6005 Westview Dr. | Houston, Texas | 77055-5419 | 713-696-0700 | 1-866-696-4233

Adult Education Administrator's Manual

Instructional Services
Service Delivery

---

Using Instructional Technology and adult education instruction is no exception. Apart from the obvious convenience of technology, the need for a new knowledge base – computer literacy – has been added.   Adult educators along with social scientists and policy analysts have long been concerned about a digital divide that would further disenfranchise educationally and economically disadvantaged Americans. In spite of the education community’s efforts to close this divide, access to computers and Internet connectivity continues to be a concern. 

In 1996, the Division of Adult and Community Education at Texas Education Agency (TEA) funded a special project to write the State Plan for Technology and Literacy. That plan, which TEA adopted in 1997, made specific recommendations in seven areas: (1) access and equity; (2) funding; (3) addressing fragmentation of social programs infrastructure; (4) teacher training and professional development; (5) educational applications; (6) educational standards; and (7) technology collaborations.

Generally, the plan proposes that adult education programs engage students in some level of computer use to familiarize them with basic skills in technology: keyboarding, Internet searches, e-mailing, etc. with help in the form of equipment and funding from local school districts and the private sector in addition to Technology Infrastructure Fund (TIF) funds. Technology can assist people in accessing social service and job training assistance programs.

The plan encourages the selection of computer software that fosters active learning and instructional technology, which in turn will enable adult education to remain current. Instructional software used in adult education classrooms should be appropriate for adult learners and relevant to their personal and academic needs. Additionally, adult educators should be trained in the use of technology, and they should have access to ongoing professional development in order to upgrade their technology knowledge and skills (Ashlock, Lyman & Payne, 1997).

Technology has dramatically increased options for delivery of adult education services and it is often difficult to keep up with available resources.  Reviews of current software and guidelines for evaluating software products are available on the websites of the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) , Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) and other professional organizations serving the adult education community.

As access to the Internet and computer hardware grows, adult education programs can consider Internet-based delivery of courses and curricula that will allow students to participate at times and locations outside the traditional scope of the adult education program.  Students who live in remote areas, for example, can access programs via the Internet that they could not access before. Internet-based courses also offer opportunity for students to spend more time to participate, allowing them to accelerate learning. 

The rapid development of these courses and platforms for Internet delivery present many challenges for adult education practitioners including development of policy for tracking student contact hours, professional development for teachers who need to learn how to teach Internet courses, and the development of Internet-based curricula.

The following uses of technology hold promise for adult education and literacy programs:

• Electronic networks where adults improve their reading and writing skills while sharing experiences in computer-based group discussions across town or across the state;
  
• Interactive media such as CD-ROMs, which combine speech, video and graphics to create accelerated learning opportunities and broaden adults’ experiences;
  
• Everyday (and relatively inexpensive) computer applications such as word processing or spreadsheets which allow adults to learn computer literacy skills, increase communications (including English) and numeracy skills, and acquire job-related proficiencies simultaneously;
  
• Internet-based courses which allow programs to provide wider access to their clientele and

• Electronic list-serves, interactive teleconferencing and Internet-based conferencing for professional development where teachers from across states and the nation can discuss, with experts and each other, their experiences in using research-based effective instructional practices.  Finally, options for Internet-based professional development training options are becoming more available.  

The changing landscape of adult education curriculum and instruction continues to offer opportunities for instructional and administrative professionals to have a substantial impact on their programs and students. As State policy makers standardize what and how adult students are taught and how teachers are trained, the responsibility to be proactive in informing the public about the business of adult education now lies with the adult education community.

The State Plan for Technology and Literacy which was adopted by TEA in 1997, proposes that adult education programs engage students in some level of computer use to familiarize them with basic skills in technology: keyboarding, Internet searches, e-mailing, etc. with help in the form of equipment and funding from local school districts and to private sector in addition to TIF funds. Technology can assist students in accessing social services and job training assistance programs. The plan encourages the selection of computer software that fosters active learning and instructional technology, which in turn will enable adult education to remain current. Instructional software used in adult education classrooms should be appropriate for adult learners and relevant to their personal academic needs.

Excerpted from:

“Using NRS Data for Program Management and Improvement”; May 2003; 44-46. (PDF) (Retrieved from NRS Website May 29, 2007)

“NRS Data Monitoring for Program Improvement”; April, 2004; 28; 32. (PDF) (Retrieved from NRS Website May 29, 2007)
*PDF file. Download Adobe® Acrobat® Reader

References

Ashlock, S., Lyman, B., Payne, E. M. (1997). State plan for technology use in adult education and literacy. Report of the Texas Education Agency Special Project: Adult education and literacy new technologies. Austin: Texas Education Agency.

---

Previous | Table of Contents | Next