Time is the Enemy - Distance Education is Your Ally

1. Time is the Enemy - Distance Education is Your Ally Technology in the AE Classroom Kevin W. Hunter

2. Session Outcomes • Develop common definition for D.E. • Review AE research related to learner intensity. • Identify barrier of D.E. and the necessary steps for implementation. • Identify tools for implementing effective D.E. program.

3. Circle Up

4. Circle Up • Who are you and why are you here?

5. Distance Education Distance Education—Formal learning activity where student and instructors are separated by geography, time or both for the majority of the instructional period. What thoughts or questions arise from this definition? DWD Distance Education Policy

6. Intensity The data tells us we need: • intensity (hours/month) and • duration (months/year) for many adults learners to succeed. Learner Persistence Study, NCSALL (2004)

7. Program Improvement • When programs improved services, • Months of engagement did not increase but hours of participation did. Learner Persistence Study Comings et al., 2004

8. Hours of Instruction • How important are hours of instruction?

9. Indiana EGR 11 Data

10. The longer it takes, the more life gets in the way of success. From: “Time is the Enemy” Complete College America (September, 2011)

11. Time is the Enemy

12. Time is the Enemy cont.

13. Hours of Instruction • Do you place an equal value on classroom time versus distance learning time? Why or Why Not?

14. Why is persistence so important? Learner Persistence Study, NCSALL (2004) GLE Increase EFL Gains Duration and Intensity 75 percent chance of making a 1+ GLE increase at 150 hours 100 hours required for a 1 GLE increase Another gain after 250 – 300 hours McLendon and Polis

15. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? It depends on: • Your starting point. • Your ability to focus on the prize. (How engaged you are when attending or studying.) • Your intensity. (The hours of time you devote towards learning.) • Your persistence. (How well you navigate the barriers that are a part of life.)

16. Why is persistence so important? Learner Persistence Study, NCSALL (2004) GLE Increase EFL Gains Duration and Intensity 75 percent chance of making a 1+ GLE increase at 150 hours 100 hours required for a 1 GLE increase Another gain after 250 – 300 hours McLendon and Polis

17. Questions for Discussion What is your standard reply to the question: How Long Will It Take? What impact might it have if you could provide each student with a projected date, based on their intensity, that he/she would be test ready?

19. Hyperlink to excel file.

20. Distance Education Necessary Steps to Success • Identify goals • Manage time • Become part of a team • Develop technology skills • MS Excel • Email • Word Processing • Web Browsing • Online Learning Resources

21. Indicators of Persistence • Which of these do you think characterize the “persistors” in the NCSALL (2004) study? • Gender • Immigrant status • Age of children • Employment status • Working hours • Goal • Negative school experience • Parent’s education • Involvement in previous training • Single parent status Identify Goals McLendon and Polis

22. Email • Address (for everyone) • Required for most job applications • Need to check and use • Gather addresses of friends and family • Share their address with others • Develop skills • Composing • Replying • Forwarding • CC:ing, BC:ing • Managing

23. Email cont. • Planned and Intentional Use of Email • Daily • Use learning activities that require a reply. • Expand the student’s contact list. • Weekly Summaries or Celebrations • Shared documents • Writing activities (add links) • Educational videos (add links) • Group Email • Create an email support team. • Provide group learning activities.

24. Web Browsing Resource How to Be a Good Online Learner The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center http://www.valrc.org/tutorials/onlinelearner/browser.htm Becoming More Web Search Savvy Barbara Schloman (bschloma@kent.edu, x. 21665) http://www.library.kent.edu/files/Web_Savvy.pdf

25. Online Learning Resources • ITTS • Achieve • Open Book • Kahn Academy • Purdue OWL • YouTube • Others…

26. Kahn Academy • Whole class progress summary • Individual progress reports • Track daily activity • Verify exact total time spent on the site • See exercises worked on and videos watched • Check skill and topic area mastery • Shows total problems worked and number correct • Details which specific problems were incorrect • Records how much time spent on each problem • Add assignments • Students set their own learning goals https://www.khanacademy.org/

27. Purdue OWL • The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material. • Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. • Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction. http://www.youtube.com/user/OWLPurdue#p/u/5/jflXIR2CbjY/

28. Final Reflection • Think about one thing that you learned in this session that will have the greatest impact as a back home application.

29. Session Outcomes • Develop common definition for D.E. • Review AE research related to learner intensity. • Identify barrier of D.E. and the necessary steps for implementation. • Identify tools for implementing effective D.E. program.

30. Kevin W. HunterAdult Educatorkevinwaynehunter@gmail.com812-686-7929