Ideas for designing computer-assisted instruction (CAI) lessons that take into account the learning characteristics of disadvantaged adult students are examined, based on experiences with students who undertook a series of PLATO lessons in preparation for the GED (high school equivalency) exam. The students, who ranged in age from 18 to 60 years old, were largely unemployed and poor, and most lived in the black community. While they enrolled in the program voluntarily, many had a history of negative experiences with previous schooling and very low opinions of their own learning abilities, and many had limited reading skills. Since interest in an academic area can be promoted by student interest in certain topics, it is suggested that topic preferences might be determined prior to a CAI lessons on reading comprehension. Individual preference data can also be used for individualized branching to passages and for feedback on responses to questions. Especially important to developing motivation of these learners is the use of supportive feedback in on-line messages that give partial credit and are worded positively, and also provide constructive, answer-specific information for correction. A guiding principle for using CAI lessons to uncover and correct information deficits is an awareness of the nature of the tasks that the lesson teaches and/or tests. The need for help in making connections and perceiving associative structure suggests the importance of explicit instructions in CAI lessons. In regard to reading comprehension deficits, CAI lessons can help in individual diagnosis and collection of individual student data for selecting new readings and help units and for branching to exercises. The benefits of having a passage displayed with one sentence added at a time under student control are noted. (SW)