Computer Assisted Instruction (often abbreviated CAI) refers to a system of educational instruction performed almost entirely by computer. Such systems typically incorporate functions such as:

• Assessing student capabilities with a pre-test
• Presenting educational materials in a navigable form
• Providing repetitive drills to improve the student's command of knowledge
• Providing game-based drills to increase learning enjoyment
• Assessing student progress with a post-test
• Routing students through a series of courseware instructional programs.
• Recording student scores and progress for later inspection by a courseware instructor.

The first general-purpose system for computer-assisted instruction was the PLATO System developed at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Some people have a conception or paradigm of educational technology that revolves around the use of CAI software products. While that model may have been accurate in the early days of classroom computing in the 1980s and 1990s, in the twenty-first century the advent of Social Software is revolutionizing the use of computer technology in classrooms.

See also

• Computer Based Learning

Educational technology | Educational software

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