In 1997 the British Columbia Open University (BCOU) adopted a virtualization strategy based primarily on twinning off-line independent study distance education courses (textbook-based with study guide and telephone and e-mail tutor support) with alternate online versions (textbook-based with integrated conferencing and communications provided…

Reviews studies from 1979 to 1994 that examined adult reading achievement by comparing the efficacy of computer-assisted instruction with traditional methods. Finds that, despite considerable variability in design sophistication, 10 of the 21 studies found no statistically significant differences, 5 failed to indicate significance, 2 showed mixed…

Cost effectiveness analysis in terms of personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, and overhead was made of two adult basic reading programs: Technology for Literacy Center's tutor-based program and Principle of the Alphabet Literacy System (PALS), computer-assisted instruction. Costs per unit of gain in reading skills clearly favored the PALS…

Two different uses of computers in instruction are Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and Computer Managed Instruction (CMI). CMI is primarily concerned with data management in the instructional process, and CAI is the use of computers to control the instructional process itself. The uses of computers in instruction can be described in four main…

A study compared the effectiveness of computer-assisted reading instruction to that of a direct teaching model. Nineteen adult male inmates from Windham School System's Ellis II Unit (located in Texas) special education classrooms served as subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups each of which spent one hour a day on reading. One group…

A Dallas County consortium study investigated use of the Control Data Basic Skills Learning System (computer-based education) as a means for providing a comprehensive, high quality program of individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and language arts. It also examined issues related to the motivation of students whose training was…

In this paper, we examine the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on adult at-risk learners in fundamental mathematics education. This examination includes comparing the results of adult learners experiencing learning with CAI with those who do not. Further, we explore and present viable teaching and learning strategies for at-risk…

A Pennsylvania project to improve the reading skills of commercial drivers and to help them pass the required federal Commercial Driver's License (CDL) written examination was evaluated at five pilot sites. The project used ROAD (Real Opportunities for Advancement and Development) to Success, a basic skills course of interactive computer…

A study was conducted for the Cumberland Campus of Nova Scotia Community College to determine whether a heterogeneous group of adult learners could make significant gains in academic achievement using a computer-based learning system, and how such gains compared to those associated with more traditional learning approaches. A sample of 15…

In 1991, the Cumberland Campus of Nova Scotia Community College established a literacy research and development project to survey local industries and the community regarding training needs and to develop workplace and community-based programs to meet those needs. One effort involved the implementation of a computer-assisted learning program to…

To evaluate the relative effectiveness of traditional versus computer managed instruction (CMI) basic skills programs for incarcerated adults, 359 male inmates from three traditional self-paced and three PLATO/CMI programs were given pretests in the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS). Following three…

A study evaluated the potential of low-cost microcomputers for enhancing the effectiveness of adult basic education (ABE) programs conducted for mentally handicapped adults. In conducting the study, researchers selected a sample of 36 mentally-handicapped adults who were served by the San Antonio State Hospital and the San Antonio State School.…

This manual is designed to provide bilingual educators with information concerning the realistic potential of microcomputers in vocational education programs. Discussed first are the benefits, limitations, and hardware configurations of computer-assisted language learning (CALL). The next chapter deals with courseware and instructional management…