Telling the Legislature's story.

Virginia is right in step with the computerized times. Its high-tech civic education tool features a catchy game that helps students of all ages learn more about the legislature.

Alex, I'll take History for 600."

Sounds like the game show "Jeopardy" starring Alex Trebek, but it is part of "Quiznet" on a clever CD-ROM (compact disk/read-only memory) created by the Virginia General Assembly to familiarize students with their state government.

Explorer is a CD-ROM for students of all ages, and it takes advantage of their interest in computers and games to teach them about the legislative process, Virginia history and interesting state facts in an entertaining way.

This is the kind of tool legislatures in all states need to help them boost the public's understanding of their institutions, says Chief Clerk Ramona Kenady of the Oregon House of Representatives. "Civic education has to be a priority for us," she says. "It's crucial for promoting the legislature. Too many people don't connect with their legislature and we, after all, are the branch of government closest to the people."

Says Senator Maggie Tinsman of Iowa, another long-time civic education supporter, "Somehow we need to get the public to realize that the government they can participate most in and influence is right there at home." Textbooks concentrate on the federal government, she says, with "maybe one chapter on state government. Cities and counties get ignored even more."

Legislatures need to take it upon themselves to develop materials for teachers and students that promote the legislative institution. And there are lots of ideas. But Virginia's CD-ROM, according to Kenady, is an inspiring example that others may want to duplicate. "The information age is forcing us to do things differently," she says.

TELL ME MORE

Virginia's civic education project was prompted by Chief Clerk Susan Clark Schaar who was getting requests from teachers and librarians for additional resource material on Virginia government. There were plenty of printed materials; something different was in order.

So Schaar went to John Woody, director of James Madison University's multimedia center, who suggested a CD-ROM, which offers more flexibility for class and individual student use. The compact disk format gives students a friendly and fun forum to learn about the Virginia legislative process.

Woody and his multimedia students teamed up with five Senate staffers in 1994 to design the program. A high school government teacher joined the team to spearhead creation of a teacher's guide and lesson plans. The CD uses three well-known buildings as the starting point: the Capitol, the state museum and the state library. The Capitol contains the legislative process information, the museum houses Virginia historical information, and the library leads to other state information.

The Senate staff was responsible for developing a detailed description of the legislative process. The James Madison students found videos and photographs and designed the screens. Everything was not smooth sailing. Schaar says the two hours of travel time between the Capitol and the JMU campus caused some problems because her staff had trouble monitoring the ongoing work. And sometimes the James Madison team would sacrifice accuracy for artistic license in its efforts to provide a high-tech, visually appealing presentation. But joint meetings and numerous phone calls helped strike the needed balance between accurate content and easy-to-use technology.

The first prototype was ready to try out on new legislative members during their orientation in December 1995. It was a hit. By spring, the lesson plans were ready and the production logistics in place. The CD was released to the public in November 1996. Of the initial manufacturing run of 4,500 CDs, about half were distributed to legislators and the public. The costs were surprisingly low: Senate expenses totaled $29,000 and the in-kind contribution costs for JMU were estimated at an additional $30,000.

GETTING KIDS TO THE CAPITOL DOOR

There's something captivating about the Virginia General Assembly's successful CD. It's a hook that gets kids into the Capitol so they see the importance of state legislatures and what they do. In the CD Capitol, students can follow a Senate bill that would allow 15-year-olds to obtain learners' permits to drive (a topic near and dear to middle and high school students). As students follow the progress of the bill, they must vote on amendments that change the minimum age of the accompanying driver, require applicants to have at least a "C" average and prohibit applicants from driving high performance cars. There is a similar scenario for a House of Delegates bill requiring the sale of certain beverages in refundable containers (bottle bill).

Other portions of the CD-ROM show rare photographs and video clips that depict key points in Virginia's past, provide information on important Virginians, and name the state bird, boat, drink, dog, flower and fossil. After navigating through all this information, the user reaches the "Quiznet" game where host Alex Reboot challenges students with questions under the categories of history, process and grab bag. It's entertaining. It's learning.

Virginia legislators are rightfully proud of the product. A life-long educator, Senator R. Edward Houck is pleased with the disk technologically and calls it "a tremendous aid to teachers." He says the CD-ROM with its highly interactive software and high-end graphics is "fun" and "can't help but stimulate our students' interest in state government and the legislative process."

Schaar praises her staff, saying the project was a real challenge. "They developed strong teamwork and writing skills," she says, "and stretched their imaginations in finding creative ways to present the legislative process."

For the many students who never get to visit the Capitol in Richmond, the project provides "a sense of what it looks like both inside and out through virtual reality. The overwhelming response we have received from legislators, students, teachers, lobbyists, other staff and other states has made us realize that the time, effort and expense that went into the project was well worth it."

Jeff Butler, who led the graphics ad design work for JMU, says the project was a chance to pique the interest of the electronic generation. He calls the experience "a fantastic teaching tool" for his James Madison students. It was a huge undertaking, but they had the structure in place at JMU to take a written manual and develop it into a multimedia presentation, he says. His advice to universities and legislatures contemplating this kind of project is to be sure that they have the multimedia capability before they get started.

The ultimate question, of course, is how well the students learn from the CD-ROM. According to Pat Bagley, a librarian at the Annie B. Jackson School in Waverly, Va., even the fourth graders use it frequently. "It's more a learning tool than a game," she says. "A lot of kids at the school don't have a clue what the Capitol looks like - their families don't have the money to take the trip to Richmond. The children learn about the legislature, and they thoroughly enjoy it."

RELATED ARTICLE: GETTING THE WORD OUT

Many state legislators work hard to represent their constituents only to find that most people know nothing or very little about them or what they do.

To help the public better understand, here are some suggestions from NCSL's task force on the legislative institution:

* Develop CDs and videos on state government and the legislative process to be used by schools.

* Set up educational programs ranging from mock legislative sessions such as Boys' and Girls' State to internships for students.

* Meet with civics and government teachers to help them understand the legislative process and pending issues.

* Make it easier for the public to get information about legislative activities such as committee and session schedules, bill status, bill summaries and voting records. Toll-free numbers and Web sites are popular ways to make such information available.

* Hold interim committee meetings in locations outside the Capitol.

* Use teleconferencing, interactive video and computer bulletin boards to communicate with citizens.

* Distribute an annual report to citizens that succinctly describes legislative actions. The report could include a description of action on major issues during the session, budget data, performance measures and a survey of citizens on current issues.

RELATED ARTICLE: OHIO GOES FOR EDU-TAINMENT

When the Ohio legislature reaches out to students to inform them about state government through video and CD - it does so in a big way. So big, in fact, that one of its videos won an Emmy award last year for best instructional project.

Dan Shellenbarger, assistant director for the Capitol square Board, produced and directed the winning video on "electing your government" and made it for only $5,000. Part of the secret is tapping student actors from the performing arts high school in Columbus, he said.

Another part of the success formula is a partnership between the board, which oversees the Capitol and generally acts as jack-of-all-trades at the legislature's discretion, Ohio State University and American NewMedia, an educational foundation in Columbus.

Three years ago, legislators had a new assignment for the board (beyond running the legislative TV station, overseeing maintenance of the Capitol and other functions). Lawmakers charged it with educating students on the functions of state government and developing public-private partnerships to do so. The General Assembly allocates $50,000 a year for these efforts, but staff members have finessed that through grants and business donations. NewMedia also takes the lead in producing the educational CD-ROMs. Ohio State provides the most advanced programming possible at minimal prices.

So far, the partnership has developed videos and CDs on how a bill becomes a law, why it's important to be involved in the election process and, this year, improving the bill-into-law piece.

All efforts are tied into the state-required proficiency tests for students, 25 percent of which focuses on civics.

Shellenbarger notes the projects are done with the '90s student in mind. "I'm a little reluctant to use the phrase, but we do projects with an MTV approach that appeals to students. I call it edu-tainment."

- Dianna Gordon, NCSL 

Bruce Feustel is NCSL's expert on legislator and staff training.