OBJECT ORIENTATION IN EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE

Changing educational circumstances and improving technology are genera ting the need for a unified perspective of course design that applies to computer-based courses and courseware. It should combine the princi ples of educational theory, employed in conventional teaching and lear ning, with programming methodology, to produce a framework that is com patible with both fields. In particular, it is interesting to see what advantages can be obtained from the use of object orientation, which has proved to be successful in other computing applications. An object -oriented model is developed which combines the principles of course d esign with programming practice. It produces a hierarchical structure of modular objects, each of which combines syllabus content and educat ional methods in a self-contained program. The structure has a number of advantages, in terms of programming, and some specific characterist ics that may be regarded as educational advantages, compared to the mo re traditional, procedural approach.