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Who developed KeyTrain?
KeyTrain began as a joint effort of Thinking Media, Olin Chemical and Cleveland State Community College. KeyTrain has been developed following the highest standards of instructional methodology. Contributing partners include: Dr. Barry Nathan (formerly the lead industrial psychologist for ACT on the development of ACT’s profiling system), Ohio State University, Duval County Schools (Jacksonville, FL), Chattanooga State Technical Community College, and Des Moines State Community College. BACK TO TOP Is training included?
Training is an available option. KeyTrain is self-explanatory and natural to use so training isn’t required, however, we do recommend that a short, 2-3 hour training session be held to introduce the software to your key staff members, particularly in the educational setting. BACK TO TOP Why is the soundtrack so important?
Our natural voice soundtrack matches the words on the screen exactly. Not all software does this and the unfortunate result is that slow and challenged readers are further confused. Our soundtrack is designed to help low readers and to hold the attention of learners to a greater degree while they are interacting with the software. BACK TO TOP How do I find out who in my area is using KeyTrain?
Please contact our office to get this information. BACK TO TOP What about technical support and responsiveness?
We answer all calls in 15 minutes or less. 365 days a year, 24/7. We do get very few maintenance calls since the complexity of the software administration program is minimized. This is where most software companies run into support problems. BACK TO TOP How can we use the Occupational Profiles?
This feature can be used as a guidance tool. Students can see the profile scores for different positions as the demonstration pointed out. Students and counselors can work together to improve the skills and scores so that they assess well enough to get hired into these positions. A tremendous tool for student learning motivation. BACK TO TOP How massive is the curriculum, how do you measure it?
Rather that measuring in total number of course hours, we look at the number of pages. KeyTrain currently has 20,000+ pages of material available. Measuring the number of hours of curriculum is a subjective evaluation. Compare pages – an objective comparison. BACK TO TOP What else should we compare when making a decision?
- Ease of use for classroom implementation by teaching staff. The administration software must be easy to use.
- Student interest in the software – make sure it’s fun and interesting for them.
- Interactivity is obviously important as well.
- Ease of navigation through the learning system – is it natural and easy to move through?
BACK TO TOP What do we do if students test below the minimum WorkKeys Skill Levels?
KeyTrain includes instruction in pre-WorkKeys skills in all skill areas. This pre-WorkKeys materials is included both in specific pre-WorkKeys lessons, and integrated into the lower-level WorkKeys courses.
We also realize that many students need help in identifying the specific skill objectives they need help with in order to achieve the basic WorkKeys levels. To assist in this effort, we offer the KeyTrain Beginning Skills series. This series includes a diagnostic pretest that indicates a student's abilities in 23 different fundamental language and math skills. It then offers targeted curriculum in each of the objectives to meet student needs. BACK TO TOP What computer hardware do I need to run KeyTrain?
KeyTrain is designed for maximum flexibility on modern computer equipment. It can be installed on hard disks, run from CD-ROMs, or run from network servers. It will run virtually trouble-free on nearly any Windows® computer. For details, download the technical specifications by clicking here. BACK TO TOP
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