To support university teaching and learning through the provision of instructional and information technologies and related services, provided effectively and efficiently to all affiliated members of the university; to support current initiatives and to articulate new directions, particularly those which enrich the campus through the integration of technology into its core programs; to provide support in collaboration with other providers and to coordinate efforts whenever possible.

Instructional Computing was originally known as the "Microcomputer Laboratory." It was founded in 1979 by mathematics professor Marvin Marcus and was the first instructional microcomputer-based facility on the UCSB campus (and one of the first in the country). Since state-mandated instructional computing funds ("IUC") in the early 1980's could not be used for the purchase of microcomputing equipment, the early MCL relied entirely on extramural funding obtained by Dr. Marcus. From 1979-85 he provided the lab with over $1.5 Million of funding which allowed the facility (its inventory and programs) to grow to the point where, by 1986, the university recognized the lab's importance and provided it with core funding and formal departmental recognition.

Beyond funding, Marvin Marcus (with his son, Jeffrey), must be credited with the establishment of the system of labs, student consultants and the interactions between faculty, staff, and community extension programs that persist to the present day in Instructional Computing. The pattern of equipment replacement was also encouraged by Dr. Marcus, and over the years the inventories grew substantially. The 1979 MCL consisted of several Apple II's, while the 1999 Instructional Computing comprises many different labs and a multiplicity of platforms, servers, networks, and online systems for electronic mail, web services, help utilities, databases, and much more. The department has grown significantly over its first twenty years, yet the mission of providing instruction and technical support remains as central to today's operation as it was when Marvin Marcus first conceived the clever notion of combining microcomputer-based technology with classroom-based learning.