Highly Interactive Educational Software Prepared With Microsoft Visual Basic Software.

Paul K. Schick, Merion Station, Pennsylvania, USA

ABSTRACT

We will demonstrate several educational programs that we have produced using Microsoft Visual Basic (VB) programming. VB has several unique features. Programs produced by this software are more flexible and interactive than those prepared by HTML. The response time is considerable faster with VB than with HTML program. Videos and graphics can be easily incorporated into VB programs. Navigating between text, images, graphics, and videos occurs very rapidly in Visual Basic programs while, in contrast, very slowly in HTML programs on Websites. The delays caused by the inclusion of images, graphics and videos into HTML programs can be distracting. Rapid response is critical for a highly interactive program. Visual basic programs are very flexible.

At any point during the program, the user can choose how deeply to study the subject. The users can express their views by selecting potential comments or queries that will be displayed on the screen. The user can receive immediate responses to his comments or queries. Conversely, the program can ask questions in various formats such as short essay, true false and multiple-choice questions for the user to answer. The programs provide immediate feed back to the answer(s) to these questions. It can also recognize a pattern of responses to a series of questions, and it can provide feedback about the user's strengths or weakness in specific areas. It can also tabulate and grade the user's responses. This renders the program highly interactive. VB programs can substitute for PowerPoint presentations as visual aids during lectures, and VB software does not have to be installed in the computer used to display VB programs.

We will demonstrate several VB programs designed to teach all aspects of Hematology. For example, we will show a program on bleeding disorders and thrombotic disorders. This program displays animations of specific coagulation pathways. It demonstrates how standard coagulation tests such as the prothrombin time, the partial thromboplastin time and the thrombin time can be used to identify defects in the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways as well as other regions in coagulation pathways. This is achieved by the animation of the pathways scrutinized by each of the tests. Animations are used to display specific defects in coagulation pathways and ask to user to identify these disorders. Next, the program asks the user to select laboratory tests that could be used to diagnose the defects. Conversely, several hereditary or acquired bleeding disorders are listed, and the user is asked to identify the site of the defect(s) by using the mouse to click on the defective coagulation protein(s) in an illustration of coagulation pathways. Appropriate instructive narratives and questions appear as the user visualizes the various pathways and defects. As mentioned above, the user gets immediate feedback to any comments or answers to these questions. The programs will be distributed to users by several mechanisms. Educational programs on these hematological subjects will be described on a Website, and the potential user can choose one or more of these programs. The selected program can be distributed on CD-ROM disks, downloaded from the Web or transmitted by e-mail.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

The presentation will provide information about a programming approach that produces highly interactive educational programs. The versatility and rapid response time of the programs will be demonstrated. This information will be useful to educators interested in using and developing educational programs that have distinct advantages over programs developed by HTML.

Paul K. Schick, M.D.

221 Welsh Terrace

Merion Station, PA 19066

Phone: 610-667-4998

Email: mailto:pksone@voicenet.com