Ready, Set, Go
Implementing distance learning for adult education in Texas
What is distance education?
Distance education is a formal learning activity where students and instructors are separated by geography, time or both for the majority of the instructional period.
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Print
- Audio recordings
- Videotape or DVD
- Broadcasts
- Computer software
- Web based programs
Requirement for Direct Contact Hours
Students must have at least 12 direct contact hours in order to be reported.
Direct contact hours involve interaction between the learner and the staff in real time where the identity of the learner can be verified.
Direct contact hours can include a wider range of activities in a distance education course than in a traditional course.
Samples of Direct Contact Hours
- Face-to-face instruction
- Live online discussion
- Telephone conference call
- Live video broadcast to remote location
- Consultation through instant messenger
- Applies to distance classes only; not to traditional classroom
- Identity of the learner and time must be directly verified
Proxy Hours
- Identity of the learner and the exact time spent on a learning activity cannot always be verified directly.
- Proxy hours must be associated with an approved curriculum and one of three approved models of instruction.
Distance Education Models
- Clock Time Model – Assigns hours based on time a learner is engaged in a software program that tracks time.
- Teacher Certification Model – Assigns hours for each lesson the student has completed.
- Learner Mastery Model – Assigns a fixed number of hours based on passing a unit or lesson test.
Approved Curricula (so far)
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Crossroads Cafe
- English For All
- GED Connection
- GED Illinois
- MHC-GED Online
- Pre-GED Connection
- Madison Heights/ Lifelines
- PLATO
- SkillsTutor
- Workplace Essential Skills
- Aztec
New Curriculum
- Clock Time Model – to be reviewed by the Distance Education Committee for appropriateness of content and verification of time tracking capability. No pilot required.
- Teacher Certification Model and Learner Mastery Model – to be reviewed by a committee of at least three teachers. Pilot required. Recommendations for proxy hours must be based on actual experience.
Assessment
- Baseline and post-tests must be administered in person by a trained test administrator.
- Post-tests administered per state assessment policy (60 hours)
- Both direct hours and proxy hours are counted to calculate instructional time
TEAMS
- No change in student profile procedures
- Must identify distance education classes in TEAMS
- Direct hours and proxy hours are recorded separately
- For Teacher Certification and Learner Mastery Models cannot double count direct hours spent on the same curriculum (for which proxy hours are assigned)
EXAMPLES:
English for All, a curriculum using the mastery model. Students are awarded 6 hours if they complete Unit 1 and pass a unit test with a score of 70%
Example 1
- Student completes unit 1 and passes the exam with a score of 80%.
- Student completes an on-site orientation of 6 hours
- Student completes the BEST Plus and the BEST Literacy tests, which took him 2 hours
Example 2
- Student completes unit 1 and passes the exam with a score of 80%.
- Student completes an on-site orientation of 6 hours
- Student completes the BEST Plus and the BEST Literacy tests, which took him 2 hours
- Student also attended 6 hrs of on-site instruction, receiving instruction based on the English for All.
Example 3
- Student completes unit 1 and passes the exam with a score of 80%.
- Student completes an on-site orientation of 6 hours
- Student completes the BEST Plus and the BEST Literacy tests, which took him 2 hours
- Student also attends 6 hrs of on-site instruction, receiving instruction based on the Stand Out series; no instruction from EFA.
Table IV
- Table IV will capture both direct contact hours and proxy contact hours even though they are tracked separately
- At the end of the year, TEAMS will declare a student to be a distance education student if the majority of hours, including all courses taken in the year, are proxy hours.
Distance Student Tracker
- Number recruited
- Number enrolled
- Number active/inactive
- Number completed instruction
- Number pre-tested
- Number post-tested
- Percent post-tested
- Percent enrolled
Professional Development
- Distance Education 101 -- Required and provided by GREAT Centers
- Distance Student Tracker – Required and provided by Project IDEAL
- Other professional development provided by GREAT Centers, based on needs assessments.
Resources
Adult Ed Online - www.adultedonline.org
Project IDEAL - www.projectideal.org
Contact Information
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