PLATO: From Computer-Based Education to Corporate Social Responsibility
Elisabeth Van Meer · 2003
This article will analyze Control Data Corporation co-founder William C. Norris' vision for the PLATO system of computer-based education (CBE). It will begin by relating the history of PLATO prior to Norris' arrival on the educational scene. The second part will discuss how Norris promoted PLATO from 1976 onward. On the basis of Norris' public lectures during this time, it will be argued that PLATO was expected to become not just CDC's most profitable investment, but also a valued solution to a set of urgent social problems. More specifically, we will see how in Norris' vision PLATO changed from being a straightforward application in CBE to becoming the cornerstone of CDC's policy of corporate social responsibility.