In seeing much of what's currently available online for GED students, I
wholeheartedly agree with you.  However, I do believe that as educators
get better at online course delivery and instructional technology,
things will change for the better.  
 
I'm currently teaching an online class for Adult High School students
using the learning management system Blackboard as the backbone for
delivery and communication, but we also use instant messaging, video
conferencing, Facebook, Google Docs, VoiceThread, etc. as a means of
creating a viable online learning community, as a means of presenting
collaborative and individual projects,  as a means of peer review, and
as a way of enhancing communication among students and instructors
alike.  Unlike f2f classes, I can communicate with my students any time,
any where and they with me.  (It's amazing the number of 16-25 year old
literacy students who are totally connected in a digital world!)  I have
had many more conversations with my online students than I would have
been able to with the same group f2f.  Even though the course has
parameters necessitated by program audit issues, performance measures,
learning objectives, etc., I use social constructivism as the primary
impetus behind teaching and learning.  It's working very, very well and
we hope to replicate it as soon as we gather the resources necessary for
curriculum development and other related costs.
 
Melinda
 
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



>>> On 2/3/2009 at 4:30 pm, in message

<013b01c98646$ab7a4700$026ed500$@org>, "Stephanie Moran"
<stephanie at durangoaec.org> wrote:

One thing we have found to be true for most of our GED Ss is that a
purely online program does not work—if they could have learned on a
computer alone, they would have done an online HS completion program.
Our students face such a myriad of obstacles that with the rare
exception of the true computer-loving-student, our students need us to
help them navigate higher-level coursework. A hybrid course may work,
but only if it meets f2f about as often as not.
 
David’s #2 question is a great one for us all to consider because they
transition grant we have has made developing curriculum easier to
manage.
 

From:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 8:44 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 1581] Transition models

 

Assessment Colleagues,

 

I have some questions for the guest experts and for others who work in
transition from adult secondary (GED/ADP/EDP) to post-secondary
education: 

 

1) what is the range of models of current transition programs? Are they
all separate transition classes? Are some ASE/GED classes that are
beefed up with transition content? Does anyone use a blend of online
instruction and face-to--face mentoring (for example 2- 3 hours/week of
one-on-one or small group mentoring accomianied by 6-10 hours a week of
online transition self-study)? Does anyone use a pure distance learning
transition model? Are there other models? 

 

2) Given the thin resources available to support separate transition
classes, how can adult secondary education programs add an affordable
transition component? What strategies are you thinking of?

 

3) I have been thinking about a design for a blended transition model
-- face-to-face mentoring in combination with a highly-structured online
transitions curriculum. How does that idea strike you? Does it already
exist someplace? Is anyone using it now? How is it working?

 

Thanks.


David J. Rosen

djrosen at theworld.com
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