During the past year, resources have been developed for the benefit of many customers, from schools to external organisations, with us casting our net further to ensure continued growth. 1994 has seen us consistently develop innovative new products which meet the needs of different markets and achieve a standard which strengthens our position as the country?s national development and advisory body on the use of technology in learning.

SCET is not merely about developing the latest computer software, it is also about the people. The work which we have researched and implemented this year is a result of tuning in to what our markets? needs are and providing solutions. From this we have been extremely successful in taking current products a stage further in what they have to offer, as well as bringing new concepts on to the market which help provide assistance to certain client groups.

SCET?s customers recognise that educational technology has become an essential component of modern education and training and that our educational software supports effective learning for both teachers and pupils. We continue to work with the education community, teachers and technologists to ensure that everything we produce is to the benefit of Scottish education.

Through our consultancy role and close working relationship with the education sector, we have produced, this year, products which we recognise are needed in the market and which provide solutions to meet these needs. Our Writer?s Toolkit 2 and ASSIST packages are two which perhaps demonstrate our innovative approach to such development and illustrate our ability to use relevant technology to support different user markets.

Following the success of Writer?s Toolkit , our staff have taken the package a stage further and created Writer?s Toolkit 2 , which was on display at the BETT ?95 exhibition. The programme targets and supports different styles of writing, helping children to structure their writing skills and guiding them through all stages of writing from the original idea to the finished article. Since January this programme has steadily attracted and impressed countless numbers of people, making it one of SCET?s flagship products this year.

The ASSIST project demonstrated the need for partnership to produce an effective product, in this case for Scottish teachers.

ASSIST is a CD-ROM based information service for Scottish teachers which allows them to supplement their teaching programmes with previously researched information which directly relates to the curriculum. This subscription based information service has been well received since its launch in October 1994.

Extending our services further

Our ability to produce high quality products is being increasingly recognised by external bodies who are now seeking our services. During the last year we have produced an interesting software package for SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund). "The Horn of Africa - People, Poverty and Environment" is a unique CD-ROM which brings Third World issues home to children in a way which combines interactive multimedia with lively text and visuals, making the package an enjoyable learning experience for the pupil.

It is the user-friendly design of our products and the way SCET communicates effectively with the end user through technology, which perhaps attracts interest from third parties.

Strathclyde Regional Council and Strathclyde Police were confident that this approach could be employed to develop a CD which tackled the drugs issue, which is particularly acute in today?s schools. They therefore requested SCET?s services to produce an educational resource which communicated the dangers of drugs to teenagers in an effective yet unpatronising manner.

"Real Deal" was launched in schools at the beginning of 1995 and is an example of our innovative approach to using technology to promote effective learning. Our role in this case extends beyond simple development to incorporate the distribution of the package throughout schools in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

BBC Tape Copying and Distribution

In August 1993, we were approached by BBC Education Scotland after the BBC moved the transmission of its educational series from Radio 5 medium wave to Radio 3 FM. Due to the poor quality of FM transmission within certain areas of the country, the BBC had to instigate a cassette service for any school which could no longer receive the programmes. SCET was approached to take on this task.

The number of schools making requests, and the number of series requested, far exceeded expectations, but SCET was so successful at copying and distributing the tapes throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, that we were asked to continue the service for the duration of the 1994/95 school term. This time, however, we were asked to include requests from England.

This project has since been extended to include recording 'live? programmes off-air instead of receiving master copies from the BBC, and providing an ?emergency? service for any school which for any reason misses a broadcast. By the end of the 1994/95 term we were supplying requests from over 2,500 schools on a fortnightly basis. The management of this project has satisfied the BBC to such an extent that the relationship will continue throughout the 1995/96 session.