Abstract

The design, development, and formative evaluation of a prototype intended to support less skilled adult readers through a reading task are described. Less skilled readers are defined as students who have difficulty understanding school-assigned reading material because they lack metacognitive strategies. The prototype, called DB-notebook aims to assist by providing a reading strategy that suits a given reading task and reading material. The computer was selected as the instructional medium because it is viewed as a powerful tool with the potential of helping learners become more strategic readers. To justify further the use of a computer, the reading material supplied was in electronic form. In the design phase, a storyboard was produced depicting the reading strategy and related activities. A subject matter expert informally evaluated this. Changes were based on the feedback obtained. The storyboard acted as the foundation upon which the computer-based prototype was built. Once a final prototype was completed, two experts and five students reviewed it. DB-notebook was assessed in terms of its appropriateness, its utility, its usability, and its aesthetics. The assessors' opinions regarding the use of computers to take and review notes and their feelings towards reading from a computer screen were assessed. The methods used to develop and evaluate DB-notebook and the results obtained are presented. Overall, the idea of a tool like DB-notebook was well accepted. Some activities were even considered useful. Nevertheless, DB-notebook was difficult to use and had problems with aesthetics. Recommendations for improvement and suggestions for further research are discussed.