A study was conducted to identify and evaluate effective recruitment strategies and the effectiveness of a short-term, individualized audio-tutorial course designed to improve the communications skills of non-traditional students. Subjects were 30 students enrolled in and completing the individualized course, Learning Skills I, and 30 control students. Experimental group students were interviewed in order to determine how they were recruited for the course. Results indicated that 67% of the subjects had been purposefully recruited into the course by counselors, the learning skills center, or by instructors. Subjects were pre- and post-tested on The New Purdue Test in English. Analysis of the mean scores for the experimental and control groups revealed no significant differences in the scores. No evidence was found indicating that the instructional treatment brought about any significant gains in the communications skills of the members of the experimental group. (Author/JDS)