An Analysis of the Rise and Fall of Programmed Instruction. Implications for Computer-Assisted Instruction

As computer use in education develops, the comparison of Computer-Assisted Instruction with programmed instruction and teaching machines becomes apparent. Although programmed instruction and teaching machines were expected to revolutionize education they rapidly fell into disuse. This paper discusses the similarities between them and Computer-Assisted Instruction, which has inherited many of the same expectations. It describes the attitudes toward and the research concerning programmed instruction, describes the increased flexibility that computers add to the teaching machines of the sixties, and makes recommendations for research that would permit computers to be integrated into the educational structure with more of an empirical base, with more systematic planning, and with an emphasis on producing learning environments that are both effective and interesting for the learner.