Computer-based instruction
The large storage and calculating capacities of the computer
suggest great potential for its use in the classroom. It
can give instructions to the learner, call for
responses, feed back the results, and modify his further
learning accordingly. The computer can also be
used to measure each student's attainments, compare them
with past performances, and then advise teachers on what
parts of the curriculum they should follow next.
In a fully computer-assisted instruction
program, the computer takes over from the teacher
in providing the learner with drill, practice, and
revision, as well as testing and diagnosis. The form of
the teaching may be simply linear or branching, or it
can be extended to thinking and problem solving by
simulation. The limitations at the moment centre on the
learner's responses, which are limited to a prescribed
set of multiple choices. Free, creative responses, which
one associates with the best of classroom situations,
cannot yet be accommodated.
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