A Generalized Teaching Machine Decision Structure with Application to Speed Reading. Techn Docum Rep No. Esd-tdr-64-523.

A Generalized Teaching Machine Decision Structure with Application to Speed Reading A relatively new type of automated instruction called the "computer directed" teaching machine is discussed. Typical present-day teaching machines either give every student the same instruction material or choose what material the student receives on the basis of his answer to the last question. The computer-directed machine chooses instruction material by making a statistical evaluation of the student's total behavior in comparison with other students' total behaviors . This machine's statistics are actually changed as new students take the course. Such a teaching machine can perform very much like a human tutor who adjusts his presentation to fit the individual student's capabilities and who improves his teaching technique with each student. The role of the computer-directed machine in the teaching machine field can only be determined after: 1. A technique for comparing teaching machines is developed. 2. More research is performed utilizing the computer-directed machine. In this paper a technique is suggested for comparing teaching machines. The machine's tutorial functions would be fitted to a very general model of the tutorial teaching cycle. This allows the various automated instruction devices to be discussed in terms of a common model. An application of the computerdirected machine was made to a speed reading course. Preliminary experiments with this course indicate that the computer-directed machine can perform like a human tutor. The topic of speed reading lends itself to many possible future experiments. Since most student's know something about speed reading prior to the course, the student's speed reading skill before and after the course could be measured and improvements could be noted. Many non-automated courses for speed reading exist, and the student's improvements with automated and nonautomated instruction could be compared.