Keynote Address: Educational Microcomputer Software Evaluation: Its Challenge and Its Uniqueness

ABSTRACT The evaluation of microcomputer software presents a challenge for evaluators of educational materials that makes it a unique task. This challenge and uniqueness are functions of both the large quantity of poor software that dominates the marketplace and the unique qualities that are to be found among the small number of high quality programs available. The effects of the quantity versus quality issue in the software field today are discussed. A distinction is made between the intrinsic worth of a program and its role within a particular curriculum context related to specific learning outcomes. The need to evaluate and to align software along with other curriculum materials to a school's curriculum goals is stressed. Ways in which the unique attributes of the computer can contribute to software evaluation — both during product development and in an ongoing manner once the software has entered the marketplace and is used over time — are discussed. It is maintained that were teachers given ready access to such information — and sensitized to the issues that relate to software quality—they would be better able to judge the value of specific software programs and to align them effectively to meet specific curriculum and learner needs.