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The modern way to share information about sailplanes and soaring... Multimedia Computer Based Training (MCBT). With a PC and one of our CDs, students can learn at their own pace from exciting video courses. Busy glider instructors can use our CDs to cover routine subjects without interrupting flights. The transfer of knowledge can take place at home, at the gliderport, or even (with a laptop) on the road. Best of all, that a transfer did in fact occur is guaranteed and documented by the built-in testing process.
SYSTEM
Our
courses are delivered via a leading presentation & testing
system, called Courseworks™ by Iprax. This software product is widely used in
industrial and vocational education. It combines the high
information density and standardized content of videotaped
"lectures" with the computer-driven power to not merely
pause and rewind, but also branch, loop, test, score, and
analyze. Specifically, the Courseworks™ platform
plays a few minutes of a video presentation, followed by a few
multiple-choice questions. If a correct answer is selected, the
course moves on. If incorrect, a short segment with just the
missed information is played before repeating the question.
for Students...
With
their own computer and a personal copy of one of our CDs,
students can investigate a broad topic at their convenience, in
the sequence they prefer, over and over. Although it is
recommended that the initial pass through the course be in the
order listed, the student is offered menus at intervals, to
continue or branch to other topics. Any time video is playing,
the student can restart the segment, advance to the next, or
consult a master index of topics. If desired, the entire video
content can even be played without interruption. All video
segments can be viewed at 320 x 240 pixels within a control
frame, or expanded to full screen.
...and Teachers
It is
a simple process to install a course on a school computer or one
provided by an instructor. Courses can then be played by
inserting the appropriate CD-ROM and selecting the title (perhaps
one of many) after clicking the "Iprax JustPlay"
Program Menu item. With the addition of the Iprax Tracking
Software, furthermore, instructors can configure the delivery of
the course to include pre-test, post-test, minimum passing score,
completion certificate, and so forth. The database featured in
this option automatically documents student performance and can
be used to analyze progress and trends.
Courseworks™ may be installed on almost any recent PC with CD-ROM (or DVD) drive, running Microsoft Windows™ 9x. Unfortunately, it is not compatible with Apple™ products or some other Operating Systems including Windows™ 3.1 or NT Server. If you have one of the popular DELL™ computers, click here for a fix for a common mouse problem. Further System Requirements are detailed at the Iprax page. In brief:
TITLES
At
the present time, we have the following courses ready to ship on
CD:
| l 200-0001-001 | Discover Soaring! | An orientation to Soaring for airplane pilots |
| l 200-0002-001 | IPRAX Tracking Software | Instructor tools to deliver, score, and record courses |
Some topics we have been considering for development include Field Check (customized by site), Type Orientation (SGS 2-33, L-23, etc.), Thermalling (with cockpit views & sounds, of course), Safety Tips (SSA signals, Positive Control Check etc.)... We welcome suggestions for future titles at our e-mail address below. Please advise if you have existing video content that would support a projected course. Here is a preview of our next course now in development:
| l 200-0003-001 | Thermal Soaring | The art and science of thermalling for beginner sailplane pilots |
SALES
We do
not offer direct retail sales of our products. They are available
through selected dealers, such as:
ABOUT
Cumulus
Courseware LLC was started in 1999 by Hubert DeVries and John H.
Campbell of Denver, Colorado. Mr. DeVries has many years
experience developing computer-related products and in technical
education with MCBT. As a novice glider pilot a few years back,
he felt he could have made faster progress with more modern
ground instruction tools. Dr. Campbell (a Physicist) was one of
Hugh's CFIs and, after 25 years and 2,000 hours of glider
instruction, he agreed there could be a better way. Both feel
that MCBT is tailor-made for enhancing skills in such a visually
appealing and intricate activity as soaring.