Wondering what the research says about equitable digital access and learning opportunities for the adults we work with?

AlphaPlus recently completed a comprehensive report focused on equitable access to technology for all Ontarians. During the webinar, Christine Pinsent-Johnson, one of the authors of the report, shared some highlights and a few takeaways that programs may find useful as they develop their own digital literacy workshops, courses and overall strategies.

Topics include

• Highlights of Ontario’s new digital transformation initiative
• An overview of who is digitally disconnected and why
• A comprehensive way to look at access that goes beyond connectivity and owning a device
• Examples of innovative programs and initiatives in Ontario and beyond
• Some considerations when developing initiatives that appeal to digitally disconnected and hesitant adults
• Potential barriers and opportunities LBS programs.

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. As those in the adult education sector know, a digital divide and lack of technology training persists in Ontario and in Canada. For many Ontarians, the cost of an Internet connection puts access out of reach. When Internet access is available disparities in education level, literacy, technical skills, online problem solving and access to digital learning supports contribute to the divide. AlphaPlus’ synthesis review project sought to examine existing literature to better understand effective and comprehensive digital literacy learning, as well as inclusion opportunities for current and future users of e-government services.

The report details the results of a literature review and a jurisdictional scan funded by the Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF) in 2016-2017. This project explores what it means to be an inclusive and digitally enabled province, and to support Ontario’s vision for advancing digital literacy skills for those in need. Because of the digital literacy strategy currently under development in Ontario, this research was an ideal opportunity to look at promising policies, programs and practices designed to create an environment of digital inclusion in other jurisdictions.

Assessment Challenges, Contradictions and Inequities: An analysis of the use of digital technology and OALCF Milestones

Christine Pinsent-Johnson
Matthias Sturm
2015

See the Research Brief.

See the Full Report.

See the Presentation.

The report explores the following four themes:

• How digital technology is shaping and transforming literacy and learning, with implications for policy and practice
• Promising practices in incorporating digital technology in ABE
• Digital divides and inequality in access to digital technologies for learning
• Professional development for educators and related curricula and delivery policy.

A report on a short-term project conducted in partnership with four self-selected, community-based, adult literacy agencies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Although over the years we have worked closely with many adult literacy programs across the province, we wanted to look more closely at the realities of using digital technologies for adult literacy teaching and learning.

Specifically, we wanted to:

• see how a program uses, works with and integrates digital technology in adult literacy programming
• explore how programs are actually using digital technologies and e-learning (We define e-learning as teaching and learning with digital technologies)
• learn about the opportunities and challenges that programs face so that we are better informed and can more closely align our services and supports to the needs of adult literacy programs
• take a preliminary look at the use of digital technologies and e-learning in adult literacy programs in relation to the Use Digital Technology Competency of the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF).

Social Networking Sites and Adult Literacy Learning: Raising the Issues, explores how educators and adult learners might harness the full potential of Social Networking Sites (SNS)  and other social media in the service of adult literacy teaching and learning.

This paper, commissioned by AlphaPlus, is a synthesis of the critical analysis of the issues that we uncovered from the literature, policy documents, web-based sources and, more importantly, from literacy learners and educators themselves.

Acknowledging that informal literacy learning is occurring in the process of using SNS, the paper addresses various factors that influence literacy learners’ use of these sites such as 21st Century skills, social and civic engagement, marginalization, the digital divide, and digital citizenship. Noting the ubiquity of digital technologies in today’s society, the authors argue that literacy programs have an important role in helping adult literacy learners keep pace with others in society. However, the paper also raises important issues that will need to be addressed if SNS are to be incorporated into literacy programs.

“Social networking sites and adult literacy learning go hand in hand, in our opinion, yet the issues and questions we’ve raised require careful consideration if they are to be brought together in non-formal and formal educational contexts.”

154 learners ranging in age from 27 to 39 participated in this research study, developing and piloting distance and online learning delivery models for adult basic education (ABE) programs in Ontario, Canada. Almost three-quarters of the participants were women, the preferred language of two-thirds of the participants was English, and half of the learners were not employed at the time of the study. On average, almost two and a half years had passed since the participants’ last upgrading course in an on-site environment. Almost half of the participants reported their learning goal was to pursue further training and almost the same amount said they would rather work independently toward achieving their goals. Each of the programs differed in population served, method of instructional delivery, and curriculum.

The literacy programs involved in this research project were:

Centre de formation pour adultes J’aime apprendre Inc. – Formation multi-modale en alphabétisation et formation de base – Cornwall and Alexandria

Community Learning Centre Napanee (Kingston Literacy) – The Distance Delivery Development Project – Napanee, Tamworth, and Kaladar

Sioux-Hudson Literacy Council – Good Learning Anywhere – First Nations Management Training program, Pelican Falls High School, Hudson, and Pikangikum

Confederation College – LBS Distance Delivery Project – Thunder Bay, Kenora, Onigaming, and Grassy Narrows.

The results were extremely promising. The study found that distance delivery is a viable option for serving students who are not otherwise able to attend traditional programs or who are in more isolated areas. The study also found that, with proper support and training, distance learners can use technology as a valuable adjunct to learning and can make good learning progress with some level of teacher contact and support. Specifically the study showed that distance learning can be a valuable tool in providing services to rural and isolated populations, and very effective for learners with relatively low levels of literacy. But it also showed that distance learners don’t differ greatly from traditional learners who have done well in a classroom setting, although they do seem to have slightly higher preferences for working on their own.