| Abstract: | In 1970 an experiment was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using the teaching computer as a medium for involving people in community planning. A program on an environmental issue was presented on the PLATO system to a nonrandom sample of the population of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. The participants included government leaders, civic leaders, and interested citizens. The data from this experiment suggests the following: 1. 1. People from the community were willing to come to work through the program. 2. 2. Participants found the medium useful for presenting concise and relevant information. 3. 3. Presentation of information in this way may be particularly useful for those who have not yet formed an opinion on the issue. 4. 4. Participants found particular advantage in being able to make comments and respond to questions. 5. 5. Participants indicated that they would like to see more issues presented in this way. Useful suggestions were also made for including more information on costs, sources of information, political considerations, and views of the various interest groups. The criticisms dealt primarily with the inconvenient location of the terminals and the presence of some bias in the program. |
