TICCIT: Building Theory for Practical Purposes

Abstract

In 1971 the National Science Foundation contracted with the MITRE Corporation (MIT Research Corporation) for the production of an experimental system to test the computer-assisted delivery of information and instruction to homes: the TICCIT system—an acronym for “Time-shared, Interactive, Computer-Controlled Information/Instructional Television”. The networking concept of TICCIT linked minicomputers through coaxial cables to color television sets. The theoretical design challenge was that the agreement with NSF specified that the instructional component of TICCIT would be learner-controlled. TICCIT system specifications produced a type of instruction that adapted moment-by-moment to the choices of the learner.