Lakshmi Prayaga, Chandra S Prayaga, Sandra Simmons and Eman M El-Sheikh
Bulletin of Applied Computing & Information Technology, Vol.7(1)
01/2010
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Abstract
A Visual Interactive Artificial Neural Network (VIANN) Tutor has been designed in Visual Basic.net, which can be used as a teaching and self-learning tool for an introduction to neural networks. The tutor provides a simple graphical interface for the user to design a Hopfield type of network, and examine its evolution, starting from a prescribed initial state, and ending in a stable state or in a cycle of states mimicking a biological neural network in the brain. The user can change the network during runtime and observe changes in the evolution of the network. The interactive features allow the user to predict the evolution of the network and verify the prediction by running the model network. Initial evaluations of VIANN were conducted in an introductory Computer Science course (Excursions of Computing) open to all students and in an upper-level course in Artificial Intelligence. Responses of students to surveys administered after using the system showed that the tutorial was helpful to both beginner students, as well as those who were further along in the program. In
addition, it was interesting to both computer science students as well as students majoring in other disciplines. Feedback from the students indicated that such tutorials would also be very helpful in the other sciences.
Center for Cybersecurity; Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology; College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities; Cybersecurity and Information Technology