Karisa,
 
The course was developed by two LWTC ESL instructors as WORD documents, using documents they developed and websites for grammar lessons and assignments, and reading/writing lessons.  The course was originally taught in BLACKBOARD but LWTC changed to ANGEL several years ago..    
 
The course was designed as a supplement to level 4 and 5 ESL classes to introduce/review grammar on verb tenses, articles, gerunds and infinitives, etc.,  as grammar support.  It has lessons on paragraph format, topic and concluding sentences, detail sentences the first 3 weeks, and then studentswrite and rewrite paragraphs for the rest of the 10 week class.   I give a "live" orientation on "how to do your lessons in ANGEL" and how the class schedule works at the beginning of the quarter, and include copies of the long an short versions of the "how to" packages in ANGEL.     
 
Each week has grammar and writing lessons and assignments.  They send their assignments to me  in ANGEL as WORD documents, I copy their assignments to their folder on my desktop, correct them and send them back to the students in ANGEL, with extensive notes about their errors and the corrections to help them improve their grammar and writing skills.  I sometimes send additional grammar or writing support documents to individual students with their corrected assignments, when their writing or grammar errors suggest that the "handout" might help.  I try to give them as much "supplementary" support as possible.
 
Because the class is a supplementry class, students' "grade" for their ESL class (move up to the next level, or not) is not impacted.  They get practice writing, and a lot of grammar review, but their CASAS testing is done in their face-to-face ESL class.  I don't know if any tracking is done to determine if students who take the online classes in conjunction with their face-to-face classes make significant CASAS gains. However we only test the reading and listening skills with CASAS.  The only reading students do in my class is the lessons and directions, so the only "assessment of reading" would be how well they do on the grammar assignments, and how well they follow the assignment directions, which I don't assess or track.  
 
My class is usually the first online class level 4 and 5 ESL students take.  It gives them experiece with online education, along with more grammar and writing practice.  Students who complete  minimum of 80% of the assignments get a passing "grade" and are eligible to take the next online course for ESL students, an ABED class.  
 
I  hope this gives you the information you seek.  If not, feel free to email me!
 
 
Mikal Steinbacher
Instructor, ABE/ESL/English/IBEST
Lake Washington Technical College
mikal.steinbacher at LWTC.edu

________________________________

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of karisa tashjian
Sent: Thu 10/23/2008 9:39 AM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3021] Supplemental online course forgrammar/writing


Mikal,
 
Our high intermediate learners have the exact same need as you described.  I particularly like the supplemental nature to classroom instruction that you have given the course. I would love to know more about how you designed an online course for grammar/writing.  What software/website did you use to design the course, what type of activities does the course consist of and what have been the challenges?  
 
We have been considering offering a supplemental in-person grammar/writing course and would use the REEP writing rubric for assessment.  We are also involved in an action research project with a similar supplemental intervention (take home packets).  We are basically comparing the gains made by those who use the packets versus those who do not.  Student time logs, CASAS gains, and number of attendance hours are also all part of the data that we are looking at to see how what correlations exist.
 
Thanks for sharing, Mikal.

Karisa Tashjian
Literacy Program Coordinator
RI Family Literacy Initiative
Providence, RI

--- On Thu, 10/23/08, Steinbacher Mikal <Mikal.Steinbacher at lwtc.edu> wrote:


	From: Steinbacher Mikal <Mikal.Steinbacher at lwtc.edu>
	Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3018] Re: distance learning .... as the future?
	To: pumarosa21 at yahoo.com, "The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List" <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>
	Date: Thursday, October 23, 2008, 10:40 AM
	
	
	I've been teaching an online grammar/writing class for high intermediate ESL
	students for ~ 5 years now as a supplement to face-to-face classes taught on
	campus.  It is a stand alone class, but is "sold" as a support course
	to students' face-to-face class.  We have found, as I am sure all ESL
	programs have, that writing is the last skill mastered by ESL students, and have
	discovered that the additional grammar and writing support the online class
	provides does make a difference.  To my knowledge, we don't have any
	statistics, but it might be interesting to develop some ... if a way to do it
	efficiently could be found.  Any ideas???  
	 
	Mikal Steinbacher
	Instructor, ABE/ESL/English
	Lake Washington Technical College
	
	________________________________
	
	From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Paul Rogers
	Sent: Wed 10/22/2008 12:42 PM
	To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
	Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3014] distance learning .... as the future?
	
	
	     Distance learning - in my opinion - will become an integral part of ESL in
	the future. Those programs already involved in a distance learning approach have
	found that they are able to provide ESL instruction to many more students, while
	at the same time increasing interest and "retention."
	     Distance learning can be defined as a program that provides lessons via
	computers and internet, dvds and videos, audio cds and ipods,  text-books or
	workbooks with homework assignments, "homework" via email, and, in
	some cases, airing lessons on community television ("public access
	tv"). 
	
	     There are also programs which provide free or low cost refurbished or used
	computers for ESL students, a Computers For Families approach. 
	
	     And there are grants available for distance learning under the title of
	"Bridging The Digital Divide." 
	
	     Distance learning is more "student centered" and, I think, more
	popular and can be more effective. 
	
	     In addition, publicity to increase community interest for this kind of
	program can be done through community newspapers, or newspapers in the language
	of the potential students, radio stations (PSAs) and flyers distributed at swap
	meets, churches, local stores, etc. 
	
	     Other venues can include places like laudromats - I just started
	"teaching" at the Laundromat I use! I  use some of my cds, texts, and
	some home made dvds. I shall eventually bring in my laptop and demonstrate how
	my website works. 
	
	Very interesting, no?! 
	
	Paul Rogers 
	805-258-3310
	pumarosa21 at yahoo.com
	PUMAROSA.COM
	
	----------------------------------------------------
	National Institute for Literacy
	Adult English Language Learners mailing list
	EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov
	To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
	http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage
	Email delivered to ktashjian at yahoo.com


-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 9957 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/englishlanguage/attachments/20090131/dd2b7c41/attachment.bin