The Control Data, Institute Training Program

for Career Entry Computer Programmers

R. L. Lien
Control Data Corporation

In the last twenty years the computer has gone from a

novelty to a convenience to a necessity. Tools of tech-
nology require people who can operate, program and main-
tain those tools. In order to meet this need, Control
Data Corporation established Control Data Institute to
provide entry level training to people seeking careers
in the computer field.

From a single school which opened in Minneapolis in 1965,

the Institute has grown to a network of training centers
throughout the world. Career entry level institutes are
found in twenty locations in the United States, Austral-
ia, Canada and Western Europe. Over 8,000 students en-
roll in programs of study each yearl the programs ranging
from a few months to nearly a year in length.

In addition to our corporate controlled institutes over-

seas, we have licensing agreements with the Hungarian
and Yugoslavian governments. We train their faculty and
provide updated materials so they can operate their own
schools.

All Control Data Institute programs are accredited by

appropriate vocational educational accreditation bodies
and government agencies, but the quality of Control
Data Institute training may be best reflected in the
credit transfer agreements our schools have with
colleges and universities. Institutions such as the
University of Minnesota, Roosevelt University, New York
Institute of Technology, and the Minnesota State Communi-
ty College System grant our graduates course credit that
can be applied to degree programs.

An independent advisory board, made up of nationally

recognized experts in vocational education, helps CDI
maintain high training and professional operating
standards. The members identify educational trends,
determine occupational needs of the future, and help us
maintain important liaison with other educational in-
stitutions and government agencies. The Board is
chaired by Dr. Kenneth Hoyt, Professor of Education at
the University of Maryland, who is currently on leave
of absence to serve as the Associate Commissioner of
Education for Career Education.

15
Under the guidance of the Advisory Board, we developed
an educational accountability program designed to meas-
ure each institute's quality of service. A quality of
service index was constructed based on four factorsl
(1) job placement, (2) student achievement, (3) student
attrition and (4) student attitudes. These factors were
weighted to reflect their relative importance. Using
this index, a quality of service score is computed for
each institute on a quarterly basis. This enables our
management to move quickly to correct problems or to
take advantage of successful programs. The end result
is quality education that benefits both the student and
the employer.

In addition to determining the quality of service

offered by each institute each quarter, we conduct in-
ternal audits using Hoyt's Specialty Oriented Student
Research System. These audits are conducted by National
Computer Systems to insure unbiased collection of data.
Data is gathered on the students themselves to determine
student characteristics, previous educational and work
experiences, educational motivations, school experiences,
student perceptions of their training, and post-schooling
occupational experiences.

I think Dr. Hoyt summed up well our reasons for conduct-

ing internal audits of this type when he saidl

"The product of education is the student. Product

evaluation in education differs from product
evaluation in industry, in that the product of
education is a person -- a real, live human
being. To attempt to perform product evalu-
ation in education using the industrial model
is to deny the human nature of the product.
The way in which an employer perceives the
adequacy with which an individual has been
prepared to perform a job is certainly no more
important than the way in which the individual
perceives the relevancy of his training ta per-
form the job he is asked to do. What the em-
ployer thinks of the worker is certainly no more
important than what the worker thinks of his job."

Approximately 700 of our ODI entry level students in the

institutes are enrolled in programming courses at any
one time. Until this year we offered separate training
programs for programmers and computer operators, but
with the rapidly growing use of mini-computers we have
found that more and more programmers have a need to know
operationsw consequently, we combined the two programs
into one to respond to the job market. We call the
program we now offer Computer Programming and Opera-
tions.

16
Students who enter our CPO program might be character-
ized as followsl their formal education background var-
ies widely. All are high school graduates, and many
have college degrees. They average 22-25 years of age.
The majority are male and reside in the same metropoli-
tan area in which the institute is located. Approxi-
mately 25% are veterans and about half are married.
They are typically 'no-nonsense' people who attend our
institute to learn a specific skill in a short period
of time.

Our students are solicited through conventional types of

advertising, TV, newspaper and direct mail. Typically,
25% have been referred by other CDI students.

CDI takes the position of complete disclosure to all

potential students when they first inquire about our
institute, so each person is given an audio-visual pres-
entation on the who, what and why of CDI. Complete
cost disclosure and detailed placement information is
given, including total number of students who have gradu-
ated from our schools, the number placed in positions
for which they were trained, the companies that hired
them and the starting salaries.

Each student is given an admissions test which has been

validated to determine its effectiveness in predicting
a student's probability of successfully completing the
course. Minimum passing scores are brought to the
student's attention prior to his taking the test. The
administration of this test, and access to test logs,
is rigidly limited to select employees whose income is
not affected by a student's decision to enroll.

The Computer Programming and Operations training program

is designed to help students develop the skills needed
to enter the job market as entry level progFammers and
operators. Since many of our students obtain jobs where
they use non-CDC hardware, the content is strongly in-
fluenced by other computer manufacturers. The training
program is 650 hours in length and takes a full-time
student about six months to complete. It is designed by
a team of content specialists and professional educators
at the Corporation's Curriculum Development Center in
Minneapolis. The content is in a continuous state of
modification based upon industrial trends, employer
feedback, and feedback from the students themselves.

A year ago our management made a major decision to

structure the CPO program using a systematized curricu-
lum design that would permit students to proceed at
their own pace and follow alternative learning paths.
This curriculum development work has been completed to
the point where we are now piloting the course in three

17
institutes. We plan to have the new program totally
operational in all domestic institutes by the first of
the year.
The individualized program of study consists of seven
courses, Data Processing Concepts, Basic Operations,
Report Programming Generation, COBOL Programming,
FORTRAN Programming, System/360/370 Assembly Language
Programming and System Design. There are a total of 45
individualized units in the seven courses. Students
who successfully complete all of the courses receive a
certificate as an entry level programmer and operator.

The first course in the program, Data Processing Con-

cepts, is made up of five foundation type stand-alone
units. The student learns about computers, the equip-
ment that is found at a computer site, and the role of
site operational personnel. He learns how to construct
flowcharts, apply elementary programming concepts, pro-
duce his own punch cards and create his own program drum
card. He learns how to manipulate numbers in the binary,
hexadecimal and octal decimal systems.
The units of study in the Data Processing Concepts course
are as follows,
i. Introduction to Data Processing
2. Computer Math
3. Flowcharting
4. Keypunching
5. Programming Concepts

The second course, Basic Operations, helps the learner

gain the skills needed to execute his own programs on
the computer systems that are available to him. He
learns to use various input/output devices associated
with the CDC 3000 and IBM 360 systems. He learns to
make up his own control cards to use with his programs,
and he learns how to locate JCL errors and make correc-
tions.
The units of study in the Basic Operations course ares

i. 3LO0 Basic Operations

2. System/360 Basic Operations
3. Systems/360 DOS Control Cards
4. Systems/360/370 OS JCL
5. CDC Mass Storage Control Cards

The Report Programming Generator course teaches the

student to write and execute RPG I/O programs including
those that use arithmetic operations and those that
produce headings, multiple control breaks, group print-
ing and group indicating. He learns to write and

18
completely debug and execute a variety of programs re-
quiring. RPG programming skills. An introduction to
System/3 is also given. There are nine units of study
in the RPG course as followsJ
1. RPG Input/Output Programming
2. Calculations
3, Printing Reports
4. RPG Punched Card Processing
5. RFG Programming Techniques
6, RPG Table Handling
7. Sequential tape and disk processing
8. System/3 & RPG/2
9. Arrays and Subroutines

The COBOL Programming Course is designed to teach the

student to solve business data processing problems, such
as inventory and payroll problems. The course requires
the student to work with all basic COBOL features, in-
cluding report writing features, random access and file
maintenance procedures. The course concludes with a
unit on ANSI COBOL features. The COBOL course consists
of seven units as follows~
Input/Output Programming
Calculations
Writing Reports
Program Logic & Input Validation
Magnetic Tape Processing
Direct Access
ANSI Features

The FORTRAN Programming Course is an introduction to

FORmula TRANslation. Problem-solving techniques used
to solve scientific problems are taught. The s t u d e n t
learns to use DO loops, arrays, LOGIGALS, and IF
statements. He writes several programs using all of
the different FORTRAN statements and learns how to con-
trol the computer system in order to execute the programs.
The FORTRAN course consists of four units as follows~

I. Basic FORTRAN
2. Logicals, DO's, Dimensions
3. Functions & Subroutines
4. Advanced FORTRAN

The System/360/370 Assembly Language Programming course

covers hexadecimal arithmetic, the System/360 assembly
language instruction set, I/O operations, branching and
editing techniques, and debugging methods. System/360
file access methods are also taught. The student uses
the job control language necessary to execute an ALC
program. Business concepts are introduced in conjunc-
tion with projects.

19
The Assembly Language Programming course consists of
eight units as followss

Assembling and Executing a Program

Input/0utput Programming
Decimal Arithmetic
Binary Arithmetic
Logical Operations, Looping & Indexing
Program Construction
Writing Macros
Tape & Disk Program

The Systems Design course teaches systems design con-

cepts and development, beginning with an initial study
of a 12-stop model system. Concepts of multi-program-
ming, multi-processing, information retrieval, data base
structure, communications systems and remote processing
systems are all incorporated by the student in applica-
tion type learning activities.

The Systems Design course consists of seven units as

followss
I. Systems Analysis
2. Systems Survey and Planning
3. System Design and Programming
4. System Implementation and Review
5. Data Management
6. Data Communications

Each unit in the 45 unit CPO program of study is

structured using a systematized curriculum design. The
essential curriculum components in the design are in-
structional objectives, stated in performance competen-
cies, learning activities, a pre-test, progress checks
and a post test. The design permits each student t o
progress at his own rate of speed and partially design
his own instructional plan.
All instructional objectives are structured behaviorally
and are sequenced from the simple to the complex, from
the known to the unknown, or in some other logical way.
Conditions are usually given, and minimum performance
standards are always included to permit criterion refer-
enced evaluation.

We create learning activities using a variety of in-

structional modes and media. Approximately ll0 video
tapes, 140 audio tapes, and 15 film strips are used in
the forty-five units as essential learning activities
and other A-V materials are available for supplementary
instruction. Text readings, reference readings, exer-
cises, programmed instruction and hands-on projects also
are used extensively. Lectures, group discussions and

20
individual tutorial sessions are used as optional
activities.

Evaluation activities are used to diagnose student

needs, provide self-checks and for final evaluation of
student achievement. Each unit includes a pre-test, a
number of progress checks and a post test.

Physically a unit consists of a student's manual, an

instructor's manual, reference books and the required
audio-visual materials. Using these materials, it is
possible for a student to proceed through an entire unit
on his own without the assistance of an instructor, but
we require that an instructor be present in the learning
area at all times to work with individual students and
groups of students.

The manner in which a student progresses through a unit

is illustrated in Figure 1. The student begins by
reading the unit introduction. All learning must have
a purpose and the introduction justifies the unit. It
helps the student understand why the unit has been in-
cluded in the course and how its mastery will help him
as an entry level programmer.

After reading the introduction, the student may take a

pre-test. This pre-test covers each objective of the
unit, so if the student does well on the pre-test, he
may by-pass some or all of the objectives. If he does
not take the pre-test, he starts at the beginning of the
unit.

Our units are segmented into learning blocks. Each

block is built on a number of related objectives. All
blocks, except the final block, are made up of inter-
mediate objectives that the student must master en route
to attaining the unit terminal objectives. The inter-
mediate objectives usually focus on basic facts and con-
cepts. The final block contains the terminal objectives,
which require the student to perform in a manner similar
to the way he would perform in realistic job situations.

A student's pre-test results may permit him to by-pass

one or more of the blocks in a unit, but most students
begin with Block 1. The student enters the block by
reading about the block objectives, which are described
in student terminology, to help him understand the pur-
pose of the block learning activities. Then he engages
in the activities.

A variety of learning activities are included in each

block in the unit. Some are required of all students,
some are alternative activities and others are optional~
A learning activity may be designed to help a student

21
 Figure I

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22
achieve just one objective, or it may span all of the
block objectives. For example, a film may cover all the
objectives in a block, but a text reading may key in on
just one objective.

The student proceeds from one activity to another at his

own pace. A student may work alone or with others on
all activities. No one activity requires a great deal
of time! most can be completed in twenty-five minutes or
less. Some projects, however, may take over an hour.

Although the learning activities for each block should

be sufficient to enable a student to attain block ob &
jectives without additional activities being created, an
instructor may insert an activity of his own design.
Frequently, an instructor who notices that a number of
students are having difficulty with a specific concept
will spontaneously create a learning activity by gather-
ing those students together for an informal lecture or
small group discussion. Any activity created by the
instructor must pertain to the objective or objectives
in the block for which it is used.

After the student completes the block learning activi-

ties, he takes a progress check which is a self-
administered examination. The progress check is located
at the end of each block, providing the student with an
opportunity for self-evaluation. The test items in the
progress check measure the objectives for that block.
Successful completion of the progress check indicates
the student has mastered the objectives in the block
and is ready to proceed to the next block. If the stu-
dent is not successful, he is instructed to review
selected learning activities in the block, or engage in
optional activities he previously by-passed. An alter-
native is to seek instructor help.

The student moves through the systemized unit from block

to block until he completes the terminal block and
passes the post test. Upon passing the post test, he
has completed the unit core. This means he has mastered
the essential knowledge and understandings of the unit
to such a degree that he can transfer what he has
learned to a job situation and perform selected tasks re-
quired of entry level programmers.

After completing the unit core, the student has the op-
tion of engaging in the unit periphery. The periphery
consists of reinforcement and exploratory activities.
Reinforcement activities serve to reinforce concepts
previously learned in the unit. They are designed to
increase retention and enable the student to transfer
more readily his newly developed understandings and
skills to job-oriented situations. Exploration

23
activities are designed to help the student move beyond
the unit's terminal objectives and explore the unit topic
in greater depth. Successful completion of the peri-
phery activities is important to our students because
the additional work better prepares them for future em-
ployment and makes them more competitive when applying
for a job.

Successful implementation of our program requires a well-

designed learning environment, highly structured opera-
tional procedures, and instructors and students who
understand well their roles and responsibilities. The
facility that houses materials for distribution and the
audio visual equipment is called the learning center.
Figure 2 is a diagram of the learning center in Minne-
apolis. The distribution area is to the right and in-
cludes a desk, storage cabinets, book shelves, files and
storage space for a mobile video player. Also located
on this side of the room is another video player, a film-
strip projector and student lockers. Carrels housing
filmstrip projects are shewn in the upper part of the
diagram and wet carrels are placed along the other walls
for individual student work. Dry carrels and desks for
testing purposes are placed in the center of the room.

In addition to the learning center itself, other rooms

in the institute may be used by CP0 students for indivi-
dual work, group work or lectures. These additional
rooms may just contain desks and chairs, but in some
institutes they house additional carrels and audio-
visual equipment.

We start students in the CP0 program on a monthly basis,

ideally with five students per start. Each group of
students proceeds through the program on a unit by unit
basis: that is, all five students begin a unit at the
same time. This enables the instructor to orientate
the students to a unit by giving a short lecture. This
lecture has been developed by our curriculum staff, so
it is also available on an audiotape as an alternative
learning activity. From this point on, all students
proceed through the unit at their own rate. Those stu-
dents who complete the unit before the time deadline en-
gage in unit periphery activities. Slow students may
work after their regular instructional hours to make
sure they are ready to start the next unit on time. In
special situations, students who are very fast are per-
mitted to proceed on a continuous progress basis and
catch up with the group that started a month earlier!
conversely, slower students may drop back to join the
group that started the month after they did.

Detailed records are kept on each student, some by the

student himself and others by the instructor to ensure

24
 Figure 2

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25
that each student receives proper guidance through the
program.

The primary responsibility of the instructor in our

program is to assist each student master the unit ob-
jectives as quickly as possible. Rapid mastery of ob-
jectives allows the student to learn more because the
option of engaging in exploratory and reinforcement act-
ivities is dependent on early completion of the unit
core.

The instructor helps students learn through his manage-

ment of the classroom setting, by serving as a subject
matter expert and by using pedagogical techniques appro-
priate for this approach. The instructor must organize
the classroom setting so students can complete learning
and evaluation activities without wasting time. He must
serve as a subject matter expert in assisting students
to answer questions relating to the subject matter area,
and he must serve as a teacher and counselor in assist-
ing individual students achieve to the maximum of their
ability.
An instructor's effectiveness in guiding students
through each unit depends on his sensitivity and flexi-
bility. Instructor alertness in perceiving signs of
student frustration, disinterest, and boredom is neces-
sary so that he can give help at appropriate times. He
must reinforce students frequently and give personal
attention as often as possible. We attempt to maintain
a pupil-teacher ratio of twenty-five to one in order to
ensure adequate individual attention for each student.

It is important that each student recognize his responsi-

bilities in a program that is structured for individual-
ized instruction. The student must exercise initiative,
good judgment and self-discipline. He must be aware of
the basic concepts of individualized instruction and
follow directions carefully.

The student must properly operate and care for all mater-
ials and equipment he uses. He must be orderly in re-
trieving and returning materials and equipment to ensure
the ready availability of items for other students.

Since students do not compete with one another, but

strive to attain objectives for which performance
standards have been set, the social environment is re-
laxed. This must not be allowed to degenerate into a
situation where learning becomes secondary to social
activity. Each student is ultimately responsible for
exercising the self-control needed in order to accom-
plish the objectives in the time allotted.

26
I have described for you our Computer Programming and
Operations Training program which is being piloted and
soon to be offered in all of our career entry level in-
stitutes in the United States. Time prevents me from
commenting in depth on the other types of programmer
training services offered by Control Data, so I will
just generalize on our other educational services in
this area.

We market curriculum materials for training programmers

under the trade name Modulearn. These are multimedia
training packages covering problem solving, technical
data processing concepts, fundamental programming sched-
ules, customer hardware programming, languages and tech-
niques, data management, data communications, operating
systems, and an introduction to systems analysis and
design. We also will be offering the forty-five units
in our CPO program as soon as the pilot program has been
completed and the curriculum has been validated. Many
of the units will be ready for marketing this fall.
Using these materials can provide very cost effective
training when administered in-house.

The CDC Modulearn packages also can be used in academic

institutions. Currently they are being used in the City
University of New York as mini-courses. The courses are
taught in two custom-designed multimedia learning centers
designed by us. The custom designing of learning centers
is another educational service which is provided by
Control Data Corporation.

One of the most exciting areas in which we are working

is Computer Based Education. We have long supported
CBE research and development projects conducted in lead-
ing universities. Now we are experimenting using the
computer as an instructional and management tool in our
internal training. The systematized curriculum design
makes it easy for us to take a program of study and con-
vert it to Computer Based Education. We are excited
about the progress we have made to date and look for-
ward to the time when we can assist industry and aca-
demic institutions to use the computer to provide high
quality education in all fields, including programming
technology, at minimal costs.

We specialize in customizing training programs for in-

dustry. If our Modulearn offerings do not meet the
programming technology training needs of a customer, we
customize training packages according to the customer's
specifications.

Advanced training in programming is provided by Control

Data's Professional Services Division. This Division
offers a comprehensive range of consulting services and

27
a wide variety of seminars through the Institute for
Advanced Technology. The Institute offers post-graduate
level seminars throughout the world in computer sciences,
mathematical and statistical sciences, management
science, and management education. These seminars are
attended by management personnel and data processing
specialists in business, industry, government, educa-
tion and science. Some of the standard seminars in the
programming area are advanced programming techniques,
software systems design for data communications system
and structured programming. Our internal training in
advanced programming also is handled by the Professional
Services Division.

I have appreciated this opportunity to describe our

Computer Programming and Operations entry level training
program and related areas. I have tried to help you
understand how we are taking advantage of the advances
that have been made in educational technology to provide
effective and efficient education. This is in keeping
with our Mission Statement which reads as follows,

Control Data Institute, the education service

of Control Data Corporation, is a worldwide
business dedicated to the improvement of pro-
ductivity and the quality of life for individ-
uals andorganizations through its educational
products. These products will be offered using
the latest technology for instruction and de-
livery.

This is our goal and we believe it will be achieved.

28