Computer-based applications for engineering education

Abstract

There is a rapidly growing awareness in the world of the need to modify the educational process at all levels of human development. In South Africa the situation is made worse by a substantial backlog in education. Technology in the form of computers presents itself as a valuable teaching resource. In the USA conclusive results indicate that the use of computers in training accelerates learning by up to 40 %. However, a study of the pedagogical aspects of computer based education shows that there is a great complexity involved in learning and it is impossible to expect that a computer can fulfil all the requirements in an effective learning environment. The inclusion of images, video or sound in a computer-based application can enhance the learning experience significantly as well as increase self-motivation. In the USA, increasing use of multimedia is being made in the field of engineering in both tertiary education and extension. This paper presents some methods for classifying instructional materials. Examples of applications in the different classifications are used to illustrate some dynamic interactive tools that are available for educating engineers.