This four-section paper begins with a brief description of videotex and the paths its development has followed during its short lifespan. The second section examines how videotex systems should present and display information, and how such information should be internally organized so that it is maximally useful for the reader/user. The analysis, which draws heavily on work done during several videotex field trials in the United States, Canada, and other countries, incorporates insights from human factors studies of video display terminals, research on typography and graphic display, and work on the design of interactive systems and computer help facilities. The third section addresses some significant policy issues that affect instructional uses of videotex, including questions of equity, privacy, and secrecy. Finally, several possible future scenarios for the development of videotex as an instructional medium are discussed, and the suggestion is made that the convergence of videotex with other emerging technologies may result in novel arrangements for electronic publishing and new opportunities for improved instructional design. Fifty-six references are listed. (LMM)