “telling.” No one remembers much that’s taught by telling, and what’s told doesn’t translate into usable skills. Certainly, we learn by doing, failing, and practicing until we do it right. The computer assisted learning serve this purpose.
If the learning environment is focused on background information, knowledge of terms and new concepts, the learner is likely to learn that basic information successfully. However, this basic knowledge may not be sufficient to enable the learner to carry out successfully the on-the-job tasks that require more than basic knowledge. Thus, the probability of making real errors in the business environment is high. On the other hand, if the learning environment allows the learner to experience and learn from failures within a variety of situations similar to what they would experience in the “real world” of their job, the probability of having similar failures in their business environment is low. This is the realm of simulations-a safe place to fail.
The
appearance of management science software is one of the most important events
in decision making process. OR/MS software systems are used to construct
examples, to understand the existing concepts, and to discover useful
managerial concepts. On the other hand, new developments in decision making
process often motivate developments of new solution algorithms and revision of
the existing software systems. OR/MS software systems rely on a cooperation of
OR/MS practitioners, designers of algorithms, and software developers.
The
major change in learning this course over the last few years is to have less
emphasis on strategic solution algorithms and more on the modeling process,
applications, and use of software. This trend will continue as more students
with diverse backgrounds seek MBA degrees without too much theory and
mathematics. Our approach is middle-of-the-road. It does not have an excess of
mathematics nor too much of software orientation. For example, we lean how to
formulate problems prior to software usage. What you need to know is how to
model a decision problem, first by hand and then using the software to solve
it. The software should be used for two different purposes.
Personal
computers, spreadsheets, professional decision making packages and other
information technologies are now ubiquitous in management. Most management
decision-making now involves some form of computer output. Moreover, we need
caveats to question our thinking and show why we must learn by instrument. In
this course, the instrument is your computer software package. Every student
taking courses in Physics and Chemistry does experimentation in the labs to
have a good feeling of the topics in these fields of study. You must also
perform managerial experimentation to understand the Management Science
concepts and techniques.
DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SOFTWARE FOR COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING (CASE STUDY OF LINEAR ALGEBRA)
