This paper attempts to define how computers will influence instruction in subject fields. The author argues that the acquisition of a basic core of subject knowledge by the student has, until now, been seen as the prerequisite to higher-order critical skills. However, with the rapid creation of new knowledge, that core has expanded beyond human capacity to master it. The computer (actually an expert system) can solve these problems by replacing humans as the repository of knowledge and by bringing relevant stored knowledge to bear on problems posed by the human user. The author illustrates this with an example from veterinary medicine.

The paper treats the subject of the use of computers in subject fields in a very simple way. It makes the point that computers have a role to play in subject fields, not just in general intellectual skills development. However, most of the arguments in the paper will already have been considered by thoughtful educators.