Educational Software: Types, Characteristics And Uses

Over the years, society has experienced a transformation in which the use of new technologies extends throughout all areas, and as is evident, the field of teaching and pedagogy has also wanted to take advantage of the possible benefits of these.

This change in teaching/learning dynamics materializes in the creation of a series of educational software that supports both educators and students Throughout this article we will describe its main characteristics and types, as well as its potential uses or functions and its disadvantages.

What is educational software?

Also known as instructional software, educational software is teaching programs that use the digital platforms to use as support for both teachers and students in the teaching/learning processes. And although they may seem very new, their beginnings date back to the 60s and 70s.

These programs are specifically designed to facilitate and enhance the acquisition of exclusively academic knowledge. That is, this must be its main purpose and must be explicitly stated. This means that, although it can also be found in some work areas, these are not considered educational software as such.

However, although these resources are mainly used in school contexts, there are also programs in which learning can be done from home, thus enhancing and supporting the knowledge acquired in the classrooms.

Thanks to these computer programs or applications, the student can reinforce your knowledge in different curricular subjects of all kinds including from the most practical ones such as mathematics or languages, to those of a more theoretical nature such as history, biology or geography.

Thanks to the immense amount of possibilities that educational software can offer, information or knowledge can be presented in a wide variety of forms; from diagrams or information sketches, to questionnaires or games. This great variability in the format facilitates the motivation and interest of the students.

What features does it have?

For an educational software program to be considered as such, it must meet a series of characteristics. Among the main requirements are that it must be used specifically by educators and students. However, there are many other characteristics, including:

How many different types are there?

Taking into account the specific objective of the educational software or the way in which the interaction between the educator and the student is carried out, we can distinguish between several different types or categories of software These categories are:

1. Troubleshooting

The first category refers to programs specially created to foster problem-solving skills. To do this, the student must follow a series of sequences or perform certain types of exercises that provide the necessary tools to solve an enigma.

Throughout this process, the student must develop hypotheses, conjectures or assumptions that will have to be verified in order to resolve the enigma or conflict posed.

2. Exercise and practice

In educational exercise and practice software, the student is presented with a series of exercises or tasks in which, after completing them, feedback is provided about how the execution has been performed by the person.

Through these exercises, which may take the form of tests or questionnaires, the student can put into practice the knowledge previously acquired.

3. Simulation

These programs offer the possibility of recreating environments or situations in which the student can interact and that are not possible to recreate in the academic context or doing so would entail too high a cost.

4. Tutorial

In tutorial type software, the objective is the transmission of knowledge between the program, which acts as an educator, and the student Through a series of guidelines similar to those of a teacher in class, the program offers a series of explanations, practical exercises and feedback on the student’s performance.

5. Game

In instructional games, the objective is to increase student motivation through the implementation of tests with rewards. With them attention can be maintained and interest in the subject increased

What functions or uses can it have?

Due to the great variability and the large number of possibilities that educational software offers, a large number of uses or potential functions are attributed to them:

1. Innovation

These programs have the capacity to be constantly evolving, which represents innovation in the teaching/learning processes.

2. Informative

Computer software is the teaching practice that can accommodate and transmit the greatest amount of information to the student.

3. Motivator

Thanks to the variety of possibilities offered by these programs, students feel more motivated and attracted when it comes to discovering them.

4. Instruction

The platform has the ability to explain any type of content either explicitly or through the development of games or activities.

5. Expression

Educational software is an ideal platform to enhance the expressiveness of students, who can contribute their own point of view of knowledge and share it with others.

6. Research

Thanks to less directive programs, students can develop their own research procedures. Especially in those that offer simulation activities

7. Playful

Thanks to educational software, learning It is understood or interpreted as a playful and fun activity that reinforces the students’ desire to learn.