Essential Skills Online: A Consortium Approach
Final Report
The full Essential Skills Online final report comes in several sections. It would be best to start with the PDF files, leaving ‘Observations on the Results’ at the end of this section to the last. Start with the Bow Valley Final Report (BVfinalReport.pdf) then the Fanshawe College Final Report (FanFinalReport.pdf.) Follow these two with the Bow Valley External Review (BVC_Appendicies_N.pdf). Then you can explore the other appendices, as you desire.
BVFinalReport.pdf FanFinalReport.pdf
Observations on the Results
Readers not that familiar with the essential skills field may have wondered what the two scales, the 500-point IALS and the 5-level Essential Skills Research Project, actually meant in terms of skills and abilities. Adults scoring high in level 2 have the skills and abilities of someone with a grade 8 education. International research has concluded that Level 3 is the desired level of adult literacy. This level corresponds with the skills needed for coping with a modern knowledge-based economy both in work and in everyday life.
The Bow Valley learning system was designed to bring mid and high level 2’s to level 3. Because the students were recruited on a volunteer bases, there was a mixture of all four levels in the 247 participants. It is interesting that the average increase in ALL groups was 10 points but not sure what this really means. 31% who studied 20 hours or more gained 20 points.
375 participants took the pre-test while 274 completed the program realizing a 66% completion rate. It was not in the scope of the project to survey those that dropped out so we conjecture that they left the program they were in, or didn’t work on the ESD because it was not required or it was too difficult for them.
It appears that most of the participants had some computer facility and is reflected by the fact that 80% of the participants used some online elements, while 50% used the elements exclusively online.
Its important to note the key role that facilitators played in helping learners. It was especially true for the Fanshawe distance students who made extensive use the web conferencing software.
Generally the project was a success and mainly achieved its goals and objectives. The teams were able to recruit the required sample size and exceed the important goal of having 50% of participants increase their essential skill level while almost achieving the 80% level in the other objective areas: confidence in computer based learning, increased confidence as an independent learner, and a willingness to engage in further formal learning.
More research needs to be done in assessing those with poor essential skills to determine the type and nature of the barriers that prevent them from increasing their skills. Now that we have a distance Technological Accommodation model, we need to test effectiveness of this model with colleges across Canada using standard research methodology.
BVC_Appendices_A-E.pdf BVC_Appendices_F-I.pdf BVC_Appendices_J-L.pdf BVC_Appendices_M.pdf
Project Overview and Start Up
Human Resources & Skills Development Canada, through its Office of Literacy and Essentials Skills, has funded a partnership of the Canadian Virtual College Consortium, Bow Valley College and Fanshawe College to develop online learning materials for Essential Skills and to test their effectiveness. Starting in February 2010, 240 students across Canada will be using industry-sector specific, online material developed by the TOWES unit of Bow Valley College to upgrade their Essential Skills. For those field-test students who are vulnerable learners, Fanshawe College has developed a technology/human interface solution to overcome their difficulties. Results of the pilot test will be available in December of 2010.
The Bow Valley learning system, called Essential Skills Direct (ESD), provides accessible, innovative and convenient learning options that aim to effectively remove barriers to learning and employment by teaching the skills needed for working in Canada’s highly skilled labour market. The ESD tool will help learners develop techniques for improving Essential Skills and introduce an integrated approach to training, in an online environment. The tool will improve the Essential Skill levels of learners in the context of specific sectors including: Health Care, Automotive, Oil & Gas, and Trades (pre-apprenticeship.) Bow Valley has been developing this learning system since the beginning of the project in February 2008.
The ESD consists of two main sections:
In addition, there is a Facilitator’s Guide, Project Mentorship and Technical support (the latter two via email or phone.) For details of these components, click here. The Modules are the heart of the learning system. They are composed of authentic workplace documents, documents that workers would use in carrying out their day-to-day tasks. Each Module contains one or more sector-specific documents and at the end of each module there is a self test and answer key. When students find they are lacking a certain skill, such as skimming when reading, they go to the SkillBuilders for help. For each sector, there are four modules specific to that sector. All of the SkillBuilders are available for each sector. It will take about 20 hours for students to complete the materials related to their chosen sector. The material can be delivered in online or blended versions.
Assisting Vulnerable Learners
To address the needs of vulnerable learners who will be studying online, Fanshawe College has been developing a technological and human interactive approach to help these learners to over come their learning barriers. Vulnerable learners are those students who have poor language skills, poor comprehension of textual material, poor numeracy skills, and may prefer a spoken presentation. Over the past year and a half Fanshawe has been testing out various technologies such as computers with text-to-voice software, to overcome these barriers. They found that the first barrier was the technology itself as learners became frustrated learning the technology. This was overcome by initial face-to-face tutoring and videoconferencing with the mentor.
As a result of working with learning vulnerable students, Fanshawe has developed a ‘Distance Education Assistive Bundle’ consisting of a netbook computer with regular software (Word, Internet explorer, Adobe Reader, and others as needed), assistive software (text-to-speech, text help, visual learning, and writing tools), and video conferencing software ( video/audio, document sharing, screen control and whiteboard) Each student will receive one of these bundles.
Fanshawe will be testing out their technology/human interface solutions with up to 140 vulnerable learners over the course of the three year project. They will also be using the ‘Assistive Bundles’ with 40 of the Bow Valley pilot students.
A full report on the effectiveness of these ‘Assistive Bundles’ will be available in the late fall of this year.
The Pilot Test
The project pilot test starts in February 2010 and lasts until the end of May 2010. Twelve educational partners are participating in the pilot bringing in over 240 test students from college apprenticeship programs and literacy community groups across the country.
All student participants involved in this pilot project will be required to complete a TOWES pre and post test. These test results, student and mentor evaluations, as well as information on the students’ activities in the ESD database will provide material for assessing the effectiveness of the project (see project objectives.) A final project report will be available in January of 2011.
The Canadian Virtual College Consortium provides project management.
For project updates and a final project report please add your email address to our distribution list.
For further information please contact:
Paul Avon
Executive Director
Canadian Virtual College Consortium
pavon@sympatico.ca
Fax +1 866 350 7685
