The Role of Computers in Education

Abstract

Abstract: The human brain has the unique ability to acquire learning through a structured process of education. However, to be effective the educational process should be interactive and individualized, provide appropriate feedback, and be paced for the learner. Individualized teaching is not possible in the format of an organized classroom lecture or through the medium of a textbook. On the other hand, these provide the only practical means of educating the vast numbers of students.Computers now provide us with the opportunity to restore at least some of the essential attributes of an effective teaching process. Properly utilized, computer‐assisted learning can create an educational environment in which the student is an active participant and carries on a continuous dialogue with the computer. The student controls the pace and, often, the sequence in which the information is presented. The computer can provide continuous feedback, can permit frequent testing, and allow branching to alternative educational material depending on the measured ability of the student.The essential ingredients of an effective learning process, as identified by research in behavioural psychology are outlined in the paper. The role that computers can play in the educational process is discussed. The methodology of computer‐assisted learning (CAL) is described and illustrated by several examples of CAL programming. Some comments are also made on the future trends.