Implementation of a tutoring system using a time-shared basic interpreter on a minicomputer

A system of computer programs for providing computer assisted tutorial lessons is presented in this thesis. The programs were developed by the author on a PDp8e minicomputer with 20K, 12 bit words of memory, using a l.6 million word disk and five teletypewriter terminals. The programs were written in the BAsIc language and run under a time-shared BASIc interpreter. The system provides instructors with a means for easy authoring and editing tutorial lessons. The lessons are administered to students at a terminal by means of a computer program.

The design and operation of the system are described and the programs and an instruction manual are included in the appendix. The system was tested in courses at Carson- Newman College during the academic year l977-l978. Data was collected in order to analyze the effectiveness of the lessons and to measure the students' interest. The results of the test sessions and sample tutoring lessons are discussed. The tutoring system was determined to be useful as an adjunct to various teaching methods in a wide range of subject areas. Instructors and students with no expertise in computer programming were able to use the system.