Higher levels of reading, writing, quantitative and communication skills are assets in the workplace, and contribute significantly to the quality of everyday life. The goal of this project is to develop a user-friendly Internet-accessed, computer-based authorware that allows teachers to create, edit and distribute life-skills instructional materials for adult students at the eighth-grade and below reading level. The software would consist of several lesson modules, one for each life-skill in which training is required. Instructors would be able to tailor and distribute materials for individual students or groups of students. Students would be able to access reading and test materials over the Internet, create, edit and submit their responses, and receive instantaneous feedback. The underlying emphasis of the software would be on its user-friendliness for both instructors and students. During Phase I, the feasibility of the concept will be demonstrated by developing a demo version of the software which has one fully-featured module. Two community welfare centers in Lawrence which are involved in adult literacy and community outreach programs will serve as Phase I test sites. At the end of Phase II, Aerotech expects to deliver a final version of the program consisting of several fully-featured lesson modules.Summary of Anticipated Results and Implications:During Phase I, the feasibility of the concept will be demonstrated by developing a demo version of the software which has one fully-featured module. At the end of Phase II, Aerotech expects to deliver a final version of the program consisting of several fully-featured modules. The approach defined herein would facilitate expeditious execution of tasks outlined in the work plan. In addition to education, human resources and social welfare departments at the federal, state and local levels, the software could be used by defense and law enforcement for training staff, by corporations for training of non-English-speaking workers, for distance education at the university level, etc.
