Displaying results 1 - 10 of 12
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Developing digital proficiencies of English learners in adult education
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Description
All around the globe, the development of digital skills is considered a priority because individuals are increasingly asked to interact with digital information. Digital literacy is required to communicate effectively and accomplish social and work-related tasks. Although there is a significant body of literature on the development of digital proficiencies in educational settings from elementary school to university, there is limited research with adults who are continuing their education later in life, usually outside of formal educational systems.
The purpose of this paper is to report results from a study conducted with English learners in an adult education program in the U.S. The study evaluated the digital component of a new curriculum named CILIA-T (Content-Integrated Language Instruction for Adults with Technology Support), CILIA-T is a 16-module curriculum supporting adult learners to build their English skills, US History and Civics knowledge and digital proficiencies.
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Assessment Resources in Adult Education and Workforce Development
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As part of ASAP we reviewed the literature and practices in adult education and workforce development to compile information on existing assessments and related resources. We plan to periodically update this compilation, so feedback on the structure, content, and organization of the compilation is welcome, as are suggestions for resources not yet included (asap@umass.edu).
(September 2022)
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Defining and Assessing Literacy and Numeracy Skills for 21st Century Adult Learners: A Summary of Research and Practice
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Numerous definitions of literacy and numeracy have been developed to date. In this report, we summarized and analyzed 20 definitions of literacy and numeracy. These definitions often respond to specific stakeholders’ goals and agendas. In this paper, however, we do not aim to provide an integrated definition of literacy and numeracy for all people in all places. Instead, we believe operational definitions of constructs as relevant as literacy and numeracy must respond to specific needs given at a specific moment.
(September 2022)
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Working Bibliography of Culturally Sustaining and Anti-Racist Assessment Resources
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Consistent with ASAP’s assessment principles of offering a justice-oriented, antiracist approach, we prepared a working bibliography of culturally sustaining and anti-racist assessment resources. We plan to periodically update this bibliography, so feedback on the structure, content, and organization of the bibliography is welcome, as are suggestions for resources not yet included (asap@umass.edu).
(January 2023)
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E2A Tool Kit: Tips for Developing Great Evidence to Action (E2A) Products
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This tool kit is designed to help research teams plan for and develop effective evidence-to-action researchproducts. Although useful for a wider audience, the tool kit was written for research contractors who work for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and for DOL staff who review and provide guidance on research contracts. This guide can help research contractors reach and influence practitioner audiences (referred to in the toolkit as users). This toolkit will help DOL contractors and DOL:
brainstorm options for evidence products and services,
devise effective dissemination strategies,
share expectations on what DOL wants from evidence products and services,
build contractor and staff capacity to deliver products and services that lend themselves to E2A, and
conduct quality assurance reviews to assess whether they are E2A-ready.
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Evaluation Rubric: Edtech Technical Assistance Resources
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This rubric, developed by the CREATE Adult Skills Network team to review technical assistance resources for inclusion in the CREATE Edtech Technical Assistance Library, can help you determine the quality of guidance provided in a technical assistance resource. Use of the scoring is optional; do use it to reflect on the potential of the resource as you comment.
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Subject Area Frameworks for Adult Learners
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These aggregate frameworks provide a structure to support learning in five subjects relevant to adult learners: Civics Education, Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, Health Literacy, and Workforce Preparation. They include domains, topics, and subtopics in each subject. The frameworks were developed by aggregating existing curricula, assessments, and frameworks used in adult education and compiling insights from organizations and individual instructors. Use them to support Teaching Skills That Matter-aligned instruction, to locate and use resources in SkillBlox, or as a checklist for planning instruction and assessment.
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Highlighting Innovative Practitioner Uses of Digital Technologies in Adult Foundational Skills Instruction
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Description
Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, teachers delivered instruction in new ways, drawing on technology tools and digital resources to support learners whom they could not teach in person (Belzer et al., 2020). To succeed, teachers had to redefine their work—especially in the way they planned or designed instruction (Vanek, in press). This break from traditional instruction served as a laboratory of sorts and illustrated the promise of educational technology (hereafter, edtech) for improving and enhancing instruction.
To explore and learn from the ways that adult educators are experimenting with digital technologies, the final convening of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences–funded Center for the Study of Adult Literacy included a session focused on this topic. The session titled “Leveraging Digital Technologies for Adult Foundational Skills Instruction” provided an opportunity for attendees to hear about promising strategies, resources, and practices that became visible through technical assistance provided by the EdTech Center@World Education to teachers, program administrators, and state-level leaders leading up to and throughout the pandemic.
Authors:
Dr. Jen Vanek, Director of Digital Learning and Research at The EdTech Center@World Education
Jeffrey Goumas, Senior Technical Advisor at The EdTech Center@World Education
Read the attached article below for the full paper.
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Researcher Guide on Interpreting Impacts
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Description
IES released a guide to help researchers avoid common misinterpretations of statistical significance and report study impacts that are more actionable for end users. Improving the quality and relevance of education studies is IES Director Mark Schneider’s central goal for the Standards for Excellence in Education (SEER).
The guide introduces BASIE (Bayesian Interpretation of Estimates), an alternative framework to null hypothesis significance testing, and walks researchers through the key steps of applying BASIE:
Select prior evidence based on the distribution of intervention effects from existing impact studies (e.g., IES’ What Works Clearinghouse database).
Report traditional (based only on study data) and shrunken (based on both study data and prior evidence) impact estimates.
Interpret impact estimates using Bayesian posterior probabilities (or credible intervals).
Examine the sensitivity of shrunken impact estimates and posterior probabilities to what prior evidence is used.
The guide includes “express stops” and a simple Excel tool so that researchers can quickly start using BASIE. Detailed “local stops,” technical appendices, and programming code are also provided for evaluation methodologists.
View the guide by clicking here.
This guide is one of a series that helps researchers implement SEER. Guides on generalizability and sharing study data were recently released, and a guide on implementation research is in development and will be announced on https://www.ies.ed.gov.
The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation's leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment.
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Guidelines for Technology-Based Assessment
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The Association of Test Publishers and the International Test Commission have collaborated to develop Guidelines for Technology-Based Assessment to promote best practices and ensure fair and valid assessment in a digital environment. These Guidelines are now in draft form and are available for public comment through May 15, 2022. The draft Guidelines are the product of a multiyear effort that involved dozens of invited authors, ad hoc technical reviewers, and extensive review by ten advisory groups representing practice areas and regions of the world.