ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS OF PROGRAMMED INSTRUCTION

Programmed learning or instruction is very helpful to the students, teachers and educational administrators. Its advantages are summarized below.

• Students remain active The student remains active throughout when he is using a programme.
• Students learn at their own pace Programmed learning is basically and individualized instruction. Each student proceeds at his own pace. In a conventional teaching, the teacher attends to only children with average abilities. Consequently, the intelligent and the slow learners are ignored..
• Immediate Reinforcement Immediate reinforcement helps a child to know whether his answer is right or wrong. In normal class feed-back takes a long time.
• Programme carefully Planned A programme is planned and prepared much morecarefully than a teacher would do for a conventional teaching programme.
• Effective programme is Developed Each programme has to prove itself to be effective during the progress of validation and must be re-written as many times as is necessary.
• Programme can be used at any time A programme is not a human being and hence can be used at any time of the day.
• Teaching machines never get tired Programme material or teaching machines never get tired and lose their temper or patience.
• Teacher work is reduced Through programmed instruction, teachers may be freed from the hard labour and complexities of routine class-room activities.
• No discipline Problem The problem of discipline is solved automatically with the help of programmed instruction.
• Provides Guidance Programmed instruction may be effectively used in providing guidance and remedial instruction.
• Useful for in-service education It is useful in providing in-service education to the teachers.