A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1997

An experimental development of a computer based training (CBT) course for fish nutrition was conducted in AIT to evaluate the feasibility and methods of designing CBT courses in aquaculture. The target learners in this study were aquaculture master students in AIT. A learner assessment was conducted and the results showed that classroom lectures and field trips were dominant in aquaculture training and CBT courses have not yet been utilized widely, indicating that there is a great potential for developing CBT in aquaculture. The learner assessment also showed that the students did not have good experience both in English and computer before they entered AIT and this situation should be taken into account when developing CBT courses. Several designs for two chapters of fish nutrition course were developed using ToolBook v3.0 CBT edition and MicroSoft Excel. A two-dimensional navigation model and its prototype were developed and were used in the implementation of spreadsheet based designs. The designed lessons were used by the students to compare and evaluate these designs and a summative course evaluation was conducted. The analysis of log files, which recorded students activities during their reading, showed that log files are valuable in analyzing learning process and improving a CBT course design. The course evaluation indicated that the techniques used in this study were suitable for developing CBT courses in aquaculture. The results showed that ease of use was the most important feature that influences the students opinions towards a CBT course. The navigation methods, the screen appearance, and print function are important factors that should be taken into consideration in designing and implementing a CBT course.