ABSTRACT
In this design case I describe B.F. Skinner’s teaching machine, an educational technology commonly viewed as a precursor to later innovations such as computer-based instruction and eLearning. The perspective I take is to examine how Skinner made design decisions to intentionally apply his behavioral theory of operant conditioning in the development of his machine. I first provide some historical background on Skinner’s interest in using conditioning to improve education, and then include a description of the machines he designed toward this end. I then describe three principles of operant conditioning that Skinner argued were foundational to his machines’ functioning: reinforcement (an immediate, desirable consequence for displaying the correct behavior), shaping (reinforcing simple behaviors that approximate a desired outcome, then reinforcing those until they incrementally build into more complex behavioral structures), and vanishing (incrementally removing external supports until a terminal behavior could be exhibited independently). Following this, I explain how Skinner justified many of the specific features of his machine as being necessary to implement conditioning in a correct manner. I conclude by briefly examining how students responded to using the Skinnerian teaching machine in their own education.
