The Changing Nature of Teaching and Learning in Computer-Based Classrooms

The study reported in this article provides evidence that the use of computers can change the nature of teaching and learning at its most basic level—the level of interactions between students and teachers. The study compared interactions between high school students and teachers involved in computer-based instruction with interactions between the same students and teachers during traditional classroom instruction. Its findings reveal that student-teacher interactions were more student-centered and individualized during computer-based teaching and learning than during traditional teaching and learning. We argue that such changes may be a McLuhanesque reflection of the computer’s inherent interactivity, and suggest that more profound changes are likely if computers become more fully integrated into our schools.