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Path: utzoo!lsuc!dave
From: dave@lsuc.uucp (David Sherman)
Subject: Re: Becoming CAI literate
Reply-To: dave@lsuc.UUCP (The Super User)
Date: Thu, 10-Mar-88 14:20:39 EST
Summary: some existing systems do...
Message-ID: <1988Mar10.142041.3424@lsuc.uucp>
References: <1988Mar9.183038.915@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto

henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>(I should add that I think CAI has much promise as "interactive textbooks",
>although existing systems often don't do a very good job of it, and has at
>least limited promise for helping students with difficulties, many of which
>are just as stereotyped as the contents of a typical textbook.

If you ask open-ended questions (Down With Multiple Choice!), and
log all unexpected answers, you can very quickly come up with all
of the answers to students' difficulties.  It takes a little effort
on the part of the course author, and a centralized system (which
is why our stuff is all UNIX-based rather than available on PC's).

One also has to be somewhat creative in figuring out how the computer
will respond to each particular error. ("You've correctly calculated
the allowable capital loss, but you've forgotten that it can only
be applied against taxable capital gains. Try again.")

David Sherman
The Law Society of Upper Canada
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