Computer-Based Instructional Management Systems: A First Look

Abstract

A recurring theme in American educational thought has been the individualization of instruction. The durability of this theme is attested to by two yearbooks of the National Society for the Study of Education devoted to this topic that were published nearly four decades apart (Whipple, 1925; Henry, 1962). These two yearbooks reported a wide range of approaches to the individualization of instruction as well as research on individual differences. New approaches to the individualization of instruction often result from technological developments such as tape recorders, teaching machines, etc. Thus, when digital computers became available, it was inevitable that this powerful technology would be employed in attempts to solve the persistent problem of individualization of instruction.