TIME-SHARING AND SELF-TUTORING: AN EXPLORATORY CASE HISTORY AND AN EXPERIMENTAL CRITIQUE.
Abstract
The study is concerned with the effectiveness of individual user performance for an extended self-tutoring task in a time-shared facility. The investigation is an experimental case history of one individual (the author) following the TINT self-tutoring user manual from beginning to end in the SDC Q-32 Time-Sharing System at a Teletype console. (TINT is a user-oriented dialect of JOVIAL, and interpretive language adapted to time-sharing with many self teaching features.) The methodology emphasized experimental measurement of natural user behavior in which the user served as his own control in successive console sessions. The experimental sample included 1,861 user input commands with 230 erroneous commands, collected over 18 hours at the Teletype terminal. The quantitative results revealed some evidence for systematic learning and reinforcement effects; there were progressive tendencies toward higher productivity and lower error rates with increasing TINT experience. The qualitative findings revealed that the numerous and diversified exercises facilitated familiarity with the elements and the varied services of the TINT system. The paper concludes with a critique of more genuine interactive involvement between the user, the central system, and self-tutoring aids from an experimental viewpoint. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 10, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0666373
Entities
People
- Harold Sackman
Organizations
- System Development Corporation