Determine the Role Computers Will Play in the Education of Students Institutions must decide how students will use microcomputers. If students have their own suitably equipped microcomputers, they can use CAI programs at home, thereby reducing the load on computers purchased and maintained by an institution. Students could use their home-based computers to determine whether they have the prerequisite skills to enter a program. If they lack certain skills, they might obtain a CAI program that would help them to acquire the skills that they need. Students could also use CML to assess their skills before taking a formal test that is administered and supervised by personnel from the institution.
Computers are probably best known for their communication capabilities.
When the recipient turns on his or her computer, the e-mail message is there, waiting to be read and responded to. Through e-mail, faculty and staff can communicate for administrative purposes, and instructors and tutors can communicate with students or other faculty in different institutions. Computers can be used as a bulletin board to post notices, as a conferencing tool to promote discussion on a particular topic, and as a means to obtain and submit course notes and assignments. Students often use microcomputers to complete their classroom assignments. Many of the microcomputers available in institutions are used by students for wordprocessing, the production of spreadsheets, and graphic illustrations.