PI is normally thought of as instructional material, to be placed in classrooms or libraries of educational institutions. However, its potential use extends beyond those limited applications. The diversity of subjects treated by programs will continue to attract users to them.
For instance, self-teaching guides are still popular among self-motivated people who desire enrichment or improvement of a skill. Programmed materials cover a range of topics from repair of a leaky faucet to advanced programming techniques for microcomputers.
Special libraries with demands in particular subjects and skills can also use programmed materials to satisfy individual instructional needs. With the increasing diversity of subjects programmed and the development of the computer, it will be entirely possible for all libraries to accommodate many more individual differences in learning.
Currently, PI is most widely used in business and industry where employees must learn procedures for running a particular machine or selling a particular product in as little time as possible. Programmed teaching guides remain popular for enrichment or remediation at all levels of schooling. Many students who are unable to learn by using their textbooks and traditional classroom methods frequently turn to programmed self-teaching guides to remediate their understanding.