Microterminal/Microfiche System for Computer-Based Instruction: Hardware and Software Development

The development of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory Microterminal/Microfiche System is an effort to combine microprocessor technology with microfiche medium to provide a low cost system for the delivery of technical training with a capability to function in the broader scope of computer-based instructional environments, including both computer-managed instruction and computer-assisted instruction. The system is composed of four major components and associated interfaces. The major components are (a) microterminal, (b) microfiche reader, (c) memory module, and (d) hardware interface between the microterminal and the microfiche reader. The microterminal is the result of a previous effort and was developed to support stand-alone, off-line testing. The microfiche reader is an off-the-shelf unit and is adapted to allow sensing of the position of the platen containing the microfiche so that frame locations can be verified by the microterminal software. The memory module is portable and removable from the microterminal which provides an interface to a larger computer-based instruction system. The microterminal can support various levels of testing and has already been successfully demonstrated in a technical training environment. The interface between microterminal and microfiche consists of linear position transducers on the microfiche unit and control circuitry in the microterminal to provide platen position sensing and additional circuitry to allow software control of the projection lamp. A demonstration of the microterminal/microfiche system has been successfully performed supporting testing functions in technical training.