Lesson 10

The Computer as a Tutor

The computer is one of the wonders of human ingenuity, even in its original design in the 1950s to carry out complicated mathematical and logical operations. With the invention of the microcomputer (now also commonly referred to PCs or personal computers), the PC has become the tool for programmed instruction.

Educators saw much use of the PC. It has become affordable to small business, industries and homes. They saw its potential for individualization in learning, especially as individualized learning is a problem since teachers usually with a class of forty or more learners. They therefore devised strategies to use the computer to break the barriers to individualized instruction.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)

The computer can be a tutor in effect relieving the teacher of many activities in his personal role as classroom tutor. It should be made clear, however, that the computer cannot totally replace the teacher since the teacher shall continue to play the major roles of information deliverer and learning environment controller. Even with the available computer and CAI software, the teacher must:

•  Insure that students have the needed knowledge and skills for any computer activity.

• Decide the appropriate learning objectives.

• Plan the sequential and structured activities to achieve objectives.

• Evaluate the students’ achievement by ways of tests the specific expected outcomes.

On the other hand, the students in CAI play their own roles as learners as they:

• Receive information.

• Understand instructions for the computer activity.

• Retain/keep in mind the information and rules for the computer activity.

• Apply the knowledge and rules during the process of computer learning.

During the computer activity proper in CAI the computer, too, plays its roles as it:

·        Act as a assort of tutor (the role traditional played by the teacher)

• Provides a learning environment.

• Delivers learning instruction.

• Reinforces learning through drill-and-practice.

• Provides feedback.

Today, educators accept the fact that the computer has indeed succeeded in providing an individualized learning environment so difficult for a teacher handling whole classes. This is so, since the computer is able to allow individual students to learn at their own pace, motivate learning through a challenging virtual learning environment, assist students through information needed during the learning process, evaluate students responses through immediate feedback during the learning process, and also give the total score to evaluate the student’s total performance.