Two major obstacles to widespread use of the FEM in the undergraduate curriculum have been addressed by MacPoisson™. First, there has been little finite element software developed specifically for the novice user. Commercial FEM code emphasizes generality, rather than ease of use by the novice. Second, the equipment and support costs associated with high-end instructional graphics labs have been an obstacle. The popularization of microcomputers with graphics, however, means that this larger audience can be served more economically now. “Instructional Software Makes The Finite Element Method Accessible” in the September 1988 issue of Academic Computing (pp 34, 35, 54, 56) offers additional commentary.