APL as a teaching tool

Abstract

Computer assisted instruction has played a significant role in several undergraduate courses in the Chemistry Department at Syracuse University. Programs for drill, tutorial [1, 2, 3], and simulated laboratory procedures have been implemented for an introductory course for non-science majors, while programs for data analysis, tutorial instruction [4], and examinations are used in an upper level course for chemistry majors. Our experience leads us to believe that interest in and implementation of the computer as a classroom tool will continue to grow here and elsewhere, and programs using the tutorial approach will contribute significantly to this growth.By “tutorial” we mean that the program gives the computer the capability to adjust to each student's needs on an individual basis not only with respect to the depth and speed of coverage of the material presented, but also for the analysis of specific student errors when they occur, be they mechanical in nature (i.e., dividing by 10 instead of 100) or conceptual (i.e., trying to work pH problems before understanding logarithms). Because of the extraordinary versatility of the APL language, there are as many ways to approach tutorial program design as there are teaching personalities. This paper describes two approaches that we have taken. Part of their significance is their non-limiting open-ended design which suggests applications outside the field of chemistry or even science.Our APL programs are accessed on the University's IBM 370/155 computer via more than one hundred IBM 2741 terminals located all over the campus, including five in the chemistry building.