Discuss drill-and-practice and simulation software.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is used at all stages of the educational process. Drill-and-practice software is used to teach skills that require memorization. Simulation software simulates a complex process. The student is presented with a situation and given choices. The student is then shown what affect that choice would have on the situation. Early simulation programs used text and graphics to describe a situation. Later, animation and sound were added. Today, some programs use virtual reality so that the student actually feels as if he or she were performing a procedure, such as administering an epidural.