The 1950s: Programmed Instruction and Task Analysis

Programmed Instruction

Programmed Instruction was characterized by:

• clearly stated behavioral objectives
• small frames of instruction
• self-pacing
• active learner response to inserted questions
• immediate feedback to the correctness of the response

Importance of Programmed Instruction:

• assisted in shifting focus of education to the outcome behavior of the learner and away from process concerns and teacher behavior
• reaffirmed the feasibility of self-pacing and mastery learning
• made apparent the need for carefully constructed materials
• set the stage for the realization that the methods of programmed instruction could be applied to other types of media other than print and to developing larger systems of instruction
• drew new professionals into the field