About these Software Evaluations
Periodically, the Maricopa Center for Learning & Instruction conducts topic-oriented software evaluations. We invite Maricopa faculty to examine and to analyze the quality of a variety of programs. The results are then shared in both print and electronic formats.

We are not just satisfied with reviewing software "look and function, but also with the instructional and/or learning value for faculty and students". With each iteration of our evaluations, we evolve a process that continues to focus on identifying potential applications and ideas for using computer software for teaching and learning.

We were approached by the Counseling Instructional Council, software sub-committee organized by Beatriz Cohen (Rio Salado Community College), to evaluate software that might be used both in a classroom setting and as referral resources for individuals.

Faculty and staff used various catalogs and journal reviews to identify counseling related programs. We looked for titles that were in the areas of personal growth and human relationships. These ranged from full featured multimedia CD-ROMs with digital video clips to text-only question-and-answer type programs.

Our instructional design interns reviewed the technical merits of the software so that our faculty reviewers could focus on the content and the educational value of the program. Each individual recorded comments on evaluation forms. Then we asked them, as small groups, to discuss their ideas and compile a group report to describe how they might use the software in a classroom setting and how they might use it in a client counseling setting.

We hope that this collaborative effort provides a more comprehensive review and analysis for the potential use of the following counseling software.

Alan Levine
Instructional Technologist
May 1996