Success Skills CBT

The Success Skills CBT is a computer-based training to teach living, learning, and thinking skills to arriving college freshmen, in preparation for campus life. The CBT is developed in 2005, using Macromedia Flash 8 and Action Script 2.0 at the Learning Technology Centre, School of Psychology, Gadjah Mada University. I worked as part of a developer team that consists of several psychology students and professors,an art designer, a narrator, and two programmers: me and Ken. We were supervised by Dr. Neila Ramdani. I design the educational games, the quizzes and the user interactions.

The CBT is divided into three sections: Living Skills, Learning Skills, and Thinking Skills. In addition to that, there are introduction section, pre-test and post-test. The introduction contains the rationale of and the approaches used in the training. The users are required to take the pre-test before the training and the post-test after they finished the training.[1]

User Interface and Interactions

The main menu is located at the top of the window. One menu represents one section of the training. The Home button takes the users to the introduction section. The Navigation button consists of the Back and forward button. The back button is used to repeat the currently playing presentation and the Forward button is to continue to the next presentation. When a presentation is playing, these buttons are disabled. A Help menu is provided to help the users navigate through the CBT.

The users can, sometimes, also click or mouse-hover on the presentations to get additional information. For example, when talking about the Jo-Harry windows, the users can mouse-hover to a particular window to get further explanations about the window.

Quizzes and Tests

Some quizzes and tests that I have developed on this CBT.

The post-test and pre-test.
In this test, users are asked about their knowledge of success skills, before and after the training. The questions is presented using a five-point Likert item: 1) Strongly disagree, 2) Disagree, 3) Neither agree nor disagree, 4) Agree, and 5) Strongly agree). The result of the pre-test and post-test scores is then compared to see the users’ learning outcome after the training.

Self-assessment learning styles. In this quiz, users are asked several questions relating to their learning habits and required to choose the answers that best describe their conditions. Based on the answers, the computer then presented the scores for each of these learning styles: Concrete Sequential (CS), Abstract Random (AR), Abstract Sequential (AS), and Concrete Random (CR), and explains their meaning.

Problem solving style. In this quiz, users are presented with 3 cases. In each case, the users must choose problem solving strategies that are closest to what they will do in this situation. After finishing the quiz, users are shown the problem solving styles grid: extinc by instinct, burning bridges ahead of, paralysis by analysis, premature panic.

Games

Some games that I have developed on this CBT.

Sorting number.The purpose of this game is to illustrate that learning is easier when we know what we are doing. In this game, users are asked to click on numbered circles in increasing order, from the smallest to the biggest, given limited time. The users must complete 8 sorting trials. The only difference between these trials is the position of the number. The number is randomized in a certain way that the odd numbers appears on the opposite position of the even numbers. For example, if the odd number appears at the 1st to 5th columns then the even numbers appears at the 6th to 10th columns. If the odd number appears at the 1st to 3th rows, the even numbers appears at the 4th to 6th rows At the end of the games, the computer shows the results of the trials and asked if the can find the pattern of the numbers position.

Audio-visual Memory. The purpose of these games is to illustrate that each person has their own learning strategy that work best for them. One can be categorized as auditory learner or visual learner, depending on which senses is helps them to learn best. In the first part of the game, users listen to a list of items and asked to remember these items. After that, they are asked to write down the list in another window. In the second part of the game, users is presented with 10 images and are asked to remember these items. Then, the users are asked to write down those items. Both, in the first and the second part of the games, the computer will give the users instant feedback about the number of correct answers. At the end of the games, the users are presented with explanations about auditory and visual learning styles and strategies.

Concentration Exercise. In the first concentration game, users are presented with tangled lines and asked to follow the lines from one edge to another. In second one, users are presented with 8 edges tangled lines and asked to find the 4 edge pairs.

River Crossing Puzzle. The purpose of the game is to illustrate the modified version of the well-known “The missionaries and cannibals” problem. In this game, three ogres and three hobbits must cross a river using a boat that can carry maximum two people. Wherever they are, the banks and the boat, the number of the ogres cannot be greater than the number of the hobbits. Otherwise, the ogres will eat the hobbits. The boat cannot cross the river by itself. After finishing the game, users are presented with several problem-solving strategies.

User Testing

The user testing involved 10 participants. Each participants generally rated the CBT as visually attractive and easy to use (9 out of 10). [1]

References

[1] Neila Ramdhani. “Computer Based Success Skills Training CD Interaktif untuk Membangun Karakter Pribadi Sukses.”, Neila Ramdhani. Web. 12/10/2011. http://neila.staff.ugm.ac.id/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/laporan-cd-sucskil_edit.pdf