Vanderbilt University and Optical Data Corp. announced a joint-licensing agreement for the math program, “The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury.” Developed by the university and distributed by Optical Data, the videodisc-based math program for fifth- and sixth-grade students encourages students to think about math in everyday terms.
The software consists of 15–20 minute video productions or “episodes” featuring Jasper, a ficticious adult, and his friends. Math problems, posed by a character in the story, are usually the equivalent of a word problem of 15 or more steps. The program was developed by a 25-member research team at the university’s Learning Technology Center at Peabody College, as a result of several years of cognitive science research dealing with how children learn to solve the complex Jasper problems and the outcomes of working with these problems. For information, contact Optical Data Corp., 30 Technology Dr., Warren, NJ 07059; (908) 668-0022, or their customer service line at (800) 524-2481.
