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Educational software is a term used for anycomputer software that is made for an educational purpose. It encompasses different ranges from language learning software to classroom management software to reference software. The purpose of all this software is to make some part of education more effective and efficient.
The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developedflight simulators which usedanalog computers to generate simulated onboard instrument data. One such system was the type19 synthetic radar trainer, built in 1943. From these early attempts in the WWII era through the mid-1970s, educational software was directly tied to the hardware, on which it ran. Pioneering educational computer systems in this era included thePLATO system (1960), developed at the University of Illinois, andTICCIT (1969).
In 1963, IBM partnered with Stanford University's Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences (IMSSS), directed byPatrick Suppes, to develop the first large-scale CAI curriculum, implemented in schools in California and Mississippi.[1][2]
In 1967 Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC, now Pearson Education Technologies) was formed to market to schools the materials developed through the IBM partnership. Early terminals that ran educational systems cost over $10,000, putting them out of reach of most institutions.
Someprogramming languages from this period, such as p3 andLOGO (1967), were designed specifically for students and novice users. ThePLATO IV system (1972) introduced features that later became standard in educational software, includingbitmap graphics, primitive sound, and support for non-keyboardinput devices, including thetouchscreen.
The arrival of the personal computer, with theAltair 8800 in 1975, changed the field of software in general, with specific implications for educational software. Whereas users prior to 1975 were dependent upon university or government ownedmainframe computers with timesharing, users after this shift could create and use software for computers in homes and schools, computers available for less than $2000. By the early 1980s, the availability of personal computers including theApple II (1977),Commodore PET (1977),VIC-20 (1980), andCommodore 64 (1982) allowed for the creation of companies and nonprofits which specialized in educational software.Broderbund andThe Learning Company are key companies from this period, andMECC, the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium, a key non-profit software developer. These and other companies designed a range of titles for personal computers, with the bulk of the software initially developed for the Apple II.
"Courseware" is a term that combines the words 'course' with 'software'.[3] It was originally used to describe additional educational material intended as kits for teachers or trainers or as tutorials for students, usually packaged for use with a computer. The term's meaning and usage has expanded and can refer to the entire course and any additional material when used in reference an online or 'computer formatted' classroom. Many companies are using the term to describe the entire "package" consisting of one 'class' or 'course' bundled together with the various lessons, tests, and other material needed. The courseware itself can be in different formats: some are only available online, such as Web pages, while others can be downloaded as PDF files or other types of document. Many forms ofeducational technology are now covered by the termcourseware. Most leading educational companies solicit or include courseware with their training packages.
Some educational software is designed for use in school classrooms. Typically such software may be projected onto a large whiteboard at the front of the class and/or run simultaneously on a network of desktop computers in a classroom. The most notable are SMART Boards that useSMART Notebook to interact with the board which allows the use of pens to digitally draw on the board. This type of software is often calledclassroom management software. While teachers often choose to use educational software from other categories in theirIT suites (e.g. reference works, children's software), a whole category of educational software has grown up specifically intended to assist classroom teaching. 'Wordshark', for example, was first released in the mid nineties with multi-sensory games to support students learning to read and spell. Branding has been less strong in this category than in those oriented towards home users. Software titles are often very specialized and produced by various manufacturers, including many established educational book publishers.
With the impact ofenvironmental damage and the need for institutions to become "paperless",[4] more educational institutions are seeking alternative ways of assessment and testing, which has always traditionally been known to use up vasts amount of paper.Assessment software refers to software with a primary purpose of assessing and testing students in a virtual environment.[5]
More recently, numerousLarge Language Model-based tools have also emerged to support educators by automating assessment and feedback processes.These tools are designed to help educators save time by providing structured feedback and grading suggestions for students’ text-based work. However, a study of a german equivalent of these tools, theChatGPT-based "AI Grading Assistant" from the company Fobizz has found significant shortcomings with this LLM-based implementation. It reveals that the tool’s feedback and grading suggestions are often inconsistent, even with repeated submissions of the same text, suffering from randomness in grading and a lack of transparency in scoring mechanisms. Additionally, the tool fails to reliably detect nonsensical inputs, allowing flawed or AI-generated submissions to achieve high scores. Crucially, the authors note that many of these issues may be inherently tied to fundamental properties of LLMs, suggesting these deficiencies may translate to LLM-based grading tools more generally. Based on these findings, the authors emphasize the risks of over-reliance on AI as a “techno-fix” for systemic educational problems.[6]
Many publishers of printdictionaries andencyclopedias have been involved in the production of educational reference software since the mid-1990s. They were joined in the reference software market by both startup companies and established software publishers, most notablyMicrosoft.
The first commercial reference software products were reformulations of existing content intoCD-ROM editions, often supplemented with newmultimedia content, including compressed video and sound. More recent products made use of internet technologies, to supplement CD-ROM products, then, more recently, to replace them entirely.
Wikipedia and its offspins (such asWiktionary) marked a new departure in educational reference software. Previously, encyclopedias and dictionaries had compiled their contents on the basis of invited and closed teams of specialists. TheWiki concept has allowed for the development of collaborative reference works through open cooperation incorporating experts and non-experts.
See also:
There are highly specific niche markets for educational software, including:
Video games can be used to teach a user technology literacy or more about a subject. Some operating systems and mobile phones have these features. A notable example isMicrosoft Solitaire, which was developed to familiarize users with the use ofgraphical user interfaces, especially themouse and thedrag-and-drop technique.Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is a largely known program with built in mini-games to keep the user entertained while improving their typing skills.
Gamification is the use of game design elements in nongame contexts and has been shown to be effective in motivating behavior change. By seeing game elements as "motivational affordances," and formalizing the relationship between these elements and motivational affordances.[8]
Tutor-based education software is defined as software that mimics the teacher student one on one dynamic of tutoring with software in place of a teacher. Research was conducted to see if this type of software would be effective in improving students understanding of material. It concluded that there was a positive impact which decreased the amount of time students need to study for and relative gain of understanding.[9]
A study was conducted to see the effects of education software on children with mild disabilities. The results were that the software was a positive impact assisting teaching these children social skills though team based learning and discussion, videos and games.[10]
There is a large market of educational software in use today. A team decided that they were to develop a system in which educational software should be evaluated as there is no current standard. It is called the Construction of the Comprehensive Evaluation of Electronic Learning Tools and Educational Software (CEELTES).[11] The software to be evaluated is graded on a point scale in four categories: the area of technical, technological and user attributes; area of criteria evaluating the information, content and operation of the software; the area of criteria evaluating the information in terms of educational use, learning and recognition; the area of criteria evaluating the psychological and pedagogical use of the software.[12]
In university level computer science course, learning logic is an essential part of the curriculum. There is a proposal on using two logistical education toolFOLST and LogicChess to understandFirst Order Logic for university students to better understand the course material and the essentials of logistical design.[13]
