Abstract:
Computer technology is part of the learning environment of students. Sometimes educational software packages are used to provide instruction for them to learn. As a result, the quality of the packages is very important. Usually the content and the instruction are equally important for a good educational software package.
Jonassen and Harris (1990) suggest five primary instructional events: prepare the learner, present information, clarify ideas, provide practice, and assess learning. These may be used as guidelines to evaluate the instructional aspects of the chosen software packages.
In this paper, I will evaluate five educational software packages according to the five primary instructional events. I believe this paper will suggest one approach to evaluating the quality of instruction and stimulate teachers to choose good quality educational software packages. The discussion of the findings will also provide input for educational software development.
Jonassen and Harris (1990) suggest five primary instructional events: prepare the learner, present information, clarify ideas, provide practice, and assess learning. These may be used as guidelines to evaluate the instructional aspects of the chosen software packages.
In this paper, I will evaluate five educational software packages according to the five primary instructional events. I believe this paper will suggest one approach to evaluating the quality of instruction and stimulate teachers to choose good quality educational software packages. The discussion of the findings will also provide input for educational software development.