nlil@ecsvax.UUCP (07/24/84)
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I have just had an opportunity to evaluate a self teaching program for the Mac
offered by American Training International called MacCoach. The package
consists of two disks and a 10 page manual. With these materials and a Mac, the
student can learn the basics of operating a Mac in a matter of a couple of
hours. The system uses grahics of actual desktop situations along with
overlaying windows containing instructional text. The student is required to do
something (usually click a "dog ear") to move on to the next window. Some of
the text windows require the student to demonstrate that the concept has been
mastered, by doing whatever it is that is being presented. Each of the 12
sections ends with a summary and a review of the material that has been
presented. Sections include the following:
How To use (MacCoach)
Get Ready
Your System
Your Keyboard
Use Icons
Use Windows
Save Your Work
Manage Documents
Manage Disks
Print a Document
Applications Software
Conclude Your Work
The system also includes MacCoach Help. This is a collection of Scrapbook pages
that can be moved from the MacCoach disk to any of the users disks. Then the
user can use the Scrapbook at any time to review techniques. This is a good
idea, if you can spare the disk space (20K.)
All things considered, it could be a useful package for the first-time user who
doesn't have access to an experienced user. The same intro. type material could
be conveyed by an experienced user in the same amount of time or less. The
package costs $75 from ATI. This seems like a lot of money for an individual to
spend on something that will probably be used only once or twice. On the other
hand, in an environment where several people could use the package, it might be
worth the price.
MacCoach
American Training International
12638 Beatrice St.
Los Angeles, Ca. 90066
(800) 421-4827 outside Ca.
(213) 823-1129 inside Ca.
Larry Robinson
NCSU Computing Center User Services
(919) 737-2517
{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!nlil