New Models for Distance Classes in Adult Education

This guide describes the classes of a number of distance education teachers who have adjusted their courses to incorporate college and career ready skills, enriching the online experience for students.

Author(s)
Jerome Johnston
Sheryl Hart
Destiny Long
Jenifer Vanek
Author(s) Organizational Affiliation
Project IDEAL, University of Michigan
Publication Year
2015
Resource Type
Research
Number of Pages
54
Abstract

This guide describes the classes of a number of career readiness-focused teachers with the hope that they can inspire others to examine their distance teaching practices and offer a richer experience for their students.

This resource is divided into two parts. The first consists of a collection of short vignettes describing the "classes" of a number of these teachers. In most of the vignettes, teachers have used one or more electronic tools to enable them to offer a richer classroom experience. The second part of the guide describes the tools in a bit more detail, providing an easy way for teachers to learn about the tools that they might use in their own classes. The guide organizes and explores tools in four categories: academic skill-building tools, communication tools, productivity tools, and LMS & website builders. 

What the experts say

This is a valuable resource for educators looking to implement promising practices and to deploy innovative tools of technology in their adult classrooms. This resource also adds to the stack of tools growing the research base for technology as a way of expanding access to educational programming, and to legitimizing distance education as a meaningful platform for adult learning. It may help adult education instructors teaching distance classes to rethink and revise their methods in the classroom. 

Adult basic skills (including English language) teachers and program managers who offer, or are interested in offering, their students distance education or blended learning will find this practical guide of great help. In it they can read about what other adult basic skills teachers and programs are doing with distance education and blended learning, and they can find useful tools for doing it.

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