Computer-Guided Experimentation a New System for Laboratory Instruction

This paper reports the development, operation, and initial performance evaluations of an EE laboratory station equipped for Computer-Guided Experimentation. Evaluation of two programmed lessons is also included in this paper. The laboratory station equipped for Computer-Guided Experimentation will automatically feedback information reporting a student´s laboratory activities (namely, the interconnections he makes between the terminals of his experimentation equipment and his settings of instrument dials) to a time-shared computer-aided instructional system, so that the student can be guided automatically through a lesson in any manner preprogrammed by an instructor. It is contemplated that these facilities will be expanded to a number of laboratory stations when more CAI stations become available as a result of future expansions in the PLATO computer-based educational facilities at Urbana.