If you have ever “choked” on a test – or taught or parented someone who has – you know why Betty Caldwell’s Stressless Tests™ program www.stresslesstests.org is in demand. The extracurricular program helps students, from sixth graders to adults, experience less stress, more confidence, and higher performance in the classroom.

Like most successful entrepreneurs, Betty knew from the start the importance of astute marketing. She began by following her instincts.

Soon after developing the program, she produced an animation-based supplementary aid on DVD to give to her students. Check out a clip here.

Betty explains, “Many of my students are creative, visual learners. The DVD is a natural teaching tool for them, as it incorporates animation, sound, color, humor, and strong visuals. Research has shown that with this type of animated presentation, the level of learning is measurably enhanced. And, it supports my own highly interactive teaching style.”

The video is all computer-animation based. “I found that by using a series of animated characters, I could create something a lot more interesting than the usual PowerPoint presentation. I built in some visual humor, and just had fun with it. It works well with all ages, from 6th graders to medical students. ”

The DVD production presented some challenges. Betty continues, “Keeping in mind that I had never done anything like this before, I had a pretty steep learning curve with the animation software. The computer-generated voices in particular were a challenge, and offered less than advertised. I did bring in some help for the technical aspects. The biggest challenge was in the conversion to a video format that would work well as a DVD. The team at Video Labs was great to work with at this stage, and brought it all together to work flawlessly.”

Betty has been a long-time Howard County, MD resident, and she received her undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of Maryland. She has also pursued extensive education for over 30 years on topics that illuminate the importance of brain-determined learning styles, especially for the intuitive, or visual, learner.

Betty also spent time earlier in her career working in the non-profit and government sectors. These helped guide the development of her Stressless Tests™ curriculum. “I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of organizations with values that resonate with my own, whether it was working for the environment or to decrease childhood hunger in the US. I’ve discovered that a passion for my work is essential for me, giving me the impetus to plow some new ground in my Stressless Tests™ company.”

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