Technology in the College Classroom.

An analysis was made of the use of computing tools at the graduate and undergraduate levels in colleges and universities in the United States. Topics ranged from hand-held calculators to the use of main-frame computers and the assessment of the SPSSX, SPSS, LINDO, and MINITAB computer software packages. Hand-held calculators are being increasingly used in college and university classes. As this trend continues, it is forecasted that more institutions of higher education will either have to supply calculators for student use or require all students to buy the same type of calculator. Many computer software packages were used in college and university classrooms: LINDO was found to be good for use in courses involving contemporary mathematics, managerial accounting, and management of operation systems; MINITAB was good for quantitative analysis courses in business administration programs, in basic statistics courses, and in other statistics related courses; and SPSS and SPSSX, two very similar statistical software packages, were good for courses in basic statistics, advanced statistics, business administration analysis, education research, social science research, and psychological research. The implementation of these software programs was considered helpful in equipping students to face the challenges of the twenty-first century. Contains eight references. (GLR)