ANSR's US DOEd SBIR Project:

An Adaptive Arithmetic Tutor

ANSR's Small Business Innovation Research Project for the U.S. Department of Education (DOEd ) has been successfully completed through Phase I: October 1, 1995 through March 30, 1996.

Project Title: "Development of Neural Network Tools and Techniques for Arithmetic Training of Children with Learning Disabilities"

Motivation: Special needs children deserve equal access to educational opportunities. Yet, these students' needs for flexible, individual instruction conflicts directly with the enormous pressure for budget balancing and controlling educational costs. The ability to perform rapid mental arithmetic is valuable both as a life skill and as a discipline that helps in other areas of learning.

Goal: This project seeks to develop enhanced, cost effective tools to improve the training of LD students in rapid, accurate performance of basic arithmetic operations.

Applying Adaptive Networks to Education: by using Adaptive or Neural Networks (NN), we hope to build computer-based instructional tools that self-adapt to each student's individual needs, especially for students with Learning Disabilities.

Potential Benefits:

• improved education quality for special needs children
  
• more individualized instruction, matching each student's needs through educational computer software using Adaptive Networks
  
• tools developed capable of adapting to nearly ALL students
  
• improved cost-effectiveness of education
  
• ultimately, a low cost, portable arithmetic training tool
  

Highlights of Phase I results include more info on Learning Disabilities, the software developed, and educational simulations.

Phase II was proposed to the DOEd in April, 1996 to develop the tools further and test them with real students.

Current Project status

Any opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education.

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