AVC - Calgary Computer Assisted Reading Instruction Project
Technical Report

Following the survey, ABE students were given an opportunity to discuss the PLATO program. What follows are the themes that emerged from that discussion:

1.

Students felt that the PLATO program helped them to read better.

2.

Students liked that PLATO allowed for independent study. They liked being able to use it when they wanted to, and as much as they wanted to. However, the teacher is still very

important and PLATO should not replace the teacher.

3.

The grammar portion of the PLATO program appeared to draw the most attention. As one student said, "I like how PLATO has taught me to put words together."

4.

The primary complaint about PLATO was that it ran too slowly.

Working Independently. Equal numbers of Stage One ABE students preferred working independently as working in groups. The majority of ABE students were comfortable with Autoskill being a stand-alone program, but some students were not. Those who objected to independent work, felt that discussion and conversation were more meaningful, that they learned more from interacting with other students.

The majority of Stage Two ABE students were comfortable with PLATO being a stand-alone program. All ABE students indicated that PLATO helped them become more independent learners. However, all felt that their success in reading required the presence of a teacher.

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