Message-ID: <2982@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Jul-84 20:21:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.2982
Posted: Mon Jul 23 20:21:03 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 08:49:18 EDT
Lines: 54

[]
 
 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