Automated analysis and feedback for mass utilization of a multimedia tutorial

Of major concern in administration of a multimedia tutorial system is proper recording and analysis of a user´s activities and success. Recording of the student´s actions during the tutorial session gives the designer the capability to “recreate” the tutorial session and refine the system to meet the student´s needs. The system can then be adjusted to provide appropriate interactions and feedback to the student. SIMPLE, an NSF-sponsored software package written by Dr. W.M. Marcy and Dr. M.O. Hagler of Texas Tech University, can be used to create a tutorial session and record all details of each action a student takes within the tutorial session. A portion of the software, called Analyze, searches the records and is used to sift out the information of interest to the designer based on special criteria. In the Spring of 1996, Amarillo College in Amarillo, Texas, used the SIMPLE software to create an NSF-funded math tutorial. The results of preliminary testing of the Analyze portion of the SIMPLE software to track student´s progress are presented in this paper