Page 210 - DMGT518_TRAINING_AND_DEVELOPMENT_SYSTEM

Unit 12: Technology in Training

Notes
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Caution CBT normally takes more time to develop than other training methods. This is
because the programming and debugging process is time consuming. More care is
frequently taken in the design of CBT because learners easily can become lost and frustrated
if the instructions on the screen are unclear.
12.2.2 Mainframe vs. Disc Drive

An important distinction to make when evaluating CBT systems is whether the system is “stand
alone” or “centralised.” In centralised system, each training terminal ties into a central mainframe
computer via telephone, accessing the mainframe on a time-share basis. This type of system
offers the following advantages:
1. Records for all learners are kept centrally and are easily accessible.

2. Revisions are immediate as soon as the revised version of a lesson is ready, it is available
to all learners.
3. Many systems offer inter-terminal communication feature, allowing users at remote sites
to send notes or “talk” directly to one another.
The disadvantages are:
1. Response time can be slow since information must travel via phone lines between the
training site and a central computer that may be miles away.
2. Transmission errors caused by extraneous signals on the phone lines can cause information
to be garbled.
3. Twenty four hour service is not normally available since such systems must be taken
down periodically for file dumps and maintenance.

4. In the event that the mainframe goes down, all training sites also go down.
Stand-alone systems are usually microcomputers with floppy disc drivers. They offer the
following advantages:

1. Since there is no communications link to a central system, response time is much faster.
2. Training is available on a 2-hour basis.
3. If one training station goes down, the others are unaffected.
4. Phones are not required, and their attendant costs and transmission errors are avoided.

Disadvantages of the stand above system are:
1. There is no central location for gathering of learner records.
2. The inter-terminal communications feature is lost.
3. Revisions require new disc to be made and distributed. Old discs must be retrieved.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
4. Computer Managed Instruction (CMI) supplies the system to administer the testing, record
keeping and ..………………….

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