One of the easiest ways to see effective use of computer-aided instruction is in classroom presentations. Projectors that can be accessed by computers can display PowerPoint presentations and notes the professor has taken for an entire classroom to see. Additionally, these projectors can play educational videos or blow up images the professor wants to highlight.
Instant messaging is useful for more than making plans on a Saturday night with your friends. A professors can establish a chat room via a campus computer network, and if students need help with course concepts, they can go to those rooms and ask other students for help. The professor may also stay in the chat room to answer questions. This provides an arena where students can help tutor each other, and it creates an easy way to exchange information among multiple students.
Though it's not exactly a new development, word processing is one major example of computer-aided instruction. Teachers can save their lectures or make multiple copies of them to hand out to students. Additionally, students may keep records of previous assignments on a computer so they can view several documents to discern their progress.