Print this pageInteractive CD ROMs in the Geosciences: An Instructional Tool
ULMER-SCHOLLE, DANA S., and SCHOLLE, PETER A.
In the geological sciences, interactive CD ROMs are becoming a common way to provide self-paced training in either an academic or corporate setting. Unlike more traditional modes of teaching, interactive CD ROMs permit the individual to easily integrate a variety of medias - still pictures (petrography, photography, diagrams, etc.), video and sound. This allows the incorporation of information from megascopic to microscopic scales and pacing that maximizes student learning rates.
Kodak Photo CDs provide the most basic form of interactivity and are easily brought into the classroom using a Photo CD player and a television or are playable on Macintosh-, PC- and Sun-based computer systems.
More complex interactive CD ROMs require a computer, but they provide more advanced capabilities. A single module can be developed for variety of skill levels (or languages) by using different sound or text tracks with a common set of visual data. Glossaries and bibliographies can easily be integrated into modules to provide additional levels of information. Also, tests can provide feedback on the individuals comprehension and progress as they work their way through the material.
While interactive CD ROMs may never completely take the place of being on field trips or taking classes, they are an ideal way to supplement an individual's knowledge by providing them with a non-threatening environment to first get acquainted with the material. In addition, interactive CD ROMs can now be inexpensively created using a variety of desktop computer systems and programs.