新視野大學英語聽說教程第五冊:unit01_3

1. What are the advantages of Computer Based Training (CBT) mentioned in the passage?
   The costs are low and make it possible to educate large numbers of students cheaply and efficiently.

2. What indicates that the students have sufficient command of what has been studied in order to proceed to the next level?
   A passing grade.

3. How does CBT help students solve their problems in their studies?
   The “help” features, “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) list, the message board and sending e-mails can help answer the students' questions.

4. What's your idea of e-learning (Computer Based Training and Web Based Training)? In what way can they help the students  receive education?
 
   Advantages of CBT include flexible and self-paced learning. Students who control the pace and direction of their learning remember more of what was taught. Studies show that CBT reduces training time by 40—60% over traditional classroom training. Web-based learning has become widely used, with huge amounts of information available worldwide. Students have 24-hour, remote, independent access to them. By surfing on the world wide web, students can search through millions of files around the world within minutes to locate and access authentic materials (e.g. newspaper and magazine articles, radio broadcasts, movies). They can easily read them and download them if they like.
E-mail provides a means of meeting and communicating with others in English outside of class. Students can explore in detail the cultural knowledge surrounding the text. Most importantly, they can ask questions about idioms, vocabulary and grammar. They exchange their views and learn from each other.

5. What's the difference between CBT and real classroom training? What are the advantages of CBT?
 
   A: Unlike real classroom training, the computer-aided communication or CBT does not provide immediate and face-to-face interaction between student and teacher. Therefore, the student's problems may not be solved as quickly as in a real classroom with a real teacher and real classmates. However, shy and inhibited students can benefit greatly from the individualized, student-centered learning.
   B: The teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge. Students become active and independent learners, and are encouraged to be explorers rather than passive recipients. It is student-centered rather than teacher-centered.
   C. The medium of teaching is also different. Chalk and blackboard are obsolete, replaced by a computer connected to the Internet.

6. Is CBT promising in the near future? Will it play a leading role in education?
 
   Even with all its advantages, computer-based learning still involves the computer as a tool. Human-to-human communication can never be replaced by human-to-machine communication.