Changing the Face of Education: Computer-Assisted Instruction in the Secondary Education Classroom

Researched since the early 1990s, computer-assisted instruction (CAI) continues to prove beneficial for learners across the curriculum. While research has been growing greatly with a focus on higher education, its K-12 education counterpart– specifically secondary education where the use of technology is prevalent– remains largely unexplored. Moreover, as technology advances, students are increasingly exposed to CAI. However, with the rapidly increasing speed of technological advancements, it has become difficult for educational research to progress at the same pace. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic advancing the utilization of instructional technology, it is imperative that all educational stakeholders are introduced to the benefits that CAI can provide: an education that caters to students’ learning preferences, equal educational opportunities for all students, and an enhancement of students’ motivation in the classroom. With educators more readily integrating technology to support traditional lesson plans, demonstrating its positive impacts on all educational stakeholders can help to alleviate reservations and foster more effective implementation of CAI.