The NELS:88 Database was used to examine possible correlations between the use of computers in classes (as instructional aids) and any academic outcomes which could be measured. A variety of factors were examined, from academic test scores to type of post-secondary institution attended and yielded some valuable information. However, there is some caution which must be used before trying to apply these results to the current situation in education. The data in NELS:88 began to be collected at a time when not every school could be expected to have access to computers, and those that did may not have used them as regular parts of instruction. Today that scenario is changing dramatically. The analyses carried out provide some insights about whether some students benefited from computer use at a time when only selected groups of students had access to computers. Today the more appropriate question is one of how to use the technology that is at hand in order to get the best results, rather than whether to use computers. There is not enough detail in the types of questions posed in the NELS surveys to do this type of study, though there was a great deal of data to examine the issue of whether computers in education contribute to any positive outcome.
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