Programming Swords into Plowshares:
The ESSCOTS Approach
IN THE WORLD OF educational software development, programmers are often perplexed by never-ending design dilemmas. For example, there is the question of quality: is the software package "smart" enough to engage students actively, or will it passively lead them through a series of mundane electronic activities? Many designers have solved this problem with state-of-the-art educational packages, but the cost of development of these systems is so high that few typical K-12 institutions are able to afford them. Researchers at the RAND Corporation, however, are attempting to tackle both problems of system intelligence and cost by adapting sophisticated commercial software packages for interactive educational uses.
