The PowerPoint from a workshop at COABE 2011 by Jere Johnston and Crystal Hack

1. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Adding Distance Education
to Your ABE/ESL Program
Jere Johnston – Project IDEAL
Crystal Hack – GED-I
COABE 2011
1
The Project IDEAL Consortium
2
3
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 1

2. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Today
• Overview of DL in ABE/ESL in the U.S.
• Models of delivery
• DL curricula
• Measuring distance contact Hrs (PCH)
• Selecting distance teachers
• Planning & implementing a DL program
• Keys to success
• State DL Policy, data systems, $$
• Marketing DL
4
Jere
OVERVIEW OF DL IN ABE/ESL
5
History
• 1994-2007:
– “Pure” distance for learners who can’t
come to classrooms
• 2007+:
– Growth of DL to supplement classroom
courses
– But NRS requires DL to be a separate
course
6
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 2

3. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Defining Distance
• Self-Study Primarily Outside the
Classroom
– A curriculum or collection of study materials
designed with self-study in mind
• Online is common, but not essential
– Different from homework
• Interaction with a Teacher Is Primarily at a
Distance
7
Distance vs. Classroom
The Heart of Distance Ed is
Learner Self Study and
Teacher Coaching
8
SkillsTutor
9
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 3

4. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Communicating at a Distance
10
Some F2F Required
• Intake & Orientation
– Standard pretest & counseling
– Interested in DE? F2F
• Assess fit with self-study (12 hrs+/-)
• Familiarize with curriculum
• Complete a contract
• Monitoring Assignments
• Instruction/Coaching
• Counseling At a distance
• Optional F2F Tutoring
• Posttest
F2F
11
Going to Scale
• Orientation
– Pretest
– Familiarize with curriculum
– Assess fit with self-study Partner
– Contract
• Counseling
• Instruction/coaching
• Monitoring Hub
• Feedback Partner
• Extra Tutoring Partner
• Posttest Partner Hub
Partner
Partner
12
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 4

5. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Common Distance Curricula
• IDEAL States Begin with 1-2 Curricula
– ABE/GED
• MHC GED Online, Pre GED Online
• GEDi (Illinois) / GED Missouri
• PLATO / SkillsTutor
• GED Connection / Pre GEDC
– ESL
• Crossroads Cafe
• English For All – USA Learns
• Rosetta Stone
• With Experience, Curriculum Tailored to
Individual Learner Needs 13
Follow handout…
OHIO: AN EXAMPLE OF
WHAT’S POSSIBLE
14
Six Years
5 agencies each offer
DE to their own learners
2% of
all ABE
5 hubs each provide DE
to distance learners in
their own and in partner
agencies
5 agencies, 13 Teachers 5 Hubs, 10 Teachers
@ .25FT @ .50 FTE
With experience & PD, New delivery model 15
enrollments increase increases capacity
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 5

6. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
ABE Attainment Ohio, 2007-08
DE is 2.1% Distance Classroom
of total
Enrolled 891 41,005
Level Completion (TABE) † 56% 63%
Entered Employment * 87% 87%
Retained Employment * 72% 64%
Earned a GED * 88% 86%
Entered Postsecondary * 94% 93%
† Those with both pre- and posttest data
* Percent of those declaring this goal
16
ESL Attainment Ohio, 2007-08
Distance Classroom
Enrolled (DE = ~ 1%) 67 7,204
Level Completion 63% 66%
17
Distance Learner Load - Ohio
Distance Average
Year Teachers Student Load
2002-03 14 * 13
2003-04 14 * 20 Load increases
with Experience
& PD
2004-05 13 * 25
New Model:
2005-06 10 ** 62 “Hubs”
* .25 FTE; ** .50 FTE
18
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 6

7. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
With Experience, Cost Drops
Ohio: Mostly the Same Teachers Year to Year
19
Crystal
DELIVERY: PURE, BLENDED,
SUPPLEMENT
20
BREAK
21
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 7

8. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Jere
DE CURRICULA
22
Common Distance Curricula
• IDEAL States Begin with 1-2 Curricula
– ABE/GED
• MHC GED Online, Pre GED Online
• GEDi (Illinois) / GED Missouri
• PLATO / SkillsTutor
• GED Connection / Pre GEDC
– ESL
• Crossroads Cafe
• English For All – USA Learns
• Rosetta Stone
• With Experience, Curriculum Tailored to
Individual Learner Needs
23
www.glencoe.com/catalog/contemporary/
onlinesuite/onlinesuite_sampler.html 24
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 8

9. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
SkillsTutor Sampler
skillstutor.com/hmh/site/
skillstutor/
25
English for All / USA Learns
• English for All
• USA Learns, Second English Course
– USA Learns
– USA Learns/teacher
– USA Learns/class
26
U.S.A. Learns Content
• Focus on life skills
• Engaging
mul1media
• Guided
interac1on
• Variety of
ac1vi1es
– Listening
– Reading
– Speaking
– Wri1ng
27
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 9

10. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Proxy Contact Hours
• Teacher Verification Model
– Used for multimedia curricula like GED Connection
– Teacher certifies work completed
– Formula: equiv hours in typical classroom
• Learner Mastery Model
– Learner demonstrates unit mastery by testing
– Formula: expert panel sets hours
– Crossroads Café and English For All are Mastery
• Clock-Time Model
– Curriculum contains a “tutor” and tracks time learners
spend doing activities.
– MHC is Clock Time
28
Proxy Contact Hours
GED Online Clock Time
SkillsTutor Clock Time
GEDi Mastery (50 mins/unit)
English For All Mastery (70% = 6 hrs)
USA Learns Mastery (70% = ? hrs)
Rosetta Stone Clock Time
29
Crystal
ONE ABE CURRICULUM UP
CLOSE
30
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 10

11. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
LUNCH
31
Jere
SELECTING DISTANCE
TEACHERS
32
Distance Teaching
Self Assessment
• www.adultedonline.org
• Free, online self-assessment of key skills
needed for distance teaching
• What you need to know and be able to do?
• Informal way to see if distance fits your
style, skills, and interests
33
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 11

12. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Jere
PLANNING & IMPLEMENTING
A DISTANCE PROGRAM
34
projectideal.org 35
A Timetable for Development
• Year 1
– Develop a plan: DL101
– Implement plan with ongoing support
• Conference calls, webinars
• Year 2
– Refine distance teaching skills
• DL102 – a study group on distance
teaching
• Conference calls, webinars, DL topics at PD
activities
36
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 12

13. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
• Year 3+
– Four-week virtual study groups
• DL103: Online resources
• DL104: Persistence
– Continue ongoing virtual supports as
needed
37
Distance Learning 101 Online
• Develop a DL plan for your agency
• Four units: Recruiting, Orientation,
Teaching, & Assessment
• Handbook of Distance Ed
• 6-8 Weeks, 1-2 hrs/wk
• Each week:
– Within agency: work on a piece of the
plan
– Between agencies: share ideas
38
Crystal
KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL
PROGRAMS
39
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 13

14. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Jere
KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL
PROGRAMS
40
Keys to Successful Programs
• Strong support from the state…
– Resources, PD, clear expectations
• Local agencies given freedom to
discover what works
• Flexible Teachers Who Can Coach
• Continuous PD & Support for
teachers
• Appropriate Curricula
41
Successful Distance Learners
• 10 hrs per week available to study
• Took a classroom course in last 5 years
• Technology access at home
• Strong desire for further education
• Independent – doesn’t feel need to be part
of a class or have regular F2F teacher
interaction.
42
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 14

15. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Also Noted…
• DE is difficult. Select teachers
carefully, provide PD continually
• Low tech works (CrCafe, GEDC
workbook), but online programs
build important tech skills
43
Jere
STATE POLICY, TRACKING
LEARNERS, PAYING
TEACHERS
44
State Policy
• OVAE Requirement
• Definitions See Handout
– “Distance learners”
– How assign PCH
– Approved curricula
• Requirements for an agency to add DL
• Funding of DL
• Training required to teach DL
45
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 15

16. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Tracking Learners
• Minimum
– Proxy Contact Hours
• Cumulative or by time period
• Optional
– Course (unique code for DL course)
– Enrolled (do recruits stay to enr?)
– Active (a rule to drop students who
don’t do the work)
46
Tracking Students’
Distance Work
!
47
Tracking PCH
for a Single Curriculum
!
48
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 16

17. Adding DE to your ABE/ESL Program 4/17/11
Should You Subsidize New DL?
• Curriculum
• Technology
• Advertising
• Release time
– Administrator 5%
– 2 teachers @ 25% time
• 1 teacher support 15-25 learners
49
Crystal
MARKETING YOUR PROGRAM
50
Johnston, Project IDEAL Support
Center 17