National Development Programme in Computer Aided Learning: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:28, 26 October 2014

Revision as of 06:06, 27 October 2014

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==Approach and Governance==

NDPCAL took an approach of working on supporting existing projects but also working on feasibility projects with those with good ideas. It required joint funding to come from the host establishment and stipulated effective evaluation and monitoring but allowed a significant degree of autonomy to the projects.<ref>Hooper R., 1977, An Introduction to the National Development Programme in Computer Assisted Learning, British Journal of Educational Technology, 8-3 p165-175</ref>. NCET was asked to provide administrative services to the new programme, and the programme's central staff were NCET employees but executive control was to be vested in a committee made up of civil servants from seven government departments plus a group of co-opted advisers. The Programme Committee, as it came to be called, was chaired by the DES and funded the work through NCET. The Programme Committee was more than just a rubber stamping committee, it held the final say on proposals from the Programme Director and involved itself in project evaluation, setting up sub-committees of three or so of its members to look in detail at a particular proposal or project. This led to 2 project proposals being rejected. Each of the thirty projects had its own steering committee but national linkage was retained because each had to have a member of the national Programme Committee on it.

==Setting Up==

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Stage 4 - Assimilation and Dissemination - national funding is being phased out and the institution has taken ownership with other new institutions taking it up.

About half the project funds were spent on projects in universities and polytechnics, about one-sixth of the project funds was spent on schools based projects and the rest on military and industrial training. Some of the projects are listed below. <ref>For a full list and their details see http://www.edtechhistory.org.uk/history/the_1970s/ndpcal_projects.html</ref>.

* Computer Based Learning Project on Applied Statistics for Social Science, Leeds University - Director: J.R. Hartley

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* Computers in the Undergraduate Science Curriculum Director: Dr. I. McKenzie, University College London

* Hertfordshire Computer Managed Mathematics in Schools Director: Dr. W.Tagg, Advisory Unit for Computer Based Education

==Evaluation==

NDPCAL set up two independent evaluations: an educational evaluation carried out by the [[University of East Anglia]] and a financial evaluation by Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. The Educational Evaluation, UNCAL (Understanding Computer Assisted Learning)<ref>MacDonald B., 1977, The Educational Evaluation of NDPCAL, British Journal of Educational Technology, 8-3 p176-189.</ref> was carried out over a period of three years evaluation project and reported findings about CAL in general:

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# Inter-institutional development has been a success leading to substantial savings

# Large scale applications of CAL require full-time staff and regular computer time.

==References==