Current Trends in Computer-Assisted Instruction

The objective of this chapter is to survey current activities in computer-assisted instruction (CAI), with the emphasis on the period 1973-1978. References to work occurring earlier are limited; moreover, there is no attempt to give even a summary history of the earlier period or to explain why there has been a developing use of computers for instruction up to 1973. A reasonably detailed survey of programs actually in operation as of about 1971 is contained in Lekan (1971). This publication is an index to computer-assisted instruction, and the 1971 third edition lists 1264 specific programs. The 1978 edition (Wang, 1978) contains information about 2997 programs available from 341 different institutions. Other recent surveys are Levien (1972) and, more pertinent for the period covered by this chapter, Lecarme and Lewis (1975) and Hunter et al. (1975); still other more specialized ones are mentioned in later sections. The large work on computers in education edited by Lecarme and Lewis is especially valuable for providing as of 1975 a broad survey of activities throughout the world. The book is based upon papers given in Marseille at a conference organized by a widely based international committee. In a survey of rapidly developing technology, the literature is not as well defined as in the case of more theoretical matters, nor is it in easily accessible journals. Thus, in a certain sense there is no comparison in the accessibility of the literature, say, on formal languages and the literature on computer-assisted instruction. Many ,of the items that I have refer-enced have appeared only as reports, with limited circulation; in some cases it has been difficult to establish the date the report was issued. I have divided the chapter into five sections. This introduction is followed by a section on CAI in elementary and secondary education. Section 3 surveys CAI in postsecondary education. Section 4 is concerned with current research, with special emphasis on the kind of research that requires increasingly sophisticated programs. Finally, Section 5 is a brief attempt to forecast the main trends in computer-assisted instruction, although , of course, the forecasts must be treated with skepticism in view of the notorious difficulty of making successful predictions about trends in either computer theory or applications. Before turning to the substantive developments outlined above, there is one general issue that is worth elaboration. It is the question of whether or not computers and related forms of …