Developing a computer - based study package for G.C.E. A/L students on matter and radiation in Physics

Abstract

Science and technological development in education gives support to learning at all levels. In particular, computers provide a unique technology for supporting education in different modes of teaching and learning. Computers and Internet are now well established as instructional resources in education. However, Computers make possible student involvement in higher-order thinking skills by performing many of the lower-level cognitive tasks, by providing memory support and by juggling interrelated variables. Through a partnership with the computer, the user may also benefit from the effect of cognitive residue resulting in improvement or mastery of a skill or strategy. In order to utilize computers. for teaching, computer based instructional resources must be developed by the educators (teachers) for a given school curriculum. In Sri Lanka, there is a lack of related computer based instructional resources for teaching at all levels in schools. During this project, a computer based study package was developed to be used as a supplementary with the Matter and Radiation unit of G.CE A/L Physics curriculum of Sri Lanka. This study package contains the combination of text, activities, animations and related questions. Also it covers the full lesson of the Matter and Radiation unit of the physics G.C.E A/L syllabus. Macromedia Flash-MX was used for developing this package.