HKCEE CIT Coursework Assessment (Module D) Sample 2004-2005

T. S. Wong (4B)
HKCEE CIT Coursework Assessment
(Module D) Sample 2004-2005
Attention: 1) The language medium of the coursework assessment (including the CD-ROM)
should be the same as that of the written examination (i.e., Paper 1 and Paper 2).
2) The diagrams included with this sample are for illustrations only.
3) Candidate(s) found to be using or suspected of using any unfair means in the
coursework assessment (e.g., plagiarism) will be liable to disqualification from
the current CIT Examination or the whole of the current HKCEE.
Objective & Analysis
I have been a member of the school athletics team since I was in Form One and have
represented our school in inter-school and open competitions for many years. I am
particularly interested in the middle and long distance events (e.g., 800 m and 1,500 m) and
can usually achieve satisfactory results. My teacher is an experienced coach in the middle and
long distance events and has coached the Hong Kong Athletics Junior Squad for some years.
Some of his athletes have even reached international levels. Unfortunately, my teacher has to
quit coaching because of the heavy workload assigned by the school in the previous few
years. Therefore, he has decided to write a book about coaching the middle and long distance
events so that he can share his coaching experience with others in order to improve the
general performances of such events in Hong Kong.
There are actually many books and a few VCDs about coaching athletics and running in
the market. Books are convenient because they can be read anywhere. VCDs are also a good
alternative because VCD and DVD players are quite popular in Hong Kong today. Besides,
they can be played on most computer systems, too. However, most of the books and VCDs
are very expensive and only a few of them focus on the middle and long distance events.
Moreover, the few good ones have been out of print for years, and most of the rest are either
too elementary or too theoretical in nature. A book, which is more suitable and practical in
nature for the coaching of local athletes in the middle and long distance events, is absolutely
necessary.
According to my teacher, his book should include information concerning the techniques,
teaching, and training for the middle and long distance events. Since his book is specialized
for the coaching of local athletes and the number of target readers is quite limited, textbook
publishers are most probably not interested in the production. With the advancement in
computers and information technology, my teacher has decided to distribute his book as an
electronic book (eBook). Advantages of producing an eBook over a traditional paper book or
VCD include lower printing cost, less storage space, and easier to update or make corrections.
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T. S. Wong (4B)
Besides, multimedia and interactive components can also be employed in an eBook to add
more fun to the reading process or facilitate learning. An eBook can also be distributed online,
which makes the delivery cost second to none. The only disadvantage of an eBook may be
that it requires a computer system to access. However, most peoples have their own personal
computers at home or they can make use of the public computer facilities. So, this
disadvantage should not be significant on the whole.
I am invited by my teacher for the job because I have been a senior member of the
athletics team for years, and I was also the subject prizewinner for the Form Four Computer
and Information Technology (CIT) last year. After a thorough discussion with my teacher, it
is required that the eBook should contain information concerning the technical analysis,
teaching progression, common mistakes made by athletes and their corrections, training
principles as well as the coaching methodologies for the middle and long distance events.
Moreover, an interactive quiz is also included at the end of the eBook to help readers check
how much they have actually mastered.
The simplest way to construct an eBook is using a Web page authoring program such as
Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia DreamWeaver. All such programs provide a
what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) environment to develop the Web pages, and
they are particularly suitable for users with no programming experiences. However, my
teacher has criticized that contents on the Web pages created by such programs can easily be
copied or pirated by other peoples. Consequently, we have concluded to use Macromedia
Flash MX to construct the eBook. First of all, Macromedia Flash MX can be set to restrict
users from duplicating the contents of its document by means of the ‘copy and paste’
technique. Secondly, it supports multimedia and interactive components much better than
ordinary Web page authoring programs. Thirdly, its document can be compiled into a
standalone executable program, which can then be distributed on a compact disc. No source
code is required to be included with the distribution. Finally, the same document can be
published online with minor or no modifications. Macromedia Flash MX is also
cost-effective for a tight budget like us when compared with other eBook developing
programs that provide similar functions (e.g., Macromedia AuthorWare).
Design of the Solution
As mentioned before, the main program (i.e., the eBook) is an executable (.exe) file
created by Macromedia Flash MX. The eBook program and all the related files are zipped
into a single file so that it can be downloaded free of charge from our P.E. and Sports Website
(http://www.csklsc.net/pe/download). A reader simply needs to download the file, unzip it,
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T. S. Wong (4B)
and put all the files into the same directory on a hard disk. In order to read the eBook, the
reader just need to double-click the executable file (i.e., ebook.exe) and the contents of the
eBook shall display. If the reader has recorded all the files onto the root directory of a
compact disc, the eBook program should start automatically after the disc has been inserted
into the compact disc drive of the computer system.
Thanks to the graphical user interface provided, the eBook program should be
considered as user-friendly and easy to use (see Figure 1). A reader can move from one page
to another by pressing on the corresponding
buttons. The reader can even jump to a particular
page directly by entering the page number on the
appropriate text box. One of the outstanding
features of this eBook is that the first eighteen
pages also serve as a sequence of images to
illustrate the optimal middle and long distance
running techniques. This sequence can be played
back either as continuous or slow motion, which
depends on how fast the move forward button is Figure 1. The graphical user interface of
the eBook.
pressed by the reader.
When the reader tries out the multiple-choice quiz at the end of the eBook, he or she is
given the opportunity to enter his personal information (see Figure 2) and to choose the
number of questions to attempt in a session (see Figure 3).
Figure 2. User may enter his or her personal
information here.
Figure 3. User may also choose the number of
questions to attempt in a session.
Feedback is also provided immediately after the reader has made a choice for a question
(see Figure 4 and Figure 5). At the end of the quiz, statistics concerning the results are
displayed (see Figure 6). The reader can then register his or her score on the ranking list (see
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T. S. Wong (4B)
Figure 7), which is stored on the hard disk, or print out a certificate that shows the statistics of
the quiz for record (see Figure 8).
Figure 4. Feedback is given after the user has
made a choice to a question.
Figure 5. The correct answer is provided if the
user has made a wrong choice.
Figure 6. Statistics are displayed at the end of the
quiz.
Figure 7. The user can register his or her score
on the ranking list.
Figure 8.
The user may also print out a certificate for his or her record.
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T. S. Wong (4B)
Implementation of the Solution
Text materials for the eBook are actually teaching notes of my teacher. He has submitted
them to me in a single document in Microsoft Word format. Some of the text in the eBook is
imported into Macromedia Flash MX by means of the ‘copy and paste’ technique from the
Word document, while the rest of it is entered directly within the Flash MX environment
through the keyboard. Photos used to illustrate the correct techniques for middle and long
distance running are scanned from an IAAF Development Programme Book on Athletics
(Payne, 1985). All the scanned photos are stored as JPG files on the hard disk to save storage
space. Some of the images are modified or adjusted by using Ulead PhotoImpact before being
imported into Flash MX. Other animation and graphic files are clip arts downloaded from the
Internet. The questions and answers for the multiple choice quiz are imported into Flash MX
from external text files for better speed performance and maintenance purposes.
After I have finished and complied the eBook, my teacher helps to check for the typing
mistakes. He has also given me advice to improve the format and layout of the eBook before
it is distributed for testing and evaluation.
Testing and Evaluation
We have made five copies of the eBook for testing and evaluation purposes. My teacher
has invited two other P.E. teachers and the team captains (A, B, and C Grade) to help testing
the evaluation copies of the eBook. The two P.E. teachers are mainly responsible for checking
if there are still typing mistakes as well as to determine what other kinds of materials should
be included in the eBook to make it more complete and useful for coaching local middle and
long distance runners. The A, B, and C Grade team captains are mostly responsible for testing
whether the multiple-choice quiz is functioning properly. They have been given the correct
answers for the quiz beforehand and then they have to try out the quiz repeatedly. They have
intentionally made correct and incorrect choices for the questions to see whether the
appropriate feedback is given. They have also double-checked the statistics generated at the
end of each quiz.
The reviewers have been given two weeks to try out the evaluation copies of the eBook.
Most of them have finished evaluating the eBook in ten days. My teacher then asked them
individually for comments concerning the contents and functioning of the eBook. All of the
reviewers are satisfied with the evaluation copies of the eBook in general. One of the P.E.
teachers has suggested that it is still better to include a printable copy of the eBook with the
distribution. Two of the team captains have suggested that setting a time limit for answering
each question should be more exciting.
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T. S. Wong (4B)
Taking the comments and suggestions from the reviewers into consideration, my teacher
has agreed to include a printable copy of the eBook with the distribution. To ensure
consistency for the printout on different computer platforms and operating systems, this
printable copy of the eBook is generated by Adobe Acrobat and distributed in PDF format
(see Figure 9). We have also added a timer in the multiple-choice quiz program to make it
more exciting. The timer will start to beep five seconds before time is up, and the choice will
be considered as incorrect if the time limit (i.e., 60 seconds) is exceeded (see Figure 10).
Figure 9. The hard copy version of the eBook in
Adobe Acrobat format.
Figure 10. A timer has been added to the quiz with
the feedback from reviewers.
Conclusion and Discussion
Based on the comments given by the two P.E. teachers, the eBook should have solved
most, if not all, of the problems happened in the past. It has provided invaluable advice and
ideas to other P.E. teachers and coaches responsible for coaching local athletes in the middle
and long distance events. This may help to promote middle and long distance running
training in Hong Kong, and thus help to raise the average performances of local athletes in
such events. However, the most important concern at this stage is to encourage more P.E.
teachers and coaches to read the eBook and try out the ideas inside.
Actually, there is still a lot of room for this version of the eBook to improve. With the
improvement in communications technologies and broadband usage, setting up a Website and
then publish the eBook on the Internet should be a sound idea. With Macromedia Flash MX,
a SWF format file that can be embedded in a Web page can be generated from the source
document with no modification. In this way, the eBook can be viewed online and be accessed
anywhere with computers connected to the Internet. This may help to promote the eBook and
then allow sharing the coaching experience of my teacher with more peoples. In addition,
adding a discussion forum to such a Website may further facilitate the exchange of coaching
experiences among P.E. teachers and coaches responsible for the middle and long distance
events.
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T. S. Wong (4B)
To add more fun and challenge to the multiple-choice quiz, it is preferred to store the
data of the ranking list on the Web server rather than on the local hard disk. However, it
requires knowledge concerning server-side scripts programming (e.g., Perl or PHP), which I
am still a novice to them at the moment. Anyway, more can be done only after we have made
the first step. I am still looking forward to the further development of the eBook in the future.
At the moment, I am spending some time each day to study PHP so that it may be integrated
into the eBook project later.
Finally, I would like to thank my teacher for giving me the opportunity to broaden my
knowledge in middle and long distance running training. He has also provided me with
sufficient drive and motivation to learn Macromedia Flash MX, a software that I have
intended to learn for years. Last but not the least, I have to thank my CIT teacher for giving
me invaluable advice in tackling the problems with ActionScript programming. Actually, this
eBook is a product of teamwork, and I am only the person who puts the parts together.
References
Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College P.E. Department Home Page: http://www.csklsc.net/pe.
Franklin, Derek, and Makar, Jobe (2002). Macromedia Flash MX ActionScripting: Advanced
Training From the Source. Berkeley, CA: Macromedia Press.
Gardner, J. B., and Purdy, J. G. （1970）. Computerized Running Training Programs. Los
Altos: Tafnews Press.
Payne, Howard (1985). Athletes in Action: The Official International Amateur Athletic
Federation (IAAF) Book of Track and Field Technique. London: Pelham Books.
Rosenzweig, Gary (2003). Macromedia Flash MX ActionScript for Fun and Games. USA:
Que Publishing.
Sargent, Michael. Quintessential Sophistry Point and Pace Calculator (Computer Software).
(http://www.uvm.edu/~msargent/qspoints.htm)
Wong, T. S. (2004). Teaching Notes on the Middle and Long Distance Events. Hong Kong.
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