Many adult basic education and literacy programs are reaping the benefits of educational technology for their students, instructors, and administrators. In this context, most often the term refers to computer-assisted instruction that supplements regular classroom instruction. In St. Paul, Minnesota, the Technology for Literacy Center uses…

A project in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, investigated whether the use of computers along with Laubach literacy materials could significantly raise the reading level of adults presently reading at the 0-4 grade levels. Adults in a control and an experimental group (15 in each) worked one-on-one with volunteer tutors using the "Laubach Way to…

Materials from a conference on computer use in adult literacy programs are provided. Introductory materials include a history of the conference and the agenda. A summary of the keynote address, "Impact of New Information Technologies on Literacy" (Linda Roberts), is followed by a brief overview of the conference opening. Descriptions are provided…

A Merrimack Education Center (MEC) project was developed to provide technology consultation, expertise, and advice for capacity building and networking of adult center staff in regional locations in Massachusetts. Two pilot sites were installed to demonstrate the computer/skills center approach of teaching basic skills to adult learners. Six…

The Language Experience Approach (LEAP), a literacy education method based on the premise that reading is a by-product of the student's thinking and oral expression, was used as the basis of two series of interactive microcomputer lessons designed to improve adult reading and writing skills. In the three years following the creation of the…

A project titled "Word of Mouth" was conducted to develop and evaluate model computer courseware to teach word attack skills to adult basic education students. The project was based on the use of multiple strategies to figure out unknown words, the importance of breaking down multisyllabic words, and the necessity of the use of audio in…

This project was undertaken by a public library to assess and address the continuing literacy needs of the local county's population. Comparison of the results of pre- and post-grant surveys conducted to determine the level of the residents' awareness of the problems of illiteracy showed an increase from 60% to 81% in the number who knew about the…

Describes the design and use of SCORE (Sales and Customer Service Occupational Readiness Education), courseware developed by AT&T to provide midliterate adult customer service representatives with computer-assisted instruction. Topics addressed include job simulations; skills in reading, writing, math, problem solving, and critical thinking;…

This document contains teacher's materials that accompany Operation Storefront, the computer-assisted instruction package used in the Reading Assistance Program (RAP) that serves nonreading adults in Pasco County, Florida, who are 16 years or older and not in school. The target population for Operation Storefront is adults reading at or below the…

Via an LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) Title VI Library Literacy grant for fiscal year 1986, the Dixon (Illinois) Public Library expanded its involvement in the literacy effort. Additional rooms were made available for tutoring, materials and equipment for literacy students and books and equipment for literacy tutors were provided,…

A study was initiated to investigate the current status of technology initiatives in terms of their impact on six adult education centers in Massachusetts. It was designed to provide new insights into the educational effects of computer instruction upon adult basic education students. A second effort focused on the presentation of a model of…

Growing interest in adult literacy has encouraged research and innovative programming in the field. This paper examines several pieces of software created by the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at Pennsylvania State University and explains their underlying conceptual foundations and the integration of visual materials. The Penn State…

This monograph presents the state of the art of computer-assisted instruction for students in adult basic education (ABE), developmental education, and rehabilitation programs. The 12 articles are written by practitioners for practitioners and describe programs being provided by public schools, community colleges, libraries, volunteer agencies,…

A project developed a model curriculum to be delivered by computer-based instruction to teach the required literacy skills for entry workers in the health insurance industry. Literacy task analyses were performed for the targeted jobs and then validated with focus groups. The job tasks and related basic skills were divided into modules. The job…