Using a personal computer platform to develop an information-rich learning environment for instruction in acoustics

Abstract

Teaching students the subject of acoustics involves large amounts of technical information, including equations, derivations, and example problems. It also requires the explanation of a multitude of concepts, many of which are often difficult for students to grasp and equally frustrating for the instructor to disseminate. Part of the difficulty can be traced to the use of text (a visually based medium) to teach about sound (an aurally based medium). This presentation will describe the development of multimedia techniques for in-class presentation of acoustics instruction. Some of the materials were developed using certain authoring applications, drawing and animation programs, sound manipulation software, as well as 3D CAD and spectral analysis applets. In addition to the classroom materials, self-paced exercises have been developed to review the material in a student-centered learning environment, along with scheduled interaction time with the instructor for questions, clarifications, and test administration. Demonstrations of the materials for the instruction of acoustical concepts, as well as case studies, will be presented.