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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Hello, everyone. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to
discuss the Learner Web this week and to answer questions you have. And,
indeed, you’ve already posed some excellent questions. Before turning to
specific questions, however, let’s briefly review what the Learner Web
is, as it’s quite different in intent from other online or distance
learning systems. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Learner Web is a <i><span style='font-style:italic'>learning
support system</span></i> intended to help adults reach important learning
goals they may have, such as obtaining a GED, improving their English,
transitioning to college, preparing for a particular career, etc. A learner
can access the system through the Internet. In addition to on-line resources,
the Learner Web integrates support services from existing local education
programs, community based organizations, tutors, and telephone helpers. The
Learner Web consists of a Web-based software system that is implemented
regionally. The System is organized around Learning Plans. A Learning Plan is a
set of steps structured around achieving an identified goal. For example, if
the goal is to get a GED, the steps might include finding out more about the
tests, identifying what skills one needs to brush up on, learning new skills
and knowledge, taking practice tests, etc. Each step is matched with online and
community based resources and a workspace where Learners can take assessments
or save their work in an e-portfolio. The Learner creates a personal profile,
may take a short reading assessment and interest inventory, chooses a goal from
the available list and follows the learning plan independently or with a tutor
or a teacher. The Learning Plan is dynamically matched by the software to both
the learner profile and educational resources. The Learner’s progress is
saved and can be returned to at any time via the internet. Learners can choose
to share their workspace with a tutor or teacher. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Learner Web is being demonstrated in a number of sites across the
country over the next two years. We plan to use the experiences of the local
communities and organizations involved in the demonstration to help us design a
sustainable national rollout starting in the fall of 2010. It may be possible
for interested programs, organization or communities to join the project and
begin using the Learner Web before that time. At the moment, there are Learner
Web implementations is <st1:City w:st="on">Portland</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">OR</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">St. Paul</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">MN</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Boston</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">MA</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Providence</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">RI</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Westchester</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">NY</st1:State>, <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Union</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">NJ</st1:PlaceName>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">DC</st1:State></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Now for some of your questions. A couple people asked if LW could be
used by free-standing adult learners, that is, by adults who are not enrolled
in formal programs. The answer to that depends on the Region implementing it.
During our demonstration project, some of our Regions are limiting its use
initially during the piloting period to students in their classes. Other
regions are allowing learners to create their own accounts and use the system
independently. Once Learners have accounts, they log in to the system, select
their goals, and start working on related Learning Plans (which provide
assessments and appropriate placements into Learning Plans).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Several questions asked about the reading, math, and computer skill
levels required to use the system. We will have good answers to those
questions after we complete the piloting period currently underway. For now, I
would say that we’ve seen adults with little previous education or native
language literacy struggle with the navigation within LW, while other adult
students find it relatively easy to use. The difficulty experienced depends
not just on the Learner Web software itself (which we frequently revise to make
friendlier to a broader range of adult learners) but on the content of the Learning
Plans and Resources developed for the system. Learning Plans can be targeted
to adults at different skill levels. It is straightforward to incorporate
multilingual and multimedia content, prompts and assessments into Learning
Plans.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The LW design was based on research about adult learning that indicated
that adults with quite low levels of skill can and often do engage in
self-directed efforts to improve their basic skills. But this research did not
focus specifically on the self-directed use of online tools, so it is important
to wait for the experience of our pilot sites with a range of learners before
answering the question. We hope the integrated help systems we have built into
LW (including telephone based helpers) will scaffold its use by low-skilled
adults so that a broader skill range of adults may be able to use the system
than if they had to do it totally on their own. We plan to use videos,
podcasts and other multimedia to provide initial orientation to users. A simple
Learning Plan is being developed that will teach users how to use the system.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Several questions asked about specific features of the LW system and
how they relate to features of web-based classroom platforms such as Moodle,
WiZiQ, etc. Although there are some overlaps between LW and other such systems,
and indeed LW could be used as just a platform for an online course, it is
really designed for supporting a range of self-study and blended learning
models, working hand-in-hand with and coordinating collaboration among
community resources, programs and services to support learners. LW can also be
used to add functionality and enhance other online products; for example, a
Learning Plan could wrap around an online product and add telephone-based
volunteers who help learners working with the other online product. Another
example: using telephone-based volunteers as conversation partners in an ESOL
Learning Plan. We see the LW as enhancing and supplementing rather than
replacing live teachers and classroom interaction. Tutors – either
online or face-to-face – have roles in LW and where available are easily
integrated into Learning Plans. Relatively little social networking
functionality is built directly into LW but it is straightforward to add social
networking sites/software as Resources in Learning Plans. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Assessment of progress in LW is measured directly in terms of
learners’ completion of key steps and goals within particular Learning
Plans. Learning Plans may be designed so that the completion of some steps is
determined by learners themselves, whereas other steps require a teacher or
tutor using the LW to determine whether the step is completed by looking at an
assessment or assignment submitted by the learner. Steps have workspace items
associated with them, which may be automatically scored tests or assessments or
assignments that must be graded by a teacher or other LW user who views the
learner’s work. If programs negotiate proxy hour equivalents with their
states for completion of key steps or goals in a Learning Plan, those equivalents
can be directly entered into the Learning Plan design and automatically reported
for NRS purposes.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>We’ll stop here. We weren’t able to respond here to all of
the questions initially posed, but I’m sure they’ll come up as we
continue the discussion this week. We’re looking forward to it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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