With the assist of PHASE-II funding, the applicant expects to conclusively demonstrate the merits of its """"""""Stim"""""""" tutorial system for special education, and to have it marketing-ready for the 1988-89 school-year. Courseware: In an interactive videodisc format, a sample of the """"""""extended skills curriculum"""""""" developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District and in use within its special education division since 81 has provided the PHASE-I base for investigations performed by the applicant in facilities provided by the district. Permission has been obtained to convert the three major curriculum portions: reading, language and mathematics, to videodisc-based courseware for use as """"""""Teacher's Aides"""""""" in public special education of communications handicapped children, with emphasis on disorders, such as: Autism, Aphasia, and certain learning handicaps. Conversion of the extended skills curriculum to effective sets of courseware videodiscs for the stated target population will be greatly simplified by an offer to make available (as PHASE-II consultants) key school district staff, past members of the original curriculum-team, now seasoned in its practical use. Hardware: The high degree of hardware sophistication required has been demonstrated (in a prototype workstation) still in use for continued classroom evaluation. A computer-controlled touchscreen is used by children to register their responses to tasks presented on dual and independent color monitors receiving audiovisual still and moving programming from double video-disc drives, each with 54,000 individually accessible video frames. An onboard video camera, with VCR, provides a live video tape- record that combines with computerized scorekeeping of right- wrong responses and response time. Vital hardware refine- finements and features, suggested in PHASE-I research, will be explored and implemented during PHASE-II. PHASE III: The applicant organization plans to develop further """"""""Stimware"""""""" for special education applications, and expects to market """"""""Stim"""""""" as a hardware-courseware subscription service at an all inclusive cost of $300 per month and station.
