Computer-assisted instruction in elementary logic at the university level

Our earlier research in the design of instructional systems and curriculums for teaching mathematical logic to gifted elementary school students has been extended to the teaching of university-level courses (Goldberg, 1973; Suppes, 1972; Suppes and Ihrke, 1970). In this report, we describe the curriculum and problem types of a computer-based course offered at Stanford University: Philosophy 57A, Introduction to Symbolic Logic. We base our description on an analysis of the work of 79 students. Data on these students were collected during the third and fourth quarters (spring and fall, 1973) in which the course was offered. The instructional program was written in LISP 1.5 for the DEC PDP-10 at the Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences (IMSSS). Programming details of the computer-based system, proof checker, and lesson driver are provided elsewhere (Goldberg, 1973, 1974).