Use of the interactive videodisc to teach pathology: a preliminary report

Although use of computers in education dates to the early 1960s,1-3 it is only with the arrival of the "microcomputer revolution" that computers have become economically feasible in medical education. The advent of inexpensive and relatively powerful microcomputers initiated something of a chain reaction; microcomputers became available for educational purposes, thus creating a market for educational software. This accelerated development of educational software in turn made microcomputers more useable. While synergistic hardware and software development has occurred repeatedly in the microcomputer industry, it is only in the beginning stages in medical education. This paper presents a discussion of the development of one computer-assisted instructional program that utilizes an interactive videodisc format.