Toronto, ON — There has been considerable growth in demand by learners and their teachers for eLearning approaches in adult literacy, and a consequent growth in the development of services to meet those needs, according to the findings of a major two-year research study released today by ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation.

Linking Adult Literacy and eLearning, written by Dr. Kathryn Chang Barker of Vancouver-based FuturEd Consulting Education Futurists Inc., is not only an inventory of eLearning tools but also an examination of how they are being used and how their effectiveness and return on investment can be determined.

“Though we knew that eLearning — a term for online education of various kinds — benefited learners generally, little if anything was known about how eLearning was used by those teaching adults literacy skills,” says Christine Featherstone, President and CEO of ABC CANADA. “This study is the first of its kind to provide us that picture in Canada.”

Shift to more facilitated learning

Based on an extensive literature inventory and two waves of surveys contacting those in the literacy and eLearning communities across the country during 2003 and 2004, the 227-page document indicates that eLearning tools run the gamut from basic literacy and computer skills activities to programs involving tutors and mentors, interactive activities of various kinds, online portfolios (“ePortfolios”) and web logging.

“As these tools have developed, there has been a perceptible shift from eLearning as direct instruction only to eLearning as facilitated learning, where innovative approaches such as community learning networks and ePortfolios create environments that encourage learners to discover and learn on their own,” says Chang Barker. She adds that the ePortfolio — a digital version of a personal portfolio that records successes and showcases work — has great potential for adult literacy learning.

With an increasing number of options available to literacy practitioners, there is a stronger need to assess the return on investment each may represent, and the study goes some length to address ROI models and issues. The study is in four parts: the main text plus three supplementary documents providing further details about eLearning activity in Canada, 2003-2004; return on investment in eLearning tools; and a focus on the ePortfolio. It is available at www.abc-canada.org, and printed copies can be ordered by going to that website and clicking on “Our Publications” from the home page.

This study was made possible thanks to funding by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada - National Literacy Secretariat.

The Executive Summary of the Adult Literacy and eLearning Report is available online.