It has taken over 2 years for the department to feel prepared to offer a computerized laboratory course at the introductory level. During this time three major conclusions
were reached. First, it must be emphasized that the decision to incorporate computerized instruction into an introductory course should not be made without full awareness of the time and effort that is going to be involved.
Although the marketing materials lead one to believe that
the only requirements are the hardware, the space, and
the purchase of courseware, this is far from true. Second, much of the software that is currently available at
the introductory level is poorly developed and inadequately documented. There appears to be room for significant improvement in this regard.