Several terms have been used in recent years with respect to instructional courseware, but one that is particularly well suited for our purposes is computer-assisted (or aided) instruction (CAI). CAI may be used as a supplement for your instruction or as a complete lesson.With CAI, the computer can assist the teacher in implementing any or all of the four essential phases of instruction:
presenting information
guiding the student
providing student practice
assessing student learning
Commercial software vendors release new instructional courseware titles in ever increasing numbers. As a teacher, you must determine when to implement CAI in the classroom and what CAI to use. Additionally, you can create your own CAI with authoring tools that are readily available and relatively easy to use. An authoring system is a computer program that lets you create instructional software of your own. In cases where no suitable CAI exists, this may be your only option to provide your students with instructional courseware.