Hi Diana,

I'd like to respond to your story about Luis and his persistence.  I see this
happen a lot within the online environment of AlphaRoute, and with the literacy
student that I myself tutor face-to-face.  Some students refuse to be defeated
by technology and are so eager to learn something new and participate with
others that they will plow through incredible barriers to achieve their goals.
I am always amazed and impressed.

Of course there are also many students who do give up at the first technology
glitch and write off a resource because it didn't work the first time, or
created some challenges along the way.

AlphaRoute was developed from its inception to be an environment in which the
student has full access to everything available - to be able to explore say what
a level 5 activity is like when the student is at level 2.  To enroll in an
online course (everything is free and non-credited) and to lurk, engage of part,
or complete to earn a certificate of participation.  This puts the
self-management piece into the hands of the student.

Within AlphaRoute there is a small group of students who form a community of
sorts.  I am always amazed when I speak with a couple of those core students by
how much they know about other students across the provice because of their
interactions by email or chat within AlphaRoute.

There are students who take the AlphaRoute online courses from home and program
computers that use dial-up!  It can take a long time for some content to load,
but the students are so keen to participate and learn online, that they persist
when I would not.

I know how much I learn when I refuse to be defeated by an obstacle and work
through a problem until I get some resolution - and how good I feel afterwards
that I prevailed.

I congratulate Luis for his persistence and to you and the program staff for
removing the first barrier and giving him his chance.  What was key for his
success, apart from his own determination was his self-knowledge that he could
succeed and the support along the way from you and your husband that he required
and requested.

We have learned from our research into the use of AlphaRoute and what students
indicate they require in learning online is that the support of an online mentor
as well as onsite support as required is key.  Students value and welcome the
assistance they need to explore their limits and pursue their goals.

As students move on from basic literacy programs we know they will encounter
external assessment tools that will assess and measure their competency in a
range of areas, including comfort and facility in online learning environments.
And that seems to be where many people engaged in this discussion are
interacting with students who have reading, writing and numeracy skills but
perhaps not sophisticated enough or honed enough distance online learning
skills, including self-management and self-direction to succeed.

I just want to insert what is happening at the early end of the literacy
continuum to introduce and prepare students for what is ahead.

Nancy








"Diana Satin" <dsatin at verizon.net> on 06/26/2007 04:32:54 PM

Please respond to Diana Satin <dsatin at verizon.net>; Please respond to The
      Technology and Literacy Discussion List <technology at nifl.gov>
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                


                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
 To:      "The Technology and Literacy Discussion List"       
          <technology at nifl.gov>                               
                                                              
 cc:      (bcc: Nancy Friday)                                 
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
 Subject: [Technology 1131] Re: pre assessments for online    
          learning                                            
                                                              







Hi--

Many very good points made here. I can tell the story of one student to
illustrate those regarding screening, prerequisite computer skills, and the
perhaps un-screenable factor of motivation.

During my most recent recruitment for our program's English for All-based course
(mostly DL with optional supplementary support available), one person I phoned
from our waitlist was unable to speak with me in English. I explained to Luis
(in my elementary-level Spanish) that the course was likely to be challenging,
but he was welcome to try it and see how he felt. At the face-to-face
orientation, he had great difficulty conversing with the other students but was
able to follow along by watching how to navigate the course website.

At home, he had numerous technical issues:

First, he didn't have lots of computer experience and didn't own a computer, but
bought one, motivated by the course.

Then, he couldn't view the videos because of a software snafu. I (and my more
fluently Spanish-speaking husband) explained another way he could access the
videos using iTunes, which he had his more computer-savvy brother help him work
out.

He also has had language difficulties:

When I called to check in on Luis because I saw he wasn't moving forward in the
course, he said he was having difficulty understanding the videos. I explained
how he could resize the iTunes window and the English for All window, so he
could read the text of the video as he viewed the movie in order to aid his
comprehension.

When I asked him how he feels in the course, what with the difficulties and all,
he says he's learning the language, and he does not have another opportunity to
learn because he isn't enrolled in any other course.

(Luis was able to hold this conversation completely in English! Struggling, but
all in English.)

So, Luis is an example of someone who could have been screened out due to his
limited computer and language skills. However, he's persisted in this primarily
DL course for 2-1/2 months, he's improved his computer knowledge through his
involvement with the class, and he's earning mostly 100% scores on his
coursework.

Other students who passed the screening because of their stronger computer and
language skills haven't persisted as Luis has.

Diana Satin
Jamaica Plain Community Centers
Adult Learning Program
Boston, MA
781.352.4540
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Silver-Pacuilla, Heidi
  To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:02 PM
  Subject: [Technology 1128] Re: pre assessments for online learning


  Hi everyone - great to see the conversation keeping up at such a robust level!
I just wanted to raise a point from my research review as well as my personal
work and research with students. I would caution against pre-assessments that
screen people out of classes.  Pre assessments in our literacy and ESOL world
should screen people *into* the right environments for their skills, otherwise
we will lose them - again. Students who responded to evaluations of their online
learning experience unanimously say that they learned computer skills AND
self-directed learning habits *by* participating.  This is a very fine line in
service delivery, I know, but I think the key is to encourage students to try
and then have supports on hand as/when they need them.  We also have to keep
pushing to produce and use better, more responsive instructional materials that
teach the skills necessary to learn from them.

  Good luck to all of us!



  Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, Ph.D.

  American Institutes for Research

  1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW

  Washington, DC  20007

  202.403.5218 (Phone)

  202.403.5454 (Fax)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

  From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Melinda Hefner
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 12:27 PM
  To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
  Subject: [Technology 1126] Re: Tryout periods



  I'm so glad to hear that your students' computer literacy skills are assessed.
We've found that students often think that the computer skills they have  are
sufficient for a DL course, when they aren't.  (They may e-mail and use the
internet, but not know how to save files, upload files, use discussion boards,
use digital drop boxes, use virtual classrooms, etc., etc.).



  You didn't mention this, but I assume that the assessments also measure
sefl-management skills, learning styles, lifestyle considerations, hardware and
software requirements, etc. Measuring students' perceptions of DL courses is
also helpful since many first-time DL students think that DL courses are easier
than seated or hybrid courses.



  I've seen lots of DL readiness assessments, but often they only address
computer skills rather than also addressing the areas I mentioned above.  As DL
courses become more and more common and as student learning and student
satisfaction data are analyzed, I believe that the importance of comprehensive
distance learning readiness will emerge.





  Melinda M. Hefner
  Director, Literacy Support Services



  Basic Skills Department
  Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
  2855 Hickory Blvd.
  Hudson, North Carolina  28638
  Office:  (828) 726-2245
  FAX:     (828) 726-2266












  >>> "Susan Jones" <SUJones at parkland.edu> 06/26/07 11:09 AM >>>

  I have seen exactly such readiness assessments.  I'm pretty sure I had to take
one before I took an online course here in 2000... but it wasn't a grad program.
Starting recently, *all* our students have to take a "computer competency"
assessment and course placement is recommended from that. (We have several
levels of basic computer competency classes.)

  Susan Jones
  Academic Development Specialist
  Academic Development Center
  Parkland College
  Champaign, IL  61821
  sujones at parkland.edu
  Webmastress,
  http://www.resourceroom.net
  http://bicyclecu.blogspot.com


  >>> Melinda Hefner <mhefner at cccti.edu> 6/25/2007 2:41 PM >>>
  I'm jumping in here mid-stream so this may have been discussed previously.

  I have rarely seen in DL courses, especially for DL literacy courses, any kind
of distance learning readiness assessment.  You're so right when you say that
"...it seems reasonable that we help them find the instructional method or class
that best fits their needs and learning styles."  I'm in a 100% online grad
program and several of the folks have dropped out because their technical skills
simply weren't adequate.  I've found too many educators who have discounted the
DL readiness piece and go on to blame the students for not being successful.

  Melinda M. Hefner
  Director, Literacy Support Services

  Basic Skills Department
  Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
  2855 Hickory Blvd.
  Hudson, North Carolina  28638
  Office:  (828) 726-2245
  FAX:     (828) 726-2266






  >>> Leslie Petty <lpetty at twmi.rr.com> 06/25/07 10:40 AM >>>

  I agree.  Some of the states in Project IDEAL have found that students who
have an extensive orientation to the distance material - including plenty of
time to "play" and get a feel for this instructional approach - tend to persist
longer.  If we want students to be successful, it
seems reasonable that we help them find the instructional method or class that
best fits their needs and learning styles.  It's hard for them to make an
informed decision about distance if they're unfamiliar with it, so the idea of
try-out periods makes a great deal of sense.

  Leslie Petty

  Wendy Quinones wrote:
  I'm a little late getting back to this, but I love the point you made,
  Nancy, about the try-out being a learning experience even if the course
  isn't completed.  I've found that to be the case with PD online as well,
  with teachers trying out the online experience and deciding they definitely
  don't like it and leaving; others finding that the material or the
  participant interaction to be so valuable that they persist in the face of
  all kinds of technical and personal difficulties.  Not too different from
  our students, I think.  In this age of accountability we focus perhaps to
  much on outcomes and not enough on process and what can be learned from it,
  regardless of outcome.

  Wendy Quinones
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: <nancy.friday at alphaplus.ca>
  To: "The Technology and Literacy Discussion List" <technology at nifl.gov>
  Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 2:03 PM
  Subject: [Technology 1073] Re: Tryout periods



  Hi,

  Nancy from Toronto here again in response to the issue of learner
  retention.
  Recruitment and retention have been the focus of much discussion during
  the
  distance delivery research we have been engaged in at the AlphaPlus Centre
  with
  the four sites that have been exploring distance delivery.

  Retention has also been a noted interest in what happens in short online
  courses
  that we have developed and delivered as part of AlphaRoute for the past
  three
  years.  Our emerging and currently only form of new content for AlphaRoute
  this
  year is online courses.  Our courses are four weeks long.  For the first
  two
  years they were delivered in a discussion forum - Web Board (supported by
  an
  external course web site) as part of AlphaRoute.  This year we are
  offering the
  courses in Moodle.  You can take a look at the course topic list and
  external
  course web sites at:
  www.resources.alpharoute.org > Resources > Online courses for adult
  literacy
  students

  What we have found in terms of retention is that for the first two weeks,
  students are gung-ho, and then we see a drop-off in week three that is
  sustained
  through week four.  Generally we have found that a third of the students
  that
  enroll in a course complete it and receive a course certificate of
  participation.

  Interesting what you share David about a two-week period being perhaps the
  right
  amount to try-out time.

  I should note that we acknowledge there is a continuum of learning for us
  all,
  and so for a student to take the step and enroll in an AlphaRoute online
  course
  is in fact a learning step.  Trying it out for a week or two to see how it
  works
  and then not continuing is also learning.  Committing to take the course
  and
  complete the work to achieve the certificate at the end (and learning some
  cool
  stuff along the way) is a goal for us.  And in the world of demonstrating
  literacy learning and a range of skills, can make for a great
  demonstration.
  But we would like to think that our courses are so valuable to learners
  and
  engaging that they will all move from start to finish.  It isn't realistic
  that
  they will though - because of that continuum of learning.

  >From the stats and knowledge of the programs that the students enrolled in

  the

  courses come from, the highest retention rates come from students whose
  instructor has included the AlphaRoute online course within their
  instruction
  and where students are in a computer lab at the same time taking the
  course.  So
  motivation and support (instructor and peer) are onsite.  However, the
  course
  facilitator is at a distance and does contribute to a motivating and
  retention
  aspect of student support.  The development of online courses in
  AlphaRoute has
  not been done within a research project or model.  We are learning as we
  go and
  writing articles and sharing information as we learn.  Our challenge at
  this
  point is to focus on that three week drop-off reality and see what we can
  do
  from the course content and development side to attempt to support
  learners in
  sustaining their involvement past that drop-off point.

  Any suggestions or ideas from the range of instructors and researchers
  participating in this discussion are more than welcome!

  Nancy Friday









  "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net> on 06/15/2007 09:01:41 AM

  Please respond to The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
       <technology at nifl.gov>








  To:      The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
           <technology at nifl.gov>

  cc:      (bcc: Nancy Friday)



  Subject: [Technology 1064]  Tryout periods








  Distance Learning Technology Colleagues,

  Earlier this week, in response to a message Heidi Silver-Pacuilla had
  posted, Holly Dilatush wrote:

  "too many learners register, show up one week, then drop before/
  without completing 12 hours/first episode.   Follow-up (to attempt to
  determine WHY) has been challenging -- guesswork more than documented
  responses.   There
  are SO many extenuating circumstances."

  For many adult learners, especially those who choose online options,
  and for many reasons, we need to design/include/expect a "tryout
  period" a short online learning experience -- perhaps two weeks --
  sampling the material, process and technology used in the longer,
  online learning.  At the end of the tryout, participants can stop (if
  they were experimenting with the medium, are not happy with the
  content, can't make the longer commitment, or for any other reason).
  Those who are ready to commit, can do so, and at that point begin to
  be counted in the DOE-funded system.

  Does an example of this already exist somewhere?  If so, how is the
  tryout period funded? (State and local funders and private funders
  need to pick up the costs of this "tryout")

  I believe we need the same sort of tryout period for teachers doing
  online professional development.  Does a model of this exist somewhere?

  Your thoughts?


  David J. Rosen
  djrosen at comcast.net



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  ===========================================================
  Nancy Friday
  AlphaRoute Coordinator
  AlphaPlus Centre  (http://alphaplus.ca)
  Telephone: (416) 322-1012 x.305
  Fax: 1-800-788-1417
  TTY: 1-800-788-1912
  nancy.friday at alphaplus.ca
  ============================================================


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  --
  *********************************
  Leslie Petty
  Associate Director, Project IDEAL
  University of Michigan
  Institute for Social Research
  734-425-0748
  ----------------------------------------------------
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===========================================================
Nancy Friday
AlphaRoute Coordinator
AlphaPlus Centre  (http://alphaplus.ca)
Telephone: (416) 322-1012 x.305
Fax: 1-800-788-1417
TTY: 1-800-788-1912
nancy.friday at alphaplus.ca
============================================================