The best way to introduce computers into the instructional program of the small community college is to start with an inexpensive interactive system devoted primarily to campus instructional needs and financed by the college itself. This runs counter to the predominant idea that the optimum procedure is to begin with remote terminals connected to a large computer located elsewhere and to limit the initial effort to batch processing, but there is good evidence available to support violating the conventional wisdom. Analysis of data indicates that, contrary to general belief: 1) it is cheaper to operate a small on-site system than to pay for remote computing services; 2) the overhead and operating costs for a small system are not beyond the means of a small college; 3) cost is not the chief obstacle to the implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI); 4) government projects offer little help to the community colleges; 5) interactive capabilities are essential; and 6) CAI research and innovation can be done at the community college level, where resistance to change is often less than at the larger universities. (PB)