Evaluators of software for education must make a series of decisions about which issues have a direct impact on their choice of software. Instructional context analysis is the first step, including identifying the learners, the instructor, the learning environment, and technical needs and limitations. The next step is instructional goal analysis; in order to define this statement, the evaluator needs to consider views of software (i.e., various taxonomies of software) and learning theory. The following are issues to address when developing and evaluating a personalized software checklist: (1) content, including quality, depth, and tests; (2) interface, including ease of use, navigation, text quality, graphics, and sound; (3) interactivity, including feedback, sequence, and questions; (4) classroom-related issues, including entry level/technical requirements, motivation, backwash, and management; and (5) support, including online and off-line help. (Contains 32 references.) (AEF)