Sam Villareal, Engineering Technology Department
and
Vincent Riggins, John Schroeder, Philippe Tissot and J. Pat Wallace,
Texas Engineering Extension Service
The Texas A&MUniversity System
The ISPO includes a customized course management system and navigation system to assist the course coordinator and student maximize the learning experience. The material is designed with the potential for three different levels of instruction. The technical content is divided into modules corresponding to major process steps or topics, with each process module further modularized into standard sub-modules.
The ISPO's interactive, visual emphasis is developed and maintained through a combination of 3-D graphics, scanned images, video clips, computer-generated animations and visual simulations. The animations depict the essence of various technical concepts with all spurious elements removed. The visual simulations are developed from physically accurate mathematical models and correctly scaled graphics. The visual simulations allow students to vary input control parameters to pre-selected values and observe the resulting effect on the process.
A major advantage of computer based instruction (CBT) over traditional classroom instruction is that CBT can be customized to the individual student and can be delivered on the student's schedule[1]. In subjects where it is not possible to have hands-on application of theory, the computer is well suited to provide a feeling of hands-on experience through computer simulations of the real thing. Research has shown that the student retains more new knowledge through actively participating in the instruction than just listening to a lecture[2]. If the student has some control in the sequence the material is presented, there is significant improvement in the level of interest and overall satisfaction[3]. Also, those students that are more comfortable with graphic representations will retain more if some of the material is shown graphically rather than in text format only. By using three-dimensional graphics, animation sequences and video clips, the CBT training can be effective in accomplishing ``learning compression,'' that is, when the time required to achieve the equivalent gain of learning is reduced.
The ISPO is modularized by topic or process step. A block diagram of the ISPO modules and its supporting navigation system and control system (or ``Course Management System)'' is shown in Figure 1. Each process module is further organized into standard ``introduction,'' ``glossary,'' ``purpose,'' ``processes,'' ``equipment'' and ``critical parameters'' sub-modules as shown in Figure 2.
