Hello, again. A few of the questions David received asked about use online tools by adults in the target audience for USAL. I hope the following responses will help to begin to answer some of those concerns.<div><br></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><p style="margin-left: 0.25in; "><b>About ten years ago, I conducted a thorough review of secondary literature on online learning specifically asking questions related to the use of online learning for the pre-GED adult learner. At that time the research seemed to indicate that online learning was most successful for people who were already successful readers and linear learners -- that the use of online learning courses added an additional burden to learners who were visual or kinesthetic or social learners -- and /or who had difficulty with reading. I wonder if the guests would speak directly to how their systems address those issues of learning modality -- and reading levels.</b></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.25in; "></p><p style="margin-left: 0.25in; ">The USAL materials were developed in conjunction with a panel of ESL experts and field tested with students from a variety of educational and native language backgrounds.<span> </span>Audio and video play a key role in the activities throughout the site, so that learners are not relying exclusively on print.<span> </span>Visual learners are likely to find much that fits with their learning styles, but it may be more challenging for kinesthetic or social learners (unless the social learners enroll in a class with a teacher or tutor using USAL). <span> </span>However, the site does require that students have at least a basic reading level in English in order to be able to effectively navigate the site and understand the lessons/activities. In conducting our usability studies, we found that learners with low levels of education in their native countries (6<sup>th</sup> grade or lower), who were at the Beginning ESL levels, and had limited computer skills were not only able to navigate the site and complete the activities, but were so engaged that they spent significantly more time working than we had asked them to.<span> </span>In addition, they wanted to have their family members use the site.<span> </span>The only area where we noticed hesitation on their part was when it came to writing in English:<span> </span>many of the students either avoided writing activities or indicated that they were difficult for them.</p>
<p><b>What evidence and experience do the designers have about the use of online tools by people with very low literacy?</b></p><p></p><p>SCOE has extensive experience in developing online resources for adult learners. The site was designed for ease of use: <span> </span>It contains a collection of 15 activity templates that cover the most commonly used learning activities in online adult education.<span> </span>The templates all have a common look and feel and a minimal set of features to increase the likelihood that users will find the site easy to navigate. Directions, activities and feedback are minimalist in design, require little reading, and appear in the same place on every screen. <span> </span>An animated introductory help feature, with audio available in English and Spanish allows users to take an animated tour to learn how to use the site.<span> </span>Video and audio are used extensively throughout the activities, including opportunities for learners to record and playback their spoken English</p>
<p></p><p>However, as we've noted before, we didn't know how well this approach would work with low-level learners and learners with minimal computer skills. Our usability testing has provided some insights into that, but clearly there's still a great deal to be learned.<span> </span>Some students had difficulty getting through the registration process (we have since simplified it) but once students got into the activities, they had only minor problems.<span> </span>One concern was how well students would be able to navigate through the site so they could progress through the activities.<span> </span>In the usability study, we found that almost all of the students progressed through the site in a sequential fashion, by clicking on the link to "take me to my next activity." <span> </span>They were able to continue studying and making progress, even if they didn't have a sophisticated schema about how the site was organized.<span> </span>Several students commented that the site was very easy to use and that it progressed in a step-by-step fashion.</p>
<p> </p><p><b>How low do the models go?</b></p><p>We don't know this yet. At this point, we've seen students with a 6<sup>th</sup> grade or lower education in their native countries, limited English proficiency and modest (at best) computer skills successfully engage USAL, get to their next activity and complete lessons.<span> </span></p>
</span></div><div>Leslie<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Leslie Petty, Ed.D.<br>Associate Director<br>Project IDEAL Support Center<br>University of Michigan<br>734-425-0748<br>
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