Computer-Based Education

The microcomputer was believed to be a panacea for all the educational problems dealing with instruction during the 1980s. Numerous studies were conducted to compare computer-based education (CBE) to traditional classroom education. Here five meta-analyses are reviewed. Student achievement (measured by scores on final examinations) reveals little difference between CBE and traditional classroom education. However, factors relating to instructor bias and type of application could be considered confounding factors that prevented these studies from providing significant results in favor of CBE. This article synthesizes these meta-analyses and concludes that CBE should supplement traditional instruction, not replace it.