Abstract
Undergraduates in a research design course were taught to program microcomputers for the control of experimental tasks. To promote general computer literacy, the training used a database management system with a full programming language (dBASE I11 Plus). The teaching approach is described for the 3-hr course unit, along with the experimental tasks that were programmed. In a mail survey, students ranked the programming of experimental tasks: as important as other traditional topics covered in the course.