GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas-- The Computer Based Instruction Designer course is a two-week course focused on enhancing instructors knowledge in computer-assisted and computer management instruction.
CBI is a teaching method that utilizes computers to deliver educational content to learners. With the increasing use of technology in modern society, CBI has become a popular and valuable method of instruction.
CBI allows for individualized learning, where students can work at their own pace and receive personalized feedback. It is also accessible from anywhere, allowing students to fit their education around their other responsibilities. In today’s fast-paced Air Force, this is an especially relevant advantage.
“In education and in training, this saves us time, accountability, and money, and it allows us to take something as small as a flow chart and turn it into something as interactive as a virtual reality environment that our students can learn from,” said Alicia Wilder-Walters, 17th Training Support Squadron instructor.
The first week consists of learning about theory, defining what types of learners you have, and calculating student differentiation; students that are color blind, have hearing issues, and have language issues. All of these are taken into account, even what size and type of font you use, including the maximum amount of information to put on a slide.
The second week is a hands-on portion involving the instructional technology unit that can build the computer-based model you give them and can take a flow chart that explains how a course should flow and turn it into a course.
The main takeaway from this course is to give all instructors the resources they need to create classes and computer-aided instruction while having different programs do most of the heavy work.
Instructors are chosen by their supervisors after doing a ‘training needs evaluation’ to see which instructors would benefit most from taking the course.
“We all walk around daily with a computer in our hands,” said Wilder-Walters. “If we're going to use it, let's use it to the maximum capability.”