CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Technology the world over is dynamic. With advancement in technology, electronic gadgets and other products that are imported or assembled in Nigeria are coming with new devices to such an extent that technological development is in a constant state of flux and change. The influence of technological development in electronics industries has rendered traditional skills inadequate for work while creating the need for new and often sophisticated skills. Capri, Ozseevgec, Sayilkan and Emre (2004) noted that because most students get information via visual content sources like computer which are used in daily life very much, it is more difficult to teach students by conventional means. If principles of how students learn are taken into account, richness of the visual content makes instruction more lasting and effective Mudasiru and Adedeji, (2010). One possible solution to these challenges is the use of computer assisted instructional teaching approach.
Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) or Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) refers to use of computer as a tool in teaching and learning. Computer Assisted Instruction according to Rabia (2004) is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the
learning that takes place. In a computer assisted instruction the students receive feedback from the computer and maintain some degree of control (Okundaye, 2005). Some of the computer assisted instruction methods include simulation, tutorial, drill and practice.
Tutorial provides generally new information to the students in much the same manner as a human teacher or tutor might. According to Mevarech (1985) CAI tutorials are based on the principles of programmed learning or instruction.Instructional activities are presented either in linear or branching method which uses hyperlink for videos and, graphs. CAI tutorial gives immediate feedback, create proficiency in computer usage, and gives students a sense of control over learning, calls for using sight, hearing and touch (Bialo and Silvin, 1990). Drill involves a sequence of tasks, exercises, or words repeated over and over until they can be performed faultlessly. In a CAI drill and practice design, the computer screen presents the student with questions to respond to or problems to solve, the student responds, the computer informs the student whether the answer is correct and if the student is right, he or she is given another problem to solve, but if the student responds with a wrong answer, he or she is corrected by the computer (Mudasiru and Adedeji 2010). Drill and tutorial are interactive and help students remember the concepts they have been taught previously (Rabia, 2004).
The CAI tutorial when used in combination with drill provides instruction in such a way that each tutorial lesson has a series of frame or branches. The frame or branch poses questions to students at the end of each lesson. Student answers questions about the lesson and gets immediate feedback. On each answer, if the student answers correctly, he will be told to proceed to the next frame but if the response of the student is wrong, the package will take him or her back to the frame where the answer could be found or on the alternative gives the correct answer to the student before proceeding to a new frame. The student has to respond to every framed questions in the exact order presented and there is no deviation from this presentation but the student does have the freedom to work through the material at his or her own pace (Mudasiru and Adedeji 2010).
In addition, the use of computer tutorial and drill for instruction brings with it several benefits as a teaching/learning medium. These include self-paced learning, self-directed learning, the exercising of various senses and the ability to represent content in a variety of media. With self-paced learning, learners can move as slowly or as quickly as they like through a program. According to Cotton, K. (2001), tutorial and drill allow students to progress at their own speed of learning as they offer learners controlled instructions, provide prompt feedback, allow for adaptability of instructions (presentations mode and instructional content mode) using authoring systems, provides lessons with more than one purpose, random access facilities, and provides facilities for revisions and updating. With self-directed learning, learners can decide what they want to learn and in what order. Various studies (Entwistle, 1981; Schmeck 1988; Ford and Chen, 2001) have shown that when learners learn in a way that suits them, improvements in the effectiveness of the learning process normally occur. Humans are multi-sensory animals. The more senses through which we receive information, the easier it is to remember. According to Fletcher (1990), people remember 20% of what they hear, 40% of what they see and hear and 75% of what they see, hear and do. The fact that the computer can exercise various senses and present information in a variety of media can enhance the learning process. Meskill and Mossop (1997) reported that computer assisted instruction encourage learning as it enhance students’ interaction with the learning environment which in turn help sustain students’ interest in learning and consequently improve students’ achievement and retention of learning.