-
84Problem Solving, Working Backwards, and Graphic Proof RepresentationTeaching Philosophy 23 (2): 169-187. 2000.Rather than being random deviation, student errors can be a source of insight into the nature of student difficulties. This paper reports on (and offers pedagogical advice concerning) many common student errors in the construction of proofs, in the application of inference and replacement rules, and in the choice of proof strategies. In addition, a detailed description of the bottom-up strategy for “working backwards” is supplied, along with a discussion of the main difficulties students face wh…Read more
-
71Teaching the Practical Relevance of Propositional LogicTeaching Philosophy 33 (3): 253-270. 2010.This article advances the view that propositional logic can and should be taught within general education logic courses in ways that emphasizes its practical usefulness, much beyond what commonly occurs in logic textbooks. Discussion and examples of this relevance include database searching, understanding structured documents, and integrating concepts of proof construction with argument analysis. The underlying rationale for this approach is shown to have import for questions concerning the desi…Read more
-
43Ethical issues concerning expert systems' applications in educationAI and Society 3 (3): 209-219. 1989.This article traces the connection between expert systems used as consultants in medicine and their design for instructional purposes in education. It is suggested that there are important differences between these applications. Recognizing these differences leads to the view that the development of intelligent computer-assisted instructions (ICAI) should be guided by empirical research into social/psychological consequences and by ethical inquiries into the acceptability of those consequences. …Read more
-
36The Current State of Computer-Assisted Instruction for LogicTeaching Philosophy 9 (4): 333-350. 1986.
-
32An Incrementalist View of Proposed Uses of Information Technology in Higher EducationPhilosophy in the Contemporary World 4 (1/2): 1-9. 1997.A number of national educational organizations and individual authors have called for the use of information technology to radically reform higher education. Several projections of how this reformation will unfold are presented here. Three different approaches to critically assessing these projections are considered in this article, two briefly and one in more detail. Brief consideration is given to an approach based on educational values and to an approach based on cost/benefit analysis. After …Read more
-
24A graphic means of representing deductive proofs in a sentential system of symbolic logic is presented. Proof construction is characterized as a domain of the cognitive theory of problem solving, and three different interface designs for supporting the working backwards method of proof construction are demonstrated. Following a description of the rule set and the working backwards method, an analysis is given of student performance data that has guided interface development during the past two y…Read more
-
21Collingridge and the Control of Educational Computer TechnologyTechné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 1 (3-4): 107-115. 1996.
-
19A number of national educational organizations and individual authors have called for the use of information technology to radically reform higher education. Several projections of how this reformation will unfold are presented here. Three different approaches to critically assessing these projections are considered in this article, two briefly and one in more detail. Brief consideration is given to an approach based on educational values and to an approach based on cost/benefit analysis. After …Read more
-
16Philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and pedagogical techniqueIn James Moor & Terrell Ward Bynum (eds.), Metaphilosophy, Blackwell. pp. 49-69. 2002.
-
11A number of national educational organizations and individual authors have called for the use of information technology to radically reform higher education. Several projections of how this reformation will unfold are presented here. Three different approaches to critically assessing these projections are considered in this article, two briefly and one in more detail. Brief consideration is given to an approach based on educational values and to an approach based on cost/benefit analysis. After …Read more
-
8Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Science, andPedagogical TechniqueMetaphilosophy 33 (1‐2): 49-69. 2002.Changes in the aims and methods of the philosophy of mind have occurred in recent decades. In particular, computer simulations have emerged as a means of constructing empirically and conceptually defensible theories of mind. This article explores pedagogical innovations that may be necessitated by these changes. One question raised is whether hands‐on teaching of simulation methods should be a standard part of philosophy of mind courses. These courses, because of an increasing empirical orientat…Read more
-
7Faculty as Machine Monitors in Higher Education?Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 20 (2): 106-114. 2000.Predictions concerning postindustrial society include that of workers serving as machine monitors. That concept is explored in this article in respect to faculty in higher education serving as monitors of computers that are executing instructional programs. Questions concerning changes in faculty roles and the control of educational quality are addressed. Alfred Bork’s vision of asynchronous learning systems is elaborated, and that alternative is compared to the concept of machine monitoring. It…Read more
-
5During the past fifteen years, David Collingridge has made important contributions to the understanding of technology and the prospects for its effective control. Though philosophically sophisticated, his views have been given more attention by social and political scientists than by philosophers. In an effort to explore the rationale and applicability of his views, this article takes up three tasks. The first is to explicate Collingridge's basic argument on the topic of controlling technology. …Read more
-
1Making Useful Comparisons of Traditional, Hybrid, and Distance Approaches to Teaching Deductive LogicDiscourse: Learning and Teaching in Philosophical and Religious Studies 4 (1): 159-170. 2004.
-
1The use of computers in education is often thought of as a means of putting sound pedagogical principles and techniques into practice. However, such use can also contribute to building the empirical foundations for those techniques. This can occur in two ways. First, CAI programs can collect data on student performance for the purpose of identifying prominent weaknesses and for investigating processes involved in mastering various tasks and learning particular subject matters. In every disciplin…Read more
-
Deductive proof checking programs are the most popular form of logic CAI. Whatever the reason for their widespread use, the proliferation and continuous development of these programs is evident. Contemporary proof checkers cover a wider variety of texts and rule sets, and offer more helpful editing, diagnostic, and remedial features than were once provided. These programs appear to be prime candidates for developing in the direction of "intelligent" CAI (ICAI). The primary thrust of ICAI is to b…Read more
-
The Design of Scientific Discovery: A Methodological ViewDissertation, The Florida State University. 1979.