Soviet Applications of Microcomputers in Education: Developments in Research and Practice during the Gorbachev Era

Abstract

In 1985, the USSR inaugurated a major program to teach computer literacy to all secondary school students in the country. That program is discussed here first in light of several trends in Soviet education during the past twenty years; the courses and resources which support the program are then characterized, and the system of hardware and software development that supports the effort is described. Some research directions that are related to the program are then discussed. These include: a broad attempt to use computing to encourage the development of a variety of cognitive functions; a series of efforts intended to link research in pedagogy to the design of computerized instructional programs; and, as an example of the latter, a specific project to design intelligent computer-based tutoring systems. Finally, the likelihood of success for the program is assessed in the context of limited resources, limited goals, and centralized control. Soviet educators probably have a good chance to add computer literacy to the curriculum, but in a narrower sense than the way that subject is commonly conceived in the West.