by Mary L. McCain · 2018-04-26 · THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM ADULT LEARNING Expanding...

transcript

Expanding Access to Adult Education& Workforce Skills Through

Distance Learning

by Mary L. McCain

Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy

1221 Avenue of the Americas - 46th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10020

http://www.caalusa.org

October 21, 2009

THEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYTOTRANSFORMADULTLEARNING

ExpandingAccesstoAdultEducation

&WorkforceSkillsThroughDistanceLearning

byMaryL.McCain

October21,2009

Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy

1221AvenueoftheAmericas–46thFloorNewYork,NY10020www.caalusa.org

[Eds. Gail Spangenberg and Bess Heitner] Rev. links 10-23-09 © Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy

TABLEOFCONTENTSFOREWORD iiEXECUTIVESUMMARY iiiINTRODUCTION 1I.THECONTEXTFORTECHNOLOGYDEPLOYMENT 2A.WhatisICTLiteracy? 2B.TheToolsofTechnology 4C.ConfrontingForcesThatWorkAgainstProgress 6II.HELPINGADULTSACHIEVETHEIRGOALS 10A.DistanceEducationWorks 10

1.PositiveLearnerOutcomes 102.PersistenceandMotivation 123. Self‐Study 13

B.Access 131. AccessandConnectivity 142. ICTLiteracy 15

C.GoingtoScale 171. ChangingtheContext 172. SupportingtheLearnernottheSystem 18

III.RECENTRESEARCHFINDINGS 20A.CaliforniaDistanceLearningProject 21B.Portland’sLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning 22C.ProjectIDEAL 23D.TheNationalResearchandDevelopmentCenterforAdultLiteracy(U.K.) 24E.TheLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgramsoftheOntarioMinistry 24 OfTraining,CollegesandUniversities(MTCU)F.InvestigatingtheLanguageandLiteracyRequirementsforIndependent 25Onlinelearning(NationalInstituteforLiteracy)G.EvaluationofEvidence‐BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning:AMeta‐Analysis 26andReviewofOnlineLearningStudies(U.S.DepartmentofEducation)IV.BUILDINGTHEFOUNDATION:Next‐StepRecommendations 28A.EstablishingANationalWebPortal 28B.EncouragingStateLeadership 33C.SupportingDistanceLearningPrograms 34D.MeetingTheResearchNeed 34E.FosteringStakeholderlnvolvement 35 V.CONCLUSION 37 AppendixA.AbouttheStudyDirector 38AppendixB.ProfessionalAdvisors 39AppendixC.Endnotes 41AppendixD.ToolsofTechnology 47 AppendixE.SelectedProgramsandStateModels 52AppendixF.Bibliography 59

FOREWORDInearly2009,theCouncilforAdvancementofAdultLiteracy(CAAL)launchedaprojecttofurtherdevelopthetechnologyrecommendationsproposedbytheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracyinReachHigher,America.THEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYTOTRANSFORMADULTLEARNING:ExpandingAccesstoAdultEducation&WorkforceSkillsThroughDistanceLearningistheresultofthateffort.FederalandstategovernmentistheprimaryaudienceforTHEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGY,butCAALalsoaimstoguideprivatesectorengagementandassistprogramandcurriculumdevelopmentbyadulteducationandworkforceskillsprovidersatthenational,state,andlocallevels.Totheseends,THEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYoffersaprimeronthetoolsoftechnology,reviewsthefindingsofrecentresearchondistancelearning,andpresentsawiderangeofotherinformationandanalysis.Italsorecommendsfederalandstateactioninfivemajorareas,alldirectedatscalinguptomoreeffectivelymeetnationalneed.Therecommendationsarerealisticandattainable.TheviewsinTHEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYaresolelythoseofCAALandstudydirectorMaryMcCain(seeAppendixA).Dr.McCainisSeniorVicePresidentofTechVision21.Shebroughtextensiveknowledge,insight,andanopenmindtothetaskandCAALisdeeplygratefulforherenormouscontributiontoadvancingtheCommission’svision.Wearealsogratefultoouroutstandingteamofprofessionaladvisors,especiallythosewhogavetheirwisdomandexperienceasmembersofourcoreworkinggroup(seeAppendixB).WealsowanttorecognizethemanyotherresearchersandpractitionerswhohavecarriedoutimportantdevelopmentalandresearchworkintheareastreatedbyTHEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYovertheyears.Iffundingsupportbecomesavailablealongthelinesrecommended,manyofthemarepoisedtodoevenmore.Theirworkisevidentthroughoutthispaper.Wealsowanttothankourorganizationalandindividualdonors,includingtheDollarGeneralCorporation(themajorfunderoftheNationalCommission),theJoyceFoundation,theWal‐MartFoundation,theCharlesStewartMottFoundation,andTheMcGraw‐HillCompanies.WeextendspecialthankstoHaroldW.McGraw,Jr.,whohaspersistedformorethan20yearsinhisfinancialandpersonalsupportofadulteducation.HehelpedfundtheNationalCommissionandremainsamajorsupporterofCAAL’swork.Thesteadfastcommitmentandgenerosityofalloftheseleadershasmadethisprojectpossible.

GailSpangenbergPresident,CAAL

EXECUTIVESUMMARYThereisahighlycompellingcaseforusingtechnologyonalargescaletoincreaseaccesstoandimproveAmerica’sadulteducationandworkforceskillsenterprise.Manyofthereportsthathaveexaminedadultworkforcedevelopmentinthepastfewyearshavereachedthissameconclusion,includingReachHigher,America*(June2008)fromtheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy.BythereckoningoftheCommissionandothers,thenationmustreachmanymoremillionsofadultswitheffectivecollege‐andjob‐readinessskillsprogramsinthenextdecadeandbeyond.Werisklosingournation’seconomicviability,standardofliving,andcoredemocraticprinciplesifwedonot.Butwecannotbringaboutneededreformwithoutdeployingtechnologyonanunprecedentedscale.AsTHEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYTOTRANSFORMADULTLEARNINGmakesclear,thismeanstheextensiveuseofdistancelearningandallofthetoolsinourdistancelearningarsenal.Fortunately,wedonotneedtostartfromscratchwithprogramsandmaterials.Allkindsofcontentisavailableasafoundationonwhichtobuildandawidevarietyofexistingandemergingtechnology(detailedinAppendicesDandE)canbepressedintoservice.Aswegetstarted,afewfundamentalfactsmustberecognized:• Somecollegeeducationorjobtrainingisrequiredforthemajorityofjobsnowandinthe

future.Yet,nearlyhalfofallAmericanadults,includingthoseintheworkplace,needsomelevelofskillsupgradingtogetintocollegeorjobtrainingortoadvanceinjobs(88millionto90millionindividualsaged16andolder).

• Informationandcommunicationstechnologyskills(ICTliteracy)areessential,bothonand

offthejobandthereisconsiderableworktobedoneonthisfront.Some70percentofalljobsintheU.S.willrequiresomelevelofICTskillsby2016).

• Manygoodtechnology‐basedprogramsexist–forskillsupgrading,professional

development,andprogrammanagementpurposes–butaccesstoinformationaboutthemislimited.Notenoughpeopleknowabouteitherthetoolsavailableortheprogramsandcontentdesignedforthem.

• Existingprogramsneedrigorousevaluationtoassurehighqualityandrelevancefordiverse

learnerneedsinself‐studyenvironments,and,additionally,newprogramsofconsistentlyhighqualityandrelevancyneedtobedeveloped.

• Planningfortechnologyuseneedstobesetintocomprehensivestatewideadulteducation

andworkforceskillsdevelopmentplans.

*Gotohttp://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org.

• Learnersateventhelowestlevelsofliteracyandlanguageproficiencycanengagewith

onlinelearningcontent.Reportsindicatethattheyareeagertodosoandthattheybenefitinimportantways,e.g.,self‐confidence,self‐directedness,andindependence.Adultsacrosstheliteracyandlanguagespectrumshowstrongmotivationtogaincomputerliteracyskills,perceivedaskeytoworkadvancement.Infact,timespentinemploymentandexposuretoICTsubstantiallyenhanceliteracyproficiencygenerally.

• Technologyplaysaprominentandincreasingroleineverydaylifeandatwork.Accessto

itandconnectivitytotheInternetaregrowingrapidly,evenamonglow‐skilledadults.(Despitethehighercostsofbroadband,63percentofallAmericanshavebroadbandconnectivityathome,some77percentofadultshaveacomputer,and84percenthaveacellphone.)However,althoughaccessisgrowingamongallcategoriesofusers,thedigitaldivideremainsproblematicforcertaincategoriesofpotentiallearners,especiallythoseatthelowestskillslevelsandmostinneedofservices.

• WhetheranadulthasnoexperienceusingcomputersortheInternetoriswell‐versedinICT

skills,technologyoffersanentirelynewenvironmentandlearningexperiencethataddstoorcangobeyondthetraditionalclassroomexperienceofinstructor‐ledtext‐basedformats.Researchshowsthatself‐studythroughdistancelearning–wherematerialsaredeliveredthroughavarietyofmedia–holdshighpromiseintermsoflearninggains,andpersistenceandmotivationaremarkedlybetterthanintraditionalclassroom‐onlysettings,evenforlow‐skilledlearners.

FIVENEXT‐STEPRECOMMENDATIONSA. EstablishingaNationalWebPortal.Asatoppriority,thefederalgovernmentshould

establishanationalwebportal.Informationabouttechnology‐basedprogramoptionsmustbemadeavailablenationally,onacomprehensiveandcrediblebasistobothadultlearnersandprogramprofessionals,inordertosignificantlyexpandaccesstolearning.Theportalshouldbedesignedtoserveeffectivelytheuniquelydifferentlearningneedsandgoalsofthetwodifferentusergroups.Specialconsiderationsareneededtoensurenavigationeaseandappealtoadultlearners,includinglow‐literacyadultswithlimitedICTskills.Sustaineddisseminationandeffectivepromotionwillbenecessarytoensurethatinformationreachesthetargetaudienceseffectively.ThisportalshouldbetheresponsibilityofeithertheNationalInstituteforLiteracyorotherauthorizedfederalagency.ThespecifictechnicalrequirementsfortheportalshouldbedeterminedbyabroadlyrepresentativeAdvisoryBoard.

B. EncouragingStateLeadership.Thefederalgovernmentshouldlaunchagrantprogramto

helpstatesintegratetechnology‐assistedlearningsystemsand/orprogramsintotheiroveralladulteducationandworkforceskillsplanning.Self‐studyactivitiesmustbegroundedinparticularstateandregionalserviceprogramswherelearninggainscanbeformallyverified,andwherecommunitiesofneedcanbereachedthroughtargetedawarenessand

outreachcampaigns.Stateplanningandleadershipmustgohandinhandwithfederalleadership,althoughstatesmustseeadulteducationastheirownissue.

C. SupportingtheDevelopmentofDistanceLearningPrograms.Projectsshouldbe

undertakenbyfederalandstategovernmentthatfocusondistancelearningcertifications,performancemeasuresthatcertifyICTliteracy,onlineassessmentoflearning,testingandadaptationofnewformsoftechnology‐basedlearning,aligningunitsofsuccessfullearningwithcommunitycollegecredits,andotherareasofdevelopmentalneed.

D. MeetingtheResearchNeed.Thefederalgovernmentshouldsupportasustained,serious,

andwell‐fundedresearch,analysis,andevaluationeffort–tosupportandinformtheuseoftechnologyanddistancelearningforadulteducationandworkforceskillspurposes,andtoenrichthenationalwebportalonanongoingbasis.Forexample,weneedbetterbaselinedataonadultlearnersandcomputeruse,andweneedevaluationofself‐studylearningasitrelatestospecificeducationoutcomes(gettingaGED,gainingEnglishproficiency,demonstratingreadinessforjobsandcollege).Weneedtoknowaboutthekindsoftechnology‐assistedlearningadultsactuallyfindanduse,whyandhowtheyuseit,andwhetheritiseffectiveinachievingtheoutcomestheysought,andifso,why.WeneedtoknowmuchmoreabuttheconditionsunderwhichsuccessfulInternet‐basedinteractivelearningtakesplace.

E. FosteringStakeholderInvolvement.Federalandstategovernmentshouldprovide

incentivesforinvolvingafullrangeofnongovernmentalstakeholdergroups.Theyshouldundertakespecificprojectstoencouragecollaborationamongallsortsofgroupsatalllevels–includingadulteducatorsandworkforceskillsexperts,planningagencies,businesses,unions,youthpolicyorganizations,familyliteracygroups,correctionalinstitutions,schooldistricts,communitycolleges,healthcareentities,andothers.TheNationalInstituteforLiteracyorotherappropriateentityshouldestablishastateadvisorycommitteespecificallyrepresentingthesegroups.Corporateandphilanthropicsourceshaveaspecialroletoplayandarenaturalpartnersindevelopingtherecommendednationalwebportal.Theyshouldbecalledupontocontributeequipment,grants,employeetime,andtechnicalassistance.

CONCLUDINGNOTEItisnotpracticalordesirabletoabandonourcurrentservicesystem,norisitviabletosimplycontinuetweakingit.Wehavethemeansandknow‐howforasubstantialredirectionofthenationaladulteducationandworkforceskillseffortwithtechnologyasourally.Weneedwholesalechange;thewiderandwiseruseoftechnologycanhelpbringitabout.

THEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYTOTRANSFORMADULTLEARNING

ExpandingAccesstoAdultEducation

&WorkforceSkillsThroughDistanceLearning

Thechallengeisclear;thecountrymustsuccessfullyreengageadultswhohavetoolittleeducation(knowledgeandskills)toholdlivingwagejobs.Failuretodosoputsthenationatcompetitiverisk.Risingtothechallengewillrequiredevelopingnewstrategiesandnewtools.Theoldoneshaveproventobeinsufficienttothetask.[NCHEMS]1

INTRODUCTIONnReachHigher,America(June2008),theNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracyfoundthatabouthalfallAmericanadultslackthebasicandsoft*skillsneededtogetandadvancein

21stcenturyjobsthatpayafamily‐sustainingwage.Itcalledfortransformingthecurrentfragmentedservicesofferedbyadultbasiceducationandworkforceskillsdevelopmentgroupsintoacoherentintegratedsystemwithoutcomestomeet21stcenturyneeds.Atstake,theCommissionemphasized,isnothinglessthanAmerica’sabilitytocompeteglobally,remainnationallysecure,andretainitscoredemocraticprinciples.TheCommissiontookasitsfocusthe88millionadults,aged16andabove,whohaveatleastonemajoreducationalbarriertoacquiringjobaccessandadmissiontopostsecondaryeducation2–highschooldropouts,adultswithhighschooldiplomaswhoarenotcollege‐orjob‐ready,andadultsinneedofEnglishlanguageservices.Thereportemphasizedthatabouthalfoftheworkforceisdeficientintheessentialbasicandsoftskills,andthatsometwo‐thirdsoftheworkforceisbeyondthereachofK‐12schools.Adultswhoneedbasicandworkplaceskills,includingEnglishlanguageservices,mustrelyontheexisting“system”thatprovidesthiseducation.Yetnotonlyisthissystemfragmentedandsiloed,butitisequippedtoserveonlyasmallpercentageofthoseinneed.3TheCommissioncalledonCongresstocreateanadulteducationandworkforceskillssystemwiththecapacitytoeffectivelyserveatleast20millionadultsannuallybytheyear2020,upfromthe3millioncurrentlybeingservedbythemajorfederalprograms.Itrecognizedthatthisgoalcouldnotbeaccomplishedwithoutheavyandinnovativeuseoftechnology–toexpandservicestoadultsthroughdistancelearningandself‐study,andtoprovidecostefficientapproachestoprogramanddatamanagement.4Indeed,oneoftheCommission’sninekeyrecommendationswastodeploytechnologyonanunprecedentedscale.*Thebasicskills,asdefinedbytheCommission,arereading,writing,math,andEnglishlanguageproficiency.Softskillsaretheabilitytocommunicate,acquireinformation,thinkcritically,solveproblems,usetechnology,andworkinteams.

TheCommissionstatedthat:“Technologyshouldbeusedinallitsformstomakelearningacontinuousprocessofinquiryandimprovementthatkeepspacewiththespeedofchangeinbusinessandsociety.”I.THECONTEXTFORTECHNOLOGYDEPLOYMENT

echnologyisnopanaceaforsolvingthenation’sadulteducationandworkforceskillsproblems,buttheCommission,someleadersinCongress,andmanyothershaverecently

recognizedthatitmustbeacentralcomponentofanyseriousnationalefforttoimproveandexpandserviceonthescaleneeded.Foronething,theadulteducationandworkforceskillssystemtheCommissioncallsforcannotaccommodatemorethanafractionofadultsinneedwithoutthehelpoftechnology.Foranother,wenowliveinaworldthatfunctionsincreasinglyinatechnology‐encompassedmode,andlearningandworkarelessandlessaccessibletothosewhocannotusetechnology.Strongtechnologyskillsareessentialforadultsseekingtoimprovetheirknowledge,skills,andEnglishability,andthisisthecasewhetherthegoalistoattainaGEDortoenrollinfurthereducationorjobtraining.Fortunately,wedonotneedtostartfromscratchinputtingtechnologytowideruse.ManygoodGED,postsecondary,andjob‐relatededucationprogramsarealreadyavailableviadistancelearningandtheyprovideafoundationonwhichtobuild.Furthermore,informationaboutprograms,courses,andcertificationisincreasinglyavailableonline,andindeedonline‐onlyapplicationsforeducationorjobsarebecomingmorecommon.Evaluating,adapting,anddevelopingthemodelswealreadyhave(seeAppendixE,p.52forsomeexamples)canprovidetheflexibilityandoptionsforself‐pacedlearningthatadultsfrequentlyrequireontheirpathstohighereducationandemployability.Moreover,theObamaAdministrationrecentlylaunchedthe“AmericanGraduationInitiative,”whichprovidesfordeveloping1,000freeonlinecourses,availablenationwidethroughcommunitycollegesandarticulatedtodegreerequirements.5ButtakingadvantageofcurrentanddevelopingopportunitiesinaninformationsocietyrequiresthatindividualsandprogrammanagershaveICTliteracy(informationandcommunicationstechnologyskills).Italsorequiresthatweallunderstandwhatthe“toolsoftechnology”areandwhattheyaregoodfor,andthatwelearnfromandbuildonwhatwealreadyknow.A.WhatIsICTLiteracy?ThebasicelementsofICTliteracy–sometimescalled“informationliteracy,”or“digitalliteracy”–aregenerallydefinedasfollows:• Access–Knowingaboutandknowinghowtocollectand/orretrieveinformation.Searching,

finding/locating,andretrievinginformationindigitalenvironments.

• Manage–Applyinganexistingorganizationalorclassificationscheme.Conductingarudimentaryandpreliminaryorganizationofaccessedinformationforretrievalandfutureapplication.

• Integrate–Interpretingandrepresentinginformation(summarizing,comparing,and

contrasting)materialfrommultiplesourcesbyusingICTtools.• Evaluate–Makingjudgmentsaboutthequality,relevance,usefulness,orefficiencyof

information.Judgingthecurrency,appropriateness,andadequacyofinformationandinformationsourcesforaspecificpurpose(includingdeterminingauthority,bias,andtimelinesofmaterials).

• Create–Generatinginformationbyadapting,applying,designing,inventing,orauthoring

informationinICTenvironmentstodescribeanevent,expressanopinion,orsupportabasicargument,viewpoint,orposition.

• Communicate–Communicatinginformationpersuasivelytomeetneedsofvarious

audiencesthroughuseofanappropriatemedium.Communicating,adapting,andpresentinginformationproperlyinitscontext(audience,media)inICTenvironmentsandforapeeraudience.

Jobsatalllevelsnowdemandthatemployeesnotonlyhaveahighschooldiplomabutalso,atleastminimally,theabilitytouseinformationandcommunicationstechnologies.Astechnologyhasbecomemorepervasiveineveryworkplace,workersmustbeabletocommunicateandcollaborateusingcomputers,mobiledevices,theInternet,andothertechnologytools,aswellasthepracticesassociatedwiththeiruse.Deliverydriversandservicetechniciansmustbeabletocommunicatewithsupervisorsorcolleaguesatadistance.Jobsinthehospitalityandretailindustriesrequiretheabilitytorecordandtrackinformationelectronically.Andemployeesincreasinglycanandmustaccesson‐the‐jobtrainingviacomputersandtheInternet.AccordingtoBureauofLaborStatisticsprojections,morethan70percentofalljobsintheUnitedStateswillrequiresomelevelofICTskillsby2016.6Numerousstudiesalsomakeitevidentthatmostjobsofthenearfutureandbeyondwillrequiresomeleveloffurthereducationineithercollegeorjob‐trainingprograms.Itisimportanttoacknowledgethatmanyassumptionsaboutthereluctanceofadultstousetechnologyinindependentlearningaremisinformed,basedlargelyondataandexperiencewithadultswhoparticipateintraditionalformalprograms.Arecentstudycomparingdataonlow‐skilledadultsinPortland,OregonandLondon,Englandfoundthattheexperiencesoflearningtousetechnologyinand/orforemploymentboostsliteracyproficiency.7Moreover,aNationalInstituteforLiteracyanalysis(2008)ofmultiplesurveysandresearchabouttheattitudesoftheseadultpopulationsindicatesthat“adultlearnersacrosstheliteracyandlanguagespectrumshowstrongmotivationtogaincomputerliteracyskills,perceivedaskeytoworkadvancement.”8

Significantly,“technology,”whichencompassesbothtoolsandcontent,isalsogrowingeasiertouse,becomingmoreportable,lessexpensive,andwidelyavailable.Inaddition,whileadultswithouthighschooldiplomas,theunemployedorthosewithlow‐wagejobs,andnon‐EnglishspeakersarelessconnectedtocomputersandtheInternetthanothersegmentsofthepopulation,thegrowthinconnectivityforthisgroupisexpandingrapidly.9B.TheToolsofTechnologyUsingtechnology–ormorespecificallythetoolsoftechnology–toexpandeducationisonlyasvaluableasthelearningorprogrammanagementitenables.Whatrepertoryoftoolsisavailableandwhatisthebestuseofvarioustoolstoenableaccess,learning,andprogramanddatamanagement?Apartialanswertothisquestionisthat“itdepends.”Fromthestandpointoflearning,itdependsontheindividuallearner;hisorherlearningstyle,experience,andknowledge;programcontent;whetheratutororothertypeofsupportisnecessary;andahostofotherissues.Itdependsonhowwellsuitedtheparticulartechnologyistothecontentandpurposeoflearning:Isthereanimmediateneedforapieceofinformation,foradvicefromafamilymemberorcolleague,forrealtimeguidancefordiagnosingamechanicalproblem,orforongoingcoursestudy?Aninteractiveonscreenprototype*canworkwellfortheoperationofamechanicaldevicebutitworkslesswellforunderstandingdialogueinaplay.Apartfromitsabilitytoextendlearning,technologyinvariousformscanhelpmanageprogramsandsystems,provideoptionstoteachersforprofessionaldevelopment,supportdevelopmentofnewlessonsorcurricula,andoffernewwaysofcommunicatingwithstudentsinandoutoftheclassroom.Toolssuchas“learningmanagementsystems”canenableprogrammanagerstotrackdataonstudents,costs,outcomes,andotherinformationrequiredforfinancial,regulatory,andperformancepurposes.Teacherscanaccessprofessionaldevelopment,eitherformallyinonlinecoursesorinformallybywatchingvideosofotherteachersteaching.Othertoolsenablecustomizedwebspacesforclasscollaborationandcommunication.Untilrecently,thecontentdesignedforparticulartechnologies–whetherforthelearnerortheprogrammanager–hasbeendevelopedtosupplement,notreplace,classroominstruction.Inmostcases,thecontenthasbeenderivedfromaspecificcurriculumanditsdesignatedlearninggoals.Themainattractionoftheseversionsoftechnologyhasbeentoenableadultswhowereunabletoattendregularon‐sitecoursestoparticipate,atadistance,inaformaleducationprogram.

*An“interactiveonscreenprototype”isaprogrammodelthatisinteractivelydisplayedonacomputerscreenorotherdevicewheretheinteractionisdriveneitherbythemouseorbytouchscreen.

Astechnologieshavegrownmoresophisticatedandcheaper,andbecomeapartofeverydaylife,someeducatorshavebegundevelopingapproachesthatenableanindividualtoaccessandmanagehis/herownlearning.Sometimescalled“self‐directed”or“independent”learning,theseapproachesincludepedagogicalstructuresandcontentthatenableanindividualtolearn,usuallyviatheInternet,withoutparticipatinginaformalprogramorbeingguidedbyaninstructor/mentor.(Thisisnotassimpleamatterasitmayseem.Intechnology‐basedinformallearning–whichissomewhatsimilartothekindofnontraditional“self‐study”thatindividualsusedbeforetheadventofuniversaleducation–therearechallengestoovercomeincontent,appropriateassessment,andcredentialing.)Radio,television,andvideo(nowCD‐ROMandDVD)havebeenusedthelongesttoenablelearning,andtheycontinuetobevaluablesupports.NoneofthesetechnologicaltoolsrequiresaccesstocomputersortheInternet,althoughtheyfrequentlysupplementlearningactivitiesthatarebestaccessedviacomputeroronlyavailableviatheInternet.Themostsignificantlimitationofthesetoolsisthattheyprovideonly“oneway”access,withnoopportunityforreal‐timeinteraction.Newertoolssuchasmobilephonesandpersonaldigitalassistants(PDAs)have,fromthebeginning,offeredportablelearningviacommunicationwithothers.ButitistheabilitytoconnecttotheInternetandtoaccesstheWorldWideWebthathasenabledthesedevicestoprovidereallysignificantlearningoptions.However,regardlessofthelevelorkindoftechnology,thesetoolsareonlyplatformsforthecontent(courseware),anditsform,thatisplacedonthem.Newoptionsforaccesstolearningmayarisefromnewversionsoftheexistingtechnologyorfromnewwaysofusingit,suchastheuseofmobilephonekeyboardsfor“texting.”Thevalueofthesekindsoftechnologiesforthosewhoneedadulteducationandwork/collegereadinessskillsisthattheyprovideoptionsforinstructorsandindividualsthatsuittheparticularneedsofthosewhoareunabletoenrollinand/orcompleteeducationinthetraditionalsystem.Theytypicallyofferoneormoreofthefollowingadvantages: Drillandpractice,interaction,and/oraudio/videothatextendsandenhancesthecapacity

ofteacherswithlargediverseclasses;

Enablinginstructorstocustomizelessonstosuitparticularneeds(authoringtools,Web‐basedresources);

Vibrant,relevant,andengagingcontentthatcanensureanadult’sinterestinremainingin

educationandinlifelonglearning; ViatheInternetandtheWeb,newwaysofcommunicating,ofrelatingtoinformationand

knowledge,andofgainingaccesstovisualandaudioexposurestootherplaces,people,andthings;

Fasterassessmentofanindividual’sliteracy,language,andskillsandwithadditionalqualitativemeasures;and

Accesstoinformationaboutthecommunityservicesthatareoftenessentialtoenable

peopletogettoworkorclasses(e.g.,childcare,transportation,healthcare,immigration,unemployment).

Theterm“learningenvironment”suggestsplaceandspace–aschool,aclassroom,alibrary.Butalearningenvironmentcanalsobevirtual,online,andremote.Learningenvironmentsarethestructures,tools,andcommunitiesthatinspirestudentsandeducatorstoattainknowledgeandskills.Expertssaythat21stcenturylearningmusttakeplaceincontextsthat“promoteinteractionandasenseofcommunity[that]enable[both]formalandinformallearning.”10(SeeAppendixD,p.47foranoutlineofthemostcommonand/orpromisingtoolsoftechnologyforadulteducationlearningandprogram/datamanagementpurposes.)C.ConfrontingForcesThatWorkAgainstProgressTheexistingsystemofadulteducationandworkforceskillsmustitselfchangeinmanywaysifitistobetransformedintoacoherentandeffectivesystemservingsubstantiallymoreadultseachyear.Twooverridingchallengesinthesystemgenerallyarelackofcapacitytoserveverymanyofthepeoplewhoneedsomelevelofbasic,ESL,andworkforceskillseducation,andlackofprogramsthatarerelevantandofconsistentlyhighquality.Whethertechnology‐assistedornot,programshavedevelopedoverthedecadesinahaphazardwayduetoinadequatefundingandinattention.Theyvarygreatlyinpurpose,size,availability,quality,andconnectiontomeaningfuleducationalachievementand/oremployment.Moreover,fewstatesrequiredemonstratedmasteryofthespecializedknowledgeandskillsneededtoteachadults–and,inanycase,themajorityofadulteducatorsnationwideworkpart‐time,oftenasasecondjob,11partlybecausesalariesarelowandtheprofessionisundervalued.Fromthelearner’sstandpoint,adultstoooftendonothavetheopportunityfortheeducationandlearningtheyneed.Somehavebeenforcedbyfamilyorothercircumstancestodropoutofaformalprogramandmaybeunabletore‐joinbecausethereisawaitinglistforstudents.Asnotedabove,otherswhomaywishtoimprovetheirknowledgeandskillsareoftenunabletolocateaprogramataconvenientplaceandtimeorthathasanopening,arealitythatcanquicklyundercutmotivation.Numerousotherproblemsmustalsobeaddressed.Mostarequitewellknown.Theyincludeinsufficientfunding,absenceofmanagementandfinancialinfrastructuretooverseetheapplicationandoutcomesoftechnology,regulatoryrequirementsthatinhibitchange,anddifficultypotentialstudentsandprofessionaleducatorshavefindinginformationaboutexistingtechnologyresourcesforbasiceducation,ESL,andworkreadiness.

Furthermore,accesstocomputersandtheInternetinclassroomsislimited.Andoften,evenwhenthatisnotthecase,neededsoftwareislackingorthelimitedspeedand/orbandwidthavailableresultsinineffectiveuseofthatsoftware.Moreover,publicspaceswithICTaccess,suchaslibraries,areoverwhelmedwiththenumberswhoseektousecomputersandwhosooftenneedassistancefromtheirsmallstaffs.12Wemustalsocountervariousadministrativechallenges.Oneislackofcomprehensiveplanningbylocal,state,andfederalagencies.Anotheristheabsenceofwell‐developedfinancialsystemsthatfullyreflectthetotaldirectandindirectcostsofoperation,andthatdealwithstudentaidissuesforonlinelearning.Athirdisthefailuretotakeadvantageofeconomiesofscaleinpurchasinglicensesforcontent.And,aboveall,theNationalReportingSystem(NRS)thatdrivesprogramfundingdoesnottakeaccountoflearninggainsvia“distanceeducation”orofadultswhomayusepartsofthesystem(suchasaGEDexam)butarenotenrolledorcountedinformalprograms.13Beyondtheseproblemsisthebarrieroftraditionandassumption–thatis,traditionallyheldandwidelysharedviewsbymanypolicymakers,educators,funders,andlearnersabouthowcontentandlearningmustbestructuredand“delivered.”Traditionaleducationhasbeenbuiltonthepremisethatinformationisscarceandthataccesstothatinformationshouldbeprovidedatparticularlocations(inclassrooms)–usingcontentand/orcurriculachosenbyandavailablefromothers,andwithoptionsforfurtherstudyorworkopenonlytothosewithcertaincredentials.“Teachers”inthistraditionalviewareregardedasthesourceoflearning.14Certainlythisapproachhasservedthenationwell.Butinatechnology‐drivensocietyofalmostlimitlessinformationandaccess,itcaninhibitlearningratherthanpromoteit.Officialsandeducatorshavecraftedastrategythatattachestechnologytotheadulteducationandworkforceskillssystemsthatalreadyexist–essentiallyusingcomputersandInternetaccesstodelivertraditionalcurriculumusingtraditionalmethods,ratherthanastransformativeagentsorvehiclesfornewopportunities.Thus,changedattitudesmustgohandinhandwitheffortstoovercometheotherbarrierscited.Otherwise,expectationsthattechnologycanenablesignificantexpansionofandaccesstoadulteducationandworkforceskillsserviceswillnotbemet.Ofcourse,technologycannotsolvealloftheseproblems.Butitcanhelpprogramsinmanyessentialandliberatingways.Itstoolsandmethodscanexpandaccessandquality,reducecostsbyimprovingmanagementefficiency,provideeducationatadistanceforadultswhoareunabletoattendaclassinperson,andofferservicesforinstructorswhowanttoimprovetheirskillsoracquirenewcertifications.Numerousoptionshavebeenavailableandprovensuccessfulforthesepurposesforsometimenowandatlowcost.However,therehasbeenlittleefforttotaketheseinitiativestoscalethroughdistanceeducation,wherethebulkofinstructionoccursindividuallyoutsideofaformalclassroom,atatimeandplaceconvenientforthelearner.Finally,simplelackofawarenessisaproblem.Althoughmanyrecentstudiescallforheavyuseoftechnologyineducation,awarenessaboutwhattechnologycanaccomplishislimited,asis

understandingabouthowtoincorporateitintoanadulteducationprogram.Thereisashortageofinformationabouttheresourcesavailablefordistanceeducation,whethertheseresourcesaredesignedtosupportaformalprogramorself‐study.Inaddition,despiterecentresearchevidencetothecontrary,manyeducatorsremaindoubtfulaboutadults’abilitytolearnontheirownsuccessfully,especiallythosewithverylowlevelsofreading,writing,math,andEnglishlanguage.Atthesametime,teachersandadministratorsthemselvesfrequentlyhavelittleornoexperienceinusingcomputersandtheInternet,eitherfortheirownneedsortosupportinstruction.Forthatreason,theymayfeelunqualifiedtoinitiatedistanceeducationoptions.Moreover,themeasuresthatguidefederalfundingforstateandlocalprogramsrequireinformationonadultswhoareformallyenrolledinaprogram,althoughrecentchangesinthereportingrequirementsaccommodate“proxyhours”ofdistanceeducation.15Clearly,theobstaclestochangearemanyandformidable.Itshouldbeagoalofallfederalandstateadulteducationprogramstomeetmanyofthemheadon.Butanessentialpartofanyserious,comprehensiveplanmustbeasignificantinvestmentindistancelearning.Thescopeofthenation’sneedmakesitimperative.And,asdiscussedinthefollowingsections,distanceeducationworks.AstheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracyobserved,“itcanputthehighestqualityteachersintheworldateveryone’sdoorstep.”16

Ifthisnationistotakeadvantageofthepotentialroleoftechnologyinbringingtheadulteducationandworkforceskillssystemtoscale,itmustdoatleasttwothings:(a)offerresourcestoserviceproviderstoenablewider,moreeffectiveusesoftechnologyinthenewsystem(towardtheeducationalgoalsdesired)and(b)developandimplementnewpracticesandstructurestosupportthedifferentkindsoflearningthattechnologycanenable.Indoingthis,suchquestionsasthefollowingwillhavetobeaddressed: Howcantechnologybeintegratedintothecurrentsystemwithoutforestallingfurther

developmentoftechnology‐assistedlearningforadultsoutsideofformalprograms?

Whatstepscanbetakentoencourageandprovidetrainingtoteacherstohelpthemtransitionfrom“delivering”educationtoaroleasguideormentororcoach?

Howcannewoptionsforlearningbefundedinaneconomicenvironmentinwhichitishard

justtomaintainpresentfundingforthecurrentwayofdoingthings?

HowcanweensurethatmoreadultsachieveGEDs,postsecondaryeducation,andvocational/industrycertificationwhentheirlearningisdeterminedbyassessmentmeasuresdesignedforthetraditionalsystem,ratherthanbyassessmentsappropriatetotechnology‐basedlearning?

SectionIVofthisreport(BuildingtheFoundation,p.28)recommendsnextstepsforaddressingthiscomplexsetofissuesandquestions.

II.HELPINGADULTSACHIEVETHEIRGOALS

SOMESECTIONHIGHLIGHTSComparativestudiesofdistanceonly,classroomonly,and“blended”classroomanddistanceeducationhavefoundthatadulteducationstudentshavegreatersuccessinblendedlearningthanineitherdistanceorclassroomlearningalone.Adultswhostudyontheirown(self‐study)fortheGEDexamwithnoparticipationinaformalprogrampassatahigherpercentageratethanthosewhoparticipateonlyinaformalprogramwithnoself‐study.Adeterminingfactorinsuccessisregularconnectiontoateacherintheroleofguideandmentor.Whetherornotanadultcompletesclassesandcoursessequentiallyinaformalprogramislessimportantthanwhetheranadultcontinuestostudyandlearn,eitherwithself‐studyandperiodicprogramparticipationorthroughself‐studyalone.Accesscontinuestoexpand,particularlywiththeavailabilityofmobiledevicesthattendtobecheaperthancomputersandprovidemoreoptionsforcommunicatingwithothers.LiteracyproficiencyisenhancedsubstantiallybytimespentinemploymentandexposuretoICT.

A.DistanceEducationWorks1. POSITIVELEARNEROUTCOMES

esearchandpracticeinusingtechnologyforlearningamongadultswithlowlevelsofliteracyand/orEnglishlanguageabilityshowsthatadultscanbemeasurablysuccessfulin

increasingtheirknowledge,includingachievingtheGEDandenteringpostsecondaryeducation.“Distanceeducation”ordinarilyreferstothedeliveryofinstructiontostudentswhoareseparatedfromtheinstructor,usingsometypeoftechnologytosupportregularandsubstantiveinteractionbetweenthestudentsandinstructor,synchronouslyorasynchronously.17Astheprecedingsectionshows,distancelearningmaterialsaredeliveredthroughavarietyofmediaincluding,butnotlimitedto,print,audiorecording,videotape,broadcasts,computersoftware,web‐basedprograms,andotheronlinetechnology.Teacherscommunicatewithdistancelearnersviamail,telephone,e‐mail,oronlinetechnologiesandsoftware.Whencombinedwithclassroomattendance,distanceeducationisdescribedas“blended”learning.

Whateverthestructure,thedistanceeducation/blendedprocessisgenerallydesignedtoreplicatethetraditionaleducationalexperience–teacher‐ledinstruction,definedcurriculum,andspecifiedmilestonesrequiredforadvancement–albeitwiththesignificantadvantageofflexibilityfortheindividualwhoisunabletoattendaclassinaparticularlocationatsettimes.Itenablesthestudenttospendmoretimeontask.

AdulteducationdeliveredviadistancehasproventobesuccessfulforadultsstudyingforGED,advancingESLlevels,andimprovingliteracy,numeracy,andwork‐relatedskills.Manyresearchprojects,conductedinmanydifferentcontextsatbothstateandlocallevels,havefoundthatadultslearnatleastaswell,andoftenbetter,viadistanceeducationthaninclassroomsalone.ComparativestudiesofdistanceversusclassroomadulteducationintheU.S.,Canada,Australia,andtheU.K.havefoundthatthosetakingtheGEDoradvancinginreading,ESL,andotherknowledgeinblendedprograms,haveslightlyhigherresultsthanthosewitheitherclassroom‐onlyordistance‐onlystudy.18Strikingly,aten‐yearlongitudinalstudybyresearchersfromPortlandStateUniversity(fortheNationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy)foundthatadultswhostudyontheirownfortheGEDexamwithnoformalprogramparticipationpassatahigherpercentageratethanthosewhoparticipateonlyinaformalprogramwithnoself‐study–24percentcomparedto17percent.ThehighestpercentageofGEDattainment–27percent–occurredamongthosewhousedblendedprocesses,althoughthiscombinedapproachwasonlyslightlyhigherthanforself‐studyalone.19Thesepositiveoutcomesresultinpartfromthelearner’sabilityto“self‐pace,”takingasmuchoraslittletimeasnecessarytoabsorbmaterial.Technologyisparticularlyeffectiveintheself‐pacedlearningendeavorbecause,initsmostbasicform(videooraudiotape),itallowsrepeatviewingand/orhearingofparticularcontent.Technologyalsocansupportindividuallearningbyprovidingaccesstomultipleprogramsbeyondtheadulteducationsystemitself.Accesstoonlinelearningoffersevenmoreeffectiveoptions–fromlinkstosimilarmaterialthatmaybepresentedindifferentcontexts,tointeractivecontentthatenablesthelearnertorespond,receivefeedback,repeat,ormoveon.20Inadditiontotheimportanceofself‐pacing,researchfromCanadaconcludesthatadeterminingfactorinsuccessisregularconnectiontoateacherintheroleofguideandmentor.Someevidencesuggeststhatratherthantheuseoftechnologyperse,itistheextratimeandindividualattentionthatateacherofferstothedistancelearnerthatgeneratesmorepositiveoutcomesthanresultsofformalclassroomlearning.21Theteacher’sroleisquitedifferentinatechnologyenvironmentthaninatypicalclassroom,wherematerialisdeliveredtostudentsofdifferingabilitiesandtime‐on‐taskneeds.Distanceeducationdesignedtotestdifferentapproachestolearningnormallyprovideatleastsomeprofessionaldevelopmentforthisnewrole.Insomecases,asinassisted‐technologyprogramsinOhio,teachersareassignedmentorsintheirfirstyearortwoofteaching,inaformof

professionaldevelopmentviadistancethatisbothvaluableandcost‐effective.Inadditiontothemanyonlineoptionsavailableforteacherlearningandsupport,anumberoffreeprogramsincorporatetechnologyintothelearningprocess,includingsometoolsthatenabletheteachertodevelophisorherownlessons.22However,thismethodiscurrentlylimitedinitsabilitytosignificantlyexpandaccessbeyondthestructuredsystemofadulteducation,becauseoftherequirementforinstructorsandtheshortageofteacherswithnecessaryadditionaltraining.Itwilltakeasubstantialinvestmentoffinancialandotherresourcestoenableprogramsandteacherstohandlelargenumbersofstudentsindistancelearningprograms.Itisworthrepeatingthatmoststudiesandresearch,andmostprogramsthathaveaddedtechnologytoformaladulteducationofferings,havefocusedonadultsenrolledinformalprograms–althoughlessthan10percentoftheadultlearnerpopulationattendsformal,classroom‐basedcourses.23Thefactisthatweknowverylittleaboutthosewhoarenotenrolled–thatis,aboutthevastmajorityofadultswhoneedsomeeducationtoattainGED,and/ortomoveontopostsecondaryeducationand/ortrainingforwork.2. PERSISTENCEANDMOTIVATIONAsolidbodyofresearchshowsthatacriticalcomponentofsuccessfullearninginadulteducationis“persistence,”intermsofbothintensityanddurationofstudy.24Persistenceisachallengetoadultlearnersbecausechangesinfinancial,employment,family,andothercircumstancescanforcethemtodropoutduringorbetweencoursesofstudy.Infact,programsthatrecognizethisproblemoftentryvariousstrategiestohelpadultscontinueorreturn.Aconcernfrequentlyexpressedabouttheuseofdistancelearningisthatstudentsdropoutinhighernumbersthanthoseinclassroom‐onlystudy.Indeed,California’s2007comparativestudyofclassroom‐only,distance‐only,andblendededucation,foundthatstudentpersistencewashighestintheblendedcategoryandlowestindistance‐only.25However,morerecentreviewsofhowmanyadultlearnerspersisthavedeterminedthatthey“persistinlearninginsideandoutsideofaprogramuntiltheyachievetheirgoals”.26Thus,whetherornotanadultcompletesclassesandcoursessequentiallyinaformalprogramislessimportantthanwhetherthatpersonalsostudiesonhisorherown,i.e.,through“self‐study”.Technologyinthesecircumstancescanenableprogrammanagers,teachers,andlearnerstotracktheirprogressviaonlineself‐assessments,regularreviewsofclasslessonsandassignments,learnerreports,andinotherwayssoastofacilitateasmoothre‐entryintoformalclasses,and/oreligibilityforassessmentsthatdemonstratemasteryofacertainlevelofmaterial.

3.SELF‐STUDYItiswidelythoughtthatadultlearnersneed,attheveryleast,guidanceandsupportfromaninstructorortutor,evenwhentheprimarymodeoflearningisself‐study.However,thepercentageofadultsenrolledinformalprograms(thebasefordatacollectionandeducatorexperience)representsasmallminorityofthetotalpopulationinneedofadulteducationservices–anduntilrecentlywehavehadlittleinformationaboutthemajority,whodonotparticipate.ThisinformationdeficitwasfilledinpartintheaforementionedPortlandstudy,whichwasbasedonlongitudinaltrackingovera10‐yearperiod.27Thestudyfocusedonadultswithouthighschooldiplomaswhodidanddidnotparticipateinformaleducationprograms.Somekeyfindingsarethese:OfthosewhowerestudyingfortheGEDwhohadneverparticipatedinanAdultBasicEducationprogram,oneinthree(34percent)hadengagedinself‐directedeffortstoimprovetheirbasicskills.Moreover,adultswithrelativelyweakbasicskillswerejustaslikelytoengageinself‐studyasthosewithhigherlevelsofproficiency.Thosewhoengagedinself‐studyusuallyusedworkbooksdesignedforGEDpreparation,butmorethanonethirdofthestudygroup(35percent)reportedusingcomputer‐basedmaterials.28Ofcourse,self‐studydoesnotrequiretheuseoftechnology.Itonlyrequiresaccesstomaterialsthatprovidetheinformationanadultlearnerneedstoachievehisorhergoals,whetherthatistopassaGEDtest,learnsufficientEnglishorbasicskillsforworkorfurthereducation,orfulfillotherneedsandinterests.Buttechnologydoesprovideaccesstoafarwiderrangeofmaterialthanisavailablefromabookstore,libraryorschool,andfrequentlyatlowornocosttotheindividual.AnumberofstateshavedevelopedtheirownonlineGEDpreparationoptions(forwhichtestsmustbetakenatamonitoredcenter)and/orofferauthorizedpublicprograms,andmanycredibleandacceptedoptionsforESLstudyareavailable.29Inaddition,onlineopportunitiesforlearningofallkinds–whetherornotrelatedtodefinedcurricula–areincreasinglyaccessibletolearnerswithacomputerormobiledevice.Technologyalsosimplifiescommunicationwithotherlearners,colleagues,family,ortutorsforquestionsandsupport.Again,thedefiningvariableforanyformofadultlearningatadistanceisaccesstothetechnologyandskillstouseittoachieveindividuals’needs.B.AccessToexpandtechnologyuseforadultswithlowbasicskillsandEnglishlevels,individuallearnersmustbegivenaccesstoinformationaboutavailableformalorinformaltechnology‐basedortechnology‐assistededucationprograms.Buttheymustalsoknowabouttheconditionsunderwhichtheycanlearneffectively,haveconnectivitytosuitabletechnology,andpossessbasicICTliteracy.Theseessentialsarediscussedbelow.

1. ACCESSANDCONNECTIVITYAlthoughcomputerandInternetaccesscontinuestoexpandsignificantlyamongalldemographicgroups,theleastamountofaccessisavailabletothosewithloweducationlevels,insufficientornoemploymentandlowincome,andblacksandHispanics–groupswiththegreatestneedforadulteducationservices.U.S.Censusdataindicatesnotonlythataccessisoftenlackingathome,butalsothatmostadulteducationclassroomsarenotequippedwithcomputers.Also,publiclyavailablecomputeraccessatlibrariesandcommunitycenterscanbeoverwhelmedwithdemand,insomecaseslimitingaccessto30minutesperperson.30Frequentlytheselocationshavecomputersandsoftwarethatarenotpowerfuloradvancedenoughtosupportmanyofthenewerlearningoptions.Andtheydonotalwayshaveconnection–especiallybroadband–totheInternet.Despitethesepersistentbarriers,accesscontinuestoexpand,particularlywiththeavailabilityofmobiledevicesthattendtobecheaperthancomputersandprovidemoreoptionsforcommunicatingwithothers.31Some84percentofalladultshaveacellphone.32Moreover,anApril2009PewResearchCentersurveyfoundthat77percentofalladultshaveacomputerinthehome,afigurethatrisesto95percentformarriedadultswithoneormorechildren.AcompanionsurveybyPewonInternetusefoundthat,ofthe79percentofalladultuserswhousedtheInternetatleastoccasionally,60percenthaveincomesbelow$30,000annually,50percenthavelessthanahighschooleducation,and67and84percentrespectivelyareblackandHispanic.Thehighestpercentageofactivityise‐mailuse(90percent),but88percentofthosesurveyeduseasearchenginetofindinformation.33Asthesophisticationoftechnologyandcontenthasgrown,broadbandconnectiontotheInternethasbecomemorenecessaryforaccesstonewereducationprogramsthatprovidegreaterchoiceofcontentandinteractivecapability.Despitethehighercostsofbroadbandandabsenceofitsavailabilityinsomelocations,63percentofAmericanshavebroadbandathome.Further,thegrowthratesinbroadbandconnectionaresignificantfromyeartoyear.AccordingtoPew’ssurvey,ofthoseinhouseholdswithincomesunder$20,000peryear,adoptionincreasedby10percentfrom2008to2009(from25to35percent).Inhouseholdswithannualincomesbetween$20,000‐$30,000,adoptionincreased11percent(from42to53percent).Amonghighschoolgraduates,therateofadoptiongrew12percent(from40to52percent),andamongruralAmericansitgrewby8percent(from38to46percent).Thedemographicgroupwhoseadoptionratesshowtheleastincreaseareblacks,whoseadoptionrateatonly3percent,increasedonlyslightly,from43percentin2008to46percentin2009.34Althoughthesetrendlinesareencouraging,thereremainsa“digitaldivide”formanymillionsofneedyadultswhocouldclearlybenefitfromaccesstolearningviacomputersandtheInternet.Nonetheless,aslowercostsandthehigherconnectivitycapacityofmobiledevicesandothertechnologytoolskeepsincreasing,greaternumbersofadultswillgainaccess.

2. ICTLITERACYAlongwithaccesstotechnologyandprograms,learnersmusthavereasonablysolidICTskillssothattheyknowhowtousecomputers,theInternet,andotherdevices.TheymustbeabletomanagetheoperationofcomputersandtheInternet,buttheyshouldalsobeabletosearch,evaluate,share,store,andconnectinformationandprocesses.Thetraditionalviewisthatsuchskillsmustbetaughtinclasses,likethosefrequentlyofferedincommunitytechnologycenters.ButrecentresearchandotherdataindicatethatadultstendtoprefertolearnICTskillslessformally,withthehelpoffriends,family,andcolleagues.Forexample,arecentU.K.surveyfoundthatasignificantgovernmentinitiativetoexpandthenumberofadultcomputerclassesandlocationshadlimitedornoimpactinitselfontheuseofsuchcenters.35Further,manyCD‐ROMandonlinesourcesprovideeitherstatictext‐basedtutorialsorinteractiveinstructioninhowtooperatecomputersandaccesstheInternet.Theyusevoice,text,pictures,andimagesthatenableindividualsatanylevelofliteracytofollowthesteps.(GoodexamplesareMicrosoft’sDigitalLiteracyprogramandTheLearningLadder.*)Clearlyweneedmore“user‐friendly”hardware.Itisencouragingthatsomehasbeguntopenetratetheadulteducationmarket,suchastouchscreensinsteadofkeyboards(originallydevelopedforpeoplewithdisabilities).Adultsgivemanyreasonsforwantingtolearnhowtousecomputers/mobiledevicesandtheInternet.ChiefamongthemisthegrowingimportanceofICTskillsinjobs.36ThecomparativelongitudinalstudyofadultsinPortland,OregonandLondon,England(2007)posedquestionsabouttherisingimportanceoftheuseofandaccesstocomputersaspartofcontemporaryemployability.Oneofthestudy’scentralconclusionsisthat“employmentandICTusesupportsthedevelopmentofliteracyproficiency.”Putanotherway,“enhancementofliteracyproficiencyisaidedsubstantiallybytimespentinemploymentandexposuretoICT.”37ThisapparentcorrelationbetweenICTuseandliteracyisreinforcedbydatafromthe2003NationalAssessmentofAdultLiteracy(NAAL).AnanalysisofresponsestoNAAL’ssurveyquestionsabouttechnologyuseandaccessfound,incomparingusersandnon‐usersontheDocumentliteracymeasure,thatabout10percentfewertechnologyusershadBelowBasicscorescomparedtonon‐technologyusers.Further,about10percentmoretechnologyusersscoredattheIntermediatelevelcomparedwithnon‐users.AsimilarpatternwasfoundfortheNAALProseandQuantitativeliteracyscores.Notsurprisingly,technologyuseisstronglyassociatedwithhigherliteracyscoresacrossdemographicvariablesofincome,education,andage.38Thereisevidencethatadultsfindtheuseoftechnologiesforlearningtobeamotivatingforce,bothbecauseoftherelationshipofICTskillstoemploymentandbecausetheyenablegreater

*http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/citizenship/giving/programs/up/digitalliteracy/default.mspx,andhttp://learningladder.org.

flexibilityfortheteacherandthelearner.Inparticular,mobiletechnologies(e.g.,tabletsandPDAs)encouragestudentinterestandparticipation.39ThePortlandstudyindicatesthat“informallearningthroughcomputerusemayofferavenuesfordevelopmentofnewliteraciesnotavailableinformalprograms.”Forexample,“websitesaboutpopularculturecanpresentmorecomplexliteracydemandsthanthetextsencounteredinsomeliteracyprograms,computergamesdevelopakindofanalyticalexperienceorexpertisenotalwayscalledforintheclassroom,andadolescentsdevelopvoiceandidentitythroughwritingonline.”40Inshort,whetheranadulthasnoexperienceusingcomputersortheInternetoriswell‐versedinICTskills,technologyoffersanentirelynewenvironmentandlearningexperiencethataddstoorcangobeyondthetraditionalclassroomexperienceofinstructor‐ledtext‐basedformats.Thislearningenvironmentisasmuchaboutinformationandcommunicationasitisabouttechnology.Intheiruseoftechnologyforlearning,adultsatalllevelsofeducation,knowledge,andskillsrelyheavily,andincreasingly,oncommunitiesandnetworksofothers–colleagues,fellowstudents,instructors,experts,familyandfriends,strangerswithsimilarinterestsorinsimilarprofessions,andmanyothers–tosupportallkindsoflearning.InGivingLiteracyAway,Again:NewConceptsofPromisingPractice(presentedattheTwentiethAnnualRutgersInvitationSymposiumonEducation,2003),theauthorconcludesthatthereisamoreexpansiveconceptoftheadultliteracylearnerasonewho“choosesamongarangeofliteracydevelopmentstrategiesandresources….”Thereportstatesthat“differencesamonglearners’preferredmodesoflearning,theirlifecircumstances,andtheaccessibilityoflearningresourcessuchasclassesshapetheirchoicesabouthowtopursueliteracydevelopment.”Inconsideringsystemsthatcanoffertheseoptions,itisessentialthat“mappingofprograms,services,andmaterialsdoesnotretrofitthemtoanarrowlyprescribedframework.”41Ofcourse,datafromthesestudiesarelaggingindicatorsinanenvironmentthatisconstantlyshifting.Theyaresnapshotsatparticulartimesduringaperiodofrapidchangeindevelopment,use,access,acceptance,andunderstandingoftechnologyinallaspects.Nevertheless,theresultsareexcitingandthepotentialisevidentforusingtechnologytoexpandadults’accesstoprogramsthatwillqualifythemforcollegeandwork.What’sneededareeffectivepoliciesandsupportstodevelopICTskillsandmanagingtransitionsinanewadulteducationandworkforceskillssysteminawaythatmakesindependentdistancelearningfortheindividualvaluableandsuccessful.

C.GoingtoScale1.CHANGINGTHECONTEXTWhetherthegoalistoimprovethetraditionaladulteducationsystemorfosterdevelopmentofthenewsystemenvisagedbytheNationalCommission,itisoffirstorderimportancetoaggressivelyexpandawarenessofthetechnologyresourcesavailableforbasic,ESL,andworkforceskills.Takingstepstointegratetechnologyintoadministrationandmanagementisaclosesecond.ExpandingAwareness.Asdiscussedearlier,awidevarietyoftechnologyiscurrentlyavailable,alongwiththeapplicationsandpracticesassociatedwiththeiruse.Butfewpeople–includingteachers,students,andeventheexperts–knowofmorethanafewofthem,andknowledgeoftencomesduringrandomsearchesand/orbywordofmouth.Acentralsourceofinformationonthefullrangeofoptionsavailablewouldsignificantlyincreasethespeedofawarenessanduse.Withoutit,accesstotechnology‐basedlearningwillremainoutofreachformostadultlearners.Fortunately,theInternetandWorldWideWebareideallysuitedtohelpmeetthischallengebecausetheyenablethespreadofinformation“virally”byindividualsandsmallgroupswithoutreferencetoorganizationorgovernmentchoices.Equallyimportant,technologiessuchas“wikis”(“Wikipedia”beinganexample)makeitpossibletoprovidebothacentrallocationforinformationthatcanbeeasilyexpandedandchangedandameansthroughoversightbythewikihoststoensureitscredibility.ManagementToolsandPractices.Manytechnologytoolsandsystemsarealsoonthemarketforadulteducationadministrators,programmanagers,andinstructors.Theycanhelptheseprofessionalscollectandanalyzefinancialdata,trackstudentenrollment,determinepersistenceandoutcomes,assessperformanceonline,andmeasurethesedataaccordingtofederal,state,andprivateregulatoryandfundingrequirements.Someofthese“learningandcontentmanagementsystems”(LCMS)arelowcostandsomearefreelyavailableonline,suchasMoodleandHTTrack(seeAppendixDlisting,p.47).MosthavebeentestedandusedsuccessfullyinK‐12education,whichisanespeciallyappealingmarketforproductdevelopmentbyvirtueofitssizeandleveloffunding.Curricularcontentandlearning/instructionalapproachesaredifferentforadultsthanforchildrenandyouth,butK‐12systemsofdatacollectionandmanagementcanbeeasilyadaptedtoadulteducation.Similarly,technologyplatformsandcontentareavailableforteacherswhowanttodeveloptheirownlessonsorcoursesorprovideopportunitiesfortheirstudentstocreatetheirownwebsitesandwikis.Freeonlineoptions,suchasMoodle,areinwideusealreadyandoftenincludeonline“communities”ofteacherswithsimilaragegroups,subjectmatter,concerns,andquestions.(SeeAppendicesDandEformoreexamples.)

Professionalteacherdevelopmentandcertificationprogramsarealsoavailableonline.Theyincludebothinformalandformallystructuredcoursesandhavetheadvantageofbeingavailablearoundtheclockattimesconvenientfortheteachers.Butawarenessofthetoolsandaccessalonearejustfirststeps.Mostmanagersandinstructorsmustlearnhowtoworkwiththem,andhowtodevelopnewwaystosupporttheiruse.Toooften,individualprogramsoreducationdistrictsdecidetofindandpurchasetechnologiesfordistancelearningordatapurposeswithlittleefforttogetneededtrainingortoexchangeinformationandexperience.Yetsuchtechnicaldevelopmentisvitalifuseistoproducepositiveresultsandgenerateeconomiesofscale.Thebottomlineisthatadulteducationandworkforceskillsentitiesneedtoplancarefullyfortechnologyacquisitionandimplementation,andtheyneedtoalignthetechnologywithstrategiesforenrollingandeducatingstudents.Tothisend,partnershipsbetweenthepublicandprivatesectors–oneoftherecommendationsoftheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy–couldjump‐starttheprocess,byinitiatingandpromotingexpansionofbestpracticesandmodels.2. SUPPORTINGTHELEARNERNOTTHESYSTEMDistanceeducation,additionalprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforteachers,betterprogramanddatamanagementtools,andincreasedfundingandmorevisibility–allwillhelpexpandaccessforadultsandimprovetheirlearningopportunities.Yetthesechangeswillservesignificantlylargernumbersofadultsonlyifflexibilityisbuiltintothesystemtoserveadultsinmanydifferentways.Forexample,credentialsandcertificationsshouldbedevelopedthatareappropriatetothevariousformsoftechnology‐basedlearningandreflectthattheindividualsholdingthempossesstherequiredskillsandknowledge–andtheyshouldbebasedonacceptedstandardsforcontent,assessment,andoutcomes.Adultswhoneedbasiceducation,ESL,andotherskillsandknowledgetoenterandsucceedincollegeorfindjobs,mustseek,engage,andmaintainconnectionstotheadulteducationandworkforceskillssystem.Technologyoffersthemeansformakingsuchconnectionspossibleonawidespreadbasis,whetherornotanadultchoosestoparticipateinall,some,ornoformalprograms.Varioustechnologicaloptions,ifproperlyorganizedandmarketed,willallowadultlearnerstopursuetheeducationtheyneedforGEDandcollege‐andjob‐readinesspurposes,andforformalassessmentsoftheirachievement.Theoptionsincludeonlinecoursesandcurriculum,sampleassessmentsforparticularlessonsormodules,periodiccommunicationswithaninstructororregularaccesstoanonlinetutor.Theseandothermeanswillallowadultlearnerstovalidatetheirlearningachievementsandmoveeffectivelytowardtheirgoals.Unfortunately,thecurrentadulteducationsystemislargelydisconnectedfromthetraditional“pipeline”ofpre‐Kthroughpostsecondaryeducation,whichineffectisolatesadultlearners.Yet,asadultlearnersinandoutoftheworkforcebecomemoremobileandfreertochoosewhere,how,and

whentheycanaccesseducationthroughtechnology,accumulatedexperienceindicatesthattheyarelikelytolooktoprogramsmoreinterconnectedwithmainstreameducationoptions.Intransforminglearningthroughtheuseoftechnology,oldwaysofdoingthingswillnotalwaysbeappropriate–e.g.,indetermininghowandinwhatformcontentshouldbeavailable,andindesigninglearningassessments.Newstructuresandprocessesmustbedevelopedtoaccommodatethenewreality:Individualsshouldbeabletoaccessknowledge,skills,andinformationnotonlybyusingmultiplemediaatanytimeorplace,butindifferentformats,structures,andquantities,andfordifferentpersonallydeterminedpurposes.English‐languageabilitymaybenecessaryforanimmediatepurpose,suchasajoborpromotionortomeetfinancialorfamilyresponsibilities.Ashort‐term,targetedlanguageoptionisnotsufficientforthelongtermbutservestheindividual’simmediateneed.Accesstoweb‐basedvocabularyandtranslationoffersamissingwordorphrase“justintime.”Thesekindsofoptionsareinplacealready,buttheyrepresentlittlemorethantransplantingthetraditionalandfamiliarprocessofeducationtoanonlineenvironment.Successfulprogramsthatleadtojobsandfurthereducationforlow‐skilledadults,whetherornottechnologyisinvolved,haveoftendesignedtheexperiencetosuittheneedsofthelearner,nottheneedsofthesystem.Asgovernments,educators,employers,andtechnologydevelopersconsiderhowtotakeadvantageoftechnologywithoutlosingthevalueofneededsupportsystems,theywillhavetodeterminewhatthenewenvironmentsshouldandcanbe,andwhichtechnologicaltoolsareappropriatetoenablemaximumlearning.Inshort,goodtechnologiesandgoodusesoftechnologyofferthepotentialtoprovideeducationthatiscustomizedtothelearner,whetherinaninstructor‐ledclassroomorinlearningatadistanceonone’sown.Self‐studyappearstobeeffectivewithadultlearnerswhentheyhaveidentifiedoneormoregoalsandareabletostructurethenecessarylearningtoreachtheirgoal(s).Evidenceaboundsthatdistanceeducationoffersincreasedflexibility,cost‐effectiveness,andsuccessfuloutcomes,butuntiltheclassroomisnolongerviewedasthefocalpointforalllearning,significantchange,alongthelinesdiscussed,willnotoccur.Traditionalassumptionsabouttheinterestandabilityoflow‐skilledadultsinusingtechnologyforlearningarenotvalidandneedtochangeaswell.SectionIIIpresentsadditionalfindingsfrommajorresearchonadultanddistancelearning.Thefindingssupporttheconclusionsdrawnabove.

III.RECENTRESEARCHFINDINGS

hissectionhighlightskeyfindingsfromseveralrecentlongitudinalstudiesthatrelatetotheuseoftechnologyforadulteducationlearning.Thestudiesshareallormostofthe

followingcharacteristics:

• Theywereinitiatedbyormanagedundertheauspicesofagovernmentagency.• Theyhavetrackeddataovertime.• Theyincludeinformationaboutparticipationbybothteachersandlearners.• Multiplereportsandanalysesaboutthemhavebeendevelopedandpublished.*

ThreeofthestudiessummarizedherearefromtheUnitedStates:theCaliforniaDistanceLearningProject(CDLP);thePortlandLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning(LSAL),andProjectIDEAL(amulti‐stateconsortiumbasedinMichigan).TheothertwoareprojectsoftheUnitedKingdom’sNationalResearchandDevelopmentCentreforAdultLiteracy(NRDC)andofCanada’sOntarioLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgram.Twopreviouslycitedfederalreportsarealsoincludedherebecausetheyrelatecloselytotheabovework.TheyareacomprehensivereviewandanalysisofadultonlinelearningexperiencesfromtheNationalInstituteforLiteracyandanevaluationofevidence‐basedpracticesinonlinelearningfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Asnoted,muchoftheinitialresearchintotheuseoftechnologyinadultlearninghasfocusedoncomparingoutcomesamongadultlearnersinthreecategories:thosewhoparticipateonlyinclassroom‐basedprograms;thosewhoparticipateonlyindistancelearning;andthosewhoparticipateinblendedclassroomanddistanceactivities.• First,thesestudieshavefocusedprimarilyondistancelearningandcontentthat

supplementstraditionallystructuredclassroomcurricula,lessons,assessments,andothermeasuresdevelopedforformalprograms.Thosewholearnoutsideoftheseframeworkscannotbeevaluatedandtheirlearningoutcomesareunknown.

Second,muchofthelearningcontentusedisvideo/TV‐basedandoffersnoopportunityforthestudenttorespondandreceivefeedbackastheprogramprogresses,anoptionprovidedbymanyonlineprograms,suchasWorkplaceEssentialSkillsandEnglishforAll(seeAppendixD,p.47).

Limiteddataexistsabouttheexperienceandlearningoutcomesofadultsusingtechnologyforadulteducation.Thosewhoarenotenrolledobviouslycannotbeeasilyidentified,questioned,assessed,orotherwiseconsidered.Nonetheless,datathatisavailableprovidesvaluableinsightsintoadultsatdifferentlevelsofliteracyandskillwhousetechnology‐assistedlearning. *ThenumerouspublicationsthathaveresultedfromeachofthesestudiesarelistedneartheendoftheBibliographysectionofAppendixF,p.59.

A. CaliforniaDistanceLearningProject(CDLP):AdultLearningActivitiesTheAdultEducationOfficeoftheCaliforniaDepartmentofEducationsponsoredtheCDLPProject,from1995‐2007.TheCaliforniaStateUniversitySystemmanagedanddirectedit,andOTAN,theOutreachandTechnicalAssistanceNetworkoftheSacramentoCountyOfficeofEducation,wasthesubcontractorforallInternetandinformationdistributionactivitiesincludingwebsitemanagement.TheCDLPwebsiteispresentlyoperatedundertheauspicesofOTAN(www.otan.us).Becauseofitsscopeandlongevity,theCDLPisoneofthemostvaluableinitiativesinthisareaofresearch.From1995‐2007,thestudytrackedalmost60,000studentseachyear–usingconsistentmeasuresforpersistenceandoutcomesandcomparingparticipationindistance,classroom,andblendedcourses.StatelegislationpermitsCaliforniaadultschoolstospendupto5percent(15percentasofJanuary1,2009*)oftheirapportionmentonnontraditionaleducationapproaches.Mostofthesearecommonlycalled“innovationprograms.”TheymeettheCDLP’sdefinitionofdistancelearning,whichhasfourelements:separationofteacherandlearnerinspaceand/ortimeduringatleastamajorityoftheinstructionalprocess;two–waycommunicationbetweenteacher,tutor,oreducationalagencyandlearner;useofeducationalmediatouniteteacherandlearnerandcarrycoursecontent;andstudentcontroloflearningpaceandfrequencyratherthancontrolbythedistanceinstructor.42ESLprogramsrepresentabout90percentofthe59,000learnersenrolledinprogramyear2005–2006.CDLPevaluationsshowpositiveoutcomesforstudentsinclasseswheredistancelearningisasupplementoranoptionforself‐study,ifastudenthasto“stopout”ofregularclassattendance.Studentswhoparticipatedinblendedlearningin2004‐2005(regularclassattendanceplussupplementaldistancelearning)demonstratedgreatergainsonCalifornia’spost‐testthanstudentsintraditionalESLclasses,withlowerlevelsofproficiencyshowingthegreatestpercentagegains.Theinnovationprograms’levelofparticipantcompletionwasbetteroverallthanadultschoolclassroomprograms,withblendedlearningshowingthehighestcompletionrate.However,distancelearning‐onlyprogramsshowedthelowestlevelsofpersistence.43Morethan45percentofparticipantsintheinnovationprogramsreportedhavingnineorlessyearsofschooling.Abouthalf(nearly52percent)ofthe2005‐2006participantsreportedhavingnoearneddegrees.Morethanaquarter(about27percent)hadhighschooldiplomasor

*ItshouldbenotedthatCalifornia’s2010budgetincludessignificantcutstoalllevelsofeducation.Schooldistrictshavebeengiventheoptiontoignorefundingforadulteducationinnovationprograms.

GEDs.Morethan25percentoftheESLlearnerswereatbeginningliteracylevelsatthetimeofentryandsome5percentweredeterminedtobeattheintermediatelevels.44ForfurtherinformationabouttheCDLP,www.cdlponline.org.B. Portland’sLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning(LSAL)PortlandStateUniversityconductedtheLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning(LSAL)from1998‐2008.Thisstudycomparestheexperiencesoftwogroups:adultswhoparticipateinformalAdultBasicEducation(ABE)programsandthosewhodonot.Thepopulationwasastatisticallyrepresentativesampleof940adultsages18‐44livinginthePortlandmetropolitanarea.Atthetimeoftheirscreeningin1997,theywerenotinhighschool,werewithoutahighschooldiplomaorGED,andwereproficientspeakersofEnglish(notnecessarilynativespeakers).Thestudycollectedsixwavesofdataovernineyearswithrepeatedinterviewsandskillsassessments.EarlyLSALdataindicatethatofthoseinthestudywhoparticipatedinaformalABEclasspriorto1998,nearlyhalf(46percent)alsoengagedinself‐studytoimprovetheirreading,writing,ormathskillsortopreparefortheGED.AmongthoseinthepopulationwhohadneverparticipatedinanABEprogram,oneinthree(34percent)hadengagedinself‐directedeffortstoimprovetheirbasicskills.Adultswithrelativelyweakbasicskillswerefoundtobejustaslikelytoengageinself‐studyasthosewithhigherlevelsofproficiency.Infact,thehighertheliteracyproficiencylevel,thelesslikelyadultsintheLSALsampleweretoengageinself‐studytoimprovetheirbasicskills(althoughmorethan30percentofadultsatthehighestlevelsofproficiencyengagedinself‐studytoasignificantdegree).About17percentofthosewhoparticipatedinaformalbasicskillsprogrambutdidnotself‐studyreceivedtheirGED,comparedto24percentofthoseengagedinself‐studywhodidnotparticipateinaprogram.ThehighestpercentageofGEDattainment(27percent)wasobservedamongthosewhodidboth.45Ananalysisofthecomputer‐relateddatafromthesurveyprovidesadditionalfindings:46 Atbaseline,working,householdincome,andowningacomputerpredictcomputeruse.

Controllingforthesecharacteristics,literacyproficiencysignificantlypredictscomputerusestatus.

Peoplewithhigherliteracyproficiencyscoresareearlieradoptersofcomputeruse.Newadoptersateachtimeperiodsurveyedreachintoprogressivelylowerlevelsofliteracyproficiency.

Mostadultsbornbefore1968learncomputerskillsinformallyoratwork,whileyounger

usersaretaughtinschool.Participantsofadulteducationprogramswerenotmorelikelyto

becomputerusersthannon‐participants.Allusersprefertocontinuetolearnnewcomputerskillsthroughtrialanderrorandwithhelpfromfriendsandfamily.

Popularcultureandinformallearningthroughcomputerusemayofferavenuesfor

developmentofnewliteraciesnotavailableinformalprograms.47Formoreinformation,http://www.lsal.pdx.edu.C. ProjectIDEALProjectIDEALisaconsortiumofstatesthathavebeenworkingtogethersince2001todevelopeffectivedistanceeducationprogramsforadultlearners.Thefoundinggroupof15stateshasgrowntoinclude27currentandalumnimembers.*TheProjectIDEALSupportCenterattheUniversityofMichiganprovidesmemberstateswithtechnicalassistanceforprogramplanning,teachertraining,andprogramevaluation.Italsodevelopstrainingmaterials,onlinecourses,andWeb‐basedresearchtoolsthatmemberstatesusetomanageandimprovetheirprograms.Statesvarywidelyinthescopeandstructureoftheirdistancelearningprograms.In2004‐2005,Californiaservedsome51,000adults—mostlyESLlearners—outsideofclassroomprograms,primarilyusingavideocheckoutmodel.48Onasmallerscale,Pennsylvaniaoffersdistancelearningusingonline,video,andprintmaterialsthroughbothacentralizeddistanceagencyandlocaladulteducationproviders.49OhiooffersbothGEDandESLcoursesatadistance.50Eachofthesestateshastrackeddatafortheirprogramsnotonlyinrelationtostudentoutcomesbutalsotoprogramchallengesforteachers,validityofstructure(withinthestate’ssystemorindependently),supportneedsforstudentsandteachers,andotherissues.Stateswithongoingprojectsanddatatrackingshowevidenceofeducationalgainsonthesamestandardizedmeasuresusedtoassessclassroomlearners,allowingstateandnationalpolicymakerstoincludethemintheircountsofstudentsserved.51Inaddition,85percentofadultdistancelearnersreportthattheywouldtakeanotherdistancecourse.52Thememberstates’experiencesovertimedemonstratethatdesigning,developing,andimplementingsuccessfuldistancelearninghasasmuchifnotmoretodowiththesystemsandprocessesasitdoeswithwhichtechnologiesareused.Forexample,commitmentandsupportatthestatelevelishighlyimportant,includingastate‐levelpersonchargedwithoverseeingtheinitialefforts.Otherimportantvariablesarefunding,teachertrainingintheinitialstagesofimplementation,ongoingprofessionaldevelopmentfordistanceteachers,carefulplanningandevaluationofsmallscaleeffortstodeterminewhichdistancestrategiesworkwithinthestate,andsufficienttimefortheprogramtomature.53Initialcostsinthismodelfrequentlyexceedthoseforclassroom‐basedprograms.Butthecoststendtodropdramaticallyovertime,asteachersandadulteducationprogramsbecomemore

*Memberstatesinclude:WA,ID,MT,AZ,NM,TX,OK,MO,IL,IN,MI,OH,PA,NY,ME,MA,FI,MD,DC,WV,KY,AR,LA,GA,FL,SC,NC.

skilledatrecruitingandsupportingtheappropriatelearners.Additionally,sincedistancelearninghasthepotentialtoincreasethenumberofstudentsserved,itisnecessarytoallocatefundstocoverthegrowthinservicesthatmustbeprovided.

Formoreinformation,http://www.projectideal.org.D. NationalResearchandDevelopmentCentreforAdultLiteracy(NRDC)NRDCwasestablishedin2002bytheU.K.DepartmentforEducationandSkills,aspartofSkillsforLife,thenationalstrategyforimprovingadultliteracyandnumeracyskills.A2008reportoftheNRDCcomparedlongitudinaldatafromtheLSALstudyinPortlandwithacohortinLondon,takingasitscontexttherisingimportanceofusingandaccessingcomputersaspartofcontemporaryemployability.54Thecentralconclusionofthisstudyisthat“employmentandICTusesupportthedevelopmentofliteracyproficiency.”Inotherwords,“enhancementofliteracyproficiencyisaidedsubstantiallybytimespentinemploymentandexposuretoICT.”Thereislessevidenceofeffectsintheotherdirection,i.e.,ofimprovedliteracyproficiencyinfluencingthetake‐upofICTorthelikelihoodofgettingemployment.TheauthorspointoutthatICTskillscannotbeviewedinisolationfromotheraspectsofemployability,inwhichliteracyproficiencyhasacentralplace.55AsecondNRDCstudylookedatquantitativeandqualitativedatafromresearchbetween2003and2006ofapproximately500adultlearnersandtutors.Itfocusedonquestionsaboutimprovingteaching,learning,andassessingliteracy,numeracy,ESL,andICTwithattentiontofactorsthatcontributetosuccessfullearning.Thesetookplaceonlyinclassroom,instructor‐led,and/ormediatedenvironmentsandwerenotcomparedwithdistanceoptions.Evaluationtrialsshowedthatlearnersinvolvedinthisstudyimprovedinalmostallcasesinbothliteracy/ESLskillsandICTskillsandconfidence,oftentoastatisticallysignificantdegree.MostusersfoundtheuseofICTmotivating.Mobiletechnologies(tablets,PDAs,mobilephones)werefoundtobeparticularlymotivating,andenabledgreaterflexibilityinteaching.AswasfoundinthecomparativestudyofPortlandandLondon,therelationshipofICTtoemploymentisoneofgreatsignificanceformanyadults,anditisoftenpartofthereasontheyenrollinthesecourses.56Formoreinformation,http://www.nrdc.org.uk.E. TheLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgramoftheOntarioMinistryofTraining,

CollegesandUniversities(MTCU)

TheMTCU’sLiteracyandBasicSkillsPrograminitiatedaprojecttoexploredistancelearningforliteracyservicesamongfouragenciesfrom2003‐2005.Thedistancelearnersenrolledinthisprojectweremostlywomenaged27‐39whohadnotcompletedhighschoolandwhowere

enrolledprimarilytoallowthemtoworkattheirownpaceortoaccommodatefamilyorjobobligations.Mostofthelearnershadnotenrolledinanadulteducationclassforanumberofyearsandmosthadheldtheirpreviousenrollmentforlessthanayear.Amongthekeyfindings: Significantbarrierscanbeovercomebyfocusingontheneedsoflearnersand

theircommunities.

Distancelearningcanbeaneffectivetoolwithlow‐levelliteracylearners. Learnersappeartobeabletosustaintheireffortsintheprogramwitharelativelysmall

numberofhoursofdirectinstructionalcontact(anaverageoflessthan2hourspermonth). Instructorsfordistancelearningspentmoreoftheirtimeinpreparationandlearnersupport,

unliketraditionalinstructorswhospendmoretimeindirectinstructionaldelivery. Sitesreportedthatlearnersweremostsuccessfulinself‐managementwhen:

– Webportalsandcustomizedwebsitesprovidedaccessforpostingfrequentlyupdatedinformation;

– Computerskillsorientationenabledlearnerstonavigatewithself‐efficacyandthusminimizedtheneedfortroubleshootingsupport;and

– Frequentandregularcommunicationamonglearnersoccurred,facilitatingalearningcommunityandpeer‐supportedlearningenvironment.

Formoreinformation,http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/training/literacy/index.html.F. InvestigatingtheLanguageandLiteracySkillsRequiredforIndependentOnline

Learning,(NationalInstituteforLiteracy)ThisreportbyHeidiSilver‐Pacuilla,publishedin2008,isincludedherebecauseitprovidesacomprehensivereviewandanalysisnotonlyofthesummarystudiesdescribedabove,butalsoofmanyotherstudies,research,andinterviewsthatpertaintoadultsanddistancelearning.Inaddition,itsauthorconductedasecondaryanalysisofthe2003NationalAssessmentofAdultLiteracy(NAAL)datasettoprovideamoredetailedprofileoftechnologyuseamongpopulationswithlowliteracyandlowEnglishlanguageproficiency.ThepurposeofthisreportwastoinvestigatethethresholdlevelsofliteracyandlanguageproficiencynecessaryforindependentstudyontheInternet.Amajorfindingoftheworkisthatthresholdsdonotexist.Thereportstatesthat:

“Learnersateventhelowestlevelsofliteracyandlanguageproficiencycanengagewithonlinelearningcontent.Moreover,allreportsindicatethattheyareeagertodosoandthattheybenefitinimportantways,suchasinself‐confidence,self‐directedness,andindependence.Adultlearnersacrosstheliteracyandlanguagespectrumshowstrong

motivationtogaincomputerliteracyskills,perceivedaskeytoworkadvancement.Ultimately,itbecameapparentthattheinteractionamongthelearners’skills,theopportunitiestheyencounter,andthesupportsavailabledeterminesthosethresholds.”57

Otherkeyfindingsarethat: Thecentralityofworkreadinesstothelearninglivesofadultsprovidesakeyleveragepoint

forprogrammingandcontentdesigntoaddressthisgoalmoredirectlyand,throughit,morebasicliteracyandlanguageskills.

Adults’existingfamilyandsocialnetworksthathaveprovencriticaltolearningpursuitswith

technologyprovideanotherleveragepointthatcouldbetappedwithcommunity‐based,authenticlearningenvironments,activities,andproducts.

Self‐directedskillsvaluedbylifelonglearnerscanbenurturedbyprovidingfacilitatedaccess

toonline,independentlearningenvironments.

TheresultsoftheNAALanalysisareespeciallynoteworthy.InacomparisonofDocumentliteracyscores,about10percentfewertechnologyusershadBelowBasicscorescomparedtonon‐technologyusers,andabout10percentmoretechnologyusersscoredintheIntermediatelevelcomparedwithnon‐technologyusers.AsimilarpatternwasfoundforProseandQuantitativeliteracyscores.58Further,technologyuseisstronglyassociatedwithhigherliteracyscoresacrossdemographicvariablesofincome,education,andage.59G. EvaluationofEvidence‐BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning:AMeta‐Analysis

andReviewofOnlineLearningStudies,(U.S.DepartmentofEducation)

Thisliteraturereviewandmeta‐analysis(2009)isrelevantherebecause44ofthe51studyeffectsexaminedweredrawnfromresearchonolderlearners.TheprojectwassponsoredbytheCenterforTechnologyinLearningoftheOfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicyDevelopmentoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Theanalysiswaslimitedtoasearchofstudiesofweb‐basedinstruction.Itincludesonlythosewithrandom‐assignmentorcontrolledquasi‐experimentaldesigns,anditexamineseffectsonlyforobjectivemeasuresofstudentlearning.60Amongthefindingsare: Studentswhotookallorpartoftheirclassonlineperformedbetter,onaverage,thanthose

takingthesamecoursethroughtraditionalface‐to‐faceinstruction.

Inmanyofthestudiesshowinganadvantageforonlinelearning,theonlineandclassroomconditionsdifferedintermsoftimespent,curriculum,andpedagogy.Itwasthecombinationofelements(likelytohaveincludedadditionallearningtimeandmaterialsaswellas

additionalopportunitiesforcollaboration)thatproducedtheobservedlearningadvantages.Itshouldbenotedthatonlinelearningismuchmoreconducivetoexpandinglearningtimethanface‐to‐faceinstruction.

Givinglearnerscontroloftheirinteractionswithmediaandpromptinglearnerreflectioncan

enhanceonlinelearning.

IV.BUILDINGTHEFOUNDATION:NEXT‐STEPRECOMMENDATIONS

hecasefordeployingtechnologytoexpandandimproveAmerica’sadulteducationandworkforceskillsenterpriseisevident.Criticallearningandmanagementneeds,barriersto

overcome,andachievingeconomiesofscale–allareareaswheretechnologyisuniquelysuitedtohelpusget“fromheretothere.”Anumberofsuccessfulpoliciesandpracticesarealreadyinuseatthestateandlocallevels.Theyarevaluableguidinglightsandwecanbuildonthem.Yet,atthispointintime,thereislittleawarenessoracceptanceoftheseinitiativesandnoseriousmovestousetechnologyonthescaleneededeitherlocallyorbeyondthegovernmentalorgeographicboundariesofstatesandcommunities.TheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracycallsforconnectingtheadulteducationsystemtoworkforceandeconomicdevelopmentactivities.ThepotentiallytransformingcapacityoftheAdultEducationandEconomicGrowthActof2009(AEEGA)recentlyintroducedinCongress*callsforthesamething.Thefollowingrecommendationsarelargelycommonsenseactions,andtheyareinterconnectedinmanyways.Itisagiventhatfortheirfull,effectiveimplementation,federalandstateleadersinboththepublicandprivatesectorsmusttakeanactiverole.AEstablishingaNationalWebPortalUntilinformationaboutprogramoptionsisavailablenationally,onacomprehensiveandcrediblebasistoadultlearnersandprogramprofessionalsalike,thenationwillnotbeabletoexpandaccesstolearningsignificantly.Werecommendanationalwebportal,withthespecificationsindicatedbelow–althoughweshouldnotethatbecauseofthescaleanddiversityoftheirneeds,anequallycompellingcasecanbemadefortwoportals,onedesignedforadultlearnersandanotherforprofessionaluse.Butwhetherthereisoneportalortwo,presentationofcontenthasparamountimportance.Users,especiallylow‐literacylearnerswithlimitedICTskills,mustbeabletomovequicklytothecontenttheywant(withaminimumnumberofclicks)soastoensuremaximumparticipation.Pageappearanceandnavigationmustbedesignedverydifferentlyforthetwodifferentusergroups,andtheessentialdifferencesshouldbeimmediatelyobviousonthewebsitehomepage.Moreover,toooften,valuableonlineinformationandmaterialsgounusedbecauseoflackofawareness.Thus,akeycomponentforthesuccessofanyportalissustained*TheAdultEducationandEconomicGrowthAct(AEEGA)wasintroducedinCongressinJuly2009asH.R.3238(Rep.PatrickKennedy)andS.1458(Sen.JimWebb).ToaccesstheAEEGA,searchforAdultEducationandEconomicGrowthActatwww.thomas.gov.

disseminationandpromotionofinformationonlearningoptionsavailable,inwaysthatmosteffectivelyreachthespecifictargetaudiencesforwhichitisdesigned,especiallyadultlearners.*1.ForProfessionalUseOnesectionofthePortalshouldbespecificallydesignedforprofessionaluse–forthosewhoplan,operate,teachin,evaluate,andfundtechnology‐assistedadulteducationandworkforceskillsprograms.Itwouldbeaccessibletoinstructorsoradvisorswithprofessionaldevelopmentneeds,officialsandadministratorswithmanagementandmeasurementneeds,employerswithspecificoccupationorprofessionalneeds,researchfundingagencies,andmanyothers.Atpresent,awarenessofandaccesstotheplethoraofinformationavailableforthesemultiplepurposestoooftendependsonaccidentaldiscovery,wordofmouth,orextensivehit‐and‐missInternetsearches.Forprofessionalandskilledusers,thePortalwillcollect,review,andprovide:• Linkstohighqualitytoolsandapplicationsthatmakeprogrammanagementmoreefficient

andeffective,includinginformationontechnologyplanningandaboutstateandlocalpoliciesandregulationsforstudentslearningonline.

• Platforms,tools,andcontent–reviewedforqualityandcredibility–thatenableclassroomteachersanddistanceguides/mentorstodevelopandmakeuseofcontentfortheirownandlearners’use.

• Linkstoonlineprofessionaldevelopmentoptions(suchaswebcasts,podcasts,streaming

videotutorials,andonlinecourses),practicesforteachingandguidinglearnersatadistance,andonline“communities”ofotherpractitioners.

• Linkstoevidence‐andoutcomes‐basedresearchontechnology‐based/distance

adultlearning.• Informationonexistingfinancialaidforstudentsindistancelearningprograms.• Linkstorelatedprograms,websites,resourcecollections,curricula,andotherdata.2.ForAdultLearnersTheotherPortalsection,clearlyandimmediatelydifferentiatedinappearanceonthehomepage,wouldbegearedtothevariedneedsandskilllevelsofadultlearners.

*TheAEEGAalsorecognizestheneedforanationalportalaspartofitscallfortheestablishmentofanewNationalAdultLearningandTechnologyResourceCenter.

Tomakeuseofalready‐existingtechnology‐basedlearningprograms,adultlearnersmusthaveeasyaccesstoasinglesourceofcredibleinformationaboutthem,aswellasguidanceonhowtoidentifyandnavigateprogramssuitedtotheirneeds,andhowtomovealongpathwaystolearningassessmentandcertification.Thispartofthewebsitemustbedesignedtobe“user‐friendly”forthemajorityofadultlearners,includingthosewithlowlevelsofliteracyand/orESLandthosewhohavelimitedInternetaccessorlittlebeginningknowledgeofcomputeruse.ItalsomustbeeasytonavigateonmobiledevicesforthosewithoutaccesstocomputersortheInternetathomeorwork.Evenwebsitesthatcurrentlypurporttoservetheseadultsrarelyprovidelinkstootherprogramoptionsandtheyarenotdesignedforeasyaccessandnavigation.ThePortalsectionforAdultLearnersshouldbethecentralrepositoryofalladultlearningprogramsandcontentavailable–inanonlineenvironmentwhereeveryone,includingyoungadults,canimprovetheirreading,writing,ESL,math,andbasicworkforce/workplaceskillsinaninteractivefashionattheirownconvenience.Forstudentlearners,thePortalshouldinclude,thoughnotnecessarilybelimitedto:

• Online“self‐study”optionsdesignedforformalcertifications,suchasGED,andoptionsthatofferinformallearningofallkinds.

• Linkstoappropriatelearningassessments.

• Easy‐to‐accessinformationonformalprograms,testingcenters,onlinetutorsandguides,studymaterials,andotherusefulcontent.

• Linkstoindividualplatforms,applications,andcurriculaforadultlearning,andto

teachersandlearningfacilitators.

• Informationaboutandlinkstorelevantworkforceandworkplaceprograms,includingthosethatprovideonlineskillsassessment,onlinetrainingforworkreadinessskills,informationaboutjobopenings,andotherpracticalassistance.

• Informationonnationallyavailableonlinecertificatesanddegreeprogramsthat

respondtoidentifiedhigh‐growthareasineachstate.TheNationalPortalshouldbeestablishedandrunbyanindependentinteragencyfederalbody.TheNationalInstituteforLiteracy(NIFL)wouldbeidealinthisroleaslongasitretainsanindependentstructure,adoptsafutures‐orientedagenda,andisadequatelyfunded.*ItissuggestedthatanAdvisoryBoard,perhapsbrokenintosubcommitteesthatfocusonthetwousergroups,beformedtohelptheresponsibleentitydevelopguidelinesforthecontentandoperationofeachPortalsection.

*AsurgedintheAEEGA,andproposedinanewCAALpaperRebuildingNIFLtoMeetFutureNeeds:ANewAgencywithaBroaderMission,October9,2009,availableasNC‐CAAL10fromwww.caalusa.org/publications.html.

ThisAdvisoryBoardshouldincludeadulteducators,potentialusers,technologylearningexperts,workforce/workplacedevelopmentinterests,leadersfrombusinessandlabor,curriculumdevelopmentspecialists,expertsintechnology‐assistedlearning,programplannersinadulteducationandworkforceskillsdevelopment(includingESL),assessmentexperts,andperhapsvendorsandothers,andsoftwareanddevice‐specificapplicationdevelopers.Thegoalshouldbetoestablishandeffectivelymarketdatabasesthatarecomprehensive,credible,andeasytokeepcurrent.Theyshouldprovidelinkstobestpractices,courses,andprograms,bothcommercialandnon‐commercial,frompublicandprivatesectorsourcesinboththeU.S.andabroad.3. EnsuringRelevantPortalProgramsandContent

Therelativelysmallvolumeandvarietyofcurrentlyavailableonlineprogrammingwillrequireongoingdevelopmentofnewprogramsandcontent.Thus–• ThePortalAdvisoryBoardshouldaggregateandassessexistingfreelyavailablecontentand

websitesineachareaofadulteducation(ABE,ASE/GED,ESL,work‐andcollege‐readiness)todetermineifthecontentisofsufficientqualityandrangefortheneedsofbothprofessionalandlow‐skilledadultlearners.

• TheNationalInstituteforLiteracy(NIFL)orequivalentfederalentity,incooperationwith

otherfederalagencies,shouldfunddevelopmentofnewandexistingprograms,content,andapplicationsforadulteducationviaanRFPprocess–witheligibleapplicantstoincludenonprofitandfor‐profitgroups,educationinstitutions,partnershipsofadulteducationandworkforceskills,andindividualswithprovencredentials.

• NIFLorotherappropriatefederalentity,withassistancefromitsAdvisoryBoard,should

maintainregularcommunicationswiththeICTindustry,technology‐assistedlearningresearchers,andvendors–toensurethatnewversionsofdevicesanddevice‐specificapplications(especiallyformobilelearning)andnewtechnologiesforaccessingcontentareincorporatedintoavailableinformationonbothsectionsofthePortal.

• NIFLorotherappropriatefederalentityshouldmaintainregularcommunicationswithnon‐

governmentalorganizationsandcommunity‐basedorganizationsandothers–toensureeffectiveoutreachtoadultswhodonotparticipateinformalprogramsandservices.

4. FactorsinDeterminingPortalCostsThecostsforestablishingandmaintainingtheNationalPortalcannotbedeterminedatthisstagebecausetheydependontheoutcomesofplanningandonchoicesmadeamongmanypossiblevariables.Moreover,eachofthreebasicwebportalcomponents–thedevelopmentof

thewebsiteitself,monitoringandupdatingcontent,anddevelopingnewcontent–requiresdifferentapproachestoestimatingcosts.EstablishingthePortal.Anessentialrequirementforanysite,regardlessofuseraudience,istheabilitytotrackandmeasureuseandvariationsinuseinordertodetermineifthewebsiteaccomplishesitsgoals.Suchevaluationcomponentshavedifferingcostimplicationsandrequireparticularspecificationsforthewebsite’sunderlying“architecture.”Othertechnicalrequirementsforwebsitesvarydependingontheneedsofthetargetaudience.Atypical“portal”siteprovideslittlemorethansubject/issue/usercategorieswithlinkstocontentlistedaccordingly.Thiskindofoption,whichislesscostlythanawebsite“customized”tothetargetusers,wouldbefeasibleforinitialestablishmentofthePortal’ssectionforprofessional/skilledusers.ThePortalsectionforadultlearnerswillcostconsiderablymoretodevelopbecauseitismorecomplex.Forexample,itwillneedauser‐friendlydesignthatreachesallskilllevels.Learningmustbestructuredtosuitspecificgoals,suchasacquiringaGED,reachingaparticularlevelofEnglishspeaking/understandingand/orwriting,andattainingavocationalcertification.[SeeLearnerWebmodel,AppendixE,p.52.]Inaddition,optionsmustbeprovidedforself‐study,aswellasforlearnerssupportedbyteachersortutors–contentshouldprovideforfeedbackfromandtoindividualusers,learningsequencescustomizedtotheindividuals’response,frequentandregularassessmentthatenableslearnerstoself‐assesswhethertheyhavelearnedthecontent,andotherfunctions.UpdatingthePortal.Themaincostsforupdatingtheportalsareassociatedwithidentifyingandevaluatingnewprogramsandcontent,addingnewmaterialtothesites,andupgradingthesitesasnewtechnologiesaredeveloped.Thecostofaddingnewmaterialdependsonwhetherthecontenthasbeendesignedforanonlineenvironmentthatusesthemostsophisticatedpedagogicalandtechnicaldesignsorwhetheritisaprogramwithsimplerfunctions.TheSCORMmodeldescribedinAppendixD(p.47)isonecost‐effectiveapproach.DevelopedinitiallybyaconsortiumoftheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseandotherfederalagencies,universitiesandotherresearchinstitutions,andtechnologycompanies,SCORM(ShareableContentObjectReferenceModel)makesitsimpletodevelop,useandre‐use,andmovefromonecurriculumorcoursetoanother.Moreover,SCORMincludessimpleandcost‐effectivemethodsforstorageandaccessofmaterial,and“opensource”websitesandcontentalsoenhanceoptionsforuserinputandfreeaccess.DevelopingNewContent.Thecostsofdevelopingnewcontent,althoughthesearenotnecessarilyannuallyrecurringcostsordependentonfederaloutlaysalone,willbehigherthanthecostsofbuildingandroutinelyupdatingthePortal,perhapsupwardsof$1millionforonenewmultimediaESLorbasicskillscourse.TheAEEGArecommendsnewfundingof$250millionforallpurposesinitsproposedTitleIIIcalled21stCenturyTechnologyandSkillsforAdultLearners.Theproposalincludes$7.5million

tosupportaNIFL‐managedNationalAdultLearningandTechnologyResourceCenterwhereanationalwebportalwouldbebased.Judgingfromourdiscussionswiththosewhooperateexistingportalsites,thislevelofproposedannualfundingshouldbeadequatetocoverbothinitialandrecurringcostsforPortaldevelopmentandmaintenance.BEncouragingStateLeadershipSelf‐studyactivitiesneedtobegroundedinparticularstateandregionalserviceprogramswherelearninggainscanbeformallyverified,andwherecommunitiesofneedcanbereachedthroughtargetedawarenessandoutreachcampaigns.Stateplanningandleadershipmustgohandinhandwithfederalleadership.Althoughstatesmustseeadulteducationastheirownandnotjustafederalissue,inthepresenteconomicclimateconcretefederalincentiveswillbeneeded.Itisrecommendedthatthefederalgovernmentlaunchagrantprogramdesignedtohelpstatesintegratetechnology‐assistedlearningsystemsand/orprogramsintotheiroveralladulteducationandworkforceskillsplanning.Eachstate–basedonplanningthatinvolvesallessentialstakeholders–shouldbechallengedto:

• Developastatewideplantointegratetechnologyintoitsadulteducationandworkforceskillssystem;

• Provideprofessionaldevelopmentforthosewhoteachinandmanageadulteducation,literacy,andworkforce/workplaceskillsservices;

• Giveadultlearnersandeligibleprovidersaccesstocurricula,instruction,

andassessment;

• Developinnovativepilotprojectsorimproveexistingprogramstoexpandtheuseoftechnologytoadultlearners;and

• Alignadulteducationservices(inABE,ASE/GED,ESL),postsecondaryeducation

(especiallycommunitycolleges),andoccupational/workforceskillsprogramssothatcomparablecoursecontentandcreditearnedinonepartofthesystemcantransferascredittoanother.

TheNationalInstituteforLiteracyorotherappropriatebodyshouldformanewAdvisoryCommitteeoftheStatestohelpdevelopthegrantprogram.ThisCommitteeshouldbesensitivetovariancesinstateneed,knowfirst‐handaboutwell‐runandsolidlydesignedsystemsandprograms,andvaluetheprovisionofinformationandaccessacrossstateboundaries.

CSupportingDistanceLearningProgramsFederalandstateleadersmustthinkoutsidetheboxastheyworktooffereffectivedistancelearningoptionsthatextendbeyondformalprogramsandastheyfacetheneedtovalidategainsthatoccurthroughindependentlearning.Thenationalwebportalconstitutesthecornerstoneofthisproposedplanofaction.Butaccessalonewillnotbeenough.Avarietyofsupportsmustbeidentifiedandofferedtoensureparticipationandsuccessfuloutcomes.Forexample,manylearnersneedtobemotivatedtojoin,re‐engage,and/orpersistinsuitableprograms.Newstrategiesareneededtoaccommodateadults’multiplelife,work,andfamilyresponsibilities.Learninggainswillhavetobemeasuredandvalidatedinnewandnontraditionalways.Andwemustknowifandwhenwereachdesirededucationaloutcomes.• Projectsshouldbeundertakentodevelopandimprove:

o Distancelearningcertificationsforonlineusethatcanbeusedforcollegecredit–incollaborationwithpostsecondaryinstitutionsandjobtrainingprograms–includingindustryand/orqualification‐specificcertificationssuchasinformationtechnology;

o PerformancemeasuresthatarelinkedtomultiplelevelsofcertificationforICTliteracy;

o Onlineassessmentsforlearning,includingnecessaryprovisionsforsecurityand

validation;and

o Theframeworkformaterialsdevelopmentfortechnology‐basedlearningandprofessionaldevelopmentforadulteducationandworkforceskills–i.e.,amapofthegreatestneedssoastoimprovethequalityandquantityofprogramsandservicesandhelpensurethemostcost‐effectiveuseoffundingresourcesandtime.

• Demonstrationprojectsshouldbefundedtotestandadaptnewformsof

technology‐basedlearning.

• Government,communitycolleges,andothersshouldseektoalignandarticulateunitsofsuccessfullearningonlinewithcommunitycollegecredits,inamannersimilartothatofPresidentObama’scommunitycollegeinitiative.Federalagencieswithmajorresponsibilityforadulteducationshouldtaketheleadinthisinitiative,especiallytheU.S.DepartmentsofLabor,HHS,Education,andDefense.

DMeetingTheResearchNeedThestudiesdiscussedinthispaperconstituteasolidbodyofresearch.Buttheyarearelativelysmalldatabaseandnotasufficientbasisonwhichtodevelopongoingpolicyorpractice.

• Thefederalgovernmentshouldsupportasustained,serious,andwell‐fundedresearch,analysis,andevaluationeffort–tosupportandinformtheuseoftechnologyanddistancelearningforadulteducationandworkforceskillspurposes,andtoenrichthenationalwebportalonanongoingbasis.

Followingareafewareasinneedofattention:

• Betterbaselinedataonadultlearnersandcomputeruse.

• Evaluationsofexistingprogramsandprogramuse.Thesuccessoftechnology‐basedself‐studylearningshouldbeevaluatedasitrelatestospecificeducationaloutcomes–gettingaGED,gainingEnglishlanguageproficiency,anddemonstratingreadinessforjobsandcollege.Wewillneedtoknowaboutthekindsoftechnology‐assistedlearningadultsfindanduse,whyandhowtheyuseit,whetheritiseffectiveinachievingtheoutcomestheysought,and,ifso,why.

• Analysisofsoftwareandlearningdevelopmentanddesignsforonlinelearning–sothatwecanknowmoreabouttheconditionsunderwhichsuccessfulInternet‐basedinteractivelearningtakesplace.

• Theconvergenceofmobileand“justintime”learning.

NationalAdultLearningTechnologyResourceCenter.Toprovideanoperationalbaseforthearrayofdistancelearningactivitiesrecommendedabove,anewNationalAdultLearningTechnologyResourceCentershouldbeestablished,underthejurisdictionoftheNationalInstituteforLiteracyoranotherappropriateinteragencybody.ThisCentershouldbethesourceofgrantstosupporttheaboveactivities.Itshouldoperateaclearinghouseforresearchabouttechnology‐assistedadultlearningthatisnotpartofformalprograminstruction.Anditshoulddevelopaninformeddataprofileofaccess,use,andconnectivityratesamongadults,possiblyincludingquestionsforthenextNationalAssessmentofAdultLearning.EFosteringStakeholderInvolvementIfthenationistotrulytransformadulteducationandworkforceskillsservicesfor21stcenturyneeds,andifitistofullytapthepotentialoftechnologytotakethatefforttoscale,federalandstategovernmentmustprovideincentivesfortheinvolvementofacompleterangeofnongovernmentalstakeholdergroups.Tothisend:• Collaborationshouldbeencouragedatthefederal,state,andlocallevelsamongsuch

stakeholdersasnonprofitadulteducationandworkforceskillsserviceproviders,stateandlocalplanningagencies,businesses,unions,youthpolicyorganizations,familyliteracygroups,correctionalinstitutions,schooldistricts,communitycolleges,healthcareentities,andothers.

• TheNationalInstituteforLiteracyorotherappropriateentityshouldestablishanadvisorycommitteerepresentingtheinterestsandneedsofthesegroupstoinformactionatthenationallevel,andstatesmightformsimilargroupstoinformtheirownplanning.Thegoalshouldbetodevelopandpromoteinnovativeplansandprogramsthatareresponsivetostateandlocalneed,and,whereappropriate,thatfittherealitiesoflocaleconomiesandbusinesspatterns,andthatincludeactiveinputbybusiness.

• Corporateandfundingpartnershaveaspecialimplementationroletoplay.Amongother

things,theyshouldbecalledupontodonateequipmentand/orprovidegrantssothatlow‐incomeadultscanacquirecomputerhardwareandInternetconnectivitytotakeadvantageofdistancelearningopportunities.Corporationscanalsocontributeemployeetimetohelpwithvariouskindsoftechnicalassistance.Andbecausetheystandtobenefitfromadulteducationforworkactivities,theyarenaturalpartnersindevelopingtherecommendednationalwebportal.

V.CONCLUSION

echnologyischangingthetime‐honoredbeliefthatadulteducation,asitexiststoday,iswhat“mustbe”toawiderunderstandingthatlearningiswhat“canbe.”Itisnotapractical

orevendesirableoptiontoabandonthecurrentsystem.Norisitaviableoptiontosimplycontinue“fixing”thissystem.Fortunately,wehavethemeansandknow‐howforasubstantialredirectionofthenationaladulteducationandworkforceskillseffortwithtechnologyasourally.Reportafterrecentreportmakesitclearthatweneedwholesalechangeandthatthewiderandwiseruseoftechnologycanhelpbringaboutthatchange.

AppendixA:AbouttheStudyDirector

MaryMcCain,SeniorVicePresidentofTechVision21,directedtheprojectthatresultedinthisCAALpublication,THEPOWEROFTECHNOLOGYTOTRANSFORMADULTLEARNING:ExpandingAccesstoAdultEducation&WorkforceSkillsThroughDistanceLearning.TechVision21isaWashington‐basedpublicpolicyconsultinggroupdedicatedtodevelopmentandapplicationoftechnologytoworkforcedevelopment,adulteducation,andotherissues.Dr.McCainearnedherPh.D.fromGeorgetownUniversity.HercurrentclientsincludetheMicrosoftCorporationandtheCenterforWomenandWorkatRutgersUniversity,wheresheisanAffiliateFellow.RecentclientsincludetheNationalCenteronEducationandtheEconomy,theU.S.ArmyEducationandOutreachProgram,andtheCenterforWorkforceSuccessoftheManufacturingInstituteoftheNationalAssociationofManufacturers.Shehasextensiveexperiencewithotherprivateandgovernmentalresearchandpolicyorganizations,suchastheAmericanSocietyforTrainingandDevelopmentandtheNationalGovernorsAssociation.HerlonglistofpublicationsinthefieldoftechnologyandlearningincludeLeapfroggingtheStatusQuo:E‐LearningandtheChallengeofAdultLiteracy(commissionedbyJobsfortheFuture),E‐Learning:AreWeinTransitionorAreWeStuck?(fortheNationalAssociationofManufacturersCenterforWorkforceSuccess),andAmerica’sWorkforceinCrisis:FacingtheChallengeforWorkforceDevelopmentintheGlobalEconomy(MicrosoftCommunityAffairs).

AppendixB:ProfessionalAdvisors(*WorkingGroup)

BruceN.ChalouxDirector,StudentAccessProgramsandServicesandtheElectronicCampusSouthernRegionalEducationBoard*ForrestP.ChismanSeniorVicePresidentCouncilforAdvancementofAdultLiteracy*JohnComingsPrincipalInternationalTechnicalAdvisorEducationDevelopmentCenterFormerDirector,NationalCenterontheStudyofAdultLearningandLiteracy(NCSALL) JoAnnCrandallProfessorofESOL/BilingualEducationDirector,Ph.D.PrograminLanguage,Literacy&CultureUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty(UMBC)*JohnFleischmanExecutiveDirectorOutreachandTechnicalAssistanceNetwork(OTAN) MykGarnDirector,EducationalTechnologySouthernRegionalEducationBoard*MaryGattaSeniorAdvisorSloanCenteronInnovativeTrainingandWorkforceDevelopmentDepartmentofLaborStudiesandEmploymentRelationsCenterforWomenandWork,RutgersUniversityJeromeJohnstonDirector,ProjectIDEALSupportCenterResearchProfessor,InstituteforSocialResearchUniversityofMichigan*CherylD.KingPresident,KentuckyWesleyanCollegeStudyDirector,NationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy*GeorgeKochDirector,GovernmentImplementationAdvancedDistributedLearningInitiative

*GarrettMurphyNationalABEPolicyAnalystAdvisortoCouncilforAdvancementofAdultLiteracy*MarkMusickQuillenChairofExcellenceinTeachingandLearning,ClaudiusG.ClemmerCollegeofEducationEastTennesseeStateUniversityMember,NationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy *JimParkerPolicyandResearchAssociateCouncilforAdvancementofAdultLiteracyFormerly,OfficeofVocationalandAdultEducationU.S.DepartmentofEducationLesliePettyAssociateDirector,ProjectIDEALSupportCenterUniversityofMichiganStephenRederUniversityProfessorandChairDepartmentofAppliedLinguisticsPortlandStateUniversityDavidRosenNewsomeAssociates*HeidiSilver‐PacuillaResearchAnalystAmericanInstitutesforResearch*MartinSimonDirectorSocial,Economic&WorkforceDevelopmentDivisionNationalGovernors’Association *GailSpangenbergPresidentCouncilforAdvancementofAdultLiteracyMember,NationalCommissiononAdultLiteracyClareStrawnAssistantProfessorPortlandStateUniversityLauraWestbergDirector,Research/SpecialProjectsNationalCenterforFamilyLiteracy

AppendixC:Endnotes(Note:Linkfunctionalitycanvarybybrowser,server,andPDFversion.)

1D.JonesandP.Kelly,MountingPressuresFacingtheU.S.WorkforceandtheIncreasedNeedforAdultEducationandLiteracy.PreparedfortheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy.Boulder,CO:NationalCenterforHigherEducationManagementSystems(NCHEMS),2007.[http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/pandp.html,Item2].2 U.S.CensusBureau,2006AmericanCommunitySurvey(PublicUseMicrodataSamples);analysisfortheNationalCommissiononAdultLiteracybytheNationalCenterforHigherEducationManagementSystems(NCHEMS),inReachHigher,America,finalreportoftheCommission,June2008,pp.2‐3. 3Federaladulteducation,training,andEnglishlanguageprogramsreachonlyabout3millionadultsayear,includingabout600,000intheadulteducationprogramsoftheWorkforceInvestmentActTitleI(DepartmentofLabor)adultprogram,dislocatedworkerprogram,TradeAdjustmentAssistance,andout‐of‐schoolyouth.Totalstatefundingforadulteducationandliteracyin2008isabout$1.6billion,approximatelythreetimesthefederallgrantamount;yetthatnumberisdeceptivebecausestateappropriationsvarywidely:justthreestates–California,Florida,andNewYork–provide65percentofallstatefunding.ReachHigherAmerica,p.11;Appendix6.[http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org]4NationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy,op.cit.,pp.vi,24.[http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org]5ExcerptsofthePresident’sremarksinWarren,Michigantoday[July14,2009]andafactsheetontheAmericanGraduationInitiative.OfficeofthePressSecretary,TheWhiteHouse.Availablefromhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Excerpts‐of‐the‐Presidents‐remarks‐in‐Warren‐Michigan‐and‐fact‐sheet‐on‐the‐American‐Graduation‐Initiative/6USDepartmentofLaborBureauofLaborStatistics,Table1.Employmentbymajorindustrysector,1996,2006,and2016.Availableathttp://www.bls.gov/emp/empmajorindustry.pdf.7 JohnBynner,SteveReder,SamanthaParsonsandClareStrawn,ResearchSummary:TheDigitalDivide:ComputerUse,BasicSkillsandEmployment:AComparativeStudyinPortland[OR],USAandLondon,England.NationalResearchandDevelopmentCentre(NRDC),October2008.Availablefromhttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=149. 8HeidiSilver‐Pacuilla,InvestigatingtheLanguageandLiteracySkillsRequiredforIndependentOnlineLearning.Washington,DC.NationalInstituteforLiteracy(10/08),p.1.Availablefromhttp://nifl.gov/publications/pdf/NIFLOnlineLearningReport.pdf.9Horrigan,John.HomeBroadbandAdoption,June2009.Washington,DC:PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject.Availablefromhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/10‐Home‐Broadband‐Adoption‐2009.aspx.TrendDataforDemographicsofInternetUsers,April2009Survey,PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject,availablefromhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Static‐Pages/Trend‐Data/Whos‐Online.aspx.

10 Partnershipfor21stCenturySkills,21stCenturyLearningEnvironments,2009,p.3.Availableathttp://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=600&ltemid=185. 11NationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy,ReachHigherAmerica,pp.12‐13.[http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org]12 Information Use Management Policy Institute, Public Libraries and the Internet 2008: Study Results and Findings, funded by the American Library Association and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pp. 1-3 and following. Available at http://www.ii.fsu.edu/content/view/full/15153. 13NRSmeasuresforintake/outcomes:(i)Reportingrequirementsincludeademographicprofileofeachindividualstudentwhoenrolls,alongwithcontacthoursandprogramenrollmenttype.Withoutastudentrecord,aprogramcannotreceivefundingforstudentswithno“intake”record.(ii)Studentsengagedinself‐studycannotmaintainalinktotheaccountabilitysystem,eveniftheycomeinandoutofit,becausetheyarenotformallyreported.14AnexcellentandextendeddiscussionofthisissueandrecommendationsmaybefoundinarecentreportbyTimMcDonaldandTedKolderie,TheRoleofInformationTechnologyinCreatingNewKindsofAmericanHighSchools.Washington,DC:InformationTechnologyandInnovationFoundation,July16,2009,pp.4‐6.Availableathttp://www.itif.org/index.php?id=263.15 U.S. Department of Education, Changes to NRS Guidelines for Distance Education Learners (2007). Available at http://www.nrsweb.org/docs/foundations/NRSGuidelinesSummaryofChangesJune2007.doc. 16NationalCommissiononAdultLiteracy,ReachHigherAmerica,p.24.[http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org]17TheUSHigherEducationActof1998defines“distanceeducation”asfollows:(A)INGENERAL–Exceptasotherwiseprovided,theterm"distanceeducation"meanseducationthatusesoneormoreofthetechnologiesdescribedinsubparagraph(B)–(i)todeliverinstructiontostudentswhoareseparatedfromtheinstructor;and(ii)tosupportregularandsubstantiveinteractionbetweenthestudentsandinstructor,synchronouslyorasynchronously.(B)INCLUSIONS‐‐Forthepurposesofsubparagraph(A),thetechnologiesusedmayinclude‐‐(i)theInternet;(ii)one‐wayandtwo‐waytransmissionsthroughopenbroadcast,closedcircuit,cable,microwave,broadbandlines,fiberoptics,satellite,orwirelesscommunicationsdevices;(iii)audioconferencing;or(iv)videocassettes,DVDs,andCD‐ROMS,ifthecassettes,DVDs,orCD‐ROMSareusedinacourseinconjunctionwithanyofthetechnologieslistedinclauses(i)through(iii).18(1)SeeCaliforniaDistanceLearningProjectatwww.cdlponline.org;ProjectIDEALconsortiumofstatesatwww.projectideal.org;thePortland(OR)LongitudinalStudyofAdultLearningatwww.lsal.pdx.edu.(2)PaulPorterandMatthewSturm,CrossingtheGreatDivides:DistancelearningandflexibledeliveryinAdultBasicEducation.ResearchReportforOntario’sLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgram.Ontario:HumanResourcesandSocialDevelopmentCanada.AlphaPlusCentre.August2006.Availableathttp://www.distance.alphaplus.ca/pdfs/CrossingTheGreatDividesFullRpt.pdf.(3)HumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada–GettingOnline:TheGOProject.Availableathttp://auspace.athabascau.ca:8080/dspace/handle/2149/2115.(4)RoslinBrennan,Onesizedoesn’tfitall:Pedagogyintheonlineenvironment–Volume1.NationalVocationalandEducationalTrainingSystem(NCVER),AustralianFlexibleLearningFramework,2003.Availableat

http://www.eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED476928&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED476928.19StephenReder&ClareStrawn,Self‐Study:BroadeningtheConceptsofParticipationandProgramSupport,FocusonBasics,Vol.8,IssueC,11/06,pp.6‐10.NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy.Availableathttp://www.ncsall.net/?id=1152.20(1)RichardStilesandDennisPorter,TheCaliforniaAdultEducation2005‐2007InnovationandAlternativeInstructionalDeliveryProgram:AReview.CaliforniaStateUniversityDominguezHillsCollegeofExtendedandInternationalEducation,2007.http://www.cdlponline.org/pdf/InnovationProgramsReport2005‐2007.pdf;(2)StephenRederandClareStrawn,Self‐Study:BroadeningtheConceptsofParticipationandProgramSupport,FocusonBasics,Vol.8,IssueC,11/06,pp.6‐10.NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy.Foundatwww.ncsall.edu.(3)BarbaraMeans;YukieToyama;RobertMurphy;MarianneBakiaandKarlaJones,EvaluationofEvidence‐BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning:AMeta‐AnalysisandReviewofOnlineLearningStudies.U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicyDevelopment,PolicyandProgramStudiesService,CenterforTechnologyinLearning,2009.Availableathttp://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence‐based‐practices/finalreport.pdf.21BarbaraMeans,et.al.,op.cit.;RichardStilesandDennisPorter,op.cit.,PaulPorterandMatthewSturm,CrossingtheGreatDivides:DistancelearningandflexibledeliveryinAdultBasicEducation.ResearchReportforOntario’sLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgram.Ontario:HumanResourcesandSocialDevelopmentCanada(2006).[http://distance.alphaplus.ca]22ASuccessStoryinOhio,DistanceinAction,ProjectIDEAL,2007.Availableathttp://www.projectideal.org/distance_in_action/action_1.html.Examplesincludeonlinevideosof“master”teachersusingtechnologyinadultlearningclassesinallsubjectsatalllevels(www.mlots.org);Moodlethatprovidesaplatformfordevelopingandtrackingstudentlearning(http://www.moodle.org);thePennsylvaniaonlineadulteducationwebsite(http://www.able.state.pa.us/able/cwp/view.asp?a=7&Q=42479&g=177&ableNav=|2842|3104|&ableNav=|3100|&ableNav=|2760|3100|;andwikisforonlineadulteducation,suchashttp://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Developmentandhttp://aalpdresources.pbworks.com/. 23 Drawn from analysis done by the National Commission on Adult Literacy. 24 Significant work on persistence in community college ESL programs can be found at the website of the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, www.caalusa.org. 25RichardStilesandDennisPorter,TheCaliforniaAdultEducation2005‐2007InnovationandAlternativeInstructionalDeliveryProgram:AReview.CaliforniaStateUniversityDominguezHillsCollegeofExtendedandInternationalEducation,2007.http://www.cdlponline.org/pdf/InnovationProgramsReport2005‐2007.pdf 26JohnP.Comings,“StudentPersistenceinAdultLiteracyandNumeracyPrograms,p.173inStephenRederandJohnBynner,eds.,TrackingAdultLiteracyandNumeracySkills:FindingsfromLongitudinalResearch.NewYork:Routledge,2009.

27SeeSectionIIIforadescriptionofthisstudy. 28 RederandStrawn,op.cit.,pp.6‐8. 29SeedetailsofprogramsinOhio,Pennsylvania,NorthCarolina,andMissouriontheProjectIDEALwebsite:www.projectideal.org/distance_in_action/index.htmlandwww.projectideal.org/publications_resources/research_reports.html30InformationUseManagementandPolicyInstitute,op.cit.,pp.1‐3.TheUSCensusroutinely,butnotannually,asksaccessquestionsonitshouseholdsurveys.ItsmostrecentsurveydataforInternetaccessisfrom2007andfindsthat61.7percentofhouseholdsreportaccess.The2007surveydidnotaskaquestionaboutcomputeraccess,themostrecentyearforthatquestionbeing2003.U.S.CensusBureau,ComputerandInternetUseintheUnitedStates:October2007,Tables1‐5.Availableatwww.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer.html.31InformationUseManagementandPolicyInstitute,op.cit.,pp.1‐3. 32Kennedy,TracyL.M.;Smith,Aaron;Wells,AmyTracyandWellman,Barry,NetworkedFamilies,PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject,October19,2008.Availablefromhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Networked‐Families.aspx.TheMaristInstituteforPublicOpinionPollconductedinMarchof2009foundaslightlyhigherpercentage‐87percent‐ofUSresidentswhohaveacellphone.Thosewithannualincomeslessthan$50,000/yeardroppedto82percent.Availableatwww.marketingcharts.com/interactive/employment‐age‐top‐factors‐in‐cell‐phone‐pda‐use‐9678/33TrendDataforDemographicsofInternetUsers,April2009Survey,PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject,availablefromhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Static‐Pages/Trend‐Data/Whos‐Online.aspx.34Horrigan,John.HomeBroadbandAdoption,June2009.Washington,DC:PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject.Availablefromhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/10‐Home‐Broadband‐Adoption‐2009.aspx.35Mostadultsbornbefore1968learncomputerskillsinformallyoratwork,whileyoungerusersaretaughtinschool.Participantsofadulteducationprogramswerenotmorelikelytobecomputerusersthannon‐participants.Allusersprefertocontinuetolearnnewcomputerskillsthroughtrialanderrorandwithhelpfromfriendsandfamily.ClareStrawn,TheRelationshipBetweenLiteracyProficiencyandtheDigitalDivideAmongAdultsWithLowEducationAttainment,2008.Availablefromhttp://www.lsal.pdx.edu/Documents/PDF/littech.pdf.Alsoseeanalysisofdatafrom2006UKsurvey,AdultLearning@HomebyN.Selwyn,S.Gorard,andJ.Furlong,AdultlearningintheDigitalAge,London,2006,citedinHeidiSilver‐Pacuilla,op.cit.,pp.9‐10.36Adultlearnersacrosstheliteracyandlanguagespectrumshowstrongmotivationtogaincomputerliteracyskills,perceivedaskeytoworkadvancement,Silver‐Pacuilla,op.cit.pp.3‐6;aswasfoundinthecomparativestudybetweenPortlandandLondon,describedpreviously,therelationshipofICTtoemploymentisoneofgreatsignificanceformanyadults,andisoftenpartofthereasontheyaredoingthesecourses.

37JohnBynner,SteveReder,SamanthaParsonsandClareStrawn,ResearchSummary:TheDigitalDivide:ComputerUse,BasicSkillsandEmployment:AComparativeStudyinPortland[OR],USAandLondon,England.October2008.http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=149,Ibid,pp.3‐6.38HeidiSilver‐Pacuilla,op.cit,pp.7‐8.39HarveyMellar,MariaKambouri,KitLogan,SallyBetts,BarbaraNanceandVivMoriarty,EffectiveTeachingandLearningUsingICT,SummaryReport,NRDC,February2007.Availablefromhttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=87#.HeidiSilver‐Pacuilla,p.13. 40ClareStrawn,TheRelationshipBetweenLiteracyProficiencyandtheDigitalDivideAmongAdultsWithLowEducationAttainment:AtechnicalreportfromtheLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning,PortlandStateUniversity,2008.Availablefromwww.lsal.pdx.edu/Documents/PDF/littech.pdf,p.i.41StephenReder,GivingLiteracyAway,Again:NewConceptsofPromisingPractice,inSummariesofPapersPresentedatTwentiethAnnualRutgersInvitationalSymposiumonEducation(RISE),co‐sponsoredbyNationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLearningandLiteracy(NCSALL),InstitutefortheStudyofAdultLiteracyofPennStateUniversity,andRutgersGraduateSchoolofEducation(October23‐24,2003),pp.21‐22.Availableathttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/rise_summaries.pdf.42Stiles,Richard;Porter,Dennis.TheCaliforniaAdultEducation2005‐2007InnovationandAlternativeInstructionalDeliveryProgram:AReview.CaliforniaStateUniversityDominguezHillsCollegeofExtendedandInternationalEducation,2007,pp.1‐3.Availablefromhttp://www.cdlponline.org/pdf/InnovationProgramsReport2005‐2007.pdf.43Ibid44 Ibid 45StephenReder&ClareStrawn,Self‐Study:BroadeningtheConceptsofParticipationandProgramSupport,FocusonBasics,Vol.8,IssueC,11/06,pp.6‐10.NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy.Availableathttp://www.ncsall.net/?id=1152.46ClareStrawn,TheRelationshipBetweenLiteracyProficiencyandtheDigitalDivideAmongAdultsWithLowEducationAttainment:AtechnicalreportfromtheLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning,PortlandStateUniversity,2008.Availableathttp://www.lsal.pdx.edu/reports.html.47Ibid,p.4.48Stiles,R.&Porter,D.(2006).TheCaliforniaAdultEducation2004‐2006InnovationandAlternativeInstructionalDeliveryProgram:Areview.Carson,CA:CaliforniaStateUniversityDominquezHillsCollegeofExtendedandInternationalEducation.http://www.cdlponline.org/pdf/InnovationProgramsReport2004‐2006.pdf.49Petty,L.,Shafer,D.,&Johnston,J.(2004).Beyondtheclassroom:Sixstatesdevelopdistanceprogramsforadultlearners.ProjectIDEALSupportCenter,InstituteforSocialResearch,Universityof

Michigan,AnnArbor,MI.http://www.projectideal.org/pdf/WorkingPapers/WP6StateDistancePrograms2004.pdf.50 A Success Story in Ohio, Distance in Action, Project IDEAL, 2007. Available at http://www.projectideal.org/distance_in_action/action_1.html. 51Johnston,J.&Petty,L.DistanceEducation–ExpandingOptionsinAdultEducation(underreview).ProjectIDEALSupportCenter,InstituteforSocialResearch,UniversityofMichigan,AnnArbor,MI,citedinJohnston,J.,ABetterEducatedCitizenry:IncreasingAdultLiteracythroughDistanceEducation.ProjectIDEALinternalpaperprovidedbyauthor.52 ProjectIDEALStudentSatisfactionSurvey,unpublisheddata,citedinJohnston,ABetterEducationCitizenry:IncreasingAdultLiteracythroughDistanceEducation,ProjectIDEALInternalpaperprovidedbyauthor. 53Petty,L.,Shafer,D.,&Johnston,J.,Beyondtheclassroom:Sixstatesdevelopdistanceprogramsforadultlearners.ProjectIDEALSupportCenter,InstituteforSocialResearch,UniversityofMichigan,AnnArbor,MI.54JohnBynner,SteveReder,SamanthaParsonsandClareStrawn,ResearchSummary:TheDigitalDivide:ComputerUse,BasicSkillsandEmployment:AComparativeStudyinPortland[OR],USAandLondon,England.October2008.http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=149.55Ibid,pp.3‐6.56HarveyMellar,MariaKambouri,KitLogan,SallyBetts,BarbaraNanceandVivMoriarty,EffectiveTeachingandLearningUsingICT,SummaryReport,NRDC,February2007,pp.6‐8.Availablefromhttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=87.57HeidiSilver‐Pacuilla,InvestigatingtheLanguageandLiteracySkillsRequiredforIndependentOnlineLearning.Washington,DC.NationalInstituteforLiteracy(October,2008),p.1.http://www.nifl.gov/publications/pdf/NIFLOnlineLearningReport.pdf.58Ibid,p.8.59Ibid,p.7‐8.60Means,Barbara;Toyama,Yukie;Murphy,Robert;Bakia,Marianne;Jones,Karla.EvaluationofEvidence‐BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning:AMeta‐AnalysisandReviewofOnlineLearningStudies.U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicyDevelopment,CenterforTechnologyinLearning,2009.Availableathttp://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence‐based‐practices/finalreport.pdf.

AppendixD:ToolsofTechnology(Note:Linkfunctionalitycanvarybybrowser,server,andPDFversion.)

TYPESOFTECHNOLOGIES/TOOLS EXAMPLES

THEFOLLOWINGDEVICESCANBEUSEDWITHOUTINTERNETACCESS

LEARNINGBYVIEWINGAND/ORLISTENING+SUPPLEMENTARYPRINTMATERIALS

TelevisionandVideo[earlyonesnotavailableonline]typicallyaresupportedbyprintmaterialsthataccompanythesegmentsand/orlessonsthatareviewed.Communication,ifappropriate,isbymailand/ortelephone.Thesemediaareusefulbecausetheycanpresentinformationincontextandwithapurpose,whetherlearninghowtolocateassistancewithinacommunityorperformtasksatwork.Videohasanadvantageinthatitmaybepausedandre‐played,enablingthelearnertotakenotes,reviewtheinformationandview/listentoasoftenasnecessary.Thedisadvantageisthatthesemediaare“one‐way”anddonotallowforinteraction.

IndianaGEDonTVSeriesof39half‐hourGEDConnectionTVprogramsonIndiana(PBS)channels&cable.Learnerscalltoll‐freetelephonenumbertoenroll;receivebooksbyUPS.• TV411‐http://www.tv411.orgTVseriesandVideos(DVD/VHS).Halfhourepisodesthatcorrelatewithacolorfulmagazine‐styleworkbook.Curriculumsupportforteachers.

RadioandMP3Players/iPodsBeingabletohearothersspeakisparticularlyusefultolanguagelearners,intermsofusingthecorrectaccentandunderstandinghowwordsareusedindifferentcontexts.MP3Players/iPodsincreasinglyareusedformobilelearning,withpurpose‐developedlessonsandwithinformationavailablefordownloadfrom“libraries”.

Podcasts(audioblogs)are“audiorecordings,usuallyinMP3format,oftalks,interviewsandlectures,whichcanbeplayedeitheronadesktopcomputeroronawiderangeofhandheldMP3devices[suchasiPODs].”

Landlineand/orMobilePhone:Callingconnectionenablescommunicationwithteacher/instructor/guideforlearningsupport.Mobilephonealsoenablescommunicationwithfriends,familyand/orcolleaguesforinformation,advice,instructions,otherinterests.

COMPUTER‐AIDEDINSTRUCTION(CAI) DVD/CD‐ROMs– Typicallydesignedforusewithteacher/instructor,eitherin

classroomoratadistance;althoughsomealsoareaccessibletoalearnerforindependentuse,withonlineteachersupport.Videosusuallyofferlearningwithinreal‐lifecontexts,withsupplementalmaterialsthatsupportthelessons.

– ForEnglishlanguagelearners,videohastheaddedbenefitofprovidingreallanguageandculturalinformation.Videocanbecontrolled(stopped,paused,repeated).Itallowslearnerstoseefacialexpressionsandbodylanguageatthesametimetheyhearthestress,intonation,andrhythmofthelanguage.

CrossroadsCafé–intermediateESLvideo‐

http://www.intelecom.org/course_info.asp?id=10

EnglishforAll–highbeginningESLvideo,DVD,Internet‐http://www.myefa.org

GEDConnectionvideoandDVDwithsupplementalprintmaterials‐http://litlink.ket.org)

AssistiveTechnologies:Initiallydevelopedtoenableindividualswithdisabilitiestoaccessandusetechnologies,anumberofthesetechnologiescanprovideusefuloptionsforuseoftechnologyinlearningforadultswhohavenotyetmasteredthefunctionsofacomputerand/orlanguageorreading.

Theuseoftouchscreeninsteadofakeyboardhasmigratedtothehigh‐endtechnologymarket.Otheroptionsinusearecomputersthatprovide“texttospeech”and“speechtotext”.

THEFOLLOWINGTOOLSANDPROGRAMSAREAVAILABLEVIAINTERNETCONNECTIONONLY

AdultLearning

LEARNINGBYVIEWING,LISTENINGAND/ORCOMMUNICATING

Videoonline:Hasthesamecapabilitiesanduseasstandalonevideo,withthevaluableoptionofenablingtheindividualtointeractinvariousways–Q/A,simultaneouspresentations/discussionwithothers–duringthevideo.DevelopingvideoforonlineaccessalsocanbesignificantlylessexpensivethandevelopingitforaCD‐ROM/DVD,withminimaltonocosttotheviewerandthepotentialforwideandimmediateaudiencereach.

EnglishforAll‐http://www.myefa.org

Internettelephony/VoiceOverInternetProtocol(VOIP)Potentialfor24/7/365worldwidevoiceand/orvideoofotherparties.Tutoringand/ortechnologysupportforlearning.

• Skype• Gizmoproject

SmartPhonesandPersonalDigitalAssistants(PDA):Wirelessphoneswithadvanceddatafeatures,includingemailand/oraccesstotheInternet.

• Blackberry• Palm

E–mail/ListServes;Real‐timeTexting/chat;Video–conferencing;Web–conferencing;Webinars(reusablelectures/fishbowlseminars)Providesreal‐timeopportunitiesforQ&Awithindividualsatadistance,eitherbypre‐arrangementoronthemoment.Mostofthesecommunicationsmaybesortedandarchivedbytheuser.

OfficeZilla GoogleGroups,YahooGroups

Twitterwww.twitter.com‐Hybridinstantmessaging/bloggingtoolthatenablesuserstobuildnetworksbyfollowingandbeingfollowedbyothersonTwitter.Messages(tweets)arelimitedto140charactersrequiringaconcisestructure.Twittercanbeusefulasacommunicationtoolbetweenteachers/tutorsandstudents,aswellasanoptiontoread“onthespot”informationaboutpeopleandactivitiesaspartofalearningprocess.

LEARNINGVIAUSER‐GENERATEDCONTENTANDCOMMUNICATION:WEB2.0

Blogs(shortforWeblogs)areWebpagesconsistingofregularentriesofcommentary,descriptionsofevents,orothermaterial,suchasgraphicsorvideothatfocusesonparticulartopics.

Wikisarecollectionsofwebpagesdesignedtoenableanyonewhoaccessesthemtocontributeormodifycontent,usingasimplifiedmarkuplanguage.Wikisareoftenusedtocreatecollaborativewebsitesandtopowercommunitywebsites.

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development;andhttp://aalpdresources.pbworks.com/

SocialNetworksandCommunitiesofPractice:Providesameansbywhichany/allindividualscandevelopand/orfindotherswhoarepartofthesameprofessional,personal,industry,neighborhood,certification,andanyotherlargeorsmalldefiningaspectfora“community”or“network.”Forlearning,whetheratwork,home,community,etc.suchnetworksprovideaccesstoknowledge,experience,advice,discussionandother.

Mashupsareapplicationsthatcombinedatafromtwoormoresourcestocreatesomethingmorevaluablethanthesumoftheirparts,suchasservicethatcombinesGooglemapswithrealestatelistings.

LEARNINGVIAWEBPORTALSWEBSITES/PORTALSLEARNINGVIAACCESSTOINFORMATION

Self‐ContainedLearningCenters:Provideacoherentexperiencetoanunassisteduser,typicallyofferingaplannedcurriculum,perhapsgatheringaninitialassessmentofuserskilllevel,andofferinglessonsdevelopedspecificallyforthegivensite.Aneffectiveself‐directedliteracywebsitecanassesstheuser’sabilitytooperateintheenvironment,andiftheuserisnotreadyyet,willprovidebasicinstructiononhowtoactuallyusethesite.

LearnerWeb‐www.learnerweb.orgFreeInternet“learningsupportsystem”thatconsistsofaWeb‐basedsoftwaresystemthatisimplementedregionally;organizedaroundLearningPlans‐stepsstructuredaroundachievinganidentifiedgoal.Learnercreatesapersonalprofile,choosesagoalfromtheavailablelistandfollowsthelearningplanindependentlyorwithatutororateacher.

WebApplicationsWebapplicationsaredifferentiatedfromwebsitesinthattheyaretask‐orientedandsupplytheuserwitharichsetofcontrolsandobjectstocreate,edit,andstoreinformation.Aliteracywebapplicationtranslatescurriculumtothemediumofthewebandprovidesweb‐based,on‐lineinstructionthatmakesfulluseoftext,audio,photoart,music,graphics,icons,videoclips,andanimation,toactivelyengagethemindandimaginationofadultlearnersandguidethemthroughaneffectivestudent‐centered,self‐study,instructionalexperience.IttakesadvantageoftheinteractivecapabilitiesoftechnologieslikeFlashthatallowuserstonavigatethroughvirtualspace,moveobjectsonthescreen,andenterdataoranswersandobtainimmediatefeedback.

USALearns‐www.usalearns.orgFreeWebportaldesignedforadultslearningEnglish.USALearnswasdesignedtoservelearnersatadistance,notforuseinschooloragencycomputerlabs.CurriculaforthreedifferentEnglishproficiencylevels;lessonsareintroducedwithbriefvideosfollowedbyalistofnewwords.Dependingonthelevel,wordsareintroducedwithpictures,audio,video,orwrittendefinitions,followedbyquizzes.Embeddedinthelessonsarerelevantlifeskills,suchasfindingajob,rentingaplacetolive.

ResourceCollections‐Sitesthatprimarilymaintainlinkstootherwebsitesthatoffersomeinstructionalcontentoractivities.Linksaregroupedbytopic(e.g.,“algebra,“readingcomprehension”).Thesitestowhichlinksaremaintainedareoftendiscipline‐specific‐e.g.,“math.com.”

LiteracyLinkOnline:Sitethatprovidesadultsoptionstodeveloptheirwork‐readinessskillsinunitsonemploymentstrategiesforfindingandkeepingagoodjob,communicating,reading,andmath;preparationandonlinepracticetestsfortheGEDexam,etc.‐http://www.ketadultlearning.org/litlink/online.htm

TheBeehive–http://www.thebeehive.org

VirtualReality(VR).Allowsausertointeractwithacomputer‐simulatedenvironment,whetherrealorimagined.Currentvirtualrealityenvironmentsareprimarilyvisualexperiencesdisplayedeitheronacomputerscreenorthroughspecialstereoscopicdisplays,butsomeincludesoundthroughspeakersorheadphones(e.g.,SecondLife).

MANAGEMENTTOOLS

Instructionallearningsystems(ILS);Learningmanagementsystems(LMS),Learningcontentmanagementsystems(LCMS),

Moodle isanOpenSourceCourseManagementSystem(CMS),alsoknownasaLearningManagementSystem(LMS)oraVirtualLearningEnvironment(VLE).Ithasbecomeverypopularamongeducatorsaroundtheworldasatoolforcreatingonlinedynamicwebsitesfortheirstudents.Moodlecanscaletoverylargedeploymentsandhundredsofthousandsofstudents,yetitcanalsobeusedforaprimaryschooloraneducationhobbyist.Manyinstitutionsuseitasplatformtoconductfullyonlinecoursesorsimplytoaugmentface‐to‐facecourses.

PIMS‐ThePennsylvaniaInformationManagementSystemisastatewidelongitudinaldatasystemtoefficientlyandaccuratelymanage,analyze,disaggregateanduseindividualstudentdataforeachstudentservedbyPennsylvania’sPreK‐12publiceducationsystem.

HTTrackisafreesoftwareandaneasy‐to‐useofflinebrowserutility.http://www.httrack.com/html/overview.html.ItallowsyoutodownloadaWorldWidewebsitefromtheInternettoalocaldirectory,buildingrecursivelyalldirectories,gettinghtml,images,andotherfilesfromtheservertoyourcomputer.

TOPSproisacomputerizeddatabasesystemdesignedforstudents,teachers,andprogramadministratorsinadulteducation.AutomatesCASASscoring,collectsstudentdemographicdata,tracksstudentprogress,generatesreportsandprofiles,andmanagesdataforstateandfederalaccountability.https://www.casas.org/home/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showContent&MapID=125

AuthoringTools&ContentManagement

SCORM,theShareableContentObjectReferenceModel,showswhatkindsofserviceswillbeneededtosolveaparticularproblem,howtheycanbeputtogether,therelevantstandardsthatapply,andhowtheymightbeused.BenefitstoadoptingSCORMinclude‐‐Accessibility:Theabilitytolocateandaccessinstructionalcomponentsfrommultiplelocationsanddeliverythemtootherlocations.Interoperability:Theabilitytotakeinstructionalcomponentsdeliveredinonesystemandusetheminanothersystem.Durability:Theabilitytowithstandtechnologyevolutionand/orchangeswithoutcostlyredesign,reconfiguration,orrecoding.Reusability:Theflexibilitytoincorporateinstructionalcomponentsinmultipleapplicationsandcontexts.Forexample,e‐learningcontentdesignedforoneorganizationcanberedeployed,rearranged,repurposed,orrewrittenbyotherorganizationswithsimilarlearningneeds.http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/scorm/default.aspx

Theabilityofanetworktocoordinateandcommunicatewithothernetworks,suchastwosystemsbasedondifferentprotocolsortechnologies.

CNRIDigitalObjectRegistryCorporationforNationalResearchInitiatives–general‐purposedigitalobjectregistryfordownload,installation,andusebyanyorganizationorcommunity.Objectsareregisteredwiththeirmetadataandthatmetadataisindexedandmadesearchable.Makingeachsuchregistryaspecializedindexoveracollectionofdigitalmaterialinoneormorerepositories.‐http://www.doregistry.org

AppendixE:SelectedProgramsandStateModels[Summariesaretakenlargelyfromwebsitesandpublicreports.

MoreinformationisavailablefromtheURLsindicated.](Note:Linkfunctionalitycanvarybybrowser,server,andPDFversion.)

PROGRAMMODELSTheprogrammodelsthatfollowhavebeenchosentorepresentthevarietyofwaystechnologycansupportlearningandotheractivitiesforadultsandforpractitionersandprogrammanagers.Somearetypicalonlinecurriculumprograms;othersarenewlydevelopedprogramsstillbeingtested.Mostoftheprogramswerefundedbygovernmentandfoundations.Eachisbasedongenerallyacceptedprinciplesofeffectiveadultlearningandlearningusingtechnology.Afewaretechnology‐assistedprogramsdevelopedandmarketedbyfor‐profitcompanies,largelybecausethemarketisdiffuse,small(intermsoforganizationsthatbuyproducts),andlackingfinancialresourcestojustifyfor‐profitsales.Astechnologybecomesmorewidelyavailableandmoreindividualsarefamiliarwithitsuse,andasprogramsandlearningapplicationsexpand,currentdivisionsbetweeneducationlevels–K‐12,postsecondary,adulteducationandtraining–maybegintoblur,providingthenecessarymarketforproductsaimedatlow‐literacyandESLadultlearners.

InteractiveLearningUsingMultipleMedia• SeddeSaberTM(ThirstforKnowledge)

http://www.seddesaber.com

SeddeSaberisanelectronicEnglishlanguageprogramforHispanicadultswhohavelimitedEnglishproficiency.Itisaportable,interactive,self‐pacedprogramthatusesstorytelling,voicerecording,games,andreviewexercisestobuildandimproveEnglishlanguageskills.SeddeSabercombinesESLcurriculumwiththeLeapfrogQuantumPadPlusMicrophone™,whichallowsthelearnertorecord,playback,andcomparehis/hervoicetothewordorphrasebeinglearned,increasingconfidenceinpronunciationskills.MarriottInternationalhasusedSeddeSaberformanyofitsHispanicemployeesforwhomEnglishisasecondlanguagesince2006. OnlineWork‐RelatedTraining• WorkplaceEssentialSkills(WES)

http://litlink.ket.org/wesged.aspl

WESusesTV/videos,print,andtheInternettohelpindividualsimprovereading,writing,math,andjobskills.Thelessonsarewrittenatapre‐GEDlevel,designedtohelpbuildcriticalthinkingandproblemsolvingskillsthatcanhelpwithfindingajoband/orpreparingfortheGED.Thereare24half‐hourprograms(plusOrientation),fourworkbooks,and24freeonlinelessons.Theyaredesignedtoworktogethertomakelearningeasier.Anindividualcanregisterandsaveworkinanonlineportfolio,aswellaschoosetoworkonlinewithateacher.Theprogramsmaybeviewedonpublictelevisionstations,

online,orusingastandaloneCDROM.WorkplaceEssentialSkillsiscorrelatedtowidelyusednationalassessmenttoolsandtoeachother.WESwasdevelopedin1996throughapartnershipamongthePBSAdultLearningService,theNationalCenteronAdultLiteracyattheUniversityofPennsylvania,KentuckyEducationalTelevision,andtheKentuckyDepartmentofEducation. PennStateOnlinePostbaccalaureateCertificateinFamilyLiteracy

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/FamilyLiteracyCertificate.shtmlThe15‐creditfamilyliteracypost‐baccalaureatecertificatewasdevelopedtoprovideeducatorswithanopportunitytoenhancetheirskillsandcredentialsinthedisciplineofliteracyinstruction.Tomeetthewiderangeofneedsforliteraryprofessionals,theonlinecertificateprograminfamilyliteracyhastracksinchildren'seducation,adultliteracy,andparentalinvolvement.Studentstakingtheprogramatthepost‐baccalaureatelevelcanapplycourseworktoundergraduateandmaster’sdegreeprograms.EachcourseistaughtusingablendofWebande‐mailtomaximizeflexibility,whilemaintainingteacherandstudentinteraction.ThecertificatecurriculumwascreatedinpartnershipbetweentheGoodlingInstituteforResearchinFamilyLiteracyatPennStateandtheNationalCenterforFamilyLiteracy.

WebPortalandOnlineLearningEnvironmentforAdultLearnersinBasicEducation:• AlphaRoute[Canada]

http://www.alpharoute.orgAlphaRoute,developedbytheLiteracyandBasicSkills(LBS)programofOntario,Canada,isapassword‐protectedweb‐basedlearningenvironmentforadultswhowanttoimprovetheirreading,writing,math,andcomputerskillstoachievetheirgoals.Alpharoutetargetsadultliteracystudentswhowanttolearnonlineandoffers:ongoingmentorsupportfromtrainedLBSandABEprogrampractitioners,learningopportunitieswhichcomplementandreflectlearninggoalareasexpressedbyadultliteracystudents,andanonlinecommunityforadultliteracystudentstolearnonlinetogetherwithinapassword‐protectedlearningenvironment.Specificfeaturesinclude:interactivelearningactivitiesdevelopedspecificallyforadultlearners;learningmanagementtoolswithpersonalizedtrainingplans,activitylists,portfolios,andlearningtoolssuchaspersonalizednotepadsandwordlists;easy‐to‐usecommunicationtoolssuchasemail,discussiongroups,andchat;specialcontentareasforworkforceliteracy,numeracyandtechnology,self‐assessment,Internetsearchskills,andusefulweblinks.

• TheLearnerWeb

www.learnerweb.org

TheLearnerWeb(LW)isafreeWeb‐andtelephone‐accessedapplicationthatprovidescustomized,guidedinstructionalsupporttoadultsseekingtoimprovetheirbasicskills,preparefortheGED,orpursueotherlearninggoalssuchascitizenship,familyliteracy,orcollegeprep.TheLWmakesresourcesaccessibletolearnersontheirowntimeandintheirownenvironment.Alearner’sgoalsandskillneedsarematchedtosupportingresourcesavailableonlineorofflineinthelocalcommunity.Inadditiontoon‐lineresources,theLearnerWebintegratessupportservicesfromexistinglocaleducationprograms,communitybasedorganizations,tutors,andtelephonehelpers.TheLearnerWebconsistsofaWeb‐

basedsoftwaresystemthatisimplementedregionally.TheLearnerWebhasbegunthesecondyearofathree‐yeardemonstrationprojectinsevendemonstrationregionsacrossthecountry.

OnlineCommunities AdultLiteracyEducation(ALE)Wiki!

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page

TheALEWikiisafree,onlinecommunityofpracticeforteachers,tutors,administrators,practitioners,researchers,adultlearners,andotherswhoareinterestedintheconnectionsbetweenresearch,professionalknowledge,andpracticeinadultbasiceducation,adultsecondaryeducation,andEnglishlanguagelearning.Likeotherwikis,thisisatextenvironmentwhereonecanreadwhatothershavewrittenbutalsoeasilycontributeone'sownknowledge,opinions,findings,andobservations.TheALEWikiincludesdiscussionsandresourcesonanumberoftopicsrangingfromadultbasicliteracy,toassessment,workforceandworkplaceeducation,andpublicpolicy.Inthetopicalareasareselecteddiscussionsthathavetakenplaceonelectroniclists,summariesofthesediscussions,linkstorelevantresearch,researchcitations,bibliographies,glossariesofterms,andotherresources.ThiswikiwascreatedinNovember2004. TheOhioLiteracyNetwork(OLN)Website:

http://www.ohioliteracynetwork.org/about.html

TheOhioLiteracyNetwork(OLN)wasestablishedin1987topromoteawarenessofadultliteracyissuesandneeds;toserveasaclearinghousefortheexchangeofliteracyinformation;andtoencouragecollaborativeliteracyefforts.TheOLNisamembershiporganization,fundedbypublicandprivategovernmentgrants,donations,andmembershipdues.Itsservicesinclude:

•AstatewideLearnLinewhichprovidesaccesstofreelearningtoolsontelevision,throughtheInternet,athomeandinthelocalcommunity.•AstatewideGEDConnectionprojectwithhomeandInternetbasedaccesstoGEDpreparationtools.•TheLiteracyOhioOnlineLearningSitewithlearningtoolsandconnectionstolocaleducationprogramsandresources.•Astatewidenetworkofcollaborativeprojects.•Astatewidedirectoryofliteracyserviceproviders.•Publicawarenessandmarketinginitiativestorecruitpotentialstudentsandvolunteers.

TheOLNhaspartneredacrossOhiowithTimeWarnerCable,KentuckyEducationalTelevision,Ohio'seightPBSstationsandTheOhioCommunityComputerNetworktostream,broadcast,andprovideawidevarietyofDistanceLearningopportunities. AlpharouteCafé

http://resources.alpharoute.org/pdfs/ARCafe.pdf

OneofthegoalsoftheCaféistogivelearnersaplacewheretheydirecttheirownlearning.Theyarefreetoexplorediscussions,activities,andgamesthatinterestthemandthroughthesupportand

encouragementofmentors,facilitators,andotherlearnerstheycanfeelconnectedtoalargercommunitythroughtheuseofthesetools.TheCaféwaslaunchedinSeptember2003.TheCaféfeaturesanumberofinteractivetoolsthatlearnerscanchoose,includingachatroom,themeddiscussions,interactivegames,andamonthlyCyberSearchactivity.(Note:TheAlpharouteCaféispartofAlphaRouteoutlinedabove.) Web‐basedResourceCollections• PBSLiteracyLink

http://litlink.ket.org/LiteracyLink'sgoalistoprovidealinkforunderservedandhard‐to‐reachadultsandtheirteacherstoqualityadultbasiceducationandGEDpreparation.Combiningvideo,theInternet,andprintmaterials,LiteracyLinkprogramsarerelevanttotheneedsoftheindividuallearner,adultinstructionalprograms,andtheworkforce.AjointprojectofPBSAdultLearningService,theNationalCenteronAdultLiteracyoftheUniversityofPennsylvania,KentuckyEducationalTelevision,andtheKentuckyDepartmentofEducation,itbeganinJuly1996.Seriesarenowavailabletomorethan87%ofAmericanhouseholdsthroughpublictelevisionbroadcasts.Programsinclude:GEDConnection(LearnerspreparingfortheGEDexam),WorkplaceEssentialSkills(Adultslookingforjobsorlookingforbetterjobs),ProjectCONNECT(websitewhereadultsinadulteducationclassescanpracticeEnglishskillsandlearnaboutworking,studyingandlivingintheUS).• WorkforceOnlineLearningInformationPortal(WOLIP)

http://wolip.sreb.org/FromWOLIP,individualscansearchonlinetrainingopportunitiesinthepriorityareastargetedbytheirstate.Avarietyofotherlearningopportunitiesarealsoavailablefromthissite.EachofthefourWOLIPstates(Colorado,Maine,Mississippi,andPennsylvania)hasdefinedtheirpriorityworkforcetrainingneeds,selectedonlinecoursesandprogramstheywillmakeavailable,selectedandcertifiedtheinstitutions/providersofthecourses/programs,determinedstudenteligibilityandparticipationrequirements,andestablishedproceduresforenrollmentandfinancialassistance.

WOLIPissponsoredbytheAlfredP.SloanFoundationincooperationwiththeU.S.DepartmentofLabor,PennsylvaniaStateUniversity,andthefourpartnerstates,withassistancefromtheSouthernRegionalEducationBoard.

WebApplications• USALearns

www.usalearns.org

USALearnsisafreeESLinstructionalprogramdevelopedprimarilyforimmigrantadultswithlimitedEnglishlanguageskillswhocannotattendtraditionalclassroomprogramsbecauseofdifficultywithschedules,transportation,orotherbarriers.Thesiteofferspracticeactivitiesinlistening,reading,writing,andspeakingskillsaswellaslifeskillsnecessaryforsuccessatworkandinthecommunity.Allinstructionalmaterialsareonline;therearenovideos,workbooks,orothermaterialsforprinting.USA

Learnsisdesignedprimarilyforindividualdistancelearningoutsideofthetraditionalclassroom.TheUSALearnswebsiteconsistsofthreedistinctprograms,eachderivedfromEnglishForAll(www.myefa.org):

FirstEnglishCourse–20video‐based,beginner‐levelunits SecondEnglishCourse–17video‐based,intermediate‐levelunits PracticeEnglishandReading–42intermediate‐levelstoriesandactivities

LearnersdonotneedadvancedcomputerskillstouseUSALearns.Theprogramisdesignedprimarilyforindividualdistancelearningoutsideofthetraditionalclassroom.Butatutororteachercanusethewebsite’slearningmanagementsystemtocreateanonlineclassandsupportoneormorestudentsintheirstudies.Thelearningmanagementsystemenableseducatorstoviewstudents'workandprovidefeedbackonline.USALearnswasdevelopedbytheSacramentoCountyOfficeofEducation(SCOE)inconjunctionwiththeUniversityofMichiganandProjectIDEALaspartofalargerprojectontechnologyinnovationsanddistancelearningforadulteducation. BuildingSkills4Work

(seeemaillinksbelow)

BuildingSkills4Workaimstoequipout‐of‐schooladultsandyouthwiththeworkforceskillsthatwillpreparethemtoqualifyforandbesuccessfulinhigherpayingentry‐leveljobs.Thisfreeonlineprogramisdesignedtoengageadultlearnersandtobeusedsuccessfullybothinformalinstructionalsettingsandbylearnerswithouttheinterventionofateacherortutororenrollmentinaformalprogram.Itteachestheworkplaceskillsthatemployersseekinnewhires,includingbothacademicandinterpersonalskills.ThewebapplicationcanbetargetedontheneedsofindividualsatthelowtomiddleendoftheNAALBasicLiteracyskill(Level2)range,peoplewhosereadingandquantitativeskillsareoftennotsufficienttosuccessfullycompleteaGEDprogramorapprenticeship,tomatriculateincommunitycollegeoruniversitydegreeprograms,ortoqualifyforjobsthatpayself‐sufficiencywages.Threeorganizations–theCenterforWomenandWorkatRutgersUniversity(whichhasextensiveexperienceworkingwithstatestoimplementInternetlearningforlow‐skillworkers),theCenterforLiteracyStudiesattheUniversityofTennessee(whichmanagesEquippedfortheFuture),andR&DMediaSolutionsSF(aSanFranciscomediaandwebdevelopmentorganization)–havedevelopedthiswebapplicationtomeettheworkreadinessneedsoflow‐skilledadults.BuildingSkills4Workwillbeavailableatnocosttolearners,adulteducationteachers,workforceskillstrainers,andthegeneralliteracycommunity.ThewebsitewasdemonstratedinwebinarsinMayandJune2009andisbeingbeta‐testedaroundthecountry.Itwillbelaunchedlatein2009andaddadditionalcontentin2010.Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontactHeatherMcKayoftheCenterforWomenandWork(hmckay@rci.rutgers.edu);DianeGardneroftheCenterforLiteracyStudies(dgardner@utk.edu);orRichardAppelbaumofR&DMediaSolutionsSF(RichardA@RnDMediaSF.com).

STATEMODELSManystateshavedevelopedandimplementeddistanceeducationprogramsandpilotsforadulteducationandESL.Ingeneral,althoughtheseprogramshaveprovidedusefullessonsandexperienceandsignificantdegreesofsuccess,theyremainonthe“demonstration”level,servingrelativelyfewadults.Ifdistancelearningistogotoscale,statesandregionsmustaddressthepolicy,regulatory,

funding,andprogramstructureissuesthatinhibitexpansionofdistanceeducation.TwostatesthatbeganthisprocesssomeyearsagoareCaliforniaandPennsylvania.

CALIFORNIAhttp://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatis&pg=4

In1993theCalifornialegislaturepassedEC52522permittingtheSuperintendentofPublicInstructiontoapproveadultschoolplanstospenduptofivepercentoftheirblockentitlementoninnovationandalternativeinstructionaldelivery.ThisauthorizationandthesubsequentinitiativearecommonlyknownastheInnovationPrograminitiative.TheInnovationPrograminitiativewaslaunchedin1995,anduntilrecentbudgetcutsaffectedtheprogram,almostalltheapprovedinnovativeprogramshavefallenundertheCaliforniaDistanceLearningProject’sdefinitionofdistancelearning.AnyadultschoolwishingtorequestauthorizationfortheinnovativeprogrammingsubmittedanannualapplicationtotheCaliforniaDepartmentofEducation.Videoandaudiocheckoutprogramswerethemostcommondeliverymodalitiesfollowedbyonlineinstruction.Thestateprovidedadedicatedfundingstreamfordistanceeducationandthusenabledlongitudinalevaluations,experiencewithpractice,awarenessofthechallengesfacedbyeducators,managers,learnersandothers.Fundingwasprovidedforcollectingandassessingdataacrosstheseprograms,servingupto60,000adultsby2005,andoutcomesarethereforeavailablefor2005‐2008.Thestate’suseofacommonassessmentsystem–theComprehensiveAdultStudentAssessmentSystems,CASAS–enabledcomparisonsacrossthesystem.Findings,detailsofwhichareinSectionIII,includedthesuccessof“blendedlearning”bothforsuccessfulcompletionandpersistence.Unfortunately,theeconomicenvironmentinthestateofCaliforniain2009resultedincutsineducationacrosstheboardandmovedauthorityforadulteducationfundingfromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofEducationtoLocalEducationAgencies(LEA).LEAscanusethosepreviouslyrestrictedadulteducationfundsforwhateverpurposetheydeemappropriate.Thereisnomoreattendancereportingandnomoreprogrammonitoring.Somesmalleradulteducationagenciesareclosingshop,whileothersareradicallymodifyingtheirrangeandscopeofofferings. PENNSYLVANIA

http://www.able.state.pa.us/able/cwp/view.asp?a=7&q=117134Afterseveralyearsofexperimentingwithdeliveringdistanceeducationvialocalagencies,Pennsylvaniachosetopilotadifferentapproach.Agenciescouldcontinuetoofferdistanceeducationtotheirlearners,buttheywouldnotreceivespecialfundsfordoingso.Thestatewouldprovide,atnocosttotheagency,training,technicalassistance,andworkbooksforbothGEDCandWESdistancelearners.Alternatively,agenciescouldchoosetorefertheirstudentsinterestedindistancelearningtoacentralizedagency,theCentralizedDistanceTeachingServices(CDTS),coordinatedbytheTuscaroraIntermediateUnit(TIU).BoththereferringagencyandtheTIUwouldreceivecreditforservingthestudent.Pennsylvania’sinitiativeprovidedamodelforcentralizingadultdistanceeducationthatavoidedpenalizingindividualagenciesandthatprovidedteachersupportoutsideoftheexistingprogram

instructionpool.Pennsylvaniamaintainsasubstantialdatabaseofcurriculumandprofessionaldevelopmentresources.Forthe2004–2005academicyears,theCentralizedDistanceTeachingServicesemployed10distanceteachers.Distanceteachersarerequiredtoparticipateinbi‐monthlyconferencecallsandattendannualtraining.Thenumberofstudentsassignedtoateacherisbasedonthenumberofstudentsateacherfeelscomfortableserving,giventheirotherjobdemands;for2004–2005,teacherssupportedfromsevento23activestudents.

AppendixF:Bibliography(Note:LinkfunctionalityvariesbybrowserandPDFversion.)

Allen,Elaine,Seaman,JeffandGarrett,Richard.BlendingIn:TheExtentandPromiseofBlendedEducationintheUnitedStates.SloanConsortium(Sloan‐C).March2007.Availablefromhttp://www.sloan‐c.org/publications/survey/pdf/Blending_In.pdf.Askov,E.,Johnston,J.,Petty,L.I.,&Young,S.J.ExpandingAccesstoAdultLiteracywithOnlineDistanceEducation.Cambridge,MA:NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy.HarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation.2003.Atkinson,RobertD.andMcKay,AndrewS.DigitalProsperity:UnderstandingtheEconomicBenefitsoftheInformationTechnologyRevolution.Washington,DC:InformationTechnologyIndustryFoundation.March2007.Availableathttp://www.itif.org/index.php?id=34Bartlett,LynnParr,et.al.,DistanceLearningfortheAdultLearner:ImprovingPersistenceandEffectiveness‐AWorkingPaper(2006).Availableatwww.cdlponline.org/pdf/Distance%20Learning%20and%20Adult%20Learner%20Persistence.pdfBosworth,Brian.LifelongLearning:NewStrategiesforWorkingAdults.Washington,DC:CenterforAmericanProgress,December2007.Brennan,Roslin.Onesizedoesn’tfitall:Pedagogyintheonlineenvironment–Volume1.NationalVocationalandEducationalTrainingSystem(NCVER),AustralianFlexibleLearningFramework,2003.www.flexiblelearning.net.auBynner,JohnandReder,Stephen,eds.,TrackingAdultLiteracyandNumeracySkills.NewYork:Routledge.2009.Bynner,John;Reder,Steve;Parsons,Samantha;andStrawn,Clare.ResearchSummary:TheDigitalDivide:ComputerUse,BasicSkillsandEmployment:AComparativeStudyinPortland,OR,USAandLondon,England,October2008.Availablefromhttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=149#Chambers,John.Commentary.Forbes,January23,2008,availableathttp://www.forbes.com/2008/01/23/solutions‐education‐chambers‐oped‐cx_sli_0123chambers.htmlComings,JohnandSoricone,Lisa.AdultLiteracyResearch:OpportunitiesandChallenges.Cambridge,MA:NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLearningandLiteracy.HarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation,2007.Availablefromhttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_opps_challenges.pdf Comings,JohnP.,“StudentPersistenceinAdultLiteracyandNumeracyPrograms,p.173inReder,StephenandBynner,John,Eds.,TrackingAdultLiteracyandNumeracySkills:FindingsfromLongitudinalResearch.NewYork:Routledge,2009.

Creighton,S.,andHudson,L.ParticipationTrendsandPatternsinAdultEducation:1991to1999.Washington,DC:NationalCenteronEducationStatistics.2002.Eady,Michelle.LiteracyLearningataDistance–ANewApproach.AlphaPlusCentre,March2006Gatta,MaryL.NotJustGettingBy:TheNewEraofFlexibleWorkforceDevelopment.Lanham,MD:LexingtonBooks,2005.Gatta,MaryL.FindingsfromtheField:EarlyFindingsoftheNewJerseyOnlineLearningProjectforSingleWorking‐PoorMothers.AReportoftheRutgersUniversityCenterforWomenandWork.December2003.Availableathttp://www.itwd.rutgers.edu/PDF/FindingsfromField.pdf.GettingOnline/TheGOProject,AResearchReportonOnlineLearningforCanadianLiteracyPractitioners.Canada:October2008.Availablefromhttp://www.nald.ca/gettingonline.Horrigan,John.HomeBroadbandAdoption,June2009.Washington,DC:PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject.Availableathttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/10‐Home‐Broadband‐Adoption‐2009.aspx.Horrigan,John.WirelessInternetUse,July2009.Washington,DC:PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject.Availablefromhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/Wireless‐Internet‐Use.pdf.Hudson,LisaandShafer,Linda.ParticipationinTechnology‐BasedPostcompulsoryEducation.NationalCenteronEducationStatistics.December3,2003.Availableathttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004020. Johnston,Jerome.,&TomsBarker,L.(Eds.).AssessingtheImpactofTechnologyinTeachingandLearning:ASourcebookforEvaluators.AnnArbor:InstituteforSocialResearch,TheUniversityofMichigan,2002.Availableathttp://www.projectideal.org.Johnston,Jerome.ThePotentialofTechnologyinAdultBasicEducation.AnnArbor:InstituteforSocialResearch,TheUniversityofMichigan.2001.Availablefromwww.projectideal.org/pdf/PrintResources/PotentialTechnologyinABE2001.pdf.Johnston,Jerome,Young,ShannonandPetty,LeslieI.NationalFieldTestofWorkplaceEssentialSkills.AnnArbor:InstituteforSocialResearch,TheUniversityofMichigan.2001.Availablefromhttp://litlink.ket.org/about/testrept.pdf.Johnston,Jerome.MeasuringContactHoursandEducationalProgressinDistanceEducationPrograms.ProjectIDEALSupportCenter,InstituteforSocialResearch,UniversityofMichigan.September2005.Availablefromhttp://www.projectideal.org.Kazis,Richard;Callahan,Abigail;Davidson,Chris;McLeod,Annie;Bosworth,Brian;Choitz,Vickie.AdultLearnersinHigherEducation:BarrierstoSuccessandStrategiestoImproveResults.Boston:JobsfortheFuture.2007.Availableathttp://www.jff.org/publications/education/adult‐learners‐higher‐education‐barriers/157.

Kennedy,JohnHoops;TracyL.M.;Smith,Aaron;Wells,AmyTracyandWellman,Barry,NetworkedFamilies,PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject,October19,2008.Availableathttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Networked‐Families.aspx.Kutner,Mark,Greenberg,Elizabeth;Jin,Ying;Boyle,Bridget;Hsu,Yung‐chen,Dunleavy,Eric.LiteracyinEverydayLife:Resultsfromthe2003NationalAssessmentofAdultLiteracy.USDepartmentofEducation.InstituteofEducationSciences.NationalCenterforEducationStatistics.April,2007.Availableathttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007480.Lenhart,Amanda.AdultsandSocialNetworkWebsites,January2009.PewInternetandAmericanLifeProject:Jan14,2009.Availableathttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Adults‐and‐Social‐Network‐Websites.aspx.McDonald,TimandKolderie,Ted.TheRoleofInformationTechnologyinCreatingNewKindsofAmericanHighSchools.InformationTechnologyandInnovationInstitute,July2009.Availableatwww.itif.orgMeans,Barbara;Toyama,Yukie;Murphy,Robert;Bakia,Marianne;Jones,Karla.EvaluationofEvidence‐BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning:AMeta‐AnalysisandReviewofOnlineLearningStudies.U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicyDevelopment,PolicyandProgramStudiesService,CenterforTechnologyinLearning,2009.Availableathttp://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence‐based‐practices/finalreport.pdf.Moore,SarahCatherineK.UsesofTechnologyintheInstructionofAdultEnglishLanguageLearners.Washington,DC:CenterforAppliedLinguistics,February2009.Availableathttp://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/resources/usesoftechnology.html.Petty,LeslieI.andJohnston,Jerome.HandbookofDistanceEducationforAdultLearnersFourthEdition,ProjectIDEALSupportCenter,InstituteforSocialResearch,UniversityofMichigan.October,2008.Availableatwww.projectideal.org/pdf/Print%20Resources/DEHandbook4thEdition20081002sm.pdf.Petty,L.I.StatePolicyforDistanceEducationProgramsforAdultLearners(WorkingPaper7).ProjectIDEALSupportCenter,InstituteforSocialResearch,UniversityofMichigan,2005.Availablefromhttp://www.projectideal.org.Porter,PaulandSturm,Matthew.CrossingtheGreatDivides:DistancelearningandflexibledeliveryinAdultBasicEducation.ResearchReportforOntario’sLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgram.Ontario:HumanResourcesandSocialDevelopmentCanada.AlphaPlusCentre.August2006.Availableatwww.distance.alphaplus.ca/pdfs/CrossingTheGreatDividesFullRpt.pdf.Porter,Paul.CaliforniaDistanceProjectResearch:2004and2006‐07Studies,PPTPresentationtoCATechnologyDistanceLearningSymposium2007.Pusser,Brian;Breneman,DavidW.;Gansneder,BruceM.;Kohl,KayJ.;Levin,JohnS.;Milam,JohnH.andTurner,SarahE.ReturningtoLearning:Adults’SuccessinCollegeisKeytoAmerica’sFuture.LuminaFoundation,March2007.Availableathttp://luminafoundation.org/publications/ReturntolearningApril2007.pdf.

Reder,Stephen.GivingLiteracyAway,Again:NewConceptsofPromisingPractice,SummariesofPapersPresentedatTwentiethAnnualRutgersInvitationalSymposiumonEducation(RISE).Co‐sponsoredbyNationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLearningandLiteracy(NCSALL),InstitutefortheStudyofAdultLiteracy,RutgersGraduateSchoolofEducation.October23‐24,2003,pp.21‐22.Availableat:http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/rise_summaries.pdf.Reder,StephenandStrawn,Clare.TheLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning(LSAL):1998‐2008.PortlandStateUniversity.Availablefromwww.lsal.pdx.edu.Reder,StephenandStrawn,Clare.Self‐Study:BroadeningtheConceptsofParticipationandProgramSupport,FocusonBasics,Vol.8,IssueC,11/06,pp.6‐10.NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy.Availablefromhttp://www.ncsall.net/?id=1152.Silver‐Pacuilla,Heidi(author)andReder,Stephen(originalanalysis).InvestigatingtheLanguageandLiteracySkillsRequiredforIndependentOnlineLearning.Washington,DC.NationalInstituteforLiteracy.October,2008.http://www.nifl.gov/publications/pdf/NIFLOnlineLearningReport.pdfSitzmann,Traci;Bell,BradfordS.;Kraiger,Kurt;Kanar,AdamM.AMultilevelAnalysisoftheEffectofPromptingSelf‐RegulationinTechnology‐DeliveredInstruction.http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrswp/493.Soares,Louis.WorkingLearners:Educatingourentireworkforceforsuccessinthe21stcentury.Washington,DC:CenterforAmericanProgress,June2009.Availableathttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/working_learners.html.Stiles,Richard;Porter,Dennis.TheCaliforniaAdultEducation2005‐2007InnovationandAlternativeInstructionalDeliveryProgram:AReview.CaliforniaStateUniversityDominguezHillsCollegeofExtendedandInternationalEducation,2007.Availableathttp://www.cdlponline.org/pdf/InnovationProgramsReport2005‐2007.pdf.Strawn,Clare.TheRelationshipBetweenLiteracyProficiencyandtheDigitalDivideAmongAdultsWithLowEducationAttainment:AtechnicalreportfromtheLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning,PortlandStateUniversity,2008.Availableathttp://www.lsal.pdx.edu/Documents/PDF/littech.pdf.Taylor,Jackie.TappingOnlineProfessionalDevelopmentThroughCommunitiesofPractice:ExamplesfromtheNIFLDiscussionLists,inAdultBasicEducationandLiteracyJournal(V2,#3,Fall08).Twigg,Carol.StateandSystemCourseRedesignProject.NationalCenteronAcademicTransformation(NCAT)–www.center.rpi.eduUSCensusBureau:ComputerandInternetUseintheUnitedStates:October2007

Table4. ReportedComputerandInternetAccessforIndividuals15YearsandOlder,bySelectedCharacteristics:2005

Table5. ReportedInternetAccessandActivity,ForIndividuals15YearsandOlderWhoUsetheInternet,bySelectedCharacteristics:2005http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer/2007.html

Waits,T.,andLewis,L.(2003).DistanceEducationatDegree‐GrantingPostsecondaryInstitutions:2000–2001(NCES2003–017).Wellman,Barry;Smith,Aaron;Wells,Amy;Kennedy,Tracy.NetworkedFamilies,October2008.PewInternetandAmericanLife:Oct19,2008.Availableathttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Networked‐Families.aspx.Young,S.J.,ExploringDistanceEducationCurriculaforAdultLearners(WorkingPaper8).ProjectIDEAL,2005.Availablefromhttp://www.projectideal.org/pdf/WorkingPapers/WP8ExploringDistanceCurricula2005.pdf.Wagner,DanielA.andKozma,RobertB.NewTechnologiesforLiteracyandAdultEducation.AGlobalPerspective.Paris,France:UNESCO,2005.ListofPublicationsAssociatedwithSectionIIIResearchSummariesCaliforniaDistanceLearningProject: Dr.RichardStiles&DennisPorter,TheCaliforniaAdultEducation2005‐2007Innovationand

AlternativeInstructionalDeliveryProgram:AReview(2007). LynnParrBartlett,KarenNorton,DennisPorter,et.al.,DistanceLearningfortheAdultLearner:

ImprovingPersistenceandEffectiveness(Fall2006) OutreachandTechnicalAssistanceNetwork(OTAN)TechnologySymposia,VariousPresentations

(2007&2009).

LongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning: StephenReder&ClareStrawn,Self‐Study:BroadeningtheConceptsofParticipationandProgram

Support,FocusonBasics,Vol.8,IssueC,11/06,pp.6‐10.NationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLiteracy.Foundatwww.ncsall.edu.

ClareStrawn,TheRelationshipBetweenLiteracyProficiencyandtheDigitalDivideAmongAdultsWithLowEducationAttainment:AtechnicalreportfromtheLongitudinalStudyofAdultLearning,PortlandStateUniversity,2008.Availableathttp://www.lsal.pdx.edu/Documents/PDF/littech.pdf.

JohnBynner,SteveReder,SamanthaParsonsandClareStrawn,ResearchSummary:TheDigitalDivide:ComputerUse,BasicSkillsandEmployment:AComparativeStudyinPortland,OR,USAandLondon,England,October2008.Availableathttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=149#.

StephenReder,GivingLiteracyAway,Again:NewConceptsofPromisingPractice,inSummariesofPapersPresentedatTwentiethAnnualRutgersInvitationalSymposiumonEducation(RISE),co‐sponsoredbyNationalCenterfortheStudyofAdultLearningandLiteracy(NSCSALL),InstitutefortheStudyofAdultLiteracyofPennStateUniversity,andRutgersGraduateSchoolofEducation(October23‐24,2003),pp.21‐22.Availableathttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/rise_summaries.pdf.

ProjectIDEAL:NumerousarticlesandbookshavecomeoutoftheProjectIDEALwork,includingthecomprehensiveHandbookofdistanceEducationforAdultLearners(2004)andaseriesofworkingpapers: TheMissouriDistanceLearningMentoringProgram.AnEvaluationPreparedbyTheProjectIDEAL

SupportCenter(2005) ShannonYoung,ExploringDistanceEducationCurriculaforAdultLearners(2005) JeromeJohnston,MeasuringContactHoursandEducationalProgressinDistanceEducation(2005) LesliePetty,StatePolicyforDistanceEducationProgramsforAdultLearners(2005) JeromeJohnston,APilotTestofStudyGroups:ProfessionalDevelopmentforExperiencedDistance

Teachers(2004) LesliePetty,Pennsylvania'sDistanceLearningProject2004‐2005,July2005NationalResearchandDevelopmentCenter JohnBynner,SteveReder,SamanthaParsonsandClareStrawn,ResearchSummary:TheDigital

Divide:ComputerUse,BasicSkillsandEmployment:AComparativeStudyinPortland[OR],USAandLondon,England.October2008.Availablefromhttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=149#.

HarveyMellar,MariaKambouri,KitLogan,SallyBetts,BarbaraNanceandVivMoriarty,EffectiveTeachingandLearningUsingICT,SummaryReport,NRDC,February2007.Availableathttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=87#.

HumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada‐OfficeofLiteracyandEssentialSkills GettingOnline/TheGOProject:AResearchReportonOnlineLearningforCanadianLiteracy

Practitioners.Canada:October2008.Availableatwww.nald.ca/gettingonline.

OntarioMinistryofTraining,CollegesandUniversities,LiteracyandBasicSkillsProgram: PaulPorterandMatthewSturm,CrossingtheGreatDivides:Distancelearningandflexibledelivery

inAdultBasicEducation.ResearchReportforOntario’sLiteracyandBasicSkillsProgram.Ontario:HumanResourcesandSocialDevelopmentCanada.August2006.www.distance.alphaplus.ca/pdfs/CrossingTheGreatDividesFullRpt.pdf

NationalInstituteforLiteracy: Silver‐Pacuilla,Heidi(author)andReder,Stephen(originalanalysis).InvestigatingtheLanguageand

LiteracySkillsRequiredforIndependentOnlineLearning.Washington,DC.NationalInstituteforLiteracy.October,2008.Availableathttp://www.nifl.gov/publications/pdf/NIFLOnlineLearningReport.pdf.

U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicyDevelopment,PolicyandProgramStudiesService,CenterforTechnologyinLearning: Means,Barbara;Toyama,Yukie;Murphy,Robert;Bakia,Marianne;Jones,Karla.

EvaluationofEvidence‐BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning:AMeta‐AnalysisandReviewofOnlineLearningStudies.U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicyDevelopment,PolicyandProgramStudiesService,CenterforTechnologyinLearning,2009.Availableathttp://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence‐based‐practices/finalreport.pdf.

WebsiteResources AdultEdOnline‐www.adultedonline.org AssociationofPublicTelevisionStations‐WorkforceSkillsAdultLiteracy(WSAL)

http://www.apts.org/PTVissues/workforce/index.cfm CapturedWisdom‐www.ncrtec.org/pd/cw/adultlit.htm CenterforAppliedResearchinEducationTechnology(CARET)‐http://caret.iste.org NationalCenteronAdultLiteracy–UniversityofPennsylvania–http://www.literacy.org CaliforniaDistanceLearningProject(CDLP)‐www.cdlponline.org CommunityTechnologyCenters‐www.ed.gov/programs/comtechcenters DigitalEquityToolkit‐http://www.editlib.org/p/10041 DistanceEducationClearinghouse‐www.uwex.edu/disted EnglishForAll(EFA)‐www.myefa.org ESL/CivicsLink‐http://civicslink.ket.org ExpandingAccesstoAdultLiteracywithOnlineDistanceEducation–

http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_askov.pdf HarnessingTechnologytoServeAdultLiteracy‐http://alri.org/harness.html InternationalCentreforDistanceLearning(ICDL)‐www‐icdl.open.ac.uk InternationalSocietyforTechnologyinEducation(ISTE)‐www.iste.org NIFLLINCSTechnologyTrainingSpecialCollection‐www.altn.org/techtraining Outreach&TechnicalAssistanceNetwork(OTAN)‐www.otan.us ProfessionalDevelopmentKit(PDK)‐http://www.editlib.org/p/10887 PBSLiteracyLink‐http://litlink.ket.org ProjectIDEAL‐http://projectideal.org TheUnitedStatesDistanceLearningAssociation(USDLA)–www.usdla.org USALearns‐www.usalearns.org “TheVerizonLiteracyNetwork”‐http://literacynetwork.verizon.org