A History of Educational Applications of Technology in the Faculty of Education

Interest in applying technology to education has been a part of the fabric of the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta throughout its history. 

In the year that the School of Education was established at the University of Alberta in 1929, the Director of the School, Professor M.E. LaZerte, developed the problem cylinder. M.E. LaZerte's problem cylinder was a mechanical device that could pose problems to students and evaluate responses - an example of an early educational application of technology. 

With advancing technology, particularly with the advent of the computer, interest in developing possible applications of new technology grew. When IBM made the first instructional computer available in 1967, the Faculty of Education was one of the first to put in a request for this unit. The research conducted under the direction of Dr. Steve Hunka with the IBM 1500 earned researchers in the Faculty a reputation as pioneers in the area of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) research and development.

From the era of the IBM 1500, to the rise of the microcomputer, to the early years of the internet, instructors, programmers, researchers and staff in the Faculty have continued to seek out innovative ways of applying technology to education.

We encourage you to learn more about the history of educational applications of technology at the Faculty of Education, the details of technology-related innovations, and the key people involved in this work, by clicking on the links to the right. Hyperlinks provided throughout this website will also connect you to related pages offering more information.