Easily add number keypad skills to any keyboarding class

The Ainsworth Keypad Trainer can be used independently or combined with keyboard training. The computer-generated lessons automatically match any educational requirement from students with special needs to adult education.

> Personalized lessons -- teach faster and easier
> Prescription Drills (tm) -- provide automatic error checking
> Keypad Tests -- provide computer-generated test data in several formats
> Data Entry Tests -- name/address and mixed data in form-fill or text mode
> Custom Tests -- use your own data to match any form-fill requirement
> Performance Verification -- show and record results of each test
> Best Performance Inde x (tm) -- measure total performance
> Printed and on-screen reports -- document individual results
> Number Cruncher! Games (tm) -- provide the polish and add a little fun

> Decimal option -- customize for banking or for general calculations

> Easy installation -- install automatically on network or individual computers

Personalized lessons
Do you need a refresher course, a slower-paced course for a student with special needs, or anything in between? The Ainsworth Keypad Trainer can meet all your classroom needs automatically because we use the computer to create each lesson individually. The lessons advance automatically at a pace that's matched to each student. Practice sessions may be of any length, from a few minutes to hours at a time.

It's easy to punch numbers on the keypad with your index finger, but this method is slow, tedious, and error prone. Glancing back and forth between the data and the keypad makes it easy to lose your place, and you can't tell if the number you punched in is correct or not.

The Ainsworth Keypad Trainer can quickly teach you to key in numbers automatically, using all your fingers and not even looking at the keypad. This gives you an automatic cross-check on each number you enter because each number will have a distinct "feel" you know if you've entered it correctly. Focusing your attention on the numbers will give you an overview of the data you are entering. You won't get lost in a column of figures, and each number will be checked "by hand" as you enter it, eliminating keying errors.

You learn the keypad in less time because these lessons are automatically matched to your pace. Each lesson is matched to your speed and your dexterity. So you learn faster, easier, and with less effort. I teach you new keys as fast as you can learn them. If you are a little slow on some of the number keys, my program detects this and pauses until you have mastered each key before continuing. You can spend as much or as little time with this program as you like. Lessons can be any length and will match whatever time you have.

Prescription Drills (tm) provide automatic error checking

It's true that practice makes perfect, but only if the practice makes sense!
Prescription Drills are the answer to keypad mastery. First, we detect hesitations and weak keys. Then we adjust each drill to emphasize specific key combinations. This focused learning breaks the pattern of looking at the keys while keying in numbers. Each drill is individually created to strengthen the weaker keys. As soon as a person stops looking at a specific key, the software detects this change and adjusts the next drills to focus on the remaining slower keys. This process is automatic and continuous. Prescription Drills may be used at any time for a custom practice session that's focused and efficient.
The Prescription Drill Graph shows performance for each key as a percentile, not as simply speed or accuracy alone. This computer analysis shows you how well each student compares with an expert typist. In this graph, the Number 4 key has been detected as having slower response than the other keypad keys. Drills will automatically reflect changes in a person's skill, continuously changing to strengthen weak keys.

Keypad Tests

You select from five formats and the program will generate a unique test. All tests are automatically presented and scored. Test results are shown on screen and included on the printed reports which are always available. Each test consists of 51 computer-generated numbers in a column format. Sample test Screen...

> Small Numbers Test -- 1 to 3 digits
> Medium Numbers Test -- 2 to 4 digits
> Large Numbers Test -- 3 to 5 digits
> Numbers and Decimals -- 3 to 4 digit numbers with decimals
> Dollars and Cents -- 3 to 4 digit numbers in dollar notation

Instant Replay option shows keypad efficiency in accelerated animation. This illustrates clearly the time penalty for making and correcting errors. The replay is also fun to watch.

Review Test option allows the student to return to the test and see the corrected result. Any errors that were left on the screen are highlighted.

Print Test Results option at the conclusion of each test provides complete documentation of each test with both test statistics and a graded report of the test as typed. This printout of the actual may only must be selected immediately after the test is taken.

Data Entry Tests
Both form-fill and text options are available in three formats. All Data Entry Tests are timed writings of 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10 minute duration. Standard text editing commands are available for entering both text and numbers.

Names and Addresses -- data entry tests created from internal lists of name, address, and zip code.
Mixed Data -- data entry tests that combine random numbers in either form-fill or block text mode.
Standard Test -- data entry tests that combine keyboard and keypad skills in a variety of data entry formats.

Custom Tests

Custom tests and practice sessions are easily added to the Keypad Trainer. You can use this customizing feature to automatically present and score any standardized test, or to easily and quickly create your own special series of tests based on special needs or interests. Sample test screen...
Personnel and training departments often use this customizing feature to create tests from data that mirror job situations, such as actual customer names and addresses, order numbers, telephone or VIN numbers, and similar sources.

> How to create custom tests for the keypad...

Performance Verification
A complete, graded copy of each test may be printed immediately after each test has been completed and the Print Test Results option is shown. This printout includes the statistics as shown in the test report, as well as a complete copy of the text as typed. Any errors left on screen while typing the test will be individually marked in the printed report. The Review Test option may be viewed before the report is printed. If another test is selected, or if another section of the program is selected from the menu, the Print Test Results option is no longer available for the test just completed.
In repeat testing situations it may be helpful to allow each person to sign in, take a specific test, and print the results without storing a permanent history file on the computer. If so, the Ainsworth Keypad Options program may be used to select the option titled No history files saved in the History files section.

Best Performance Index

There is something definitely lacking in a group of test scores that only concentrate on speed and how many errors were made. A better idea is to also show how well someone did during a test, and this is what we monitor using the Best Performance Index.
We created this evaluation technique because we felt that a computer should be smart enough to do more than just count mistakes. After the test is finished, our program scans the entire test and calculates where this person was typing the fastest, with the lowest error rate.
As it turns out, our industrial clients love the Best Performance Index because it more accurately shows what a person will do on the job. Students like it because tests are friendlier when Best Performance is highlighted. And we think it's neat to use the computer for something that's more complicated than just adding up errors.

Printed and on-screen reports

Documentation that summarizes all aspects of a student's progress may be viewed or printed at any time. Since individual students may be learning the keypad at very different rates, printing this report at specific stages in their training will help track progress.

Status Report summarizes the total picture at a glance. The number of lessons, the number of drills completed, and the best speed achieved to date with no errors are also displayed.
Keypad Tests show complete scores for the five keypad tests. Standard information for each test includes the number of keys typed, average speed in keys per minute (kpm), errors left on the screen, and total time. Average speed and accuracy for each test are calculated and displayed. The Best Performance Index is also calculated and shown for each test completed.
Data Entry Tests show similar statistics for the five data entry tests. Since these tests may be of any length, it is important to note the number of words typed for each test and the time selected in minutes. These tests scores also include standard statistics and the Best Performance Index.
Progress Graph compares percentile scores for each of the keypad number keys. The height of each bar in the graph reflects both accuracy and speed. Uneven bars indicate that some keys have been learned and some have not.
Game Scores shows both the record high scores and scores for the last game played in all five categories. These totals are a good index of overall keypad efficiency when operating at maximum speed.
In addition, the Print Test Report option at the end of each test may be used to create an individual printout for the test just taken.

Number Cruncher! (tm) games provide the polish -- and add a little fun

We created Number Cruncher! for a totally different learning environment that matches the way people actually use computer keyboards and number keypads.

Burst typing (tm) is our name for ultra-fast keying alternated with periods of rest. We create this on-and-off mode intentionally in our games. This game environment pushes people beyond what they think are limits of speed and accuracy. They discover that they can express whole numbers as a single action, without thinking of the individual keys. This is often exactly what is needed to break students away from the notion that they must use extreme care at a constant pace.

Computer games gave us three popular themes that we combined to create Number Cruncher! The game alternates between quickly typing falling numbers before they reach the bottom of the screen and then typing a string of numbers fast enough to stay ahead of the creature that is munching along behind. A third game appears as a bonus. In this game, the objective is to type and remove numbers before they fill the screen from bottom to top.
Five categories are available in the game. xxx If you select Lesson Keys Only, the game is limited to the keys that have been learned so far in the lessons. This choice allows people to use the games for practice, even though all the keys in a particular category have not been learned. For some students, this break from the lessons is just what is required to maintain interest or to build speed and accuracy before continuing to learn new keys.
The scorecard is often used in classes as a kind of competition, with the top students listed on the board, along with their best scores. For students who like computer games and competition in general, Number Cruncher! can be both challenging and fun.
Game Sound Effects may be selected or changed from the main menu. The variety of sound effects is intended to add interest to the games. If the resulting racket is too tempting for some students, the option to select additional sound effects may be turned off. To limit the range of possible sounds in the games, the Ainsworth Keypad Options program may be used to allow only the default sounds.

Decimal options

A special option allows you to include the decimal key or not. Your choice will depend on whether you use the number keypad in banking and financial applications, or in general calculations and spreadsheets.

Installation

Installation couldn't be easier with our CD's that include both network and stand-alone options. Several methods for storing history files and other options are available. Check either of these links for details.

> Network Installation -- Keypad Trainer

> Stand-Alone Installation -- Keypad Trainer