THE ROLE OF THE TEACHING MACHINE IS COMPARED WITH THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAMED TEXTBOOK. THE TEACHING MACHINE IS USED FOR INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION, CONTAINS AND PRESENTS PROGRAM CONTENT IN STEPS, PROVIDES A MEANS WHEREBY THE STUDENT MAY RESPOND TO THE PROGRAM, PROVIDES THE STUDENT WITH IMMEDIATE INFORMATION OF SOME KIND CONCERNING HIS RESPONSE THAT CAN…

A PORTION OF THE LITERATURE CONCERNING MECHANICAL TEACHING MACHINES OR DEVICES, WHICH ALLEGEDLY INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING OPERATIONS BY MAKING USE OF CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES AND TEACHER LABORSAVING FEATURES, IS REVIEWED. A CLASSIFICATION IS MADE OF MECHANICAL TEACHING AIDS AND DEVICES, SUGGESTING THAT THE…

A selective review of the literature on self-instructional devices is presented, with emphasis on those studies which provide for a functional analysis of such devices. Three major classes of variables which influence the effectiveness of learning by means of self-instructional devices are discussed: the characteristics of the device, the…

A brief look at some examples of self-instructional systems for teaching the elements of basic mechanical skills. (AA)

TEACHING MACHINES, COMPUTERS, AND APPROPRIATE BUILDING DESIGNS AND FACILITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ARE PRESENTED. THE PLATO PROGRAM (PROGRAMED LOGIC FOR AUTOMATIC TEACHING OPERATION) ALLOWS 1,000 STUDENTS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY STUDY EIGHT DIFFERENT LESSONS. EACH OF THE STUDENTS IS PLUGGED INTO THE MOTHER COMPUTER AND HAS A DIALOGUE WITH…

HYPOTHESES RELATED TO PROCEDURES PERMITTING STUDENTS TO BRANCH AT THEIR OWN OPTION WERE TESTED. THE FIRST HYPOTHESIS WAS THAT A FIXED-SEQUENCE PROGRAM WOULD BE LESS EFFECTIVE THAN THE SAME ITEMS CAST AS STATEMENTS IN TEXTBOOK FORMAT THROUGH WHICH THE STUDENT COULD SKIP AT HIS OWN OPTION. THE SECOND HYPOTHESIS WAS THAT PERFORMANCE ON A PROGRAM…

A MODEL READING APPROACH TO INCREASE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF READING INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM IS PRESENTED. THE CRITERIA OF GOOD TEACHING METHODOLOGY ARE THAT PROGRAMS SHOULD MEET INDIVIDUAL STUDENT NEEDS, THAT A PROGRAM'S LEVEL OF CONTENT SHOULD BE TAILORED TO THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT'S LEVEL OF CAPACITY AND ACHIEVEMENT, THAT THE SPEED OF…

This study summarizes the findings of the UCLA Education 261D seminar on Self-Instructional Materials (SIM) in Southern California community colleges. It was determined that little is currently being done in the development of SIM. The obstacles it has encountered are faculty who have reservations about the concept of SIM, and those who have an…

The purpose of this system is to teach rural high school students the process of forming objects with expandable polystyrene plastic beads. Instruction in the system generally follows a three-step sequence in which the student: 1) views one of the four demonstration films; 2) progresses through a corresponding programed instruction book; and 3)…

Programmed Learning and Teaching Operation (PLATO) distributes instructional materials in the form of text, numbers, animated drawings and other graphics for individualized, self-paced learning. (Author)

Outlines the introduction of audio-tutorial (A-T) methods of teaching a general biology course, including facility planning, costs, and problems encountered. Presents data indicating that good students achieved higher grades with A-T than with conventional courses, but lower achievers performed at about the same level with either method. (AL)