XVI International Botanical Congess
The Miami University Dendrology Expert System (MUDES) consisting of six multiple entry interactive keys to Angiosperm and Gymnosperm tree species, wood genera, and tree diseases common to southwestern Ohio was developed using XlD random access expert system authoring software. Results of comparison tests between students using alpha versions of MUDES and students using paper dichotomous keys (DKs) indicate that MUDES is as accurate with regard to student identification of unknowns as DKs, and that students using the MUDES identify a given specimen on average 113 seconds faster than their colleagues using DKs. Primary pedagogic advantages of the MUDES include the ease with which undergraduates can become engaged in expanding the data bases and enrichment of the students' understanding of species characteristics. Details at http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~meicenrd/mudes/tltep.htm