Programmed instruction, also called programmed learning, is a research-based system intended to help learners work through material successfully, guided by research from applied psychologists and educators. The learning material is presented in a textbook, teaching machine or computer that presents the material in a logical, tested sequence, broken into small steps or larger chunks; after each step the learner answers a question testing their comprehension and is then immediately shown the correct answer, so the learner is always making responses and receiving immediate knowledge of the results. Edward L. Thorndike anticipated the idea in 1912, imagining a book arranged so that a later page only became visible to a learner who had correctly completed what an earlier page directed, though he did nothing further with it; the first such system was built by Sidney L. Pressey in 1926, originally as a self-scoring machine that went on to demonstrate an ability to actually teach.
Facts
Core ClaimProgrammed instruction presents learning material in small, tested steps, each followed immediately by a comprehension question and its correct answer, so the learner receives immediate knowledge of results at every stage. 1 FAQs
What is the difference between Skinner's linear and Crowder's branching programmed instruction?
Skinner's linear programs have learners compose their own answers and move on after a correct one; Crowder's branching programs use multiple-option questions and route the learner according to the choice made.
Both are forms of programmed instruction, but they treat the learner's response differently. In Skinner's approach the student composes an answer rather than choosing from a range of options, because responses should be recalled and not merely recognized, and learning is understood to result from making the correct response. In Crowder's branching approach each frame presents more text than a typical linear frame, and the learner answers a question, usually with multiple options. The option chosen decides what happens next: a correct answer is explained and the program moves on, while an error sends the learner back to the previous frame or into a remedial sequence. Crowder worked from a communications point of view rather than a psychological one, and treated the response as a way of testing how well new material had been integrated and of controlling the program.
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Source Wikipedia: Programmed learning
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1. Wikipedia: Programmed learning
Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraph, first sentence
Programmed learning (or programmed instruction) is a research-based system which helps learners work successfully.
History section, second paragraph
The first such system was devised by Sidney L. Pressey in 1926.
Developed By: Sidney L. Pressey, Body
The first such system was devised by Sidney L. Pressey in 1926.
In Approach: Behaviourism, Body
Much better known was the other style of programmed learning, as proposed by the behaviourist B.F. Skinner.
In Group: Conditioning and Behavior Analysis Theories, Lead
Programmed learning (or programmed instruction) is a research-based system which helps learners work successfully.
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