Shepp GeekTech – A Tech Geek’s Blog

The latest topic of discussion in my masters course is Programmed Instruction (PI) and Personalized System of Instruction (PSI). Here is an excerpt from a posting I made on the course forum:

“Both look at a structured way to deliver courses that are taken by students at their own pace, with minimal or non-existent involvement of a teacher, and require students to master a step (or unit) before going on to the next section. PI focuses solely on delivering the learning material via machines like computer software, web sites, and the like, while PSI includes a tutor-like mentor called a proctor (hopefully not a proctologist), and provides for additional instruction for those students needing it.”

I think the appropriateness for distance education depends on the circumstances. If you want people to learn about factual information and concepts (i.e. math, physics, historical facts, …) and you don’t get into analyzing and forming abstract ideas then PI it is. If you want students to have a higher learning experience then PSI is better.

Sources:

Grant, Lyle K. & Spencer, Robert E. (2003, October). The personalized system of instruction: Review and applications to distance education. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(2). Retrieved on May 29, 2003 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/152/233.

Programmed instruction. Infoplease Encyclopedia. Retrieved on May 29, 2003 from http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0840225.html

I am starting the readings for the next unit in the MDDE 603 course. The topic is behavioural learning theories and programmed instruction. I have read about behaviourism before and the consensus is that it is not as fashionable a theory nowadays as constructivism. Obviously, the people who think this have never stepped inside a junior high (middle school) classroom. :>)