The implementation and evaluation of a hypertext system for teaching employment-related language to hearing-impaired school leavers

This paper reports the outcome of a project sponsored by the UK Government Training Enterprise and Education Directorate (TEED) to produce CAL material to teach employment-related language to hearing-impaired school leavers. The tutorial content was decided after conducting a survey of teachers of the deaf. A survey of the literature relating to language and the deaf produced a number of rules for the generation of the language content. The language used was also agreed with teachers of the deaf before implementation of the system. Tutorials were written at two levels of language so that the material can be related to the needs of the student using the system. These needs are assessed by a computerized version of the SPAR reading rest. A management system guides the student through the tutorials and reports back to the teacher on the student's progress, what help has been requested, and the results of the tests which are included in the tutorials. Because of the complexity of the system a rigorous methodology was required at the implementation stage. This is explained in the paper and results of the evaluation of the system, by pupils and teachers, are given.