DIALGOL(ID:7615/)

Interactive dialect of ALGOL, for teaching purposes, mostly based on NELIAC
Related languages
NELIAC => DIALGOL   Based on
References:
  • Huskey, Harry D. "Automatic computers and teaching machines" in Coulson, John E. (ed.) "Programmed learning and computer-based instruction" view details
  • Silvern, Gloria M. review of Huskey 1963 view details Abstract: The author believes that although the future use of teaching machines in education is inevitable, public interest in this new technological development will tend to follow an "underdamped" curve. Thus, after an initial period of excessive public enthusiasm, development will be largely ignored in the period which follows. Teaching machines will represent an added improvement and extra cost rather than substitute for the current process of education. To keep this cost down, large inexpensive memories or buffers are needed for computer-controlled teaching machines. However, the price per bit of computer memory will be drastically reduced in the future. Therefore, in the author's opinion, the problem as far as teaching machines are concerned, is not the memory size but the need for serious research on the use of these memories.

    The problem in writing control programs for computer-controlled teaching machines is the establishment of a rigorous, precise language for describing the procedures. Then translators can be developed to translate these procedures into operating programs for any computer. The author proceeds to define in detail, and illustrate with examples, a proposed language called DIALGOL, suitable for describing computer programs for controlling teaching machines. Included is a "program chart" for a computer-controlled teaching program. The term "program chart" is used here rather than "schedule" or "flowchart" emphasize the sequential nature of the set of states through which the machine-student system passes. DIALGOL is a dialect of ALGOL; most of its features are also operational in NELIAC, with a very fast compiling speed. With a few additions, a DIALGOL compiler can be written in the language itself. The technique recommended here is compile-and-run, with corrections to be made in source language, and with the program as its own documentation. The language described in this paper appears to be a valuable contribution to the field of computer-controlled leaching machines.
          in ACM Computing Reviews 5(02) March-April 1964 view details