Using computers to teach basic facts in the nursing curriculum.

This article reports on the field testing of a set of flexible computer assisted instruction (CAI) programs to supplement more traditional approaches to a unit of instruction on respiratory assessment for undergraduate nursing students. The results indicate that the students reacted favorably to the CAI materials and that the performance of students improved significantly when they used the experimental programs. This field test offers useful insights into how microcomputers can be integrated into the nursing curriculum.