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One of the main responsibilities of a sound engineer is to control the quality of the sound during the recording process. An important qualitative aspect of a recording, besides the musicality of the performance, is its timbral content. Proper level and spectral balance between the mixed elements of the recording and the absence of extraneous noises and distortion are key elements. Therefore, timbre perception acuity is an essential skill for sound engineers. / This thesis proposes a computer-assisted system as a training tool for developing and maintaining aural skills related to timbre perception. A set of criteria for the design of such a system based on current knowledge in timbre perception is presented and an exploratory implementation is described. Limits of the current system are discussed and areas that need further investigation are identified.

A computer animated learning environment, INFECTRON, was developed to teach learning disabled (LD) and non learning disabled (NLD) students a biology lesson, INFECTRON uses two different modalities, auditory (narration) and visual (animation), exposing students to dual information processing codes (verbal, spatial), allowing them the flexibility to use a learning style they prefer. INFECTRON teaches students how the body protects itself from invading germs. Students were presented the animation and oral narration concurrently, successively and compared to a control group. Subjects were 30 LD and 30 NLD in grades 7 and 8 attending a large comprehensive high school in Montreal. Measures included a pretest, posttest, reasoning tasks, and a retention test. Results indicated that students (LD and NLD) in the computer conditions (concurrent and successive) outperformed students (LD and NLD) in the control condition on the pre, post and reasoning tasks. No significant differences were found between students (LD and NLD) in the concurrent group and students (LD and NLD) in the successive group on the post test and reasoning tasks. No group differences were found between the LD and NLD students in the computer conditions. It was confirmed that INFECTRON benefits both LD students and NLD students, allowing LD students to perform at par with NLD students on these biology measures.

This thesis presents an intelligent system for tutoring phonetic transcription in introductory linguistics courses. It compares and contrasts this system with previous intelligent tutoring systems and presents an implementation of the present system. The problems and solutions encountered in implementing the system are described.Among the contributions and innovations are the fact that this system guides the student through several attempts at transcribing a word with increasingly specific feedback, and the fact that the system is organized in such a way that an instructor can add, modify or delete data at any time with no assistance required from a programmer.A significant contribution of this system lies in the fact that although there is only one correct answer for any given item to be transcribed, the possibilities for the student's responses and hence for incorrect answers must be open-ended. The student's answer will be a string that may not have the same length as the correct answer, may contain few or none of the same symbols as the correct answer, and those that it does contain may be in a different order. The student's answer is intended to correspond to the correct answer, but is known not to be an exact match. Arbitrary strings representing the student's answers must thus be matched up with the pattern of the correct answer in such a way that the system can give the student meaningful comments that will aid the student in identifying errors. The usual pattern recognition program is designed to identify instances where a match succeeds. This tutor must identify instances where the match fails as well as how it fails. / Department of Computer Science

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a microcomputer-assisted instructional program on the ability of college choral ensemble members to sing melodic configurations at sight.A two-way analysis of variance was constructed to research four questions. After a microcomputer was obtained and set up, two criterion tests--the Singing AchievementTest (Bowles) and a microcomputer-generated sightsinging test (MGST)--were given to forty-one members of choral performing ensembles at Fort Wayne Bible College. The students were divided into two ability groups based upon the Singing Achievement Test pretest scores. Each ability group was then randomly divided into experimental and control groups by means of a table of random numbers. There was no attempt made to single out participants with special abilities or trainingAn eight-week experiment with the microcomputer program, MELODIOUS DICTATOR, was constructed consisting of three non-consecutive fifteen-minute periods per week for all experimental group participants. The control group attended choral rehearsals with the experimental group but had no exposure to the computer program. After the eight weeks, the same criterion tests were readministered to all participants. An Opinionnaire was also completed by the students in the experimental group.Data-were processed statistically by the use of a two-way analysis of variance. The ability level group and the experimental/control group were independent variables. Pretest scores for Singing Achievement Test, melodic errors-Singing Achievement Test, and microcomputer-generated sightsinging test, and posttest scores for the same three tests were the dependent variables. Results of these data and observations from the Opinionnaire led to the following conclusions:1. There was no significant effect on the ability of college choral ensemble members to sing melodic configurations at sight through the use of the MELODIOUS DICTATOR as measured by mean scores of two criterion posttests.2. Differences in criterion posttest mean scores between high and low ability groups were significant at the .05 level.3. The MELODIOUS DICTATOR assisted students in the development of their melodic dictation skills as measured by the difference between the first and last experiment total notes notated and total notes notated correctly. However, no relationship was found between success as measured by the MELODIOUS DICTATOR and the individual student's perception of success as measured by the Opinionnaire.4. Students did have a somewhat positive attitude toward the MELODIOUS DICTATOR as revealed by the Opinionnaire.While the MELODIOUS DICTATOR did not seem to improve sightsinging skills significantly, benefits of the CAI program were evident through direct contact between the program and the students. The need for supervision, tutoring, and maintenance was negligible. Students also expressed interest in other experiences with the microcomputer according to the results of the Opinionnaire.

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the meaning of responses of study participants to interactive computer-mediated communication within a distance learning environment. The theoretical framework for this study was based on collaborative learning theories within a constructivist perspective.The study setting was a distance learning graduate course taught in a studio classroom on Ball State University campus and transmitted via the IHETS Network to five distant sites in Indiana. An interactive Internet site, the Class Page, was an important instructional component of the course. This Class Page was developed to enable and support active, collaborative learning among distance learners.Study participants, all graduate students enrolled in degree programs, included 13 studio students and 24 off site students. One professor and two graduate assistants delivered course and Web site instruction. In this descriptive study, responses of participants were collected through a series of surveys and interviews over the sixteen week semester. Evidence collection focused on learner responses to the computer component of this distance learning setting.Identified in this study were cognitive and affective learning strategies developed and employed by students to effectively learn from the educational environment of computer-mediated communication within this study's setting. Two cognitive learning strategies identified were the `management of the computer environment' and the `management of personal resources.' Two affective learning strategies identified were the `management of self and the `management of others.' The computer medium of this setting played an important role in determining how students responded to, and learned within, this distance learning environment.Learners' responses to this multimedia distance setting were shaped by specific aspects of the learning environment. The development of the cognitive and affective learning strategies was influenced by the instructional design of the distance course and the Class Page, the structure of Class Page interactivity, and the characteristics of individual learners. Conclusions and recommendations of this study focused on these four influences upon student responses. Implications for future distance education design and development included the need for a clear model of distance learner participation and further research requirements in areas such as learner characteristics, applications of interactive media, and course design issues. / Department of Educational Leadership

The study is to explore the differences between ICAI and CCAI systems. The differences are examined by comparing the capabilities between the Intelligent Classification Skill system and the Conventional Classification Skill system. AI and expert system represent the path for major changes in CAI. It is the best way to improve the CAI software available. The prototype system of the Intelligent Classification Skill system is developed to illustrate the progress. The ICS system is capable of handling many different classification problems. The logical structure of classification methods is built in to the ICS system. / Department of Computer Science

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of computers can modify the focus of attention of learning disabled students in a matching task. More specifically, this study examined learning disabled students' performance (correct answers and response time for correct answers) when completing a task consisting of matching Chinese characters when presented under three display conditions: traditional card, static computer, and animated computer display.This study involved 42 subjects who were children with ages 9 through 11 and were randomly selected from a list of learning disabled students in the Muncie Community School District, Muncie, Indiana. They were in regular classrooms with special education servicing for learning disabled students. Subjects were randomly assigned into one of the three presentation methods.Previous research has shown that microcomputers have been successfully used in special education. Microcomputers can not only motivate learning disabled students to learn but also control many focus of attention related stimulus characteristics including brightness, distance between stimuli, number of stimuli, and the stability of a stimulus. Based on this research it was hypothesized: (a) that learning disabled students who visually match Chinese characters presented via static or animated computer screens would have more correct answers and have less response time for correct answers than learning disabled students who visually match Chinese characters presented via traditional cards; (b) that learning disabled students' performance in the animated computer condition would be better than that in the static computer condition; and (c) that learning disabled students' performance in these two computerized conditions would be better than that in the traditional card condition at different stimulus difficulty levels.A 3 x 5 analysis of variance with repeated measures and a Scheffe Multiple Comparison Test on Main Effects were used to analyze the data. The results of this study indicated that: (a) learning disabled students who were presented the matching task via computer screens did not demonstrate an overall improvement in focus of attention; (b) learning disabled students who were presented with the matching task via animated computer screen presentation did better than students under the static computer presentation at the easiest level of task difficulty; and (c) learning disabled students who were presented the matching task under the static computer screen presentation condition performed worse than students completing the task under the traditional card presentation condition at the easiest task difficulty level when dealing with simple tasks; and (c) that learning disabled students who were presented with Chinese characters via static computer screen might perform worse than students with traditional card presentation when completing simple tasks.The results from this study failed to completely support the main hypothesis that computerized instruction methods could improve learning disabled students' focus of attention. The possible explanations for the general unsuccessfulness of the computer conditions are that the testing materials in this study were not programmed in the sense of individualized rate and that there was no feedback regarding correct or incorrect responding or contingent reinforcement for the correct answers. Future studies should include systematic feedback for correct answers as well as computer conditions. Replication studies which use different stimuli from those of the current study to determine the generalization of the results should also be conducted. / Department of Special Education

The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy of touch sensitive computer screens in focusing attention on a specific academic task. Forty nondelayed and forty delayed kindergarteners were compared as to their rates of task completion and performances on traditional computer keyboards versus touch sensitive screens. Two eight cell repeated measures experimental designs were used to compare the selective attention process of the nondelayed and delayed pupils. The two dependent variables manipulated in the study were two types of computer input device and the two developmental levels of the subjects. The dependent variable consisted of the number of previously unlearned French number words mastered through four performance measures involving speed, computer recall, noncomputer recall and noncomputer recognition.FINDINGSAs analyzed by a three factor MANOVA, a significant difference in the rate of task completion was shown in favor of the touch screens for all subjects in touching the sequential letters of the alphabet. Although there appeared to be no significant differences in noncomputer recall and recognition post tests, a four factor MANOVA verified significant differences in the subjects' computer recall post tests.CONCLUSIONSThe data supports the conclusion that the use of the touch sensitive screen facilitates the focus of attention (selective attention) on specific academic tasks and thus increases the rate of learning and degree of integration of new information. The degree of compatibility between the learner and the computer input device is greater with touch screens than with traditional keyboards for both nondelayed and delayed kindergarteners.The speed of completing the sequential touching of the alphabet letters was significantly faster for the touch screen than the traditional keyboard input. For mastery of information learned, the analyzed findings suggest a higher degree of recall for information learned through the touch screen intervention over the same instructional tasks with keyboard input.As the result of this key study, it is suggested future research investigations will expand the use of computers beyond educational drill, repetition, and games. Future investigations into the relationships between cognitive processing and the individualization of CAI could involve various age ranges, exceptionalities, and developmental comparisons. / Department of Special Education