Instructional Software
Definition:
Drill and Practice - a computer-instruction technique in which a series of structured problems or exercises with immediate feedback to student responses. Students answer a question and get immediate feedback. Feedback can be simple as correct or incorrect.
Criteria for Selection Good (Drill and Practice Software) - When selecting a good instructional software well designed drill-and-practice programs should also meet specific criteria.
Advantages of Drill and Practice Software :
Immediate Feedback :
The differences between pen and paper and drill and practice software is that when students uses pen and paper he/she may do their work, sometimes wrong and the issue that arise is that they will believe what is wrong is correct and may retain the information until it is corrected by the teacher. However the drill and practice allows the student to know immediately if the problems are accurate or not.
Motivation :
Some students may get fed-up doing practice exercises in paper, or just plain do not like writing a lot. Because of this using a computer may be a motivation to them to practice what they need.
Saving teachers Time:
Teachers are better able to manage their time, in the sense that some students can work in the drill and practice on particular subjects such as English, Math's Facts, S AT Skills, and Musical keys and functions, while the teacher can work or address other student needs in the classroom.
Group Work:
The computer can be used with a large number of students, making it time efficient way of conveying knowledge.
Learn at your pace :
Assist the students to master their work at their own pace.
Limitations/Disadvantages of Drill and Practice Software:
Perceived Misused :
Sometimes teachers may misuse the drill and practice. This occurs when the teacher uses it for introduction of new topics to the students instead of actually teaching them and allowing them to use the software to practice and reinforcing familiar work.
Criticism by constructivists:
The drill and practice is seen as an outmoded approach to teaching.
Boring:
For some students the drill and practice is seen as boring, uninteresting and unappealing.
No connection to real world scenarios :
It has no application in the students real world, rarely will the student make the connection with why these things are important.
Competition :
This may encourage competition, which many which many western Educator may frown upon.
Definition:
Tutorial - an interactive software program created as a learning tool. Tutorials help people learn new skills by using a step-by-step process that ensures the user is following along and comprehending the material.
Advantages of Tutorial
- Enables users to learn on demand and when they are motivated
- Tutorial can be done independent of time and geography
- User is able to stop for breaks and to repeat sections as needed
- Easier to briefly review or skip sessions if not a beginner
- Learning through written communication may be easier than learning through oral communication (e.g. English as a second language users)
- Less ongoing staff time is needed for instruction
- Experts can devise tutorial, even though they are located at a different institutions
Disadvantages of Tutorial
- Not possible to ask questions of instructor or to learn from questions asked by others learning the same topic
- Density of presentation may be high because content must be self-contained
- Individuals must be motivated enough to complete tutorial
- Frequently takes novices longer to learn via tutorial than via classroom setting
Limitations
- Tutorials are very labor-intensive to devise
- Hard to maintain especially if content in tutorial is changing rapidly
- Should tutorial include practice problems or a quiz?
- Using interactivity and examples to make tutorial more effective
- Choosing the right media: audio, video, web, email, combinations?
- Length of sessions—list total time needed, provide clear outline, and divide topics into modules
- What equipment and other types of infrastructure is needed to deliver tutorial?
- What level of user should you aim at?
- Lobby producers to create tutorials
- Use team to create tutorial
Definition:
Simulation - the discipline of designing a model of an actual or theoretical physical system, executing the model on a digital computer, and analyzing the execution output. Simulation embodies the principle of ``learning by doing'' --- to learn about the system we must first build a model of some sort and then operate the model.
Main advantages of simulation include:
- Study the behavior of a system without building it.
- Results are accurate in general, compared to analytical model.
- Help to find un-expected phenomenon, behavior of the system.
- Easy to perform ``What-If'' analysis.
Main disadvantages of simulation include:
- Expensive to build a simulation model.
- Expensive to conduct simulation.
- Sometimes it is difficult to interpret the simulation results.
Limitations
The most obvious limitation of the simulation is its restriction to two dimensions. Surface diffusion on the screen thus only takes place along a line, and atoms are rather more likely to meet each other than in three-dimensional reality. A second less-obvious consequence is that the crystallography of real semiconductors is not reproduced on the screen (silicon and Gas adopt the "diamond cubic" structure whereas our simulation implies a close-packed feck structure). Thirdly we have not allowed you to change the rate of production of the deposited atoms. In an MBE reactor this would be controlled via the temperature of the (solid or liquid) sources of gas phase atoms. The simulation must be regarded as a "model" which demonstrates many (but certainly not all) of the behaviors of the real crystals. Another simplification is that the possible existence of impurity or dopant atoms is ignored. This is obviously of huge importance in the device industry, but makes very little difference to the behaviour simulated in this TLP.
Instructional Games -
- According to M.D. Roblyer, an instructional game is instructional software designed to encourage student motivation to include learning within a fun activity (Roblyer, 93).
- According to the Problem Site, instructional games provide a different resource for students with a learning disability ("The Problem Site", 2012).
- It is a learning resource that is tailored to a classroom, small group, or an individualized focus upon a particular content area or topic ("The Problem Site", 2012).
- It is a learning resource that provides skills for the user ("The Problem Site", 2012).
Advantages of Using Instructional Games
Increases Student Engagement
Studies have shown that students are more likely to spend time playing a learning-based game if you are using a reward system. Badges and points help translate the work the student is completing into a tangible benefit. By increasing engagement you’ll also see a rise in learning retention as students will be able to relate to the content easier through practice than just reading or watching a lecture.
Creates Enthusiasm
Gamification can be used to foster feelings of enthusiasm towards the subject-matter, especially in subjects that students struggle with, like math. In my classes, I have struggled to try to get students excited about computer programming or concepts of computer science. By creating a gamified system with rewards, I have been able to see a difference in my classes and students are becoming excited and competitive while learning.
Provides Instant Feedback
Most gamification systems allow for instantaneous feedback such as leaderboards and dashboards, which students can use to see where they stand among their peers. This information can push a student to try the quiz or activity again to get a higher placement and creates motivation for further lesson engagement.
Makes Social Connections
In higher education we often find that students have trouble creating social connections with other students in their courses. Gamified classrooms, seated and virtual, help students who have trouble with social interaction and give them a reason to work together. This is especially true if you create team competitions that require students to collaborate on challenges.
Disadvantages of Using Instructional Games
Decreases Student Attention Span
Cost
The costs of gamified learning are varied based on the type of system you are using. There may be equipment costs, software costs, and training costs for instructors. Sometimes these costs are passed on the students through registration fees and course codes that must be purchased, creating a higher barrier for entry into the classroom. There are often support or maintenance related costs for system that are delivered online or are hosted in your campus environment.
Student Assessment
When choosing a game it is not often clear how the results of the game will tie into your course assessment. While most games have a built-in way to track progress, you will need to find a way to translate the student’s game progress into fulfill objectives. It is not always easy to find a good fit between the games on the market and your course materials so this can be a time-consuming process.
Game Logistics
Many times, setting up a game for your course requires a lot of prior planning and logistics. Questions you need to ask are: Will students be able to play the game at home? Is there an additional cost if they use it outside of the classroom? Are there are enough computers available for students to play the game in class? Do I want to use class time for students to pay the game? Most of the time you will need to sit down and play the game yourself all the way through, which can take about 40 hours, before you fully understand the game and objectives.
