The B asic Instructional Program (BIP) was developed to investigate tutorial modes of interaction in computer-assisted instruction. BIP is an interactive problem-solving laboratory that offers tutorial assistance to students solving introductory programming problems in the B asic language. This paper describes how the problem presentation sequence is individualized based on a representation of the structure of the curriculum and a model of the student's state of knowledge. The nature of the student-BIP interaction is captured in an annotated student dialogue illustrating a typical session.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED114054.pdf

The Computer as a Tutorial Laboratory: The Stanford BIP Project.

Publisher Summary The chapter presents the survey of current activities in computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Some examples of CAI at the stage of research and development for elementary and secondary schools and some examples of commercial products that are fairly widely distributed are considered in this chapter. The PLATO projects in elementary reading and elementary mathematics are examined. Commercial CAI courses now offered by Computer Curriculum Corporation are surveyed. The salient examples of CAI at universities, community colleges, or other postsecondary institutions are examined to provide a sense of the conceptual variety of the work. The chapter explores some of the main areas of current research most significant for CAI; the first concerns natural language processing; the second, the use of audio; the third, informal mathematical procedures; and the fourth, efforts at modeling the student. The chapter concludes with a brief attempt to forecast the main trends in computer-assisted instruction, although, of course, the forecasts must be treated with skepticism in view of the notorious difficulty of making successful predictions about trends in either computer theory or applications.

Current Trends in Computer-Assisted Instruction

To provide speech output for a major demonstration project of sophisticated computer based instruction, the Microprogrammed Intoned Speech Synthesizer (MISS) utilizing linear predictive coding techniques was developed. In addition to simple resynthesis of preanalyzed recorded speech, the MISS system can apply procedures to modify the pitch, duration and amplitude of individual words so that they can be concatenated into natural sounding utterances. Text analysis programs provide the linguistic parameters that direct MISS to apply the appropriate manipulations. We evaluate the quality of reproduction and storage requirements for this system in comparison with other systems.

The MISS speech synthesis system

Two studies were conducted in an effort to better understand the role of digitized speech as feedback in computer assisted instruction (CAI). The first study examined the use of familiar and unfamiliar voice feedback in two CAI lessons designed to teach advertising techniques to fifth graders. Subjects were 100 fifth graders from suburban Minneapolis (Minnesota). No differences were found between responses to the familiar and unfamiliar voices. In the second study, 145 sixth graders and a subset of 41 high and 49 low reading ability students from suburban Minneapolis (Minnesota) listened to feedback that was spoken audio only, printed and spoken, and spol-en by an animated character. Analysis indicates that the type of feedback makes no significant difference, although there is a consistent tendency for students receiving the voice only feedback to score higher on the posttest, possibly because supplementing with text or graphics divides learners' attention. Overall results suggest that whose voice is used seems to be of little importance, although the gender of the speaker can influence performance. Females outperformed males when a female voice was used. When the agent was male, no effect for gender was found. Students appeared to enjoy the animated characters and to talk back to the computer more than did students in other treatments. Nine figures and four tables illustrate the findings. (Contains 18 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original docume,.t. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPAWMIEN, OF EDUCATION Office or Educational Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document haS been reproduced es reoeiveO from the person Or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve CN reproduction Qualify in* Points of view or opinions slated in this docu. merit do not necessarily represent official VD OEM position or policy

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Digitized Speech as Feedback in Computer-Based Instruction.

The Effects of Speech Compression on Recall in a Multimedia Environment

The Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences at Stanford (IMSSS) has developed a synthesis system, MISS (Microprogrammed Intoned Speech Synthesizer), designed to test the effectiveness of computer-generated speech in the context of complex CAI programs. No one method of computer controlled speech production is completely satisfactory for all the uses of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The choice of synthesis method is strongly related to the kinds of curriculums and instructional designs that will use speech. We chose to use acoustic modelling by linear predictive coding as the method of synthesis for MISS.(1)In Section 2 we describe criteria appropriate for organizing the comparison of voice response systems for use with instructional computers. Then we describe the particular requirements imposed by curriculums at IMSSS, review general voice synthesis techniques, and finally discuss our actual choice. In Sections 3 and 4 we outline the hardware and software that have been created to support MISS in operational CAI at Stanford.In Section 5 we discuss the applications of audio to CAI.

William R. Sanders

Papers

Speech synthesis for computer assisted instruction: The MISS system and its applications