In Ontario, our government is transforming how it collaborates with the public and provides services by migrating many everyday interactions and transactions to an online platform. This e-government service initiative includes a commitment to provide opportunities for people to advance or gain new digital skills, particularly to individuals most in need of digital literacy training. […]

Literacy Nipissing participates in the Literacy Uplift project to develop an app for adult learners. We spoke with Vandra McQuarrie, Executive Director at Literacy Nipissing, about her organization’s role in developing the app and testing it with adult learners.

The Learner Gains Research Project is bringing the Essential Skills for Employment and Education (ESEE) online assessment to LBS programs. AlphaPlus has been keeping an eye on the ESEE practice test pilot including issues, discussions, and the response from our sector. To help keep the conversation going, we are highlighting a new blog called ‘Policy […]

There is a need in the adult education sector for a comprehensive analysis and review of federal and provincial employment training, social assistance policies, adult education programs, technology policies and programs, and their impact on digital access for Ontario’s vulnerable adults. We are pleased to announce that AlphaPlus has received a grant from the Ministry […]

In 2014-15, AlphaPlus was involved in a research project examining current assessment practices related to the OALCF Use Digital Technology Milestones, the alignment between the Milestones and program learning and reporting trends. Our study concludes that the Milestones and accompanying administration guidelines work counter to the ministry’s objective for the OALCF to “improve service delivery, […]

While they’re not exactly “beach reads”, these two recently released reports make for very interesting and relevant reading for anyone interested in how to support adult students in navigating the digital world for employment, and in how to use technology to bridge time and distance. First up is, Adults, Computers and Problem Solving What’s the Problem? […]

In August, AlphaPlus invited adult literacy stakeholders to provide feedback on the experiences literacy educators and learners had with the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) On-line Field Trial to explore the impact of digital technology in online assessment. We summarized the feedback we received in a short report called Voices Speak to […]

On October 8, 2013, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) will be releasing the first results from its landmark study, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). A Canadian report will come out on the same day. PIAAC measures skills in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments (PS-TRE) […]

AlphaPlus’ most recent publication, Adult Learners and Digital Media: Exploring the usage of digital media with adult literacy learners, reports on the results of a study that documented the perceptions and experiences of ten adult learners using digital media to create their own digital texts. The learners were then asked to reflect on how they think digital media […]

AlphaPlus’ most recent publication Adult Learners and Digital Media: Exploring the usage of digital media with adult literacy learners reports on research based on the study of the perceptions and experiences of ten adult learners with digital media as they work through small group sessions to create their own digital texts and then reflect on whether and how they think that digital media might help them build digital literacy skills and whether they might be able to apply these skills in their daily lives.