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An Overview of "Capitol Hill" (Amazing Media, The Software Toolworks, Inc.)
The CD ROM "Capitol Hill"1 offers an interactive strategy for teaching about Congress in an undergraduate American Government or Legislative Process class. Multiple video sequences and photographs, along with narration, text, and a game, supplement lectures on legislative organization and procedure. The program is presented from the view of a newly elected representative, a soon to be insider. While the version we used introduced leaders and committee chairs from the 103rd Congress, there was more than enough information to encourage students to explore the institution.
The CD is composed of six major components: an extensive glossary, a member's first day in office, orientation for freshman members, a tour of the Capitol, member office and staff, and "Power Play," a game that allows players to advance in the congressional leadership hierarchy as they answer questions correctly. The program also contains sidebar features. Some of these are fun and frivolous such as letters and phone calls from constituents often about inane subjects. The player is periodically asked to vote on real issues, although no in-depth explanation or discussion of these issues is offered. The most valuable sidebars feature remarks and explanations of congressional history, organization, and process given by members of Congress and scholars. For example, Richard Baker, a prominent Senate historian, embellishes the description of the upper chamber's role in treatymaking by describing George Washington's precedent setting actions and the League of Nations debacle.
An important feature of the CD ROM format is that the disks are capable of storing a great deal of information. Since "Capitol Hill" is best used as a supplement, the instructor should be discriminating. We saw no real use for the glossary, which is simply a listing of terms and definitions in text, a format which does not take advantage of the glitsy relief multimedia technology offers. Although the Capitol tour is quite extensive and interesting from a personal standpoint, we did not see a way to integrate it usefully into classroom instruction given time constraints.
The most useful components of the program are the orientation, office and staff, and, to a lesser extent, the game. The orientation of freshmen members is really a broad overview of Constitutional history, philosophy...