META Innovation

Advanced Learning Systems

The invention of eText was a direct result of Paul Hinkley’s consulting experience in corporations. While implementing IT systems that companies had spent millions purchasing and installing, he observed that many business people, particularly those over their mid thirties, did not have the typing or keyboard skills necessary to operate the client computers efficiently.

Then with the advent of email, he observed managers resorting to their secretaries printing out emails and preparing hand-written responses to them, an unacceptable inefficiency. With the downsizing of the early 90s, the majority of middle management had to survive without the assistance of personal secretaries. The Digital Age was demanding better typing and keyboard skills.

Another part of the problem was that many executives were too embarrassed to admit they did not have the appropriate typing or keyboard skills. On inquiring as to the reasons, many reported that they had tried typing tutors and found these to be too stressful, boring or time-consuming. Most had given up within an hour or two.

Paul used his skills and experience in corporate training, psychology and accelerated learning methods to research the whole subject of acquiring keyboard skills. He saw that traditional typing tutors broke most of the rules of modern psychological learning methods, and that fixation on the Home Keys was a major problem. Out of this research, the eText Method was developed.

Paul also spent some time personally observing and interviewing high speed typists (with speeds of 70 to 120 words per minute), and concluded that these expert typists were using the Direct Reach method, and had successfully weaned themselves off the Home Keys method. Further research identified that the US typing expert Leonard West had recommended some 20 years previously that typing methods should be developed on this basis!