W2D-001 QUB administration-0.txt
The Queen's University of Belfast

Institute of Computer Based Learning

Background

Computer based approaches to teaching and learning have been a feature of curriculum development in a number of departments at Queen's since the 1970s. Over the period 1984-1990, a major investment in student workstations sponsored jointly by Northern Ireland's Department of Education and Industrial Development Board, enabled the University to establish its delivery infrastructure for computers in teaching. As a direct result of this initiative, interest in computer based learning (CBL) became widespread across the disciplines of the University. In October 1987, to act as a focus for this interest, the University established the Centre for Computer Based Learning (CCBL) in a joint venture between the Computer Centre and the School of Education. The CCBL was successful in a number of bids under national initiatives (see under Major Projects), and this success along with a desire to enable the study of the foundational academic disciplines of CBL led the University to create an independent Institute of Computer Based Learning (ICBL) in December 1992.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of the ICBL are to create and maintain a centre of excellence for computer based learning at the University; to develop courseware and software systems to support the teaching of all academic disciplines; to carry out research into computer based learning techniques; to undertake commissions for courseware.

Software development

Software developments are undertaken not only to support the production of teaching and learning materials but also as an important foundation for research. The objectives are to develop authoring systems, related utilities and a number of generic applications for the three common delivery platforms, viz PCs, Macs and Unix workstations. Key disciplines include visual programming, object-orientation and functional programming, and important applications include hypertext and Q A management, data visualisation, animation, simulation, modelling and natural language response analysis.

The underlying systems are written in C++ with an in-house class library offering common GUI objects and functionality across the three platforms. Writing in this system enables source code portability for tools, utilities, applications and courseware. The writing of courseware is facilitated by providing an integrated set of authoring tools and application generators, which make use of visual programming interfaces.

Courseware development

CBL may be used in many if not all areas of education and training. Within Queen's, the ICBL works with a diversity of academic disciplines. Recent or current commitments at Queen's range from advice on CVL and multimedia, through support of courseware development and use of tools, to actual collaborative projects. These activities have involved Mechanical Engineering, Built Environment, Pharmacy, Anatomy, Mental Health, Pathology, Dentistry, Accountancy, Italian, Legal Studies and the Staff Training and Development Unit.

The most significant collaboration in this area is the University's current TLTP project - producing 210 hours of CBL, across 10 disciplines involving 30 academics - which is described in more detail below.

Research

The foundational academic disciplines of CBL are education, psychology and computer science. The Institute provides a focus for inter-disciplinary research for academics from these disciplines. The main themes under investigation at present are: Pedagogical Design, Curriculum Content, Assessment, Evaluation, Human Computer Interface, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Learner Models, Neural Networks, Visual Programming, Modelling and Response Analysis.

Current research commitments are listed below Evaluation studies on the general use of computers in education and the particular use of CBL in the teaching of psychology. Lattice modelling of processes in polymer chemistry using statistical methods. Abstractions of graphical and textual language representations to support the construction of computer based models and simulators. Investigation and development of language systems for functional and object-oriented programming. Object-orientation methodology and reverse engineering for real-time network management.

Teaching

The ICBL will offer a MSc in Computer Based Learning, starting in late September 1994. Six modules are available in 1994/95: Information Technology and Services CBL Approaches CBL Systems Courseware Engineering Cognitive Modelling and Human-Computer Interaction Advanced CBL Design

A further four modules will be offered in 1995/96.

Staff Development

The Institute promotes the awareness of CBL concepts and techniques through seminars, summer schools and workshops. In addition, the ICBL collaborates with the University's Staff Training and Development Unit in seminars for staff induction and in workshops in teaching methods with the Enterprise Unit.

Major Projects

Information Technology Training Initiative (ITTI)

This three year project is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 1994. The products are courseware and other teaching materials on CBL itself, and authoring (system) tools. This is targetted at all tertiary level academic staff, and trainers in other organisations.

Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP)

This is a three year project to be completed in February 1996. The products are over 200 hours of teaching materials on a wide range of academic topics, to be deliverable on the three most common delivery platforms, viz PCs, Macs and Unix workstations. In the selection of topics and methods to be addressed, care has been taken to identify items of common interest to the wider audience of universities and higher education. At Queen's, the new materials will generate over 50,000 student courseware hours per annum and a vigorous programme of dissemination will be undertaken to ensure that other institutions are aware of the materials to be made available. The academic disciplines are Education, General Practice, Languages, Obstetrics, Orthopaedics, Pharmacy, Physics, Psychology, Social Sciences and OR.

Staff

The director of the ICBL is Dr Fred McBride. Paddy Brannigan (Services) and Randall Thompson (Development) manage teams of courseware analysts and developers and systems programmers. The current staff complement is 23.
