Narrative and Evaluation Report

Blended Learning Innovation for IRCC Settlement Language Training

June 2016

P. Fahy, M. Sturm, R. McBride, J. Edgar

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary ..................................................................................................................................1 StructureandPurposeofthisReport ...............................................................................................3 Introductionandsynopsisoftheproject.........................................................................................4 Background...................................................................................................................................................5 HistoryandcontextoftheOntarioLearnIT2teachprogram...................................................7 NationalexpansionofLearnIT2teach,2013-16..........................................................................9 CoursewareDevelopment,2015-16................................................................................................9 Needsoflanguageteachers ................................................................................................................ 11 LearnIT2teachPDtrainingandusingtechnology .................................................................... 13 TESOLTechnologyGoalsandStandards ...................................................................................... 15 TheLINCCourseware:digitallearningobjectsandtherepository.................................. 15 LearnIT2teach’spartnershipwithLINCprograms .................................................................. 18 LearnIT2teachPDtrainingstages ................................................................................................... 18 Stage1:IntroductiontoLearnIT2teachPDtraining................................................................ 19 Pre-Stage2:PreparingforStage2................................................................................................... 22 Stage2:BasicCourseediting ............................................................................................................. 22 Stage3:AdvancedCourseediting.................................................................................................... 23 Stage4:Creatinge-activitieslearningresources ...................................................................... 25

Summaryoftrainingresults1April2014to31March2016........................................ 26 LearnIT2teachPDtrainingapproach............................................................................................. 30

Researchmethodology ................................................................................................................... 31 Discussionofresultsoftheprojecttodate............................................................................ 33 Discussionandconclusions .......................................................................................................... 51

References.................................................................................................................................................. 55 AppendixA:ParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)andGuskey’sModelofEvaluationofProfessionalDevelopment............................................................................................................. 58

ParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR) ....................................................................................... 58 Guskey’smodelofassessment .................................................................................................... 58

AppendixB:CaseStudy1,AschoolboardprogramwithgoodTELLuptake .............. 63 TheSite .................................................................................................................................................. 63 FactorscontributingtosuccessfuluseofTELLatthesite .............................................. 64 BenefitsofusingcoursewareandTELL.................................................................................. 65 Practicalbarriers............................................................................................................................... 65 Learnerexperienceandopinions .............................................................................................. 67

AppendixC:Casestudy2,ASPOwithMotivatedFacultyandTechnologyBarriers 70 TheSite .................................................................................................................................................. 70

Barriers-teachers ............................................................................................................................ 71 Learnerbarriers ................................................................................................................................ 74 Wheredoyouusecomputersforlanguagelearning?....................................................... 74

AppendixD:OccasionalReport8..................................................................................................... 77 OccasionalReport8SPOBlendedLearningReadiness.................................................... 77 WhatteacherssayintheLearnIT2teachtraining............................................................... 78 WhatLINCadministratorssayabouttechnology ............................................................... 81 WhatLINCandESLpractitionerssayacrossCanada........................................................ 85 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 88

TheLearnIT2teachprojectprovidesLanguageInstructionforNewcomerstoCanada(LINC)teacherswiththetechnologytoolstoimplementblendedlearningintheirprograms.Afourstageteachertrainingandprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisprovidedtoteacherstomasterthetools.AdditionalresourcesassistprogramadministratorstoimplementTechnology-EnhancedLanguageLearning(TELL)anduseblendedlearninginlanguageinstruction.

WhatdoLINCteachers,administrators,andlearnerssayaboutLearnIT2teach?

“IknowIamabletoprovide[learners]withamuchricherexperienceusingthis

methodthanIwouldbeinanyotherway.”-LINCteacher

“Ialsohavetheopportunitytolearnaboutnewtechnologyandnewwaysto

interactwiththelearners.”-LINCteacher

“Everyteacherwhohasembracedithasrealizedthebenefits.There’salotofwork

upfront,butafterthatit’ssmoothsailing.Allofthemfeelithelpsthembemore

organizedanddeliveramorerelevantmessagetothestudents.”-LINC

Administrator

“IthelpsmetodefinewhatIneedinthe21stCenturyteacher.Sotheteacherswho

comewiththeskillsorwhoareverywillingtoembracetheskills;that’sthe

teacherI’mlookingfornow.Havingteachersatalllevelswithcomparableskills

makesmyjobeasier.”-LINCAdministrator

“Itgivesyoutheopportunitytoreview,tolisten,totaketimetounderstandas

oftenasyouneedandwant.”-LINCLearner

“IlikeitbecauseIcanstudyandpracticelanguageathomeandanytime,whenI

needitorwantit.Also,IcanfindinformationwhichImissed.”-LINCLearner

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ExecutiveSummary

TheevaluationoftheLearnIT2teachProjectduringtheperiod2013–16demonstratesthatteachersunderstandthebenefitsofimplementingblendedlearningandtheEdulinc.orgLINClearnercourseware.Throughthetraining,andasreportedintheevaluations,theycometounderstand:thatcoursecontentisrelevant,safe,andreliable;blendedlearningreinforcesbetterpracticesinsettlementlanguagetraining;CLBlevelsandLINCthemesdefinewhichofthemorethan36coursestheyselect;learnerspracticeskillsgroundedindigitalcitizenship;thecoursewarerespondstoindividualstylesandpreferences;Edulincisflexibleandadaptabletotheindividualteacherandcontext;anytime-anywhereaccessadaptstothelearner’stimeandplace;fortheteacher,contextualizingacourseistimeconsumingfirsttimeround,butcoursesaree-usablewithfuturecohorts;and,Edulincprovidesfunctionsandfeaturesthatsupportindividualizedassessmentanddetailedtracking.

Stage1[Face-to-face]findingsarereflectiveofthechallengesteachersfacebeforecontinuingwithfurtherstagesonline:participantswereengagedinandsatisfiedwiththeLearnIT2teachproject,andthrivedinaface-to-faceblendedlearningenvironment;however,asignificantnumberofparticipantsdidnotmoveontothenexttrainingstagedespitetheirbestintentionstodoso.ThereasonmaywellbethatStage2requiresteacherstousethecoursewarewithaLINCclassforamonthandsomeStage1participantsdidn’thavethelocalconditionstosupportimplementation.ManyagenciesandLINCprofessionalsalsoreportapreoccupationwithPBLAtrainingandimplementation.

Onbalance,resultsforStage2werereflectiveoftheresponsetoalltrainingstages:

• Interestintheprojecthadincreased(92.8%);• Participantswouldrecommendthetrainingtoacolleague(95.1%);• Trainingmetparticipants’expectations(92.3%).

Ourevaluationsaretellingusthatteachersdon’tlackmotivation,butmanyexperiencebarrierstoimplementationtocoursewareimplementationintheirworkplaces.Amongthenecessarypre-conditionsforindividuallearningtechnologyinnovationareadministrativesupport,technicalsupport,andaccesstotechnology.Currently,availabilityofthesethreeconditionsvarieswidelyfromserviceprovidertoserviceprovider.

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EvaluationintheLearnIT2teachprojectisbasedontheParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)model;thePARmodelreliesforpracticalpurposesonGuskey’s(1990),andKirkpatrick’s(1998),conceptsandmodelsofevaluation.ThecoreofthePARmodelconsistsoftheseprinciples:

• Goalsandobjectivesmustbeclear;• Itisunderstoodthatnostrategyforinnovationcandoeverything;• Strategiesshouldcomplementeachother,notcompetewithorignoreeach

other;• Allinnovationstrategiesneedtobeadapted,throughreflectionand

experimentationbyusers;• Allparticipantsarepotentiallyevaluators;• Acoordinatedgroupofstrategiesismorelikelytosucceedthananysingle

strategy(Guskey,1990,pp.25-26).• Kirkpatrick’smodelcontributedthefollowinganalysisofevaluationlevels,

askingthesequestions:• Level1:reaction-howwelldidthelearnersliketheprogram?• Level2:learning-whatprinciples,facts,andtechniqueswerelearned?• Level3:behaviour-whatchangesinjobbehaviourresultedfromthe

program?• Level4:Resultsandimpactontheenterprise-whatwerethetangibleresults

oftheprogramintermsofreducedcost,improvedqualityorquantityorwork,reducedspoilage,etc.?

Inotherwords,theevaluationasked,didtheyliketheprogram?Didtheylearnanything?Didtheytaketheirlearningbacktotheworkplaceafterwards?Iftheydidtakeanythingback,diditpositivelyimpacttheenterprise?Inthisevaluation,questions1,2,and3areanswered;theanswertoquestion4needsmoretime,andtheinputofprogramadministratorsandothersinapositiontoobserveandevaluateactivitiesofparticipants(co-workersandbosses,andtheparticipantsthemselves)tobeansweredbetter.

Teacherswantencouragementforprofessionaldevelopmentintheformofreleasetimeforparticipation,andwouldbeencouragedbyhighercompensationforthosewhocompletePDstages,orimplementinnovativeteachingtechniques.Innovationwithlearningtechnologymustbetreatedasimportantbymanagersifteachersaretobuyin.Inspiteofchallengesintheirprograms,instructorsareprogressingthroughtheLearnIT2teachtrainingatagoodpace,andwithgooduptakeofthefurthertrainingstages.

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StructureandPurposeofthisReport

Thisnarrativeandevaluationreport,2013-16,bringstogetherdiversebutcomplementarypieces.Thefirstsectionofthereport,ProfessionalDevelopmentforSettlementLanguageTrainingProfessionals,explainstheproject'sfoundationsinresearch,evidence,andtheory;describestheresourcesandservicesprovidedbytheproject;providesareviewandinterpretationofprojectevaluationdata,andanarrativeexplanationoftheevolutionoftheproject;andsummarizesprogressintheIRCCsettlementlanguagetrainingsectorasofMarch2016.AsanevaluationoftheLearnIT2teachProject,thisfirstsectionalsoupdatesearlierannualreports(especiallystatistics)andsummarizesthethreeyearIRCCprojectcycle.

AppendixA:ParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)andGuskey’sModelofEvaluationofProfessionalDevelopmentprovidesanexplanationoftheevaluationapproach,andexplanatorytablesfortheproject'sevaluationcriteriaandapproach.

AppendicesBandCareilluminatingcasestudiesofserviceproviderorganizationscurrentlyactivelyinnovatingtoimplementLINCblendedlearningandthechallengestheyface..

Whenparticipatinginthetrainingoraspartofinterviewsandfocusgroups,LINCteacherandadministratorshavebeenroutinelyaskedaboutthebarriersandchallengestotheincreaseduseoftechnologyattheirprograms.In2015,theprojectgatheredandanalyzedresults,andproducedthefinalsectionofthisreport.AppendixD:OccasionalReport8,SPOBlendedLearningReadiness,providesafreshlookattheentiresettlementlanguagetrainingsectorbyutilizingdatafromtwosources:asurveyofsectorprofessionalsbyTESLCanada,andtheLearnIT2teachownsurveysofStage2participantsinthetraining.Theresultisanenlighteningportraitofthesectorlandscape,thesector'sreadinesstoinnovatewithlearningtechnologygenerally,andblendedlearningspecifically.Thesectionanswersthequestions:Wherearewenow?WhatteacherssayabouttheLearnIT2teachtraining?Whatadministratorssayabouttechnology?and,WhatLINCandESLpractitionerssayacrossCanada?

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PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENTFORSETTLEMENTLANGUAGETRAININGPROFESSIONALS,REPORTApril1,2013–March31,2016:

THELearnIT2teachPROJECT

P.Fahy,M.Sturm,R.McBride,J.Edgar

Introductionandsynopsisoftheproject

ThisistheevaluationreportontheLearnIT2teachprojectto31March2016.ItreflectstheexperienceoftheprojecttoMarch2016,andthecentralrolethatevaluationplaysinguidingdevelopmentoftheproject’sproductsandassessingitsimpactonLanguageInstructionforNewcomerstoCanada(LINC)programsfundedbyImmigration,RefugeesandCitizenshipCanada(IRCC)inOntarioandotherProvinces.Theperiodcoveredbythisreportalsorepresentedanimportantopportunitytoaddressissuesandcommentsfromparticipantsthroughfundamentalchangesinthetrainingstrategy.SinceJune2014,theLINClearnercoursewareandteachertraininghavetakenmuchthesameformasfromthebeginningoftheprojectin2010,butduringthisperiodimportantimprovementsweremadebythedevelopmentteambehindthescenes.Additionally,importantdatawasgatheredfromprogramadministratorsbywayofquestionnairesandinterviewstofurtherinformthetrainingcontentanddelivery,andtobetterunderstandtheconditionsnecessarytosupportdeeperimplementationofTechnology-AssistedLanguageLearning(TELL)ingeneralandLearnIT2teach’slearnercoursewareEduLINC1inparticular.

1http://www.EduLINC.org

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On1January2014anewversionofthelearnercoursewarewasreleased,andanewtrainingframeworkwasintroduced.InJune2013theresourcesbecameavailabletoupdatetheLINClearnercoursewaretoanewerversionofthelearningmanagementsystem(LMS).ThemigrationfromMoodle1.9toMoodle2.5changedthelook,feel,andfunctionalityofthecourseware,thusrequiringanupdateoftheteachertraining.ThemaintenanceandupkeepoftheLMSandthecoursewareisacoretaskoftheprojectonaregularbasis.Oftenduringthistimetheopportunityhasbeenseizedtomakefundamentalimprovementsthattheprojectmanagersandevaluatorsfeelwillimpactontheprojectinthecomingyears.

AcentralissuethatimpededdeeperimplementationofthelearnercoursewareandmeaningfulimpactonLINCprogramswastheamountoftimeittookateachertakingthetrainingtobeginusingthecoursewarewithstudents.Whereformerlyateacherneededabout15hoursoftrainingbeforeregisteringstudentsandimplementingthecourseware,aftermodifyingtheframeworkittakesonlyonaveragesixhourstoengagestudentsinlearningwiththecourseware.Stage2ofthetrainingwastransformedinahands-onexperience,requiringteacherstogainexperiencewithusingthetoolswiththeirstudentsmuchmorequickly.AftertheseimportantchangestookplaceinJanuary2014,theimpactoftheLearnIT2teachtrainingontheskilldevelopmentoftheteachers,theircomfortwithusingTELLandtheEduLINCcoursewareintheclassroom,andtheinitiativesoftheprogramadministratorstosupportteacherswasre-evaluatedandhavecontinuedtobeanimportantfocusforprojectevaluatorssince.In2015,furtherimprovementstothecoursewarewereundertakensuchasaddingimagestoallcourseunits.Also,LINClevel1activitiesweredevelopedandaddedtothecourseware.Lastbutnotleast,atwo-stagecourseforLINCProgramFacilitatorswasdevelopedandpilotedtobetterinformobserversabouttheopportunitiestheLearnIT2teachprojectprovidestoServiceProvidersandsupportLINCAdministratorsintheirleadershipimplementingblendedlearningintheirprograms.

Background

Professionaldevelopment(PD)forteachershaslongbeenseenasaninterestandapriorityofschoolsandfaculty(AlbertaTeachersAssociation,1999),neededbyteachers(Lachem,Jung,Aoki,&Ozkul,2007);PDcanbeverysuccessful(Price,Richardson,&Jelfs,2007)whentheemphasisison“centralissuesofteachingandlearning”(Ganser,2000).Yet,educationalPDisalsooftenunsuccessfulineducation,oftenfailstochangetheclassroombehaviourofteachers,andhas

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consequentlylongbeentheobjectofcallsforinnovationandchangeinpractice(McKenzie,1991;Reeves,2010;Stanley,2011).

TheLearnIT2teachProjectwasintendedtoaddresstheneedsofadultsettlementlanguagelearners,teachers,andprogramadministratorsinLINCprograms,initiallyinOntarioand,since2013(seebelow),inotherpartsofCanada.Importantgoalsoftheprojectinclude:

• acquaintingparticipantswiththeexistenceandbenefitsoffreelyavailablelearningobjectskeyedtotheCanadianLanguageBenchmarkBenchmarks(CLBs)2,hostedwithinanopen-sourceLMSdevelopedbyandforteachers(Moodle)thatLearnIT2teachadaptedforlanguageteaching;

• supportingtheuseofthesetoolsinblendedlearningenvironments(definedassomecombinationofface-to-facelearningwithguidedself-accesstocomplementaryonlinematerials)bydevelopingcoursewareandhostingcourses,providingtrainingforteachersandadministratorsandhelpingbuildlearnerreadinessforlearningwithtechnology.

AsofJune2013,theprojecthashadamandatefromIRCCforthefollowing:

1. Buildrelationships(and“presence”)withIRCC-fundedorganizationsoutsideOntariothatcansupportthefurtheranceoftheproject’sgoalsregionallyandlocally.

2. Reducecostsbyusingtechnologiestodelivertrainingtobothstudentsandteachers.

3. Facilitatetechnologyinnovationinsettlementlanguagetrainingby:• providingopportunitiesforCanadiannewcomerlanguagestudentsto

learnonline;• facilitatingtheevolutionoftheblendedlanguageclassroomby

providingsupportandprofessionaldevelopmentforteachersandlanguageprogramadministrators.

4. AdoptSCORMasastandardforallmaterialsdevelopment3,andCreativeCommons-typemechanismsforsharingonlineandprint-basedcurricula4.

2ForinformationontheCanadianLanguageBenchmarks,seehttp://www.language.ca

3SharableContentObjectReferenceModel(SCORM)isacollectionofstandardsandspecificationsforweb-basedelectroniceducationaltechnology(alsocallede-learning).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharable_Content_Object_Reference_Model

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5. Developandtestatrain-the-trainerprogrammodel,buildinglocalcapacityintheefforttotrainteacherstoimplementablendedlearningmodelandtheuseofEdLINCcourseware.

Becausetheprojectextendedovertime,theGuskeyandKirkpatrickevaluationmodels(seebelow)wereappliedtodeterminethelong-termimpactoftheprojectonparticipants(includingprogramadministratorsandteachers),theprogramstheydeliver,andthestudentstheyserve.

HistoryandcontextoftheOntarioLearnIT2teachprogram

TheoverallpurposeofLearnIT2teachistohelpteacherstointegratetechnology-enhancedlanguagelearningintotheirclassrooms(Warshauer,1996).WhiletheprojectfocusesonanorientingandtrainingprogramdesignedforLINCteachers,LearnIT2teachalsohostsanddistributesreadilyavailableonlinelearningcontent(largelybasedontheactivitiesdevelopedbyAlgonquinCollegeandtheTorontoCatholicDistrictSchoolBoardthroughIRCCfunding).AlthoughtheLINClearnercoursewareisaccessedonline,itisnotcurrentlysetupforuseasafree-standingdistancelearningmethodliketheLINCHome-Studyprogram.Rather,thecoursewareenablesablendedlearningapproach(guidedaccesstoonlinelearningblendedwithface-to-faceinstructionandsocializationopportunitiesforteachers)inorasanextensionofLINCclassrooms.(SeebelowforOntario,andnational,trainingdetails.)

InOntario,someofthecentralissuesofteachingandlearningforpubliclyfundedlanguagelearningprogramsareabouttheintegrationoftechnologyintheclassroom.TheLINCprogramprovideslanguagetrainingfornewcomersinoneofCanada’sofficiallanguages,withtheaimoffacilitatingtheireconomic,social,andculturalintegrationintoCanadiansociety.StudentsinLINCprogramslearninoneofmorethan200serviceproviderprograms,usuallyfull-time,tuition-free,andoftenwithincomesupport.

ThecurrentLINCprogramcompriseslanguagecoursesrangingfromLiteracytoLINCLevel7,andusestheCLBasthedescriptiveframeworkunderlining

4CreativeCommons(CC)licensesallowcreatorstocommunicatewhichrightstheyreserve,andwhichrightstheywaiveforthebenefitofrecipientsorothercreators.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons

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assessment,placement,andcurriculum.TheseBenchmarksprovideabasisforcurriculumandsyllabusdevelopment,lessonplanning,materialsdevelopment,andresourceselection.5AspartoftheLINCprogramfundedbyIRCC,onlineactivitiesweredevelopedbyAlgonquinCollegeandtheTorontoCatholicDistrictSchoolBoardbasedontheLINCCurriculumGuidelinesduring2008-10.

In2007,theFastForward6report,fundedbyIRCC,providedanalysisandbackgroundregardingonlinelanguagetrainingprogramsandrelevanttechnologies.Examplesofdifferentkindsofonlinedistancelanguageprogramsindifferentcountrieswereexamined,seekingbetterorbestpracticesandexamplesthatIRCCmightemulateinCanada.Amongtherecommendationsinthisreport,thefollowingweremadetosupportteacherreadinesstointegrateonlinelearningactivitiesintotheirclassroom:

1. DevelopapilotcoursecoveringonlineteachingfornewESLteachers;2. Developapilotprojectteachingprofessionalsalreadyinthefieldtowork

online;3. SupportthedevelopmentofWeb2.0andonlinelearningthoughworkshops

andPDsessionsatlocalandprovincialTESL[TeachersofEnglishasaSecondLanguage]events.

Asubsequent2008IRCCCallforProposalspointedoutthat“Recentresearchinthefieldofsecondlanguagetraining,conferencepresentations,CanadaOntarioImmigrationAgreement(COIA)consultations,andthedeliberationsoftheCOIALanguageTrainingWorkingGrouphaveallstronglyrecommendedtheneedforincreasedcapacityandcompetencyforinstructorsofsecondlanguagetrainingprogramsinOntario.”

IncreasingOntarioLINCcapacityandcompetencyinonlinesettlementlanguagetrainingistheobjectiveoftheLearnIT2teachProject.TheLearnIT2teachProjectbuildsontheaboveandotherFastForwardrecommendations.

5IRCCfundedsettlementlanguagetrainingprogramsarenowmigratingfromLINClevelstolevels

basedpurelyontheCLBlevels.Beforethischange,therewereoftendiscrepanciesbetweenalearner’sCLBandLINClevels.

6FastForward:AnAnalysisofOnlineandDistanceEducationLanguageTraining,retrievedfromhttp://wiki.settlementatwork.org/wiki/Fast_Forward:_An_Analysis_of_Online_and_Distance_Education_Language_Training

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InJanuary2010,theLearnIT2teachProject,undercontracttothefederalDepartmentofIRCC,beganworkingtoprovideboththelearnercoursewareandtheteachertrainingtosupporttheintegrationofe-learningintoOntarioimmigrantsettlementandlanguageadaptationprograms.Thescaleoftheprojectwasandisambitious:atanyonetime,thereareapproximately6,300learnersinhundredsofIRCC-sponsoredclassesprovidedbyabout150serviceproviderorganizationsacrossOntario.

NationalexpansionofLearnIT2teach,2013-16

InJune2013,theLearnIT2teachconcept,proveninOntario,wasextendednationally,underanewcontributionagreementwithIRCC.Theproject’smandatefortheOntarioRegionofIRCCwasexpandedtothePrairiesandtheMaritimeprovinces.InJanuary2014,thefirsttrainingeventstookplaceoutsideOntario.InApril2015,theprojectbegantoofferitsservicesinBritishColumbia.Theexpandedprojectbuiltlocalteachertrainingcapacityandin-servicesupportintheformoflocaltechnologycoaches–LearnIT2teachmentors.ThisgeographicexpansionoftheavailabilityofteacherandprogramsupportwasintendedtospreadtheuseofLINCblendedlearning,andsupporttheuseoftheLINClearnercoursewareinalltheregionsandlocaleswhereIRCCprogramsoperate.PartnershipswerecreatedwithleadserviceproviderorganizationswhichweretobethelocalfaceoftheLearnIT2teachProject:NorquestCollege,Edmonton;BowValleyCollege,Calgary;theSaskatoonOpenDoorSociety,Saskatoon;EnglishOnline,Winnipeg;theYMCAofGreaterSaintJohn,andtheImmigrantAssociationofNovaScotia(ISANS),Halifax.

CoursewareDevelopment,2015-16

Themigrationofthelearnercourseware(Edulinc.org)toMoodle3.0gotunderwayin2015and2016,requiringextensiverevisionstotheteachertraining.

ToencompassCLBlevels1-8,theLINC1coursewarewasreleasedinSeptember2016.Highlights:

• Multimediaglossary(imagesandaudio)• ManyreadingactivitiesprovideaudiosupportandalargerfontthanLINC2

andup• Activitiesaregenerallymorevisualthanotherlevels,alsomoreaudio

support

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• SCORMactivitiesuseasimplifiednavigationset(theytakestudentsdirectlytofirstexerciseandskiptheintropage)

• Coursewareincludeslevel-appropriateNanoGongspeakingactivitiesandclasspolls

AllofthenewLINC1SCORMlearningobjectsweremadeavailableonTutela.ca.

AsofMarch2016,theprojecthadanetworkof14trainers,andface-to-facetraininghadbeenprovidedineveryprovincebutNewfoundlandandLabrador.Ongoingsupportwasprovidedforteachersworkingthroughallstagesofthetrainingandformentors.Livehelpwasavailablesevenhoursperday(M-F).

ThebiggestobstaclestoblendedlearninguptakecontinuedtobelackofpaidreleasetimefortrainingandtherealitythatfinancialorhumanresourceswerebeingfullyconsumedbyPBLAtrainingandimplementation.Theprojectfocusgoingintothenewyearwastobere-identifyingandreachingouttothenon-responsiveandtonon-participants.

InOctober2015,theprojectreceivedalistoftrainingrequestsgatheredbyIRCC,containing411teachersdistributedamong78SPOs[serviceproviderorganizations]inYukon,B.C.,Alberta,Saskatchewan,Manitoba,andOntario.BytheendofMarchtheprojecthadrespondedtoallthetrainingrequestswithface-to-faceevents,onlinetraining,orplanningforlocaltrainingin2016-17.ThesupportofIRCCofficersinsolicitingagenciestojointhelistin2015helpedemphasizetheimportanceoflearningtechnologyinnovationinthesectorforserviceproviderorganizations.

NewtrainingmaterialswereaddedtotheStage3coursetosupportteacherswhowantedtoutilizebadgesandgamificationintheirEdulinccourses.Edulincbadges,basedonbothCLBandLINClevels,weredevelopedandaddedtoabadgesrepositoryattheEdulincsite.ThesebadgetrainingresourceswereadaptedintoapresentationattheTESLOntarioconference.

WorkcontinuedondemonstratinghowEdulincandMoodlecouldsupportprint-basedPBLA.(Furtherworkonthis,includingtrainingmaterialstosupportsomeofthenewapplicationsofMoodle,isrequired.)WithhelpfromaPBLAregionalcoach,ademonstrationcoursewassetupandpopulatedwithsamplestohighlightwaystheEdulinclearnercoursewaremightsupportPBLA.ThePBLAdemowasusedinapresentationattheTESLOntarioconference.Followingthispresentationandbasedonfeedbackatthepresentation,theLearnIT2teachprojectdevelopedStage3

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trainingmaterialstosupportPBLAbasedonnewMoodlefeaturesintroducedinthedemonstrationcourse.

TwosixunitMoodle-basedonlinecoursesinLearningTechnologyInnovationLeadership(LTIL)weredeliveredinpilot/fieldtesting.ThecoursesweretargetedtowardEnglishasaSecondLanguage(TESL)professionalscurrentlyworkingintheIRCC-fundedsettlementlanguagetraining(SLT)sectorwhowantedtoleadlearningtechnologyinnovationinaprogrammanagementorleadteachercapacity.

Participantsinthecoursesfocuson:Computer-assistedlanguagelearning(CALL)historicallyandmodernTechnology-enhancedlanguagelearning(TELL).Blendedlearningasalanguagetrainingpractice;TeachertrainingoptionsprovidedbytheLearnIT2teachprojecttoSLTprofessionalsfundedbyIRCC;developingpersonalleadershipskillstosupportlearningtechnologyinnovationinanSLTprogram;increasingknowledgeoftheory,evidence,andbetterlearningtechnologypracticesintheSLTsector;formulatingargumentsandstrategiestoencourageandenablelearningtechnologyinnovationwithinanorganization,andwithclientsandfunders;andarticulatingtheoutlineofaplanforlocallearningtechnologyinnovation.

Threecohortsofabout12LINCprofessionalseachcompletedthepilot-fieldtestofPart1ofthetraining.ThefirstcohortinPart2werenearingtheendoftheirtraininginMarch2016.AnevaluationreportforbothpartswillbecompletedafterApril2016.

Needsoflanguageteachers

In2013,asurveywasconductedatTESLOntarioConferenceof534languageteachers;324useableresults(60.7%)wereobtained.WhiletheresultspertainspecificallytoOntario,andmorespecificallytoTESLmembers,theyprobablyalsoreflecttheviewsofteachersnationally.Thefollowingaresomeofthemajorresultsofthesurvey,especiallyingeneralfindings.Theseresultswereusedtodirectdevelopmentoftheproject.

Lengthofcareer:1-3years=19%;4–7years=24%;7–10+years=57%.Themajorityoftherespondentshadmorethansevenyearsofteachingexperience,somemuchmore.

Top10mostcommonlocations:Toronto=38%;Mississauga=14%;Ottawa=8%;London=5%;Windsor=5%;Hamilton=4%;Brampton=4%;International=3%;

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Kitchener-Waterloo=3%;Yorkregion=2%.Mostoftherespondentswerelocatedinonecity;60%camefromthreecities.Mostlanguagetrainingappearedtobecentralizedinafewareas.

Roles:Seventy-fivepercentofrespondentstaughtinlanguagetrainingprograms,12%taughtininstructortraining.(Itwasalsonotedthatasignificantnumberofthe13%whoindicated“other”inresponsetothisitemwereunemployed,andmightotherwisehavebeenplacedinthelanguagetrainingcategory.)

Typeoflanguagetraining:LINC=40%;ESL=17%;college=7%;Englishforacademicpurposes=7%;allothers=29%.Moststudentswereinafewprograms;thereweremanyprogramswithverysmallproportionsofstudents.

InterestinPTCT7courses:yes=87%,no=13%.Eighty-onepercentofrespondentsreportedtheywouldnottakethecourseifitwerenotfunded.

Barrierstocourseparticipation:lackoftime=42%;financialproblems=34%;traveldistancetocourse=21%.Clearly,thegreatestbarrierwasthetimeissue:anythingthatwouldreducetheamountoftimerequiredwouldbeanadvantagetocourseparticipation.

Otherbarriers(originallyreportedinNovember2013):

1. InadequateInternetconnection.

a. Twenty-oneto51%ofrespondentscitedthisreasonfornon-orirregular-participation,includinglackofaccesstoreliableequipment).

b. Itwasencouragingthatthesamesurveyshowedthat85%oftherespondentsusedacomputerforlearning.

c. Alsoencouragingwasthefindingthat99%ofrespondentsreportedthatacomputerforlearninghadbeenusefultothem.

2. InsufficientEnglishskills.3. Computernotavailable,orpersonallydeficientcomputerskills.

7Post-TESLCertificateTraining(PTCT)isaninitiativeofTESLOntariothataccreditscompletionby

itsmembersinselectedin-serviceprofessionaldevelopmentandtrainingcourses.(http://www.teslontario.net/PTCT-courses)

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Recommendations(bothcontent-andprocess-related):instructionformultilevelclasses=48%;designinganddevelopingteachingmaterials=48%;teachingpronunciation=48%;developingcurriculumincludingdesigninganddevelopingtasks=43%;teachingEnglishforacademicpurposes=42%;assessinglearners’needs=41%;standardizedtestingpreparation(i.e.,IELTS,CAEL)=37%;developingandimplementinglanguageassessmentfortheclassroom=36%;occupation-specificlanguageinstruction=36%;usingtheCanadianlanguagebenchmarks=35%.Informationexistsabouttheimportanceattachedtospecificelementsofthecurriculum,includingdeliverysystemsanddevices.Also,therangeisnotgreat(from48%to35%),indicatingthatparticipantswouldlikelybecontentwithanycontentprogramschosetoincludeintrainingcourses.Finally,mostoftherespondents(77%)indicatedthattheirchoiceswerebasedonpersonalinterest;prioritiesmightbedifferentiftheywerecomparedordiscussedwithothers.

Deliverymodes:blended=48%;online=33%;face-to-face=32%.Clearly,onlineandblendedlearning,usingtechnologies,wereacceptedandexpected.Face-to-facelearning,whilepreferredbyaboutathirdoftherespondents,wasaminorityinterest.Alsonotedinthecomments:locationconvenienceofcourseswasimportant(coursesclosertohomewereapriority);moreinstitutionsneededtoofferPTCTorPTCT-approvedcourses;fundingshouldbeavailabletoall,notjusttoIRCCemployedparticipants;feesshouldbeaffordable,andshouldbeaslowaspossible;languagequalificationsshouldimpactparticipants’payscales;sourcematerialsshouldnotoverlapmaterialsinmandatorycoursesforTESLcertification.

LearnIT2teachPDtrainingandusingtechnology

KeyedtoLINCcurriculumguidelinesandstandards,andusingtheMoodleopen-sourceandfreelyavailableLMS,theobjectivesoftheLearnIT2teachteachertrainingfollowedadetailedrationaleandvariousintentions.Justasnewcommunicationstechnologiesareubiquitousindailylife,theyarebecomingubiquitousinallfieldsoflearning,forlearnersofallagesandbackgrounds(CanadianCouncilonLearning,2009;Gabriel,Campbell,Wiebe,MacDonald,&McAuley,2012).Languagelearnersknowwellthattheyworkandliveintheageofonlinelearning,whichincludesWeb2.0toolslikeblogsandwikis,socialnetworkingtools,andLMSslikeMoodle.Today,teachingmakesuseoftheadvantagesandaffordancesofWeb2.0toolsandInternetresourcesinbothformalandinformallearningenvironments(Anderson,2004).

14

Asoneexample,inuniversitiesandcollegeslaptops,wirelessnetworks,andLMSsareimportantwaysteachersdistributecontentandcommunicatewithlearners,andthatlearnerscommunicatewitheachother.Andtheyareanimportantwaylearnerssubmitassignments,researchquestions,collaboratewitheachotheronprojects,andsharelearningexperienceswiththeirpeers.

AslifeandworkaremigratingtotheInternet,soislanguageeducation.Newtechnologyandnewsoftwarearemultiplyingintheirapplicationstoonlinelearningdaily.Cellphonesbecometranslationtools.YouTubevideosbecomethestuffofclassroomlessons.Wikisandblogsbecomecollaborationandsharingtoolsforlanguagelearners.Teachersandstudentswhotakefulladvantageoftheseemergingtoolswillparticipateinmoredynamic,immediate,andcommunicativeenvironmentsthatprovideopportunitiesformeaningfulexperiencesthroughsocialconstructivistlearning(Henriques,1997).

Throughthesecommunicationtechnologies,studentscanlearnwithmoreflexibilityinandwithmoreresponsibilityfortheirownlearningprocess,andstudentswithsimilargoals–evenifseparatedgeographically–canlearntogetherandsupporteachother.Manylanguagelearnershavespecific,oftencareer-relatedgoals;Web2.0toolsprovidetheopportunitytobringthemtogetherandcreatehigh-quality,efficient,andcost-effectivelanguagelearningenvironments.

Mostlanguageteachersinthefieldarenotonlinelearningexperts,andmostdidnotenterlanguageteachingbecauseofaninterestinoraskillwithinformationandlearningtechnologies,butteacherstodayarefacingexpectationsfromlearnersandcurriculumandcoursedevelopersthattheyandtheirprogramsunderstandandusenewtechnologies,andthattheymakeuseofemerginglanguagetrainingsoftware,Internettools,resources,andtechnologiestoengageandinstructusingcontemporarymodesandmeans.Integratingtechnologyintolearning,afterall,alsohelpsprepareadultsforthetechnologytheywillencounterintheirprofessionalandsociallivesasnewcomerstoCanada.

Overall,theLearnIT2teachteachertrainingprogramfocusesonpreparingandsupportingteacherstouseonlinetechnologieswithnewcomers,specificallyanopen-sourceLMS,andafreesuiteoflanguagecurricula(“learningobjects”).Together,theonline

“Manyofouractivitiescanbe

linkedtothecourseware,

allowingstudentstotry

vocabularyorreadingexercises

morethanonce.”-LINCTeacher

“Studentsenjoybeingableto

shareideaswiththeir

classmatesthroughtheforums,

andbeingabletoseeand

benefitfromtheirclassmates’

work.”-LINCTeacher

15

coursewareanditspartssupportthedevelopmentofallfourEnglishlanguageskills:listening,speaking,reading,andwriting.Mainlythroughonlineteachertraining,theprojectassistsOntarioLINCandESL8teacherstodevelopunderstandingoflearningtechnologyandtheskills,toimplementonlinecoursewarewiththeirlearners,andtosupporttheminexploringandutilizingit.Overall,theLearnIT2teachprojecthelpssecondlanguagetraininginstructorsimprovetheireducationaltechnologyskills,knowledge,andpractices,enablingthemtobettersupportnewcomersinobtaininglanguageskills,andassistingtheminmeetingtheirsettlementandintegrationgoals,including,ultimately,employment.Professionaldevelopmentspecificallydesignedforprogramadministratorsisalsooffered.

TESOLTechnologyGoalsandStandards

TheLearnIT2teachprojectoutcomesareconsistentwiththe“TechnologyGoalsandStandards”fromTESOL(TeachersofEnglishtoSpeakersofOtherLanguages),themainNorthAmericanassociationforESLteachers.Thisframework,developedtosupportEnglishlanguageteachers,teachereducators,andadministratorstousetechnologyinandoutoftheclassroom,isbasedonpracticeandresearchundertakenthroughtheNationalEducationalTechnologyStandards(NETS)ProjectoftheInternationalSocietyforTechnologyinEducation(ISTE),withaspecificfocusonEnglishLanguageTeaching(ELT).Theframeworkincludessetsofstandardsforprograms,teachers,andlearners.TheseguidetheLearnIT2teachProject’strainingfociandapproaches(seethesectiononLearnIT2teachPDtrainingapproachformoredetail).

TheLINCCourseware:digitallearningobjectsandtherepository

Acollectionofover300LINC-baseddigitallearningobjectspre-existedtheLearnIT2teachproject.ThesematerialswerecreatedduringtwoearliercurriculumdevelopmentprojectsfundedbyIRCC(OntarioRegion):TheLINC1-4Classroom

8Although”ESL”settlementlanguagetrainingisalsodeliveredwithprovincialratherthanfederalresources,suchprograms

andteachersdonotqualifyforprofessionaldevelopmentandtrainingastheyarenotIRCC-funded.Nevertheless,theLearnIT2teachtoolsandapproachhaveequalpotentialtoassisttheseprogramstointegrateblendedlearningintoprovinciallyfundedlanguageprograms.

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Activitiesbooks,producedbyAlgonquinCollege,Ottawa;andTheLINC5–7ClassroomActivitiesbooks,producedbytheTorontoCatholicDistrictSchoolBoard.Thesetwosetsofprintmaterialswerereleasedin2009–2010,andarewidelyusedinOntarioandelsewhere.TheactivitybookscomprisereproducibleclassroomactivitiestiedtodailycommunicationinEnglishinCanada.Theactivitybooksareorganizedaroundthecurriculum“themes”and“units”laiddownintheLINCCurriculumGuidelines9.

Duringdevelopmentoftheprintactivities,interactiveexerciseswerealsocreatedbyblendingdynamiclanguagelearningmedia,text,sound,andimages.TheseexerciseswerepackagedasSCORM-complaintdigitallearningobjects.Thelearningobjectsareintendedtobeusedbystudentsworkingindependentlyinacomputerlab,orevenfromtheirhomecomputers;however,theyarenormallyfacilitatedbyateacher.EachlearningobjectforLINC2-4hasalead-inpagetointroducethebackgroundlanguageandanyprerequisiteknowledge.SCORM-compliancemakesthemfullyportabletovirtuallyanylearningorcontentmanagementsystem.Thelearningobjectsareakeybuildingblockfortheproject,providingready-made,benchmarkedCanadiancurricula.

Inadditiontotheselearningobjects,whichpre-existedtheproject,thecollectionhassincebeenexpandedbytheprojecttofillingapsandmeetspecialneeds.Forexample,newerlearnerreadinessmaterialssupportthedevelopmentoflearnerskillwiththecoursewareandtechnology.

Initially,theRepositoryofOnlineLanguageLearningResources(ROLLR)wastheproject’swayofaddressinghowtohostanddistributedigitalmaterials,aswellastofacilitatetheemergenceofaninformalcommunityofpracticeforOntarioandCanadianlanguageandsettlementteachersthroughweb2.0andsocialmediatechnologies.Withtheinitial300+learningobjectsinhand,andinpartnershipwiththeRobertsonLibraryattheUniversityofPrinceEdwardIsland,ROLLRbecameanintegralpartofLearnIT2teachPDtraining,whereparticipantslearnedhowtousetheLINClearningobjectshostedonROLLR,withtheEdLINCcoursewareintheLMSMoodle.

Theoriginal300+learningobjectswereloadedintoeachofabout40Moodlecourses.EachMoodlecoursewasbasedonaLINClanguageproficiencyleveland

9http://openlibrary.org/books/OL19480594M/LINC_Curriculum_guidelines_Language_Instruction_for_Newcomers_to_Canad

a

17

oneoftheLINCCurriculumGuidelinesthemesorunitsofstudyintowhicheachlevelwasdivided;forexample,LINC4,Telephone,CustomerServiceandBanking.ThisgrowingcollectionofMoodlecourseshasbeenhostedonanotherkeyInternetresourceintheLearnIT2teachProject,calledEduLINC.Usingthecourseware,teacherswereabletoregisterstudentsintheirownclosedcourses,assigntasks,andtrackprogress.TeacherscouldcommunicatewithlearnersthroughtheirMoodlecourse,andstudentsinthecoursewereabletocommunicatewitheachother.

OnekeyunderlyingphilosophicalprincipleoftheprojectwasthatallmaterialwassharedopenlywiththeCanadianLINCcommunity,andthatthefullcommunityhadopportunitiestoaddtothegrowingcollectionoflearningobjectsthroughtherepository[nowTutela10].TeacherscouldalsocustomizetheMoodleLMStotheirownneeds,andcouldingestmaterialstheyidentifiedfromothersourcesintotheircourses(andtheteachertrainingprovidedtheskillstoadaptanduploadthirdpartymaterialtotheirowncourses).

ThelearningobjectsandtheMoodleopensourceLMSwereavailabletobeinstalledlocallyinprogramsandadaptedtoanyspecificlanguageprogram’srequirements.Takingupthetrainingandutilizingthelearnercoursewareleftprogramsfreetomaketheirownfurtherchoicesindependently;forexample,serviceproviderorganizationscouldsetuptheirowntheirownversionofMoodleandcustomizeittomeettheirownneeds.Theopensourcephilosophyandthecapacity-buildingaimsoftheprojectliberatedteachersandprogramstoadaptandchangethematerialstomeettheirownneeds,ortochooseortodevelop(build)theirownmaterials.

10http://www.tutela.ca

Ienjoythecreativityof

customizingmy

courseware,andIalso

enjoytheconvenienceof

beingabletoreusethe

workforeachsubsequent

sessionofmyclass.”-LINC

Teacher

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LearnIT2teach’spartnershipwithLINCprograms

SinceJanuary2010,manyLearnIT2teachPDtrainingeventshavebeenorganizedinpartnershipwithLINCprogramsacrosstheprovinceofOntario.LocalServiceProviderOrganizationsinOntario,TESLAffiliates,andLINCPDDayplannerswerecontactedtoorganizetheproject’sStage1face-to-facetrainingsessions.Thereceptionforthetrainingeventsandtheprojecttoolswasoverwhelminglypositive,withmanyLINCandESLprofessionalsexpressingappreciationforthetimelinessoftheprojectandendorsingtheneedforthetrainingeventsandtheneedfortheInternet“tools.”Therewerealsonumerousrequeststorepeatthetraininginsomeprograms.

LearnIT2teachPDtrainingstages

TheLearnIT2teachPDprogramwasdesignedtosupportteacherswithvaryinglevelsofcomputerskillstolearnhowtouseonlinelanguagelearningresources.Anadditionaltrainingresourcewasdevelopedspecificallywiththeneedsofprogramadministratorsinmind.FromtheinceptionoftheprojectuntilJanuary2014,teachertrainingwasdividedintofourstages,preparingparticipantsgraduallytoeditandcreateonlinecoursesandlearningresources(initially,thetrainingstagesweredistinctinthattheyaffordedparticipantsmoreadministrativerightsbetweensometrainingstages):Stage1isaface-to-faceintroductiontothekeyelementsoftheLearnIT2teachprogram;inStage2,teacherslearntomanagethecoursewarewithlearnerswhiledevelopingbasiccourseeditingintheprogram’sLMS,Moodle.Stage3trainsinstructorsinblendedlanguagetrainingandmoreadvancedcourseeditingandmanagementusingtheLMS;andStage4enablesinstructorstoauthortheirowne-learningactivitiesanduploadthemtoadigitalrepository,foraccessbyotherprofessionalsandbystudents.

Twoadditionalcoursewareenhancementswerecompletedin2014–15:CoursewareBasicsinMoodle2,tohelpteachersusingedlinc(Moodle1.9)makethetransitiontoedulinc(Moodle2.5);and,LearnIT2teachTraintheTrainer,tosupportmentorsintheirpreparationtosupportteachertraineesinallareasofthetraining.

Additionally,LearningTechnologyInnovationLeadership(LTIL)isbeingdevelopedtoeducatethemonthevalueofblendedlearningandhowtomanageitsintegrationintotheirlanguageprograms.Inaninitialphase,administratorsinthetraininghadaccesstoTheAdministrator’sGuidetoIntegrating&ManagingBlendedLearning,andonlinewebinarevents.EnhancementsresultedintwoMoodle-based6-unitcourses

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andarequirementofeachparticipanttooutlineaplanformigratingtheirorganizationtoblendedlearninginordertocompletethecourse.

Tomaintainanuptodatelearningproductandduetowebsecurity,itbecamenecessaryin2013toupdatethecoursewareLMSfromMoodle1.9toversion2.5.Thisresultedinadifferentandbetter,moresecurelearningproduct.

ThelaunchofaPre-Stage2isperhapsthemostobviousofmanychangesandimprovements.AnintermediatetrainingstagebetweenStages1and2,calledPre-Stage2,wasdeveloped.Beforethechange,teacherswerenotupandrunningwiththecoursewareuntiltheyhadcompletedabout12hoursoftraining(Stages1and2).Underthenewtrainingframework,Pre-Stage2enablesteacherswiththebasicskillstoputthecoursewaretoworkwithlearnersafterlessthansixhoursoftraining.Indeed,Stage2nowrequiresteacherstousethecoursewarewiththeirstudentsforatleastamonth,resultinginfasteruptakeofthetraining,amorehands-onexperiencefortraineesandfasteruptakebyclassesandlearners.Thischangewaspartofalargersuiteofchangesandupdatingappliedtoboththelearnercoursewareandtheteachertrainingin2013.

Inanycase,inboththe1.9and2.5versionsoftheLearnIT2teachPDtraining,participantswereintroducedtotheLINClearningobjectswithinthecontextofMoodle,andreceivedanintroductiontotheLMSatthesametime.Thistraininggaveparticipantsanopportunitytointeractwithavarietyofonlinelanguagelearningactivities.Theyusedbasicon-screeninstructionstoensuretheircomputersmettheminimumtechnicalrequirements,whichwouldbethesameasLINCstudentstryingtoaccesstheonlineactivitiesonacomputer.(TheLearnIT2teachPDtrainingstages,andevaluationresults,aredescribedinmoredetailinthefollowingsection.)

Stage1:IntroductiontoLearnIT2teachPDtraining

TrainingparticipantsareintroducedtotheLINClearningobjectsinthecontextoftheLMS,Moodle(seealsoresultsanddiscussion,below).ThistrainingstageblendsinteractiveandfunlearningusinglanguagetoolstolearnbasicconceptsofWeb2.0,

20

learningobjects,onlinepedagogy,andLINClevels.Teachersattendaface-to-faceinformationsession11andorientationtobecomefamiliarwith:

• theprojectgoalandoutcomes,assumptions,andconditionsforsuccessfulintegrationofonlinelearning(better/bestpracticesforonlinelearning);

• thepurposefortheuseoftheLMSenvironmentfortheLearnIT2teachPD;• thepotentialoftheLINCcoursewareandthelearningobjectsrepository,the

purposeandtheoutcomesofthevarioustrainingstages;• thesteps/optionsinimplementingonlinedeliveryofLINCprogramming;• introductiontotherolesofteachersandadministratorsinsuccessful

implementation;• introductiontokeycomponentsoftheprojectandthebenefitstheyprovide

tolearningandteaching,includingevaluation.

Tomaximizeflexibilityintrainingoptions,especiallyforserviceprovidersthathavealreadyincorporatedthecoursewareintotheircurriculum,anonlinealternativetoface-to-faceStage1trainingisalsoavailable.Thishasbeenparticularlyusefulwhereprogrammanagersrequestaccesstothetrainingfortechnicallysavvyinstructors.

InStage1,trainingparticipantsattendahands-onorientationsessioninacomputerlab,tolearnabouttheLINCcoursewareandtoexperiencetheLMSenvironmentasastudentwould.Thefollowingillustratestheworkshopparticipants’feedbackontheusefulnessofvariousfunctionsoftheLMS(asummaryofthesurveyresultsisprovidedlaterinthisreport.).

11AnonlineversionofStage1isavailabletoprogramsthathaveincorporatedthecoursewareintotheircurriculum.Program

managerswhorequestaccesstothetrainingfordesignated,technicallysavvyinstructorsareaccommodatedwhenitisanoperationalrequirementforthatSPO.

21

WhileClassroomActivitiesareclearlyjudgedmostuseful,ResourcesandAssignmentsfunctionsoftheLMSwerehighlyvalued.AftertheupgradefromMoodle1.9to2.5,theadditionofNanoGongSpeakingActivitieswasalsohighlyvalued.

AsofMarch2016,2,300LINCteachershavecompletedStage1training.

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Pre-Stage2:PreparingforStage2

Asnotedabove,Pre-Stage2wasaddedtotheprojecttosmooththetransitionofparticipantsfromtheface-to-faceStage1,totheonlineStage2.Inadditiontothisdeliverydifference,therewerecontentdifferencesinStage2.TheemphasisofStage2wasonhowtofacilitatetheusebyteachersofthecoursewareandsomecapabilitiesoftheLMS(seebelow).

SomestudentsreportedthattheyhadtoreviewportionsofStage1beforeproceedingtoStage2,becauseofatimelapsebetweentrainingsessions.Pre-Stage2wasalsointendedtoprovideareviewofStage1content,toaddressthiscommonoccurrence.

ByMarch2016,337teachershadcompletedthePre-Stage2trainingreportedthattheirinterestintheLearnIT2teachtrainingincreased(90%agreed/stronglyagreed),thattheywouldrecommendittoacolleague(91.5%agreed/stronglyagreed),andthattheyintendedtocompletemoreLearnIT2teachtraining(96%agreed/stronglyagreed).

Stage2:BasicCourseediting

Sincetheinceptionoftheproject,participantsinStage1traininghavestatedahighlevelofsatisfactionwiththestage.Surveyresponsesindicatethatmostparticipantsstronglyagreedoragreedthat:

• TheirinterestinLearnIT2teachmaterialsisgreaterasaresultofthe[Stage1]training.

• Theywouldrecommendparticipationinthistrainingtoacolleague.

Thefollowingcommentsweretypical:IenjoythistechnologyandfeelitisimportantforESL/LINCstudentstobeproficientinitforfutureemploymentandpersonalsatisfaction;IwishIhadhadthistrainingBEFOREItaughtablendedlearningcourse;Mymentorishighlyreliableandapproachable.

InsurveysofStage2participants,twooutcomeswerenoted:

4. Manyparticipantsreportedthatworkload/overloadaccompaniedtraining;5. Evenmoreparticipantsreportedthatthetotaltimecommitmentwashighin

completingthetraining.

23

Participantsinthiscoursefacilitateane-blendedapproachtosettlementlanguagetrainingusingLINCcoursewarethathasbeenadaptedtospecificteachingcontexts.

BytheendofthenewStage2course,participantsareableto:

• FacilitateLINCprogramdeliveryusingtheLINCcoursewareinablendedformat

• DeploynewLINCcoursewareandprovidestudentaccessthroughtheirownaccounts

• Makeselectedcontentavailabletolearners• ManagethevarioustypesoflearningactivitiesprovidedintheLINC

courseware• CommunicatecourseeventsandnewsusingtheLINCcourseware• AddnewelementstotheLINCcourseware• CreateaTutelaaccountanduseitsbrowseandsearchfunctionstointegrate

atleastonenon-SCORMresourceordiscussiongroupideaintheLINCcoursewareorinaclassactivitycomplementingthecourseware

• RelateChickeringandGamson’sGoodTeachingPrinciplestotheLINCcoursewareandtheirownteachingpractice(seebelow)

Stage2isdeliveredonlineusingtheMoodleLMS;participantsinthisStageimplementexistingLINCmaterialswiththeirclasses.Instructorsalsolearnhowtocreate/facilitateblendedlearningusingexistingcoursewareforLINClevels2to7.ParticipantsinthenewStage2usethecoursewarewithstudentsforamonth,customizethecoursewaretotheirteachingcontext,joinandintegrateTutelaresourcesintotheirblendedcourse,andparticipateinseveralcollaborativeideasharingtasks.Whenteacherscompletethisstage,theyreceiveacertificate.

Overall,357teachersreportedcompletingtheStage2trainingasofMarch2016(96.5%).What’smore,almostallofthetrainingparticipants(87.5%)saidthattheyintendedtocontinuewiththeStage3training.

Stage3:AdvancedCourseediting

ParticipantsinStage3facilitatetheLINCcoursewarewhiledevelopingmoreinsightintoblendedlearning,bestpracticesinsettlementlanguagetraining,andMoodlecourseeditingandcoursemanagement.

BytheendofStage3participantsshouldbeableto:

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• FacilitateprogramdeliveryusingtheLINCcoursewarewhileapplyingbestpracticesinblendedlearning

• DeploytheLINCCoursewareusingaclassroom-centeredapproachtoblendedlearning

• ManagetheLINCcoursewareusingatleastoneadvancedfeatureofMoodle• ExtendcoursecommunicationandenhancecoursecontentusingMoodle

blocks• EnhanceblendedlearningwithMoodleresourcemodules• DevelopnewcontentusingMoodleactivitymodules• Search,previewanddownloadaSCORMactivityfromTutela.caandadditto

thecourseware• IdentifyhowtheLINCcoursewaresupportsbestpracticesinsettlement

languagetraining

Stage3isofferedandmentoredusingonlinetechnologies.Teachersselectlearningobjectsfromthelearningobjectsrepository,basedonstudents’level,languageskill,CLB,LINCCurriculumGuidelines,thematicunits,etc.,tobuildtheirowncustomizedonlinecourse.InApril2016,itwasreportedthat106teachershadcompletedthisStage;therelativelylownumberwasascribedtotwocauses:therequiredtimecommitmenttocompleteStage3;and,thelackofaclearincentivetocompletetheadvancedtrainingtocompletionofStage4(lackofTESLaccreditation).

Herearethreetypicalcommentsfromparticipants:

Overall,IhavecometoappreciatetheEdLINCprogramfortheflexibilityand

creativityitallowsteacherswhilesupplyingsomeusefulmaterialgearedtothe

differentLINClevels.

Initially,thetechnologyinformationsoundedtoodaunting,butwhenIactually

starteddoingStage3,Ifounditveryinterestingandhands-on.

Intheend,IhavetosaythatnotonlyIlearnedhowtoworkasanediting

teacherandusemanydifferentfeaturesofanopensourcelearning

managementsystem,butIalsowasabletoseeandbesatisfiedwiththe

immediateresultsofimplementingmycourseinaLINCclassroom.

ParticipantsinthenewStage3completeaquizaboutblendedlearning,submitasamplelessonplanbasedonablendedlearningtemplate,customizethecoursewareandaddnewactivities,collaboratewithpeersonthebestpracticesinsettlement

25

languagetrainingwiki,andutilizeSCORMcontentfromTutela.Trainingparticipantsin2014–15receivedathirdcertificateofcompletion.Inaddition,inOntarioinJuly2015,TESLOntarioaccreditedESLteachersbecameeligibleforPost-TESLCertificateaccreditationuponcompletion,addingtheincentiveprofessionalrecognitionforthistrainingstage.(Stage4hasbeenPTCT-accreditedsince2012).

Stage4:Creatinge-activitieslearningresources

AsofApril2016,52teacherswereenrolledinStage4.Despitebarrierstoparticipationandcompletion,14hadcompletedStage4training.Commentsreceivedincluded:

ThemainconstraintsofapplyingLMSaretheresources:thetimeavailableinthelabs,andthetimerequiredtodevelopnewmaterials.ThatiswhyIappreciatetheworkdonebytheteamwhodevelopedtheLINCe-ActivitiesandmadethemavailableontheEdLINCsite.

Concernsthatdigitaltechnologiesmightinterferewithface-to-faceinteractionsdidnotmaterialize.Somestudentsprefertoworkonline,buttheyalsoareencouragedtosocializeonline,whichinturnfostersface-to-faceinteractions.

IfeelthattheeffectivenessofTELLormye-activitiesdoesnotsolelylieinhowwellitisdevelopedbutinhowIusethemtosupportmyclassroomteachingtoimprovethelanguagecompetenciesofmylearners.

TraineesinStage4aretrainedinthefollowing:

1. Web2.0phenomenaandtheirpotentialforESLinstruction(e.g.,socialmediasuchasTwitterorsocialbookmarking);

2. Pedagogicalprinciplesofe-learning;3. PrinciplesofdesigningeffectiveTELLactivities;4. Project-basedlanguagelearning.

TraineesinStage4acquirethetechnicalskillstodothefollowing:

1. Developoriginal,self-correctingonlinestudentactivitiesusingTELLauthoringsoftware;

2. CreateasimpleSCORM1.2package;3. UtilizeCreativeCommonslicensingtoacquireandpublishdigitalcontent;4. SharethiscontentwiththeLINCprofessionalcommunityviaTutela.

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Teacher-traineescompletecourseauthoringactivitiesasaneditingteacherinMoodle,andsubmitareflectivestatementwiththoughtfuldescriptionsofthecontextforusingtheactivities.ThetrainingactivitiesincludeplanningandcreatingaMoodlecourseonaspecializedaspectofLINCteachingandlearning,writingajournalreflectiveofthedevelopmentprocess,uploadinglearningobjectsand/ordigitalcontenttoTutela,andusinganauthoringtool.Participantsreceivedacertificateofcompletion.

Summaryoftrainingresults1April2014to31March2016

ThefollowingTableshowstrainingresults,nationallyandinOntario.

Table1:TotaltraineesinOntario,andnationally,asof31March2016

Stage ON BC AB SK MB NB NS PEI YT Total

1 415 241 201 82 64 49 33 24 1 1110

PreStage2 211 137 117 29 11 26 11 8 1 551

2 179 100 85 22 9 18 8 3 1 425

3 48 46 25 8 7 4 3 2 0 143

4 15 23 3 3 4 3 0 1 0 52

CoursewareBasics 64 - - - - - - - - 64

BytheendofMarch2016,therewasatotalof250trainingparticipantsfromOntario.TherewereStage1andPre-Stage2trainingeventsinOntario,allofwhichwereface-to-facetrainingsessions.

ThemigrationtoMoodle2.5,whichoccurredin2013and2014,andwasespeciallyapriorityin2014,resultedinMoodlebecomingthefoundationLMSoftheprojectandthecourseware.Version1.9ofMoodlewasstillavailabletoteachersforthosewhowantedorneededit.

Theprojectsubmittedproposalstomultipleevents,allofwhichwereapproved;theTESLCanadaConference,Regina,May2014;andthe2013,2014,2015TESLOntario

27

Conferences.Thesesessionswereintendedtoinformpractitionersoftheprojectanditsfindings,andtoprovidetrainingopportunities,especiallyStage1.

TheAnnotatedBibliography,completedin2014,andupdatedin2015-16,becameanimportanttrainingandpromotionelement.TheBibliographywasdevelopedasaresourceforteachers,administrators,andpolicy-makersonbetterpracticesinblendedlearning,andthevalueanduseoftechnologyinblendedlearningenvironments,andwasusedasatrainingcomponentafterdevelopment.TheBibliographywasdistributedattheTESLOntarioConferencein2014,wasplacedontheprojectportalthatfall,andwassharedwithTutelainSeptember2014.Thebibliographywasthefirstofitskindinthisarea,andhasbeenwellreceivedbyusers.

LINCprogramswereseenascriticaltoadoptionofLearnIT2teach,andtheLINCcoursewaregenerally.TheprojectspentconsiderabletrainingresourcestoconvinceSPOstoevaluatethereadinessoftheirmembers,andtoconvincethemtoadopttechnologyintheirteaching.SPOsarepivotaltoadoptionofLearnIT2teachapproach.

Nationally,theTrain-the-trainertrainingdevelopmentcontinuedthroughoutthetwoyears,toexpandtrainingopportunitiestoallregionsandpotentialLINCparticipants.(Therationalewasthat,astheprojectwassuccessful,requestsforassistancewouldincreasequicklybeyondthecapabilitiesoftheproject,andthatthesewouldbebestservedbyalocaltrainingprovidersineachProvince.)

Stage1,asexpected,wasthemostcommonstageoftrainingintheproject,andwasbasedonafamiliarface-to-facetrainingmodel.Thisassuredthatparticipantsreceivedinteractionopportunitiesaswellastrainingintheconceptsintended.

Stage3oftheLearnIT2teachtrainingreceivedPTCTapprovalasteachertraininginthePost-TESLCertificateTrainingprogram,amajoraccomplishmentoftheproject.CertificationmeantthatteacherswhocompletedStage3ofprojecttrainingqualifiedforCertificationcredit,astheywouldforanyothertraining.(MinorchangesweremadetoStage3andStage4materialsduringtheproject,tocomplywithTESLCertificateTrainingrequirements,andasaresultofuserobservations.)

NewsletterswereauthoredmonthlyforadistributionlistofLINCprofessionals.Newslettershighlightedprojectachievementsandinvitedinputfromprojectparticipants.TheNewslettersareseenasawaybothtodisseminateoutcomesoftheproject,andtoincreaseinteractioninthefieldaboutbetterpracticesinlanguagetraining.Theprojecthasalsoproducedaninformationalbrochureaboutitscomponents,forgeneraldistribution.

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ThePAR(ParticipatoryActionResearch)evaluationmodelwasusedinthisproject,tocaptureallrelevantobservationsandtoassuretheevaluationfocuswasformative(usable)andtimely.ThePARmodelprovedtobeapplicable,especiallyascontainedintheworkofGuskey(2002)andKirkpatrick(1994,1998).

Theprojectportalreceivednumerousvisitsduringtheproject,loggingmorethantenthousanduniquevisitorspermonth.Theportalwasalsousedasameanstodistributeprojectmaterialstoparticipants.

LearnIT2teachTraintheTrainer

Thistrainingmodulesupportsmentorsintheirpreparationtosupportteachertraineesinallareasofthetraining.

CoursewareBasicsforMoodle2

Thisstagehelpsteachersusingedlinc(Moodle1.9)makethetransitiontoedulinc(Moodle2.5).

PDforLearningTechnologyInnovationLeadership

Developmentofexpandedadministratorandleadteachertrainingwasundertakenin2014,includingapilotwithselectedLINCadministrators.Duetobudgetrestraintsthepilotwasinterruptedaftersixoftheplannedtwelveweeks.TheAdministratortrainingwasbeingdesignedtohelpSPOsmakethetransitiontoLINCblendedlearning.Afteritscompletionin2015,theadministratorcoursewasdesignedtotakeroughly18hourstocomplete,atimedemandconsideredcompatiblewiththedemandsofthetrainingandtimeavailabletopotentialparticipants.Itwasfirstdesignedasa12unitMoodlecourseandafterpilotingwasrevisedtoincludetwo6-unitscoursesbasedonthepilotresultsandfeedbackfromtheparticipants.

BecauseoftheirimportancetotheadoptionoftheLearnIT2teachProject,andtheirinfluenceoverPDtrainingingeneralforteachers,atrainingpackagewasdevelopedforprogramadministrators.Aprintmanualandaface-to-faceworkshopforprogramadministratorsbecameavailablein2012-13.ThisPDdescribestoadministratorsthepotentialbenefitsofLINCcoursewareforlearners,teachers,andprograms.Administratorsalsogainanunderstandingoftheimportantrolethey

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haveinsupportingintelligentandeffectivetechnologyusewithintheirprograms,byteachers.

TheAdministrator’sManualisavailablefreeontheLearnIT2teachportal(seeabove)andincludestechnicalinformation,soadministratorsunderstandhowtheycanutilizethereportingcapabilitiesoftheLMS.ToalignwiththeMoodle2.5versionofthetraining,aneweditionofthemanualwasreleasedinthespringof2014.Inallpublicationsforandinteractionswithadministrators,theintentionwastogatherinformationabouthowtrainingcouldbeadvanced.

Inasurveyconductedin2013,Administratorsreportedthefollowing,withimplicationsfortheproject:

1. MoreteacherswouldtakePDtrainingiftheirtimeinPDwaspaid.2. UnionizedteacherstendtobereluctanttoengageinunpaidPD.Mostofthe

intervieweeswhouseLearnIT2teachcoursewarearenotunionized.3. Systemsaregoingbackwardsfinancially,withmoreandmoredemandson

teachers.Teachersarewillingtomovewiththetimes,butit’shardwhenthereareobstaclesateveryturn.

4. Therealityofbeingateacherinothersystemsisthateffortisrecognizedwithmovingupapayscale.Forlanguageteachers,thereoftenisnorecognition.

5. Initialinputoftimetocreatecoursematerialislarge.Instructorslackfreetime.

Therewerealsothefamiliarreportsaboutlackofworkingequipment,support,andresourcesforPDandinnovation.Thesereportsconcernedlanguagelabs(whichwereoftensharedamongalargenumberofclasses)andin-classroomcomputers(whichwereoftennotproperlysupported,werenotworking,didnothavebroadbandaccess,orweretoofewinnumbertohaveanimpact).

In2015,threecohortsofLINCprofessionalscompletedPart1oftheLearningTechnologyInnovationLeadershipcourse.AsofMarch31,2016,thefirstcohortiscompletingPart2ofthetraining.Anevaluationreportforbothpartsisnowunderwayandisplannedforcompletionin2016.Theevaluationinformationisalreadybeingused.

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LearnIT2teachPDtrainingapproach

TheLearnIT2teachteachertrainingandcoursewareareconsistentwiththinkinginthelanguagelearningcommunityregardingtechnology.Healyetal.(2011,p.vii)listfourgoalsforlanguageteachers:

1. Languageteachersacquireandmaintainfoundationalknowledgeandskillsintechnologyforprofessionalpurposes.

2. Languageteachersintegratepedagogicalknowledgeandskillswithtechnologytoenhancelanguageteachingandlearning.

3. Languageteachersapplytechnologyandrecordkeeping,feedback,andassessment.

4. Languageteachersusetechnologytoimprovecommunication,collaboration,andefficiency.

TheseobjectivesareconsistentwiththeobjectivesoftheLearnIT2teachprogram,asthisreportshowsinvariousplaces.Aswell,theprojectreliesoninter-teacher“peer-to-peer”networking,toallowteacherstomaster,andtobegintoimplement,Web2.0technologiesintheirteaching.Bycombiningsocialandtask-relatedobjectives,theprojectattemptstoaddressbothneeds,toassureparticipantslearncontentwhiledevelopingcontactsforongoinglearningandsupport(Henman,2003).

TheworkofChickeringandGamson(1987;ÉcolePolytechniquedeMontréal,2001)alsoguidesthelinkingofsocialandtaskobjectives.Intheirnow-classicpaper,ChickeringandGamsonidentifiedsevenprinciplesof“goodteaching/training”practiceinhighereducation,applicabletoPD:

1. Encouragingcontactsbetweenstudentsandfaculty;2. Developingreciprocityandcooperationamongstudents;

“Theforumsandwikiscreateacollaborativeandsociallearningenvironment

forstudents.Studentscanbeencouragedtoreflectonwhattheyarelearning

intheSCORMactivities,relateittotheirownexperiences,shareopinions,

ideasandresources,andcollaborateoncreatingcommonunderstanding.”-

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3. Usingactivelearningtechniques;4. Givingproperfeedback;5. Emphasizingtimeontask;6. Communicatinghighexpectations;7. Respectingdiversetalentsandwaysoflearning.

Theauthorsemphasizethe“bestpractice”foradultsof“activelearning,”asfoundinactivitiessuchasstructuredexercises,discussions,teamprojects,andpeercritiques,aswellasinternshipsandindependentstudy(Dilworth&Willis,2003).TheLearnIT2teachProjectsupportsthesekindsofactivities,andfocusesonthesetypesofoutcomes.Overall,theLearnIT2teachtrainingandPDputavarietyoflearningstrategiestowork,fromface-to-faceandhands-onsessionsatconferencevenueswithcomputerlabaccessinStage1,to,inlaterStages,onlineself-directedandmentor-supportedlearningthatgraduallyleadstomorecompetence,skills,knowledge,andconfidence(nottomentionmorematerialsandaccess),andtomoreopportunitiesforteachingwithready-maderesourcesanddevelopinge-activitiesforcustomizedandindividualizedcurricula.ImportantadvantagesofthislearningapproachweredocumentedinanarticleinTESLContactmagazineinFebruary2014(Lawrence,2014).

Fortrainingparticipants,theprojectassumesthatlearningtousethroughthesameLMSthatlearnersuseprovidesanenrichedlearningexperience.Especially,thegradualtransitionfromlisteningtohands-onlearning,puttingthecoursewaretoworkwithlearners,andthengraduallytakingmoreandmorecontrolwithallsystemrightsasateacherintheLMSprovidesinvaluableinsightsinhowtolearnandteachonlinethatareuniquetotheLearnIT2teachtrainingandPD.

Researchmethodology

TheresearchcomponentoftheLearnIT2teachProjecthashadtwomainobjectives.Ontheonehand,informationwasgatheredasformativefeedbackforthedevelopersandfacilitatorsoftheprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingworkshopsduringthepilotingstage,andduringregularworkshopdelivery,toensure

“TheLearnIT2teachprovidedmewithamentorwhowasinfinitelypatient

andrespondedtoallmyqueriesandquestions.TheStagesaredesignedwith

ESLinstructorsinmind.It’sverymethodical,it’sstep-by-step,there’ssupport

everystepoftheway.”-LINCTeacher

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continuousimprovement.Further,theresearchencompassedanassessmentoftheprojectoutcomes,clientsatisfactionwithandtheeffectivenessofthetrainingworkshops,andthegeneralimpactofthetrainingonthewayLINCinstructorsusedlearningtechnologiesintheirpractice.

Toaccomplishbothobjectives,twocomplementaryapproacheswereused.WhilePARwasappliedinthedevelopmentofthedesignofprofessionaldevelopment,theModelofEvaluationofProfessionalDevelopment(Guskey,2002)wasusedtodetermineandarticulatethesuccessofthedeliveryoftheprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingworkshops,intermsofeffectiveness.WherePARwasespeciallyusefulwhenconsensuswasthegoal,orwhenresultsneedtobeinterpreted,providingamodelforvettinginterpretationsandinvitingtheinputofothers;Guskey’smodelwasespeciallyusefulforassessingimpact.

Duringthefirstpartoftheproject,PARwasmainlyusedtosupporttheinstructionaldesigncycleandprovideinformationforthedecision-makingprocessintheplanning,development,andpilotingstages.AstheresultswereintendedfortheuseinfurtherdevelopmentoftheLearnIT2teachtrainingandPD,theywereformative,internaltotheproject,andnotnecessarilyalwaysincludedinformalreports.Themaintaskoftheevaluationwastoassurethatinsightswerecapturedanddisseminated,andthattheprojectanditsparticipantsbenefittedfromwhathadbeenlearnedandexperienced.Reports,especiallytheoccasionalreports(ofwhichtherehavebeeneight),weredesignedtobeusedimmediatelybyparticipantsandplanners.ThelatestOccasionalReporttakesstockofwherewearenowintheprojectwithregardtothewayinstructorsandadministratorsseeopportunitiesandbarrierstotheuptakeofblendeddeliveryofLINCprogramming(seeAppendixE).

ForevaluatingthequalityoftheLearnIT2teachtrainingandPDoverthecourseoftheentireproject,dataweregatheredusingseveralsources.Confidentialonlinesurveyscompletedbyparticipantsattheendofeachtrainingstagewereusedtogatherfeedbackwithregardtotheirsatisfactionwiththedeliveryformatandcontentofthetraining,aswellastheirinterestinpursuingfurthertraining(seebelow).

Also,asnotedabove,somefeedbackaboutbarriersandchallengesofparticipatinginandcompletingthissortoftrainingweregatheredfromprogramadministratorsandteachers,toinformrecommendationsaboutappropriatesupportsforparticipantsinsuchtraining,inturntomaximizetheimpactofthePDexperienceonpractice.Usagestatisticswerealsodeveloped(someareshownabove),todetermineusers’interestsinandpreferencesfortheonlinetoolsandresourcesavailableintheMoodleLMS.Mentorswereremindedtoensurethatmentees

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understoodtheimportanceoftheircommentstodevelopmentanddirectionoftheproject:menteecomments,fromtrainingorduringimplementation,wereseenasrelevantfeedback,andusedtomakeformativechangestoelementsoftheproject(changeswereoftenmadetomaterialsorproceduresasaresultofparticipants’comments,asdocumentedabove).

Thementorsfollowed-upwithandreceivedcommentsdirectlyfromparticipants,eitherverballyorinwriting,bothofwhichcontributedtoaricherandmorecompletepictureofthevalueoftheLearnIT2teachprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingworkshops.

Discussionofresultsoftheprojecttodate

ResultsinOntario

Asnotedabove,sincethebeginningoftheLearnIT2teachproject,therehavebeenwellover1600Stage1participantsinOntario(see“outcomecomments,”above).Fortheonlinedeliveredtraining(Stages2-4),hundredsofinstructorsandadministratorsreceivedtrainingthroughtheLearnIT2teachLMSMoodle(forexactnumbers,seeabove)

In2015-2016,14Ontarioface-to-facePDsessionsweredelivered.

Stage1Results

Asnotedearlier,Stage1isaface-to-faceintroductiontothekeyelementsoftheLearnIT2teachprogram.Attheendofeachtrainingsession,theLearnIT2teachtrainersaskedparticipantstocompleteanonlinequestionnaire,designedtogatherdataforclientsatisfactionandongoingimprovementofthetraining.

OneofthemostimportantissuesinStage1istoincreasetheparticipants’interestintheprojectoverall,theirintentiontocontinuethetraining,andtheirattitudeaboutrecommendingparticipationinthetrainingtoacolleague.ThefollowingTableillustratesanendorsementoftheLearnIT2teachtraining:

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ConclusionsaboutStage1trainingwerethatparticipantswereengagedinandsatisfiedwiththeLearnIT2teachprojectandthrivedinaface-to-faceblendedlearningenvironment.However,asnotedabove,asignificantnumberofparticipantsdidnotmoveontothenexttrainingstage(online),despitetheirstatedintentiontodoso.Thisrealization,andotherresultsfromtheanalysisofavailabledata,promptedanalreadydescribedredesignofcontentsandrequirementsofthesubsequenttrainingstages,andanintermediateface-to-facetrainingstage,Pre-Stage2,tosupportthetransitionbetweentheinitial(informational,exploratory)trainingtotheprofessionaldevelopmentactivities(hands-on,skill-based)inthetrainingStages2-4oftheLearnIT2teachproject.

Pre-Stage2results

Pre-Stage2isanintermediatetrainingstagethatsupportsamoreseamlesstransitionbetweenthefirsttwotrainingstagesandmovefromtheface-to-faceStage1introductionintotheonlinedeliveredandmentorsupportedStage2.

Insummary,asalreadynoted,thefindingsbasedontheevaluationsfromtrainingparticipantsinthisstageshowthat98%successfullycompleteditalltheparticipantssaidtheyintendedtocontinuewithStage2ofthetraining(94%rightaway,andtheremainingparticipantsatalatertime).Participantsreportedthatasupportiveadministrationandreleasetimewerethemainreasonswhytheydidordidnotcompletethetraining.Expertiseintheuseoftechnologywasseenasthe

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mostimportantbarrierinonlineresourcesforlanguagelearning.TheTableonthefollowingpageexpandsontheissueofbarriersinusingmoretechnologyfortrainingandprogramdelivery.ConclusionsaboutthePre-Stage2trainingwerethatitsadditionwouldprepareteachersinneedofadditionalface-to-facesupporttomoveontoStage2morequickly,seamlessly,andeffectively.Byprovidingon-sitesupportedopportunitiestotrainingparticipantstofamiliarizethemselveswiththeLMSandworkthoughchallengeswithotherparticipantsbeforecontinuingthetrainingonline,theirchancetocompletesubsequenttrainingstagessuccessfullywouldbeincreased.

Stage2results

DuetofeedbackfromlearnersandfromPDpresenters,Stage2wasredevelopedtoincludemorehands-onactivitieswithlearners.Infact,asnotedpreviously,sinceJanuary2014thenewStage2hasbeenradicallydifferent,andrequiresteacherstousetheLINCcoursewarewiththeirlearnersforatleastamonth.TheformerStage2wasabouttenhoursofexplanation,a“movie”(video),andquizzes.

Stage2,aspresentlyconceptualizedandconfigured,providesanintroductiontothevariousinstructionalandadministrativetoolsavailableintheprogram’sLMS,Moodle.Trainingparticipantsexperiencefirst-handhowtomanageonlinecoursesfromateacher’sperspective.

Insummary,basedonsubmittedtrainingevaluations,thefindingsoftheprojectinregardtoStage2trainingwereasfollows:over90%ofparticipantscompletedStage2ofthetrainingandover75%ofthesesaidthattheywouldcontinuewiththenexttrainingstage,whileover20%saidthattheywouldcontinueatalatertime.Trainingparticipantsalsoagreed/stronglyagreedthatthemainreasonstocontinuethetrainingwerethetrainingfacilitator/mentor(82.3%),personaltechnologyskills(91.5%),availabletechnologysupport(87.2%),andasupportiveadministration(88.6%).Theyreportedthattheirinterestintheprojecthadincreased(92.8%)andthattheywouldrecommendthetrainingtoacolleague(95.1%).Overall,92.3%saidthatthetrainingmettheirexpectations.

AsevidentinthePre-Stage2evaluationfindings,barrierstoimplementation,anddeliveryofonlinecoursewarearestillplentiful.Stage2trainingparticipants,throughtheevaluationprocess,identifiedanumberofgoodideasforsolutionsandstrategiestoovercomethesebarriers,including:

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• Whenprioritiesforonlinedeliveryarearticulated,PD/releasetimeforinstructorsneedstobeprovidedandprioritizedtosupportit.

• Tosupportteachersusingthiscourseware,itisimportanttosupplyfundingtotheprogramstoallowacertainamountofteacherswithinaprogramtoaccessthetrainingonpaidtime,andsetupasaTrain-the-trainerapproachintheprogram.Collaboratingwithinateam(Pod)andhavingpeersupportwouldalsohelpthetrainingnottobetooisolated.

• ITdepartmentsneedtoplacegreaterpriorityonsupportingandmeetingtheneedsofinstructorsandlearnerstoimplementandhavecontinuoususeoftechnologyintheclassroomonanongoingbasis.

• Teachersneedtobeconvincedthatthereissetuptimerequired,butthatthereisqualityimprovementandtimesavingsusingthecourseware,inthelongrun.Teachersneedtobeshownhowtoblendthetechnologyintotheircurrentclassroomrepertoire.Currently,thereisalotoftimerequiredtomanagethereportsandgradesofstudents,butLINCteacherssaytheyarenotgivenpaidtimetodothis.

• MandatoryonlineLearnIT2teachtrainingforallLINC/ESLteachersinOntariosothatinstructorscanobtainboth,PDhoursandacertificateofrecognition.

• AllLINC/ESLinstructorswhohavecompletedtheLearnIT2teachtrainingshouldbeallowedtousethecomputerlaboratoryafterschoolhourstopreparelessonsforstudents.Ifeachinstructortakesturnsinusingthecomputerfacilityduringschoolhours,studentswouldpracticetheITskillstheyhavelearned.

ConclusionsaboutStage2trainingwerethatthetrainingparticipantswhosuccessfullymovedonfromTrainingStage1wereengagedandpassionateaboutthetrainingandtheirtrainingoutcomes.Mostparticipantssawpotentialforincludingonlinecoursewareintheirclassroominstruction,butalsorecognizedanumberofbarriersthatmadeitharderforthemtodoso.Someofthesebarriersmaybeaddressedinthefuture,butitisafindingofthisprojectthatmoretargetedsupportsaspartoftheLearnIT2teachprojectandprojectslikeit,includingsupportfromtheadministrationinLINCprogramsandclearlyarticulatedprioritiesfromtheprogramfunder,mayhavemoreimpactonsupportingsuccessfulpracticesinimplementinganddeliveringonlinelearningopportunitiesinthelongrun.

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Stage3results

Stage3letsinstructorsdeepentheirknowledgebyselectingandcustomizingcoursewareandputtingittoworkintheirownclasses.Trainingparticipantsexpandtheirskillsinmodifyingandadaptingthecoursewarefortheirlearners.BuildingonStage2,theyalsoaddSCORMcontentfromTutelaandtheycanaddanytypeofresource(PDFs,ideasfromaforum,portfoliotasks,etc.)inStage3.ChangestothisStagewereindicatedbytheevaluationcommentsoftheparticipants(learnersandmentors-facilitators).Duetotheadvancednatureofthetrainingandtheexpectationoninstructorstousethecoursewareintheirprogram,additionalresourceswereaddedtothistrainingstageovertime,suchasPDFmanualstosupportthetrainingcontentandassessmenttaskstodemonstratemasteryofthetrainingrequirements.Participantsreportedthatthemanualsandvideoswereveryusefulformorecomplicatedstepsandgreatforfuturereference.Further,theysaidthatworkingthroughtheassessmenttaskswasagreatwaytodevelopskillinusingtheexistingmaterialsforblendedlearningandaddingactivitiestothecourseware.

ThemostimportantchangewasapplyingforandreceivingPost-TESLCertificateTrainingaccreditationfromTESLOntario.ThisrequiredmodestchangestoStage3.ApprovalwasreceivedinJuly2014.TherewereonlyafewmonthsafterTESLOntarioPTCTapprovalbeforebudgetconstraintsrequiredacutbackinprojectactivity.Inaddition,teacherswhomightwanttore-taketheStage3courseforPTCThavenot,asyet.Also,blendedlearningtrainingcompetesfortimewithmandatedtrainingonPBLA.

Insummary,thefindingsoftheprojectinregardtoStage3trainingwerethat64.1%completedthistrainingstageand79.5%ofthesesaidthattheyintendedtocompleteStage4ofthetrainingimmediately,while20.5%saidtheywoulddosoatalatertime.Thereasonstocontinuewerereportedtobeasupportiveadministration(80.1%agree/stronglyagree),thetrainingfacilitators(88%),availabletechsupport(88.5%),andpersonaltechnologyskills(92%).Thosewhodidn’tcompletethistrainingstagedidnotdosobecauseofworkoverload(90%agree/stronglyagree),ortherequiredtimecommitment(91%);95%saidthattheywouldcontinuelater.

Overall,91%ofStage3trainingparticipantsagreed/stronglyagreedthattheirinterestintheLearnIT2teachmaterialsincreasedasaresultofthetrainingandthattheywouldrecommendittoacolleague.Whenaskedifthetrainingmettheirexpectation,90%agreedandoneteacheradded:

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IfeelmorepowerfulinteachingwithtechnologyasIhavesupplementalonlinematerialsandstrategiestoteachandmeetmystudents’needs.

Todate,theprojectdidnotrecordanincreaseininterestand/orcompletionrateinStage3duetoPTCT.Thismaybebecause,ontheonehand,therewereonlyafewmonthsafterapprovalbeforethecutbackstoprogramsinOntario,and,ontheother,teacherswhocouldhaveretakentheStage3coursewiththePTCTrequirementsmayhavenotdonesoforvariousreasons,includingongoingIRCCcutbacksandPDtimedemandsfromPBLAtraining.

ConclusionsaboutStage3trainingwerethattheinstructorswhotookthisstageofthetrainingdidsowithmuchenthusiasmandinvestment.Somenotedthatthemoreonlinetrainingdemonstratedapositiveimpactonpractice,andthatmorefundingandsupportwouldbemadeavailableinthefuture(i.e.,participationofferedagoodreturnoninvestment).Instructorsneededtoshowcasethebenefitsofblendedonlinedeliveryandmoretraininginonlinecoursedelivery,todemonstratethattheprojectproducedmoreskillsandcomfortinusingtechnologyamonginstructors.

Stage4results

Stage4enablesinstructorstocreatetheirowne-learningactivitiesanduploadthemtoadigitalrepository,foraccessbyotherprofessionalsandbystudents.InstructorswhohavecompletedStage4andearnedPTCTaccreditationfeelasenseofaccomplishmentasaresultoflearninganewsetofskillsinacoursethatintegratesinstructionaldesignandTELLtheorieswithhands-onpracticalskills.Thistrainingishighlylearner-centred,andmanyparticipantsuseitasanopportunitytodeveloptrainingmaterialsthatareoriginalandaddressamaterialsgapattheircentre–withassistanceofanexperiencedmentor.Severalteachersdevelopedprojectsthattheyusedandre-usedand,intheonecase,developedabasiccoursethatwasusedbyliteracyteachersinStage2oftheLearnIT2teachtraining.Inaddition,allteacherscompletingtheStage4traininghadtocontributetoTutela.

MinorrevisionstotheStage4coursewereongoing,e.g.maintaininganFAQsectionbasedonparticipantfeedbackandrevisions.Lookingforward,themanagersoftheprojectwouldliketoaddaPreparingLearnersforOnlineLanguageLearningsection,thatwouldtrainteacherstopreparemultimedia(Web2.0)instructionalmaterialstohelpstudentsaccessteacherdevelopede-materialsandimprovetheironlinelearningskills.

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TwoteacherswhohavegraduatedfromStage4haveofferedthisadviceonaStage4discussionforum:

• …IfeltoverwhelmedatthestartbutI'mhappytoreportthatthefeelingsubsidedasImademywaythroughthecourseandhavebecomealittlemorecomputersavvy.Stepbystep.

• Ifoundtheinstructionalvideosmostpractical.Iwouldopenthevideoinonewindowandtheassignmentinanother.JustbytogglingbetweenthewindowsI'djustapeeverystepinthevideo.

InformalTrainingandcoursewaresupport

SincetheinceptionoftheLearnIT2teachproject,thewebportalhasbeenthepreferreddestinationforLearnIT2teachtrainingparticipants,EduLINCusers,andLINCteachersingeneral,tofindresourcesandsupport.In2013-14,LINCandESLprograminstructorsandadministratorsreceivedinformaltrainingthroughtheuseofthewebportal.Overall,thewebsitestatsshowthattheLearnIT2teachwebportalisasignificantresourcetotheIRCC-fundedprograms;thesitehasreceivedmorethan10,000hitspermonth,with80%ofthetrafficoriginatingfromCanada.

Kirkpatrick/GuskeyLevel1findings:Participants’reactionstothePD

Level1oftheKirkpatrick/Guskeymodelconcernslearnerengagementwithandenjoymentofthetraining.Throughouttheproject,observedengagementatalllevels(teachersandadministrators)remainedhigh.Thisassistedintheconductoftheevaluation,thequalityofthedatagathered,andthereceptionofthereports,andalsobenefitedtheprojectbyshowing,inthehighdegreeofmotivationbyteachers,students,andadministrators,thattrainingandresourceswereappreciated.

TheconclusionisthatLevel1ofthemodelwassuccessful,andcontributedtotheimpactoftheproject.

Kirkpatrick/GuskeyLevel2findings:Participants’learning

Level2oftheevaluationmodelwaslearning.Here,theobjectivewastoassurethatparticipantsacquiredusefulandrelevantknowledgeandskillsfromtheproject.Whiletheexactnatureofthelearningwasnotmeasured(thesevariedbyteacher

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andsite,andchangedthroughouttheprojectascontentevolved),itwasclearfromeachstageoftheprojectthatparticipantswereacquiringskills,andthatthoseskillswererelatedtotheirteaching.(Ifthishadnotbeenthecase,itwasfeltthattheselanguageteacherswouldhavequicklydeclinedtoparticipatefurtherintheproject.)Skillsintheuseoftechnologies,andpositiveattitudestowardmetadata,wereacquired:individualslearnedaboutthepotentialimpactofnewtechnologicaldevices(commontotheirstudents)applicabletoacquisitionoflanguageskills;participantsinteractedwithoneanotherthroughface-to-faceandtechnology-mediatedmethods,andinsodoingexchangedideasforuseintheclassroom;theteachingoflanguageskillsinvolvingtechnologywasadvanced.

ThesecondLeveloftheGuskey/Kirkpatrickmodelwassuccessfullyachieved.

Kirkpatrick/GuskeyLevel3findings:Indicatorsoforganizationalsupportandchange

ThethirdleveloftheKirkpatrick/Guskeymodelaskswhethertheskillsacquiredweretakenbackandappliedintheworkplace.Again,itwasobviousthatteacherswereusingtheirnewlyacquiredskillsintheirclassrooms.Evaluations(interviewsandsurveys)showedthiswashappeninginclassrooms,anddocumentedthatteacherswerepleasedwiththeimpactsontheirteachingandtheirstudentsoftheirnewskills.

Itwasconcludedthatteachersachievedthethirdleveloftheevaluationmodel,takingtheirnewlylearningskillsbacktotheirclassrooms.

Kirkpatrick/GuskeyLevel4findings:Evidenceofnewknowledgeandskillsinpractice

Level4ofthemodelaskswhether,whennewskillsandknowledgewereusedinclassrooms(asintheaboveoutcome),theteaching/learningenterprisewaspositivelyimpacted(studentslearnedmore,learnedfaster,orsufferedfewerdisruptionsintheirlearning).Fortheevaluationatthislevel,theviewsofemployers,andofanyonewhohastheopportunitytoobservetheimpactofteachingonstudents,weresoughtandassessed.

Toevaluatetheimpactofthecoursewareandtheblendedmodeonlearning,ademonstrationprojectwasundertakeninOctober2015atAlgonquinCollegeinOttawa,Ontario.Thecollegehasadoptedthemodalityinvirtuallyeveryclass.A

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researchproposalwaspresentedtothecollegeandapproved,aclassandteacherwereidentified,andentryinterviewsandlanguageperformancetestingwascarriedouton20LINClearners.However,duetofundingshortfalls,thedemonstrationprojectwascancelledinlateNovember2015.Whileademonstrationprojectwouldbemostconvincing,themanagersofandtheparticipantsinthisprojectfeelthatthisobjectiveisalsolikelyachieved,forthereasonsstatedabove.[Linktonext¶]

Throughouttheprojectinstructorshavebeenaskedtoprovidefeedbackinsurveys,reflectivejournals,andinterviewstoanswerquestionssuchas“Didtheparticipantseffectivelyapplytheacquiredknowledgeandskillsintheirteachingpractice?”,“Howfrequentlyaretheseusedonline?”,“Whattypesofteachingactivitiesandcontentseemtoworkbest?,and“Whatproblemshavearisenusingtechnicalskillsinteaching?”.EvidenceoftheengagementlevelofinstructorsandthechallengestheyhaveexperiencedwiththeimplementationofblendedlearningcanbefoundthroughoutthisreportandintheAppendixE.TheprojectusesthisdatatohelpServiceProviderstodeterminethelevelofon-sitesupport(personnel,time,expertise)neededtoimplemente-learningresourcesandidentifypotentialbarriersandtoinformthedevelopmenttraininginitiativessuchtheMoodlecourseforLINCAdministratorsdevelopedin2015-16.

GuskeyLevel5findings:Participants’learningoutcomes

LevelfiverepresentsGuskey’sextensionoftheKirkpatrickmodeltoincludeparticipants’learningoutcomes,focusingontheself-perceivedoutcomesofthelearningexperienceoftheparticipant.Theimpactofthetrainingontheparticipants,theeffectthetraininghadontheirattitudeabouttheuseofe-learningresources,theirconfidenceusingthem,andwhetherthetrainingaffectedtheirteachingpracticesareevaluated.Feedbackfromtrainingparticipantsgatheredthroughinterviewsandreflectivejournalsarepartoftheinformationbeingevaluatedtodemonstratetheimpactofthetrainingontheparticipantatvarioustrainingstagesandinrelationtotheirteachingpracticeinthecognitive(performance&achievement),affective(attitudes&dispositions),andpsychomotor(skills&behaviour)domains.

OverfortylearnersfromfourLINCclassesattwoserviceproviderswereaskedabouttheimpactofthecoursewareontheirprogram.ThetwocasestudiesbasedontheresultsareincludedinthisreportasAppendicesBandC.

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Otherresults

PDforleadteachersandprogramadministrators

The2011TESLConferencesession,previouslydescribed,providedrelevantinformationtoLINCandESLprogramadministrators.AdministrativeandinstructionalbenefitsoftheEduLINCcoursewareandtheLearnIT2teachteachertrainingwerehighlighted,explainingresourceandparticipantreportingwithintheLMS.Trainingforadministratorsinitiallytooktheformofaprint/.pdfmanualresourceandconferenceintroductionsessionstopromoteitsdisseminationanduseamongLINCprogramadministrators.Thefirsteditionwasreleasedin2012.

Throughouttheproject,AdministratorTrainingwebinarsweredeliveredonTutelaandattheREALIZEConference.AsubstantialnumberofLINCAdministratorsparticipated.Also,technologyinnovationleadershipworkshopshavebeendeliveredattheCESBAConference,TESLOntario,TESLCanadaandBCTEAL.

MostprogramadministratorsratedtheimportanceofTELLandtheinterestofinstructorsveryhigh.Also,theyindicatedthatmostprogramshadaccesstoadequateTechnology-enhancedlearningenvironments.Itisworthnotingthatthehighratingsonthesequestions,duetoadministratorswhoaresupportiveofuseofTELLintheirprograms,meansadministratorsaremorelikelytoattendatrainingsessionthatisdesignedwiththistargetgroupinmind.However,onlyoneintwoinstructorswasperceivedasshowingactualengagementandhavingadequatetraininginusingTELL.Additionally,asseenearlierinthisreport,programadministratorsjudgedthatlackoftime,fundingfortraining,poorornon-existentcomputerupkeep,andlowinstructorandlearnermotivationwereamongtheobstaclesthatpreventedinstructorsfrommakingmoreeffectiveuseoftechnologyinyourprogram.Generally,manyinstructorscommentedthatoneofthemainbarrierswasadequatecomputerlabs.Therewasalargerangeintermsofavailabilityandqualityoftechnicalsupportreported,aswellaswithregardtotheneedofadditionalresourcestosupportthedeliveryofTELL.MorepreparationtimeandongoingtrainingwerecitedconsistentlyinresponsetohowtogetmoreteachersandstudentsusingTELLortheLearnIT2teachresourcesinprograms.

Furtherfeedbackfromadministratorswasgathered.Thefollowingsummarizestheresponsesoffouradministrators.

Instructortraining

Inresponsetoquestionsaboutthepresenttrainingandreadinessofinstructors,administratorscommented.

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1. IsTELLimportanttoyourprograms?

• Yes.Lotsofmoneyhasbeeninvestedonsoftware,andinstructorsareencouragedtoincorporateTELLintotheirteaching;computersaresocietallyandeducationallyimportanttoday;studentsaretechnologicallysavvy;weaspiretobeingtechnologicalcollege;alloursiteshavecomputerlabs,usingavarietyofcomputersoftware;TELLisusedandexpectedineverycollegeinOntario–wheninstructorsareinterviewedtheyareroutinelyaskedhowtheyintendtoincorporateTELLintheirteaching.“Weseethesuccessinourattendanceatthissite.Absenteeismisfarlowerthananywhereelse,”DianeHardyatHWDSBaboutPLC.

2. AreLINCinstructorsinterestedinusingtechnology?

• Yes,butlessthanone-thirdareinterestedinusingLearnIT2teachcoursewarebecausesomeareteachingatlowerlevelsand,forexample,LiteracyandLevel1donothavecoursewareforthatlevel;someinstructors(especiallyolder)findusingcomputerstechnicallychallenging,butyoungerinstructorsareusuallyverykeenbecausetheyareconvincedthatitishelpingtheirlearners,anditisexpectedbythelearners–useoftechnologyinlearningisessentialthesedays;mostteachersareatleastinterestedinexaminingthepossibilityofusingtechnology.

3. AreLINCinstructorsrequiredtoincorporateTELLintotheircoursedelivery?Therewasaninterestingdifferenceofopiniononthisquestion,asthefollowingshows:

• Yes:TELLismandatory,1to2hoursperweek,inthelab;computertimeisscheduledeveryweek;instructorsknowwhentheyarehiredthisistheexpectation,butsomestruggleandarehesitant;instructorsuseavarietyofexcellentsoftwaresuccessfully(notjustEDLINC).

• No:becausethisisaunionenvironment,itisnotmandated(ifitweremandated,theunionwouldrequirepaidtrainingtime);tohelpencourageuse,LINCprogramoffersmentorandcoachinstructors.

4. DolearnersprovidefeedbacktoadministratorsonuseofTELLinLINCprograms?

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• Yes:thereisfeedbacktoinstructors,passedontotheadministrator;administratorsknowwhatcoursewareissuccessful;feedbackisnotgivenbystudentsdirectlytoadministrators;aboutone-quarterofstudentusersarenotwellservedbytechnology,oftenbecausetheyaretooadvancedandwhatwe'redoingisfrustratingtothem;somearefrustratedbyinstructors’attitudesorpoorskills;studentsmaysimplyleaveaprogramthatisnotmeetingtheirneeds,nevergivingaccuratefeedbackifaskedwhy.

5. Doinstructorsreadilyengageinteachertraining/PDontheirowntime?

• No;theyexpectpaidPD;theircollectiveagreementstipulatesthattheBoardhastopayforonefive-hourPDday/schoolyear,whentheschoolisclosed;acrossthedistrictsofar,wehave10-15instructorswhomightbeinterested,becauseitisunpaidtime,andteachersarereluctanttogivemoreoftheirtimeunpaid;theTESLConference,Toronto,hassponsorshipforLINCinstructors-teacherswhoattenddonotgetpaidfortheirregularlyscheduledclasses,whichtheyaremissing,buttheycangototheconference,theircosts(hotel,conferencefees)arecovered,andtherearespecialincentivesifinstructorspresentattheConference;about30%participateinPDatconferences,othersgoon-linetogetlessonplans,materials;reasonsfornon-participationincludebusylives,unpaidstatusofPD,andthe“us/them”attitudeoftheunion;theBoardprovidesseveraltypesofPD.

6. AreinstructorsappropriatelytrainedtouseTELL?

• IfinstructorsareredeployedintoaLINCposition,theymaynotbeexperiencedwithourversionofTELL,andmayneedtobeguidedthroughitbytheLPO;theyarenotspecificallytrained,butinthelabthereisatechnologistwhowillhelp;thereisalsofreePDincomputerinstructionattheCollege,whichisunpaidtime;wehadafull-daysessiononTELLrecently;someareandsomearen't,aswithmostinnovations;thereissomeinter-colleaguementoringandcoaching,aswell;attitudesarechanging,instructorsarenolongerasworriedaboutadmittingtostudentsthattheydon'tknowthecurrentandnewesttechnologies,assomeoneinthegroupprobablyownsit,knowshowtouseit,andiswillingtoproctorthosewhodonot.

7. Howcanwegetmoreteachers/studentsusingTELLortheLearnIT2teachresources?

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• Aresourcepersonshouldbebroughtintoleadtraining,butthisdoesn’texistnow;weareonlyatthebeginningoftheLearnIT2teachprocess;afterteachersseetheadvantages,promotionwillbelessimportant;PDshouldbepaidforatStageIIoftrainingandbeyond;somefacultyandadministratorsliketolearnontheirown,someliketolearninagroup–thetrainingshouldaccommodateboth;IRCChastopushtheinstitution,whichhastopushtheadministrator,whohastopushtheteachers;hardtogetpeopletochange-hand-holding,support,andtrainingandneeded;conferencescanbesuccessful;thereshouldberegular(perhapsmonthly)in-servicesessions,non-threatening(non-supervised)coaching,andreleasetime.

8. Whattypeoftrainingwouldyouliketoseeforadministrators?

• PlansforcontinuetoStage3requireaclassofstudents,whichisproblematicforadministrators;Stage4wouldbeusefulsothatinstructorsapproachanadministratoraboutproblemswithLearnIT2teachtheyhavesomeideasbasedonexperience;atroubleshootingmanualwouldbeuseful;instructorsinStage3havereportedthatmentorsaregoodatrespondingtoquestions,butsometimesdonotrespondquickly;atStage5,Administratortrainingneedstobeuser-friendlyandaccessible,andgearedtothelowestcommondenominatorwithrespecttoskills(wearedealingwithSPOswithawiderangeofskills).

9. WhataspectsofTELL/LearnIT2teachwouldyouliketolearnmoreabout?

• Portfolios;grading;assessmentreports;authoringlessons.

10. AreyouinterestedinusinganLMSinyourprogram?

• Yes.

11. WhattypesofLMSreportsareyouinterestedin?

• Theremightbeaproblemwiththeunionbecauseotherscantrackinstructors’use;this,however,makesadministrationeasier–forexample,whenalearnerhasnotgraduatedtothenextlevel,someonecouldviewlearnerreportsandseetheirprogress,thentalktotheinstructorabouttheirplan;wedolearnerreports(promotions)twicea

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year–withLMSwecouldseewhat’sgoingonintheclassroomandcouldmakearecommendationtotheinstructor.

12. Doyouwantmoreinformation/trainingaboutTESOLTechstandards?

• Notatthistime–alreadyavailable.

13. DoyouwanttobepartoftheconsultationontheAdministrationManual/PD?

• Notatthistime.

Budgetissues

14. Isyourfundingadequatetosupporttheuseoftechnologywithlearners?

• Yes,butnotateverysite:atsomesites,thecomputerlabsaresmall;atsomesites,therearemoreclassesthanonelabcanserve;recently,wehavebeengivenpermissiontouseslippagemoneytoupgradeourcomputers,manyofwhichhavewarrantiesthatwillsoonexpire(wecanbuy150newcomputersforthe20sitesofallofTDSBLINC);weneedmoremoneytosupportTELLandLearnIT2teach;weneedprojectorsandscreensineverylab;ateachsitewehaveone/site,butthisissometimesneededintheclassroom-weneedonededicatedforthecomputerlab;somelabsaresmallandinstallingaprojectorandscreenwouldbeaproblem;we’velostaconsiderableamountoffundingrecently;twoyearsagowegotthehardwareweneeded,butthemoneyisnotthereforsupportofinstructortraining;havingaresourcepersontosupportinstructorsontheuseofTELLisnecessarytothesuccessofaprogramlikethis-wouldbeexpensiveandthereisnofundingforsupport;wehaveanexpectationthatourteachersbeperceivedasprofessionalsandinvestintheirjobs;thisrequiresaninvestmentoftime,effort,andresources.Wehavetoprovidethemwithaccessandresources;equally,instructorsneedtounderstandthattobeperceivedasprofessionals,theytoorequiretoinvestowntimeforprofessionaldevelopment;problemsincludeannualfunding,andone-timenatureoffunding.

• Cut-backsarehurtingthecapacityforinnovation,includingLearnIT2teach.

WiththemigrationoftheMoodleLMSfromVersion1.9to2.5,revisionswererequiredtotheadministrator’smanual.Concurrently,giventhecomplexdemandsoftechnologyinnovationonthelanguageprogramadministrator,andtheircentralroleindrivinginnovation,theprojectidentifiedaneedfordeeperandmore

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engagingtrainingsupportformanagers.So,theMoodlemigrationandmanualrewritewasalsoanopportunitytoexpandthetrainingofferedtoprogramadministratorsintoa12-weekMoodle-basedcourse.Thiswasundertakenin2014-15butworkwasinterruptedduetobudgetconstraints.Theprojectresumedthisdevelopedin2015-2016andandpilotedthenewtraining.Basedonthepilotresultsandfeedbackfromtheparticipants,thecoursewasrevisedintotwo6-weekcourses.

NationalResults

In2013-2014,theLearnIT2teachprojectbeganexpansionoutsidetheOntarioRegionusingaTrain-the-TrainerapproachthatprepareslocalorregionalTESLprofessionalstoworkasLearnIT2teachmentor-facilitators.FourInstructorsfromAlberta,twoeachfromSaskatchewan,Manitoba,NewBrunswickandNovaScotiabegantrainingaslocalorregionalmentorsforinstructortraineesintheproject.InterruptionsinanticipatedfundingledtosuspensionoftheinitiativebeforeSaskatchewanandManitobatrainerswereabletocompletebutatotalofeightLINCinstructorsoutsideOntariocompletedpreparationasmentorsbyMarch31,2014.IntheperiodJanuarytoMarch2014,face-to-facetrainingeventstookplaceinEdmonton(NorquestCollege),Calgary(BowValleyCollege),Winnipeg(EnglishOnline),SaskatchewanPolytechnic(Regina),SaintJohn(YMCA)andHalifax(ISANS).

The2013-2015targetwasthataminimumof150teachersand25administratorsfromoutsideOntariowouldparticipateintheLearnIT2teachtraining:asof31March2016,695LINCteachersfromoutsideOntariohavereceivedthetraining.InApril2014,theB.C.Regionwaswelcomedaboardthroughapartnershipwithaprovincialsettlementlanguagetrainingumbrellaorganization,LISTN.

Barrierstotechnologyintegrationandprogramuptake

TrainingparticipantsinStages2-4wereaskedtoreflectontheissueofbarrierstotechnologyintegrationandtoassistindevelopingstrategiestoovercomethem.

InStage2ofthetraining,participantsreportedthatthegreatestbarriertocontinuedparticipationwastechnicalglitches;thenextgreatestbarrierwasskillsandknowledge(expertise/experienceasteacher/learner/user,andthethirdgreatestbarrierwasaccesstoInternet(labrestrictions/schedules,acceptableusepolicies).

Amongthemainchallenges,LINCadministratorsstatedthattheinstructorsintheirprogramwerefacing:

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1. Lackofreliableandadequateaccesstocomputers2. RestrictionstoaccessWeb-basedservices(e.g.YouTube)3. Lackoftimetogetcomfortableusingtechnology4. Informationoverloadandasteeplearningcurve5. Lackoftrainingandconfidenceusingtechnology6. Minimalandinadequatetechnicalsupport7. Lackofaccesstoinformationandresources8. Countingattendanceforstudentsincomputerlabs9. Lackoffundingfortheupkeepofcomputers

Earlyintheproject,LINCadministratorssaidtheyfeltthattechnologycouldplayaroleinimprovingtheteachingpracticeanddeliveryintheirprograms.However,somepointedoutthattechnologyhastobe“usedsystematicallyandappropriately,”andthatintegratingtechnologyintoprogramdeliveryalsodependsonthemotivationandabilityofthestudents.OneparticipantreportedthatusinganLMSmakesthingseasier,astherewasnoneedto“siftthroughgarbageontheInternet,”andanotherstatedthat“themoretools[are]inthetoolkit,themoreflexibleandversatileonecanbe.”

Commentsfromadministratorsgatheredthroughsurveys,interviews,andunsolicitedfeedbackaresuggestive:

1. SomuchgoodcurriculumhasbeendevelopedbyandforLearnIT2teach;therearelotsofonlinelearningobjects,butwhathappenedwiththem?Whatdoyoudowiththem?There’sbeentwoyearsoftraining,abitofresearch,someuptake.Ifyoureallywantfulluptake,youneedtorunitanother5-10yearssoitbecomesnormalized.Isthegovernmentreadytoinvest?Idon’tknow,andIseethisasahugeproblem.

2. CLBmayholdstudentsback,ifstrictlyadheredto,especiallyifspeakingandwritingareatdifferentlevels.Weneedtofocusonthelearners’varyingneeds.Perhapstheywon’tneedtoimprovetheirwritingskillsintheirprofession,orpartoftheirdaycouldbespentwithspeakinginstructionatLevel5andpartofthedaywritingatLevel2.ThisisimportantifwearetointegrateTELLintoourclassday.

3. Teachersshouldbepaidforparticipation–theyhavebusylivesandotherpriorities;also,teachersclosetoretirementmayhavedifferentpriorities;further,trainingandsupportneedstobeongoinginordertoseechange;PDisnotjustorientationorintroduction.IRCConlyfundstheorientationandthenwashesitshandsofit.Thenitwillbeforgotten.It’salsoaboutsupport.

4. LearnIT2teachneedstooffermorepresenceandsupporttotheStage1grads.Gobacktothemandencouragethem.Havetheintroductory

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workshopsthensupplementthesewithmoretrainingthatencouragesteacherstoseetheirroleintheirowntraining.It’sliketheproblemofpayingkidstodotheirchores.Instead,youneedtoshowteachersthattheyarepartnersintheirtrainingtobebetterprofessionals.Thisengagementneedstimetosettle.

5. Funding,supportfortraining,andbuy-infromteachersallneeded.6. Questions:Whorunsthelab?(Needafull-timelabcoordinator.)Howmany

siteswithlabs?Shouldhave1sitewith1lab.7. Audiocapability(liveaudioandvideostreamingequipment,access);

Wikipedia.8. Lackofprojectors,screens,LMS,otherequipmentatsomesites;lackofA-V

equipment.9. Allofthefollowingareproblems:

a. Accesstotechnologyhardware(inclassroomsandcomputerlabs,andathome);

b. Maintenance/upgradeoftechnologyhardwareandsoftware(lackofacurrenttechnologyplan);

c. Availabilityofmonetaryresourcesfortechnologyhardware/software(OSandprograms);goodsoftware,butnoresourcestocoachtheuseofthesoftware.Needaresourcepersontohelpwiththis.

d. Mentorshipneedstobecontinuedpasttheendoftraining.(LearnIT2teachmentorsdoinfactcontinuetoprovidementorshipbeyondthetraining).

e. AccesstoInternetresources(computerlabrestrictionsorschedules,acceptableusepolicies);someprogramswecan’taccess.E.g.,Yahoo!Chat.

f. Skills,attitudes,orknowledgeofstaff:includeslearners’skills,especiallywithLiteracyandLevel1(forwhichLearnIT2teachdoesnothavecourseware);continuousintakemeansinstructor’sattentionisdistractedfromleadinglessontocoachingnewlearnerswhohavepoorcomputerskills;someinstructors(oftenolder)aren’tinterested(“IfIweregoingtobehereforanothertenyears,Iwouldbeinterested”);someinstructorsareintimidatedbytechnology,andatleastoneinstructordoesnotusecomputersathome,hasnocellphone;someinstructorarenotconvincedthattechnologywilladdanythingimportanttotheirteaching;resistancetotraining:“Idon’twanttodoStage3,becauseIfoundStage2challenging”;humanresourcingofpersonnelandindividualtime-management(releasetime,PDpriorities);otherchallengesorbarriersincludethetechnicalglitchesinStage2(thathavebeenresolvedsince).

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LearningEnglishwithmoderntechnology:students’views

In2012,thestudentsurveyabouttheuseoftechnologyforlanguagelearningwasdevelopedandusedinlessonsatvariousprograms.Qualitativedataweregatheredusingonlinesurveyscomplementedbyinformationprovidedfromteachersusinganopen-endedquestionnaire.Followingareselectedresults;thefullreportcanbefoundonLearningEnglishwithModernTechnologyontheLearnIT2teachwebsite(www.LearnIT2teach.ca).[isthisreportstillthere?]

Variousreasonsforusingcomputingdeviceswerereportedbystudents.Mostpopularweresearchingforinformation,andnewsandweather(bothusedbymorethan80%ofrespondents),butbankingandusinggovernmentresourcesalsoratedhigh(over50%ofusers).Internetradioandpodcastswereusedby20%oflanguagelearners,butitwasconcludedthatread-onlywebsiteswereusedmore.Inanothersurvey,learningEnglishwasratedhighest,followedbythemusic,videos,andsurfingtheInternetforhobbiesandpersonalinterests(byovertwo-thirdsofrespondents).

Studentswerealsoaskedabouttheircellphones.Over80%ofstudentshadacellphone,overhalfhadaregularphone,aboutathirdhadasmartphone,andaboutaquarterhadaniPhone.

Useofprograms,websites,andsocialnetworking

Themostcommonuseswereofe-mail,Skype,andFacebook,withothersocialnetworkingsitesbeingusedbyabouthalfoftherespondents(textingandinstantmessaging).Reasonsforusingthesesocialnetworkingsitesincludingstayingintouchwithfriends(about90%),sharingphotosandvideos(60%),andchattingonline(52%).

Barrierstousingtechnologydevices

Studentswerealsoaskedaboutbarrierstheyencounteredinusingvariousdevices.ThemostcommondifficultieswerelackofacomputerorInternetconnection,lackofEnglishskills,acomputernotalwaysbeingavailable,lackofcomputingskills,technicaldifficulties,andlackofbandwidth.These,ofcourse,maychangeasservicesbecomebetter.Aboutaquarterofstudentsindicatedtheydidn'thaveanyproblemsatall.Itwasconcludedthatmanyofthesebarriersweretheresultofalackoftechnologyortechnologysupport,butafewoftheproblemsresidedintheusersthemselves.

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ComputersandlearningEnglish

Avastmajority(85%oftheparticipants)indicatedthattheyhadusedlanguagelearningmaterialsonacomputeratsometimepreviously;almost99%foundthesematerialseitherhelpfulorveryhelpful.Incomparisonwithlearningfromaliveteacher,studentsreportedthatusingacomputerwasgoodwhencombinedwithwatchingvideos,listening,reading,writing,orspeaking(blendedlearning).Aboutathirdoftherespondentsstatedthatspeakingandwritingwerebestdonewithaliveteacher(whichmeantthat2/3feltacomputercouldbeusedprofitablyforthesepurposes).

ParticipantsthoughtthatnewcomerstoCanadamightneedmoreopportunitiestolearnEnglish,and93%feltacomputercouldbeusedforthispurpose.Whenaskedwhatkindsofcomputer-basedEnglishlanguageinstructionmightbeusefultonewcomers,studentsrespondedthatLINClevels1to4couldbe.LINClevels5to7werethoughttobeaddressablebyacomputer(oftenbyself-study)byoverhalfoftherespondents.EnglishintheworkplaceandtheCanadianCitizenshipTestmightbepresentedonacomputer,athirdoftherespondentsthought.AboutaquarteroftherespondentsthoughtthatpreparingforworkandsmallbusinessEnglishcouldbehandledonline,ascouldpreparationfortheTOEFLtestandacquisitionofoccupational-specificlanguageskills.

Learningpreferences

Inthisstudy,thestatedpreferenceofstudentswhowereevaluatedwasforusinglearningmaterialsonacomputerintheclassroom,orforonlinelearningwiththesupportoftheteacher.Itwasfeltthat,becauseallofthestudentswereadults,thedesignofthelanguageinstructionapproachmightbemoresuccessfulifitadaptedtoindividualpreferencessuchasthese.

Discussionandconclusions

Fromexaminationoftheavailableliterature,itisclearthatonlineprofessionaldevelopmentforlanguageteachersisanhistoricneed,andgiventhecurrentdemandforlanguageteachers,andevermorepowerfulandubiquitoustechnologiesfordelivery,shouldbeabroad,presentpriority.TheLearnIT2teachprojectisintendedtodrawontheexistingliteratureaboutlanguageteachers’needs,todevelopaqualitytrainingexperienceandaccessibletechnologies,toidentifyrequiredsupports,alltranslatableintoprofessionaldevelopmenttraining,materials,andskillslanguageteachersmightimmediatelyusewiththeirstudents.

Fromtheevaluationresults,languageteachersfeelStage1and2trainingoftheLearnIT2teachprojectaddressestheirpresentneeds,andpresentsapathfor

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ongoingtrainingandPDlearning.Thechallengesforthepresentproject,foronlinePDtrainingandmaterialsrepositorydevelopmentanduse,andfortechnologyimplementationinlanguageclassrooms,are:

1. Toassurethatteacherswhoself-identifyaswantingtodosofollow-upontheirintentionstoenrolinandcontinuewithtrainingbeyondwhatevertrainingstagetheyhavecompleted.ResearchhasshownthatitiscommonforeducationalPDtrainingtobepoorlydone,tolackfollow-up,andforparticipantstolanguishintheearlystagesofambitiouslyplannedprograms.LearnIT2teachattemptedtoavoidthesekindsofresults,whenitwasclearthatteacherswerewillingtoprovidethepersonaltimeandenergytocontinue.

2. Tomotivateteacherstocontinue,incentivesmaybeneeded.Word-of-mouthreportsfromtrainingparticipantsandteachersimplementingthecoursewarearecurrentlyaprimarydriveroftrainingparticipation.Werecommendadditionalincentivesforteacherstoinnovate.Somecombinationof1)mandatingserviceproviderstoimplementblendedlearning,2)providingpaidreleasetimetotrainees,3)wageorsalarypremiumsforcompletingtrainingstages,andimplementingLINCblendedlearning.

3. Toprovidetechnicaltoolsandsupports,sothatteachersandstudentswishingtouseonlineresourcescandoso.Theprojectfoundthatlackofaccesstotechnologytools,adequateInternetconnectivityandbandwidth,andtechnicalproblems,wereantithetictothedevelopmentofinterestinandusesofonlineresourcesofallkinds.Itwasalsoclear,however,thatonlinetrainingmethodswereeffective,andcouldeitherreducethetimerequiredtoachievemasteryofskills,orincreasethemasterylevelofskills.Nottousethesetoolsisbothcontradictorytothepotentialoftheresources,andtothewishesofstudents,teachers,administrators,andprograms.

4. Time,continuity,andpersistenceinfundingwereseenasvitaltothematurationofonlineprofessionaldevelopmentandprogramming,andtoteacherusesofonlineresourcessuchasrepositories.Projectparticipantspointedoutthatobjectiveshadoftenchangedinthepast,whenteacherswerethinkingaboutadoptingcertaintechnologiesormethods.Theresultwasthatteacherssometimesbecomecynical,andrefusetomoveinnewdirectionsuntilcommitmenttothenewdirectionshasbeenproven.(Thefundinginterruptionsofthepresentprojectproducedsomeofthesereactionsinteachersandadministrators.)Thisiscontrarytotheintentionsofthisproject,andtothehealthydevelopmentofanyinnovation.Fundersneedtoprovideconsistentleadershipintheseareas,andcontinuetofund

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them,eventhroughtimeswhentheymaynotbetotallysuccessful.Thisapproachiscompletelyconsistentwithinnovationstheory,andthedevelopmenthistoryofinnovations(Rogers,1962,1983;Juran,1989).

5. TheLearnIT2teachtrainingStages,whileconsideredadequateanduseful,wereunderconstantreviewandrevisionthroughouttheproject.TheStageswentthrougharadicalrevisionduringtheproject,andwerere-launchedinJanuary2014tocoincidewiththerolloutofaMoodle2.5versionofthecourseware.Therevisionswereguidedandinformedbycommentsfromparticipants,andthenewtrainingframeworkacceleratestheprocessofgettingteachersandlearnersupandrunningwiththeLINCcourseware.Whetheritisthenewversionortheoldone,though,oneuser’scommentseemspertinent.ShecametounderstandthepotentialvalueofLearnIT2teachmethods,andbloggedaboutthestagesasfollows(Artan,2013):

• Ittakesalotofworktosetit[onlinetools]up(unlessyouareonlyusingtheLINCmaterial,thenit’sreadytouse).IttakestimetoworkthroughtheStagesofLearnIT2teach;inotherwords,youneedtheStages.Youcan’tjustexpecttobeplunkedintoStage3andstartyourcourse.Thereismethodtothemadness.

• So,guesswhatI’vebeendoing?IcompletedmyStage1yesterdayandamabouttojumpintoStage2.It’snotacakewalk–youhavetoexerciseyourbrainandpayattention….

• MyplanistodotheStages,dothemwellenoughtobepreparedtostartmycoursesinSeptember.I’mgladIstumbledontoLearnIT2teachandamkickingmyselfthatIhadn’tfoundthembefore(Ihadheardtheterm,butalwaysthoughtithadsomethingtodowithrealIT,asinthecomputerguysatworkwhofixstuff).

6. Complementarytoissuesidentifiedinthepresentprojectaretheverypositiveaffirmationsprovidedabouttheproject’sstrengths.Specifically,surveysandcommentsofparticipantsconfirmedthefollowingaspositivesoftheproject,whichshouldberetainedinanyfurtherevolution:

• LearnIT2teachtrainingdelivery:thepresentersareseenasapproachableandwellinformed,theyuseunderstandablelanguageinpresenting,contentsoftheworkshopsareusefulandrelevanttotheparticipants,andtechnologiesareaccessible,affordable,andoverallappropriate.

• TheimpactofLearnIT2teach:Participantssaytheywouldrecommendparticipationtoafriend,andthattheirinterestintheproject,andtheir

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resolvetocompletemoreofthetraining,areenhancedbytheworkshops.

LearnIT2teachisanambitiousprograminTELLandblendedlearning.LanguageteachersbelievethatTechnology-enhancedlearningcanenhancelanguagelearningbyprovidingenhancedinput,helpingintheuseoflanguage,andprovidingincreasedopportunitiesforlanguageinteractions(Healy,Hanson-Smith,Hubbard,Ioannou-Georgios,Kessler,&Ware,2011,p.7).Inaddition,languagelearnerswhouseTELLcan,throughusesofvarioustechnologies,acquireorenhancetheirelectronicliteracy(computerandsocialinteraction)presenceandskills(Garrison,Anderson,&Archer,2000;Anderson,2005).Opportunitiesfortrainingforteachers,however,remainscanty,andgraduatesofteacherpreparationprogramsareoftenreportedly“dissatisfiedwiththepreparationtheyreceivedforusingtechnologyinlanguageteaching”(Healyetal.,2011,p.143).

Relevantandaccessibleteachertrainingandprofessionaldevelopmentthereforebecomecriticaltoaddressingteachers’practicalneeds.LearnIT2teachwasintendedtoprovideboth,andinitialindicationsarethatparticipantsinthetrainingperceiveditassuch.

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AppendixA:ParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)andGuskey’sModelofEvaluationofProfessionalDevelopment

ParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)

PARarticulatesaproject’sresultsandobservationsintowritingforalltoreflecton,inviteseveryoneinvolvedwiththeprojecttocommentonwhatishappening,thenusestheresultsofthegroup’sthinkingtocomeupwithanyneededchangesinwhattheprojectisdoing,orhowitisdoingit.Thecyclerepeatsthroughouttheproject.PARwaschosenforpartoftheevaluationbecauseaPARevaluationemphasizescapturingandthinkingaboutprocessesandresults,andmakingtimelychangesbasedonthatthinking.Itisalsoveryinclusive:everyoneinvolvedisinvitedtoparticipateintheprocess.Someevaluationmodelsmainlyemphasizeresults(summativemodels),orfocusonprocesses(formativemodels).PARevaluationsarebalancedintermsofbothtypesofoutcomes,involvingeveryoneworkingontheproject,throughouttheproject.Theresultisconstantdiscussion,evendebate,andchangesmadesoonerratherthanlater.Occasionalreportsarepreparedbytheprojectevaluatorsfortheprojectteam,aftersignificanteventsorimportantmilestonesintheproject.

Guskey’smodelofassessment

Guskey’s(2002)ModelofEvaluationofProfessionalDevelopmentprovidesanevaluationapproachthatmapsthesuccessfuloutcomesofprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesonfivelevels.Thesecoincidewiththevaryingdegreesthatparticipantsareinvolvedwiththelearningcontent,andtheybenefitstheyfeeltheyderivedfromthetrainingexperience.Forthisproject,Guskey’smodelwasadaptedandarticulatedasillustratedbelow.

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EvaluationLevel

Whatquestionsmightbeasked?

Howmightthedatabegathered?

Howmightthequestionbeevaluated?

Howmightthedatabeused?

1.Participants’reactiontothePD

Thisaddresseswhethertheparticipantshonourthelearningexperience,andwhethertheyhadthepotentialtostimulateotherstoexploreaswell.

Didtheylikeit?Wasthetimewellspent?

Didthematerialmakesense?Willitbeuseful?

WasthePDtrainingenvironmentcomfortable?

Dotheyintendto

moveonthenext

trainingstage?

Clientsatisfaction

surveyusing

SurveyMonkey

Clientsatisfactionsurveyusingprint-basedsurveys,ifneeded(orface-to-facesessions)

Accessinformationfromweb-basedcaptivatesessions

Satisfactionofthetrainingparticipantswiththedeliveredproduct,i.e.face-to-facepresentationsoronlinetraining

ProjectcanusedatatoevaluatethePDtrainingduringthepilotphaseandtomakeimprovementstotheprogramdesignanddeliveryasneeded

Datacanalsobeusedtodocumentclientsatisfactionretheprojectdeliverables

2.Participant’slearning

Thisfocusesonindicatorsofsuccessfulparticipantlearning.

Didparticipantslearnwhatwasintended?

Didtheyacquiretheknowledgeand/orskillspresented?

Participant

outcome

measuresand

participation

patternsusing

Moodledata

Participationinthetraining;trainingparticipants’acquisitionofnewknowledgeandskills

Projectcanusedatatoimprovetrainingdesignanddelivery

Datacanalsobeusedtoreportonthesuccessfuldeliveryandimpactonthetrainingparticipants

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3.Indicatorsoforganizationalsupportandchange

ThisassessesthecontextandtheimpactofPDexperiences

Arethereadequateresources,materials,andtrainedpersonneltoeffectivelyusee-learningresources?

Arethereadequateresources,materials,andtrainedpersonneltousetheturnkeyMoodleandLORlearningobjects?

FeedbackfromLINCadministrators,andtrainingparticipants

Trainingparticipants’reflectivejournals

FocusgroupwithLINCadministratorsandteachers

TheLINCprogram’ssupportandcapacitytousee-learningresources,suchastheturnkeyMoodleandLORlearningobjects

LINCadministratorscanusedataastheydevelopplanstointegratemoree-learningresources

ProjectcanusedatatobetteradvocatefortheuseoftheturnkeyMoodlebyeffectivelyaddressingbarriersandchallenges

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4.Participants’useofnewknowledgeandskillsinpractice

Thisaddressesthedegreetowhichthenewlearningisputintodailypractice.

Didtheparticipantseffectivelyapplytheacquiredknowledgeandskillsintheirteachingpractice?

Howfrequentlyaretheseusedonline?

Whattypesofteachingactivitiesandcontentseemtoworkbest?

Whatproblemshavearisenusingtechnicalskillsinteaching?

Feedbackfromtrainingparticipants

Trainingparticipants’Stage4reflectivejournals

FocusgroupincludingLINCadministratorsandteachers

Participant

outcome

measuresusing

Moodledata

SurveysusingSurveyMonkey

Follow-upinterviews

Tryingtoevaluatethetransferoflearningfromworkshoptotheclassroom

Projectcanusedatatohelpdeterminethelevelofon-sitesupport(personnel,time,expertise)neededtoimplemente-learningresourcesandidentifypotentialbarriers

Datacanalsobeusedtoidentifyanyareasorproblemsteachersarehavingusingtechnologyintheirteaching

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5.Participants’LearningOutcomes

Thisfocusesontheself-perceivedoutcomesofthelearningexperienceoftheparticipant.

Whatwastheimpactofthetrainingontheparticipants?

Didthetrainingaffecttheirattituderetheuseofe-learningresources?

Didtheyfeelmoreconfidentusinge-learningresources?

Didthetrainingaffecttheirteachingpractices?

Feedbackfromtrainingparticipants

Trainingparticipants’reflectivejournals

FocusgroupincludingLINCadministratorsandteachers

Participant

outcome

measuresusing

Moodledata

Tryingtoevaluateparticipants’learningoutcomesin:

Cognitive(performance&achievement)

Affective(attitudes&dispositions)

Psychomotor(skills&behaviour)

Projectcanusedatatoimproveprogramdesignanddelivery

Datacanalsobeusedtodemonstratetheimpactofthetrainingontheparticipantatvarioustrainingstagesandinrelationtotheirteachingpractice

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AppendixB:CaseStudy1,AschoolboardprogramwithgoodTELLuptake

Thesiteisasmallcentrewithinalargeschoolboard,witharesourcefulteamofdedicatedLINCteachersandasupportiveadministrator.Despiteitsunionizedstaff,sometechnicalbarriers,andthedisruptioninLearnIT2teachservicein2013,theteachersareactivelyusingTELLandLearnIT2teachcoursewareintheirfourclassesonadailybasis.

TheSite

ThesitehasfourLINCclasses,blendedwithESLinstruction.Allclassesuseedulinc,withoneteacherwhohascompletedLearnIT2teachStage4trainingactingasadefactointernalchampion.

Classesrunallday,MondaytoFriday.Levels1,2,3,and4/5.

Thesitehasamobilecartwith20laptopsthataresharedbetweenthefourclasses.Forexample,thelevel3classusescomputerseveryday12:45-2:30pmandthelevel4/5classusesthem2:45-3:00pm.Classsizecanbeashighas30,withawaitinglistfortheCLB4/5class.Classes,therefore,have75minutesoflabtime,fivetimesperweek=~6hours/week.

ThecomputersaresuitableforTELLandthesitehashigh-speedInternet.

Attendancetendstobelowerintheafternoonaccordingtotheteachers,buttheadministratorsaidthatattendanceishigheratthissitethanatothersinwiththeschoolboardwherecomputersarenotused.Becauseit’safull-timeprogram,theydon’thavestatsaboutpeopleleavingbuttheadministratorseesitwhensheisthere.

• Administrator:“Thisisauniquesiteandweseethesuccessinourattendanceatthissite.Thisisoneofourbestattendedsites,morningandafternoon.Absenteeismisfarlowerthananywhereelse.”

ThedemographicsofstudentsisvariedandseemedolderthanothersitesI’vebeento.Thereiscontinuousintakeandstudentstendtostayayearormore.

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FactorscontributingtosuccessfuluseofTELLatthesite

Avibrant,cohesiveteam

ThisisavibrantsitewithasmallteamofteachersdedicatedtousingTELL.TheyareacohesivegroupthatlookstooneteacherasaleaderandinformalITsupport.

• Teacher,commentingonleader’sleadership:“Goodtohavesomeoneaheadofyouduringtraining.Sheisourtechperson.”

• Administrator:“Shemakestheatmosphereconducive.”“Igivethecredittoherforthat.Teachersseehowsuccessfullyit’sbeingusedinherclass.Sheisaninspirationtootherteachers.They’veseentheevidence.”

Resourcefulness

Theteachersareresourceful.Ifsomethingdoesn’twork,theyfigureoutasolutionasateam,sometimeswiththeirLearnIT2teachmentor’shelp.

Forexample,becauseNanogongisunavailabletothem,thelevel3teacherusesVoxopop(www.voxopop.com)forspeakingexercises.Shewritesaquestionbasedonthecurrentthemeandrecordshervoicereadingthequestion.Studentslistentothequestion,thenrecordtheirresponses.Theteacherthenlistenstotheirresponsesandgivesthemfeedbackinwriting.

Teachers’attitude

Level4/5teacher:

• “IfeelcomfortablewithitandconfidentenoughthatIcanfigureouthowtomakeitworkwhenthingsgowrong.Ifeeltheneedtokeepcurrent.Also,Ilikeit.”

• “IlikelearningaboutTELLandtheotherteacherscouldseethat.Iwastheretohelpthemiftheygotstuckwithsomething.”

• “LearnIT2teachtrainingisafreecourse,givingmefreetimeinmyclass,andthelearnerslikeit.”

• “I’mnotatechexpertbutIampatient.AndIalwayshadmyLearnIT2teachmentor.”

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LearnIT2teachsupport

TwooftheteachersmadenumerouscommentsabouthowhelpfultheLearnIT2teachteamistothem.Wheneverthey’vehadaproblem,theirmentorhasbeentheretohelpthemsolveitveryquickly.

Level4/5teacher:“Alsoourmentorwasalwaysavailableimmediately.Itwasremarkable.”

Level3teacher:“WewisheveryonewasliketheLearnIT2teachteam,sohelpful,alwaysthere,notintimidating.”

Level3teacher:“Theonlybrightsideisyouguys.IrememberIsentanemailtomyLearnIT2teachmentorandwithintwosecondsIgotaresponse.IusedLiveChatanditwasperfect,amazing.TheLearnIT2teachteamisreallyamazing.”

BenefitsofusingcoursewareandTELL

Level4/5teacher:Sheusesherclasstime,whilestudentsareengagedinTELLontheirowntodoheradministrativeduties.Heradvicetootherteachers:“Whenthetechisworkingandeverythingisgoingasitshould,Icouldhaveanhouroffreetimeformarkingandprep.”

Practicalbarriers

Infrastructure

ITsupportislimited.TheSchoolBoardprovidesoneITperson,butthesitedoesn’thavemuchaccesstothem.Forthisreason,thelevel4/5teacherhastakenonmuchoftheITtroubleshootingandthemembersoftheteamsupporteachothertounderstandlimitationsandhowtoovercomethem.Beingself-reliantisusefulandmakestheteamfeelresilient,butthereareissuessuchasnothavingadministratorprivilegesthatpreventthemfromdoingwhattheyneedtodo.Oneteacherindicatedthatlackofatechplan(i.e.maintenance/upgradeofhardwareandsoftware)isanobstacle.

Someotherissuesatthesite:

• Headphonessometimesdon’twork;theyneedtobepluggedintoaspecificUSBportortheywon’twork.Thisisthesortoftrial-and-errorprocessthattakesupteachingtimeandcouldbedonebetterbyITsupport.

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• Nanogongdoesn’twork,meaningthatspeakingactivitiesarenotdone.Level3teacherhasfoundawayaroundthislimitationbyusingVoxopopsoftware.

• Successforlisteningactivitiesdependsonbrowserchoice,whichteachersattimesfindconfusing.SomeactivitiesworkwithIE,otherswithFirefox.

InterruptioninLearnIT2teachserviceinSpring2013

Theteachersfoundthisveryhard.TheirLearnIT2teachmentorgavethemacourseandnewlogins,forwhichtheywereappreciative.

Level3teacher:“Iwassosadwhentherewaslackoffunding.”Ourmentorsentusthenewmoduleandweopenedthecourse,notsophisticated.Itwasdoable.Heguidedushowtosetitup.IdidnothaveaccesstomyLearnIT2teachcourse.Hesentusnewlogins,whichmeantalotofextrawork.

Level4/5teacher:“Allofedlincdisappearedaboutthreeweeksago[inJanuary].Itwasgoneforalmostaweek,fornoreason.Nobodytoldus.”

Humanresourcesconcerns

Lackofreleasetime,PDtime,andpaidPD.Teachersarenotpaidforextrawork.Manyworkathome.Interestingly,theseteachersaremembersoftheteacher’sunion.Givenlackofuptakeatothersiteswithaunionizedenvironment,thishastobeseenasasuccessstory.

Whenaskedwhysheiswillingtodoextraworkwhileotherunionmembersaren’t,oneteachersaid,“IlikeitandIusealotofcomputeractivitieswithmystudents.Idon’tthinkthey[otherteachers]knowwhatitis.Theyalsodon’tunderstandthelinkbetweenedlincandLearnIT2teach.”

ConfusionbetweenLearnIT2teachandedlinc

Level4/5teacher:“Teachersstartingthiscoursedon’tunderstandtheconnectionbetweenedlincandLearnIT2teach.Thisshouldbemadeclearfromtheoutset.”

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Continuousintake

Level4/5teacher:Becauseofcontinuousintakeandthechancethattherewouldbeanewstudentintheclassonanygivenday,evenifeverythingisworkingwellImaynothavesparetimeduringclasstodomyadmintasks.

Learnerexperienceandopinions

Teachers’comments

• LearnerslikeinstantfeedbackonSCORMS.Theyfindituser-friendlyandlikebeingabletorepeatSCORMstoimprovetheirgrades.

• Theylikethegradebookssincetheygettoseetheirgrades.• Level4/5teacher:“Ihavesomestudentswhodonotlikeworkingonthe

computer.Iftheylikeit,theystay.Iftheydon’t,theygo.”• Level4/5teacher:“Ihaveonestudentwhocan’tcometotheclassforawhile

andsheparticipatedinthediscussiontheotherdayfromhome.”• Level3teacher:“IhaveastudentvisitingIndiaandshedidafewexercises

whileshewasthere.”• “Biglearningcurveforstudents.Iuseittoteachthemhowtouse

computers.”• Studentscanworkattheirownpace.Ifthey’relaggingbehind,theycankeep

up.

Administrator’scomments

• Thestudentshaveacomfortlevelwiththetechnology.Theygettheirlaptopandsetthemselvesup.

• ItoldtheadministratorthatsometeachersatothersitesbalkatusingTELL,sayingthattheirstudentsarecomputerilliterate.Shesaid,“It’sthecomputerilliterateteacherswhoseetheirstudentstobecomputerilliterate.Itcomesfromtheteacher’sdegreeofcomfortwithtechnologyandwhentheteachergetspositivereinforcementfromthestudentsandthestudentsfeelthatthey’relearningusingtechnology,theyrespondandtheydoevenmore.We’renotteachingprogramminghere,we’reteachinglanguage.”

• Itoldtheadministratoraboutanotherqualmofteachers,whichisthatstudentswanttointeractwithaliveteachertolearnlanguage,notacomputer.Shesaid,“It’salongday.9-3isalongtimetositinteractingwith

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yourteacher.Labtimeisaboutconnection,it’sreinforcement,it’squiettimetolearn.”

Learnerfeedback

25learnersfrom2classesatThesitewereaskedforfeedbackabouttheiropinionsandexperienceofusingcomputersintheirLINCclass.

Wheredoyouusecomputersforlanguagelearning?Athome 20Atafriend’sorrelative’shome 1Atwork 0Onasmartphone 3Atapubliclibrary 1Atacommunitycentre 1AtthecomputerlabatSPO[serviceprovider] 12Somewhereelse 6

• shops,bus(1)• atschool(5)

Skippedquestion 2

Doyoufindcomputer-basedteachingmaterialshelpfultolearnEnglish

Rateyourexperienceonascalefrom1-5,with1=Nothelpfuland5=Veryhelpful

1 02 13 44 75 13

Comparedtolearningfromaliveteacher,isusingacomputeragoodwaytolearnEnglish?

Yes,computersarehelpful

No,liveteacherisbest

Botharegood Don’tknow

Speaking 0 9 15 0

Listening 1 2 22 0

Reading 3 4 18 0

Writing 2 8 13 1

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WhatpreventsordiscouragesyoufromusingcomputerstolearnEnglish?

Lackofcomputerathome 3Lackofsoftwareathome 5Lackofcomputerskills 3Technicaldifficulties 6ComputerorInternettooslow 3Skippedquestions 8Additionalcomments:

• lackoftime(5)• smallkids(2)• concentratingonotherthings(1)

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AppendixC:Casestudy2,ASPOwithMotivatedFacultyandTechnologyBarriers

TheSite

TheoverallserviceprovideroperatesfourcentresintheGTA.Thesiteinquestionisthelargestandisagrowing,vibrantsitewith16instructorsteaching14LINCand2ELTclasses.Thesiteisatalargeindoormallthatwithalotofvacantspace.Althoughthislendsthemalladowntroddenatmosphere,itseemstoplayinthesite’sfavour,astheyhavebeenabletorentspacesthroughoutthemallfortheirprograms.Theyhaveachildmindingsite,administrationoffices,anofficefocusingonjobsearch,andtwoareaswhereclassesandlabsareheld,inspacesonallthreelevelsofthemall.

Inaddition,thesitecollaborateswithothertenantsinthebuildingtoprovidecommunityservices.Theirpartnersinclude:

• Publiclibrary,inwhichtheyhavearoomwithcomputersforjobsearch• StoryGardenisaliteracyprogram,gearedforchildren.Childrenof

newcomerswhoareinclassgotheretobereadto

Alargespaceisalsobeingrenovatedforthesitethatwillcentralizemuchofwhattheydo.Itwillfreshenuptheatmosphere.ItremindsmeoftheWelcomeCentresinTorontoandNorthYork.

Asnotedinlastyear’sreportonthesite,theirprevioussuccessinuptakeofLearnIT2teachcoursewareusedependedon:

1. AnenthusiasticandsupportiveadministratorwhoseesthatTELLwillcontinuetoincreasewhetherteacherswantsittoornot.

2. Atechnologychampionamongtheteachingstaffwhocanleadtheway,answeringquestionsaboutITandcoursewareuse,aswellasencouragingcolleaguestocompletetheirtraining.Oneteacher,whohascompletedStage4trainingwithLearnIT2teach,ledarefreshercourseforhiscolleaguesthisyeartogetthembackonboardaftertheinterruptioninservice.

3. OtherteacherswillingtoundertakeStage2and3trainingtogether.4. AdequateITsupport,bysomeonewhohadtakenStage2training.Aswenote

below,thissituationhaschangedandnowlackofadequateITsupportisabigbarriertouseofcomputersatthissite.

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Barriers-teachers

1.InfrastructureandlackofadequateITsupport

Thisisthebiggestbarriertouptakeatthissite.Theadministratorremarkedthat,althoughmanyoftheteachersarekeentousethecomputerlab,problemswiththetechnologygetintheirway.Theteachers,ingeneral,areenthusiasticaboutthepossibilitiesofusingthelab,butexpressedfrustrationwithallthedifficultiestheyencounter.

Thesitehasacomputerlabwith17desktopcomputersthatareaboutthreeyearsold.Althougheachworkstationiscomfortable,itisdifficulttomovearoundthecrowdedspaceandtheinstructorsfindithardtomovefromstudenttostudenttoanswerquestionsorprovidehelp.Thereisalargescreenmountedonthewallatthefrontofthelab,allowingtheinstructortoshowmaterialtotheentireclass.

ITsupportisgood,butverylimited.TheserviceproviderhasthreeotherlocationswithlabsandtheoneITsupportpersonhastoservicethe85labcomputers,aswellasalltheotheradministrativecomputersintheorganization.Heexpressednothavingtimetoservicealllabcomputersregularly,oratall.Forexample,hecannotgocomputerbycomputertoassessthattheirsoftwareisup-to-dateandfunctional.Teachersareunabletomakechangesbecausetheylackadministrativeprivileges,butITsupportisinadequatetomakethechangestheyneedquicklyenough.Theteachersarewilling,andinsomecasesable,tomakethesedecisions,butarenotgivenadministrativeprivilegestodoso.[Note:Thisiscommontoothersites,includingtheothercasestudyinthisreport,aschoolboard.IRCCneedstorecognizethatITsupportisessential–withoutithavingacomputerlabmakesnosense.]

Inparticular,herearesomeissuesIheardaboutand/orviewedduringthelevel4/5labIvisitedatthesite:

• Of17computers,3oftenarenotworking.Muchoflabtimeisspentscramblingtodealwithtechnologicalproblems.

• Headphonesdon’tworkoraremissingatsomestations.• Listeningactivitiesdon’twork,audiodoesn’tshowup:

• “PerhapstheyneedQuicktime,I’mnotsure.”• Foroneuser,theplug-inwasblocked.Oncetheinstructoralloweditand

itloaded,theycouldn’tfindheadphones.Allthistooktimeandthisisforoneuser,onecomputer.Itdistractsfromteaching.

• Speakingexercisesarenotpossible.Nanogongunavailableoncomputers.

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• Usersandteacherhaveproblemswithpasswords(sameaslastyear).Passwordsdidn’tworkwithcertainbrowsers(e.g.,IE).NeededtoopenFirefoxandtryagain.Ortheychangedtheirpasswordandwhentheytrytologinagain,theycan’t.AlthoughthismayreflectlackofITskillsonthepartoftheteacher,manyteachersareinasimilarpositionand,withoutadequateITsupport,theyhavetobeabletotroubleshoot.

• JobsSearchWorkshoptraining,whenithappens,takesuplabforanentireweekatatime,bumpingLINCclassesfromlab.

• 11classesrelyonthisonelab.Theyonlyhaveoccasionalaccess,andnoaccessoutsideofclass.• Labtimeislimitedtonomorethantwiceperweek.Thereisnoaccess

outsidescheduledlabtime.Thisisdetrimentaltoinstructorsbecauseit’shardtogetinarhythmwithcourseware.Andwhenteachersarelaidoffeachyear(thelengthofwhichincreasedrecentlyfromfourweeksperyeartoeightweeksperyear)itmeansit’sharderforthemtokeepmomentumgoing.

2.InterruptionofLearnIT2teachservicein2013

TheteacherwhoselabIvisitedhadfinishedStage3andwasmotivatedtomoveontoStage4trainingwhenLearnIT2teachservicewasinterruptedinApril,2013.ShehadbeenusingaLearnIT2teachcourseuptothatpoint.Withoutaccess,sheswitchedtousingcoursewarefromsettlement.organdmoresettlement.orginstead.Shefindsthat,forherneeds,thiscoursewareworksfine,thoughsheprefershavingtheabilitytoaddlinkstoactivitiesandcreateherownactivities.Shealsomissedhavingthegradebook.

Sheexpressedfrustrationandfatiguewiththetechnologicalproblemssheencountersinthelab.Despitethis,shecontinuestousecomputersbecausesheisconcernedthatusingcoursewaremaybecomearequirement.

3.Humanresourcesconcerns

Teachersexpressedfrustrationthattheywereexpectedtotrainandpreparecoursesforonlineworkwithoutbeingpaidforthatwork.Thisbarrierhasbeenwelldocumented.

Oneteachersaidthat,thoughshemissedtheinteractiveelementsofherLearnIT2teachcourse,neithershenorherstudentshavetimeforextrawork.She

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andotherteachersseefundingcutsbeingdownloadedonthem.Forexample,theyarenowlaidoffforeightweekseachyearinsteadoffour.

4.ConfusionaboutwhyIRCCispromotingbothLearnIT2teachandPBLA

OneStage3gradwhoisworkinginStage4isnotusingcoursewarebecausesheiscompletingherPBLAtraining.ShefindsitconfusingthatIRCCispushingbothPBLAandLearnIT2teach,andsaid:

“They’repushingbindersande-portfoliosontheonehand,andthenyouhaveLearnIT2teachontheother.Itdoesn’tmakesensetohaveboth.They[IRCC]shouldmakeuptheirmindswhichonetheywanttosupport.”

TheadministratorsaysthisteacherhasnotimetoworkonherLearnIT2teachtrainingbecauseofherPBLAtraining.“Istilldon’tgetit,it’sreallyinexpensiveandforthefuture–LearnIT2teach.Tome,PBLAissocostlyanditmakesnosensefortheteachers.It’smainlyforIRCCtogetsomeoutcomes.Nothelpingprofessionaldevelopmentoftheteachers.Itismorelikeaburdenontheiralreadybusytime.”

5.LearnerdemographicsatTHESITEdifferfromcolleges

TwoteachersemphasizedthatthetypeoflearnersatTHESITEfallintotwotypes:thoseforwhomcomputersarethreateningandthosewhoworkonthemalldayandwanttohaveinteractionwithateachertolearnEnglish.

Oneofthemusedthisanalogy:IfIweregoingtoSpaintolearnSpanishandtheyputmeinfrontofacomputer,I’dbefrustrated.Wehavesoftwareengineersinourclass,theydon’twanttousecomputers.Theywanttheclassroomexperience.

6.ChoiceofLMS

Anotherteachersaid:“OfalltheplatformsI’veused,somearefarmoresimplethanMoodle.WhenIcompareittotheseotherplatforms,IfindMoodlemorecomplicated.”ShewonderedwhyLearnIT2teachhadn’tchosenalocalproductlikeBlackboardorDesiretoLearn.“AfterusingMoodleagainforthePBLAcourseIrealizedmaybethat’swhyIhadsomuchtroublewithLearnIT2teach.”

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7.Peerpressurenottousecourseware

Thereisavocalteacheratthesitewhosaidtome,“WewishLearnITwouldgoaway.”She,andatleastoneotherteacher,insistthatlearnersdonotwanttousecomputers,thattheywantliveteachers,andthatthey(theteachers)didn’tsignuptoteachwithcomputers.IhaveheardthisallthreetimesI’vebeentothesite.Maybeaminorityopinion,butitappearstoaffecttheatmosphereatthesite.Idonotknowwhateffectthishasontheuptakeofcoursewareandtrainingbyotherteachers.

TheteacherwhoselabIvisitedandusesblendedlearningextensivelysaidshefeelscriticizedbysomeofherpeersforembracingtheuseofcomputers.

8.Privacyconcerns

Teacherwhousesblendedlearninghasconcernsaboutprivacy.“Teachersarebeingobserved,alsothestudentsarebeingobserved.Wedon’tknowwhohasaccesstothisdata.”

Anotherteacherwasconcernedthatperhaps“whosayswhatontheforums”isbeingwatchedbytheadministrationofthecentre.

Learnerbarriers

17learners,fromtwoclassesatthesitewereaskedforfeedbackabouttheiropinionsandexperienceofusingcomputersintheirLINCclass.

SeerawdatainSurveyMonkeysurvey,UseofcomputersintheLINCclassroom–LearnerfeedbackTHESITE.

Wheredoyouusecomputersforlanguagelearning?

Athome 14Atafriend’sorrelative’shome 0Atwork 1Onasmartphone 6Atapubliclibrary 4Atacommunitycentre 2AtthecomputerlabatSPO 16

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Doyoufindcomputer-basedteachingmaterialshelpfultolearnEnglish

Rateyourexperienceonascalefrom1-5,with1=Nothelpfuland5=Veryhelpful

1 02 23 34 65 6

Comparedtolearningfromaliveteacher,isusingacomputeragoodwaytolearnEnglish?

Yes,computersarehelpful

No,liveteacherisbest

Botharegood Don’tknow

Speaking 0 8 7 0

Listening 3 3 10 0

Reading 6 0 11 0

Writing 3 1 11 1

0

2

3

5

6

8

Not helpful 2 3 4 Very helpful

Arecomputer-basedmaterialshelpfultolearnEnglish

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WhatpreventsordiscouragesyoufromusingcomputerstolearnEnglish?

Lackofcomputerathome 1Lackofsoftwareathome 3Lackofcomputerskills 3Technicaldifficulties 3ComputerorInternettooslow 2Skippedquestions 6Additionalcomments:

• IneedWiFiinclassroom• Lackoftime(3)

Amodelfortechnologyuptake

Aswenotedlastyear,theadministrationandsomeofthestaffatthesiteareenthusiasticaboutthepossibilitiesofTELL,withafew(veryvocal)exceptions.

ForsuccessfultechnologyuptakeanduseofTELLinLINCclassrooms,aserviceproviderwillbenefitfrom:

1. Anenthusiasticandsupportiveadministrator2. Teacher(s)onstaffwhowillchampiontheuseoftechnologyinteachingand

demonstratetotheircolleaguesthebenefitsinpractice3. Cooperativelearningamongteachers,alongwithadministratorsandITstaff4. Appropriateandadequatehardwareandsoftwareresources,alongwith

timelyandregularITsupport

However,thetechnologybarriersatthesitearegettinginthewayandovercomingthemrequiresadifferenttack.Whethertheyhadmorecomputersoramobilelabwithlaptops,theissueofservicingthesecomputerswouldremain.ItseemsessentialthatfundingneedstoexistforITsupport.

WhenallfourofthesecomponentscometogetheritcanbeawinningstrategyforanyLINCserviceprovider.

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AppendixD:OccasionalReport8

OccasionalReport8SPOBlendedLearningReadiness

Evaluators:MatthiasSturm,PatrickJ.Fahy

6March2016

WhereWeAreNow

WhatteacherssayintheLearnIT2teachtraining

WhatLINCadministratorssayabouttechnology

WhatLINCandESLpractitionerssayacrossCanada

Recommendations

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WhatteacherssayintheLearnIT2teachtraining

DuringthecourseofLearnIT2teachtraining,teachersareroutinelyaskedaboutwhatbarriersandchallengesaretheirmainconcernswithregardtotheincreaseduseoftechnologyattheirprograms.Methodstogatherinformationonbarriersandchallengesincludeevaluationsurveysattheendofeachteacherstrainingstage,surveysofprogramadministrators,andinterviewswithselectedteachersandadministrators.

TrainingevaluationsfromthePre-Stage2training,whichwascreatedtobridgetheStage1trainingdeliveredface-to-facewiththeonlineStage2trainingandtoincreaseitsuptake,showthatbarrierstoimplementationanddeliveryofonlinecoursewareareplentiful.While61%ofrespondentssaidthattheskillsandknowledgeofteachersarestillthemainbarrier,therearemanyotherbarriersthatathirdtohalfofrespondentsidentified,sometechnology-relatedandsometraining/support-relatedasillustratedbyFigure1onthefollowingpage.

AdditionalbarriersmentionedwerebarriersthatunderlinedtheresultsinFigure1.Morespecifically,arespondentstatedthatthevoluntarytimeinvestmentonpartoftheteachersistoogreat,andthatthereisalackofbuy-intoseetheusefulnessofblendedlearning.Otherrespondentsexplainedthat,ontheonehand,therestillwasalackofskillsonpartofteachersandstudents,andontheotherhand,manystudentsbelievedthatthey"coulddothisathome”andthattheyshouldbelearningdirectlyfromtheteacherinclasstime.Anotherteachermentionedthatanup-to-datecurriculumforlowlevellearners,whohaveneverusedtechnologyorwhodon'thaveaccesstotechnology,wasneeded,andthatteachersneededsupporttograduallyteachtheselearnerswiththesebarriers.

InStage2ofthetraining,whereteachersarerequiredtouseanEduLINConlinecoursewiththeirstudentsforaminimumoffourweeks,participantsreportedthatthegreatestbarriertocontinuedparticipationwastechnicalglitches;thenextgreatestbarrierwasskillsandknowledge(expertise/experienceasteacher/learner/user,andthethirdgreatestbarrierwasaccesstoInternet(labrestrictions/schedules,acceptableusepolicies).

Respondentsidentifiedanumberofsolutionsandstrategiestoovercomethesebarriers:

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• Whenprioritiesforonlinedeliveryarearticulated,releasetimeforteachersneedstobeprovidedandprioritizedtosupportit.

• Collaboratingwithinateamandhavingpeersupportwouldalsohelpthetrainingnottobetooisolated.

• ITdepartmentsneedtoplacegreaterpriorityonsupportingandmeetingtheneedsofteachersandlearnerstoimplementandhavecontinuoususeoftechnologyintheclassroom.

• Teachersneedtobeconvincedthatthereisset-uptimerequired,butthatthereistimesavingsusingthecoursewareinthelongrun.

• Teachersneedtobeshownhowtoblendthetechnologyintotheircurrentclassroomrepertoire.

• MandatoryonlineLearnIT2teachtrainingforallLINC/ESLteachersinOntariosothattheycanobtainbothPDhoursandacertificateofrecognition.

• AllLINC/ESLteacherswhohavecompletedtheLearnIT2teachteachertrainingshouldbeallowedtousethecomputerlaboratoryafterschoolhourstopreparelessonsforstudents.

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Figure1:Barriersinusingmoretechnologyfortrainingandprogramdelivery-PreStage2trainingevaluation,January2014-November2015

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WhatLINCadministratorssayabouttechnology

EarlyintheLearnIT2teachproject,LINCadministratorssaidtheyfeltthattechnologycouldplayaroleinimprovingtheteachingpracticeanddeliveryintheirprograms.However,somepointedoutthattechnologyhastobe“usedsystematicallyandappropriately,”andthatintegratingtechnologyintoprogramdeliveryalsodependsonthemotivationandabilityofthestudents.

OnetrainingparticipantreportedthatusinganLMSmadethingseasier,astherewasnoneedto“siftthroughgarbageontheInternet,”andanotherstatedthat“themoretools[were]inthetoolkit,themoreflexibleandversatileonecouldbe.”

In2012,theLearnIT2teachprojectconductedasurveyofLINCadministratorsinworkshopsattheLINCAdministratorsConference(seeAppendices).

Nineoutoftenofthe71respondentsreportedthattechnologywasusedattheircentre.Threequarterssaidthataccessoflanguageclassestocomputerlabswasexcellent/unlimited(23%)orgood(51%),whileonequartersaiditwasfair/limited.SixtypercenthadhighspeedInternet,whilelessthan20%saidthattheirinternetwaseithernothighspeedorunreliable.

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Figure2:Advantagestoimprovingaccesstolearningtechnology

Whenaskedaboutadvantagesofimprovingaccesstolearningtechnologiesattheircentre,86%reportedthatitimprovedlanguagelearningand68%saidthatitenablesthemtoprovidemoreflexibilityinthedeliveryoftheirprogrambyofferinglearnerstheopportunitytodosomecourseworkoutsidetheclassroom.Figure2,above,illustratesthesefindings,andalsounderlinestheneedfortheintegrationoftechnologyfurther.71%ofLINCadministratorssurveyedsaidthatlearnersexpectprogramstousetechnologyandthat55%ofteachershavethesameexpectation.

Respondentswerealsoaskedtheirviewsabouthowsuitablethecomputersattheircentrewerefore-learning(e.g.,theratioofstudentspercomputerandthenumberofcomputerswithareliableconnection,up-to-datesoftware,andthecapacitytoaccessaudiowithheadsetsorspeakers).Twothirdsreportedthattheywereexcellentorgood,whileonethirdratedthemasfair.Onlyone-quarterofrespondentsreportedadequatetechsupport,whilehalfoftherespondentshadtechsupportthatwasnotavailableallthetimeandtheremainingquarterdidnothaveadequatetechsupportatall.Whilehardwareandsoftwaremaintenancecanbe

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dealtwithonaninfrequentbasis,itisadequatetechsupportthatisoftenavailableonanirregularbasisbutneedstobeprovidedwhenneededtoensuresuccessfulprogramdelivery.

WhenaskedaboutwhatLINCadministratorssawasthebarrierstoincreasinglearneraccesstotechnologyandwhatobstaclespreventedteachersfrommakingmoreeffectiveuseoftechnology,theirresponseswithrespecttobarrierstolearnersappearedtobeperceivedasmorerelatedtotheaccessandqualityoftechnologyinfrastructureanditsmaintenancewhiletheobstaclesthatarethoughttopreventteachersfromusingtechnology-basedresourcesarelargelyareactiontothelackofskill,time,andsupport.Thissuggeststhatadequateaccesstoreliabletechnologyisanessentialneedforserviceproviderstosupporttheintegrationoftechnologyandprovideonlinelearningopportunitiestostudents;however,theinstructors’needsclearlyrelatetobuildingofskillsandknowledge,andtocreatingasenseofself-efficacythatissupportedbyfundingforprofessionaldevelopmentandon-demandtechnologysupport.Figure3andFigure4,below,illustratethesefindings.

Administratorsalsoidentifiedthesemainchallengesthattheinstructorsintheirprogramwerefacingthatcanbeviewedasashortlistofissuestokeepinmind:

• RestrictionstoaccessWeb-basedservices(e.g.YouTube)• Lackoftimetogetcomfortableusingtechnology• Informationoverloadandasteeplearningcurve• Lackoftrainingandconfidenceusingtechnology• Minimal/inadequatetechnicalsupport• Lackofaccesstoinformationandresources• Countingattendanceforstudentsincomputerlabs• Lackoffundingfortheupkeepofcomputers

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Figure3:Barrierstoincreasinglearneraccesstotechnology

Figure4:Obstaclespreventinglanguageinstructorsfrommakingmoreeffectiveuseoftechnology

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WhatLINCandESLpractitionerssayacrossCanada

AsurveyofsubscriberstotheSettlementLanguageNationalNetwork(SLNN)organizedbyTESLCanadawasconductedinJune2015andincludesrespondentsfromIRCCandnon-IRCCsettlementlanguagetrainingserviceproviders.Thequestionnairecompletionratewas97.16%andtherewerecloseto600respondents.

Thesurveyrevealedanincreaseinrequestsforflexibleclasstimeoptions(32.8%)andforonlineoptions(9.4%).Studentsneedmoreflexibleoptionstoattendcoursewhilecontinuingtowork,opportunitiestocompleteassignments,andanenvironmentthatislessconducivetoactualteaching(asopposedtoonlinepresentations).Figure5,below,illustratesthefindings.

Figure5:Topthreerequestsfromstudentsthatapplytotheclassroom

Response Chart Percentage Count

Increasinglyhigherlevel(CLB5plus)learners

48.9% 280

IncreasinglylowerlevelliteracyorCLBstage1learners

27.9% 160

Increasednumberoflearnerswithhighneedsand/ordisabilities

23.6% 135

Increaseinrequestsforflexibleclasstimeoptions

32.8% 188

Increaseinrequestsforonlineoptions 9.4% 54

Increaseinrequestsforemploymentand/orprofessionspecificlanguageinstruction

29.8% 171

Difficultywithstudentretention(employment,personalcircumstances,etc.)

39.1% 224

Other(pleaseelaborate) 18.0% 103

TotalResponses 573

Anincreasingnumberofteachers(18%)identifyblended/onlinelearningasamongthetopthreemostimportantconcernsthesectorisfacingintermsoforganizationcapacity,teachertraining,andsupport.

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One-quarteruseablendedapproachforprogramdelivery,combiningface-to-faceclassroomandonlinecomponents.Whilethetermblendedlearningmayhavenotbeunderstoodandappliedconsistentlybyallrespondents,thisfindingindicatesthereissometechnologyuseintheseprogramsalthoughofvaryingtypesanddegrees.OnlineInstruction(i.e.everythingisinanonlineenvironment)isprovidedbyjustunderatenthofprograms.Figure6,below,illustratesthefindings.

Figure6:Typeofprogramdelivery

Response Chart Percentage Count

Face-to-faceinstruction(i.e.everythinghappensintheF2Fclassroom)

86.6% 506

Blendedapproach,face-to-faceclassroomapproachandonlinecomponentstothesamecourse

25.0% 146

OnlineInstruction(i.e.everythingisinanonlineenvironment)

8.9% 52

Other(pleaseelaborate) 7.5% 44

TotalResponses 584

Figure7:Instructoruseoftechnologies

Response Chart Percentage Count

CDplayers/Taperecorders 84.7% 497

Digitalvoicerecorders 41.7% 245

Overheadprojectors 55.0% 323

Documentprojectors 25.9% 152

LCDProjectors 48.9% 287

SmartBoards 35.1% 206

Teacherdedicatedcomputerinclassroom 58.9% 346

ClassroomcomputersoraCOWunit(computeronwheels)

28.6% 168

Computerlab 68.5% 402

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Internet/Wifiaccess 86.2% 506

Other(pleaseelaborate) 15.7% 92

TotalResponses 587

Theavailabilityofadequateresourcesisimportant.Thesurveyalsoshowedthatinstructorshaveaccesstoavastarrayoftechnologies,e.g.Internet/Wifiaccess(86%),CDplayers(85%),andteacher-dedicatedcomputersintheclassroom(59%).Whilemoretwo-thirdshaveaccesstoacomputerlab,lessthanone-thirdhavecomputersintheclassroomoronwheels.Figure7,above,illustratesthesefindings.

Manyteachersarecomfortableusingtechnologies,i.e.overthree-quartersuseprocessingtools,emailorotheronlinetoolstocommunicate,andaccesswebsitestoaccompanyclassroommaterials.LessthanaquarteruseanorganizationalLMStodeliverlearningcontentandlessthanatenthusethefullspectrumofWeb2.0tools.Only5%reportthattheystrugglewithbasictechnology-relatedactivities.Figure8,below,illustratesthesefindings.

Figure8:Instructorscomfortlevelwithtechnologies

Response Chart Percentage Count

Strugglewithtechnology(i.e.attachingadocumenttoanemailpresentschallenges)

5.5% 32

UseMSofficeorotherwordprocessingtoolstocreatehandoutsandpresentations

78.5% 460

Useemailorotheronlinetoolstocommunicatewithlearnersand/orpeers

80.5% 472

Accessvariouswebsitestoaccompanyclassroommaterialsordeliverteachingcontent(i.e.publisherproducedonlinesupplementarymodules,onlineflashcards,readingcomprehensionwebsites,etc.)

79.7% 467

Havecreatedanonlinegrouptocommunicateasaclass(ie.Facebook,googlefolder)

23.7% 139

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UseanorganizationalLMStodeliverprograms(i.e.Moodle,D2L,LearnDash,etc.)

21.7% 127

IntegrateafullspectrumofWeb2.0toolsinworkingwithlearners(i.e.blogs,newsletters,microblog,socialbookmarks,collaborativedocuments)

8.4% 49

AuthorScormcompliantassets/designonlinecourses

3.9% 23

Partofalargercommunityofpracticeforonlineteaching/learning

17.4% 102

Afullrangeoftheabove 11.3% 66

Other(pleaseelaborate) 8.2% 48

TotalResponses 586

Recommendations

Thesurveyssummarizedabovecontaininformationthatisunlikelytochangequickly.Theresearchundertakenaspartofthisprojectandthestrategiesthatweredevelopedtoaddresstheissuesidentifiedbyit-someofwhicharealreadyinplaceandothersthatstillneedtobeimplemented-arethebasisforthefollowingrecommendations.

Putthefollowingstrategiesinplace:• Providetechnologyinfrastructureintheformofappropriatehardware,good

Internetconnectivityandreadyaccesstotechnicalsupport;• Identifyanearlyinfluencerinthepersonofateacherwhofirstrecognized

thepotentialandthenputittoworkwithherlearners;• Createopportunitiesforpositiveresponsestoprograminnovationfrom

learnersandgatherevidenceoftechnologyintegration;• Formasecondarygroupofteacherswhodemonstratedreadinessto

innovate;• Identifyaprogrammanagerwhosupportstechnologyintegrationand

providesprofessionalincentivestoteachers;• Articulateleadershipinprograminnovationbyseniormanagementinthe

faculty.Supportthedevelopmentofskillsandknowledge

• Deliverqualityp.d.tobuildcapacityofteacherskillsandknowledge

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Supporttheuseofweb-basedresources• PromoteofblendedlearningandtheuseofTELLresources• PromotetheuseofEduLINCcourseware

Supporttheintegrationandupkeepoftechnology• Lobbyformorefundingfortechmaintenance/upgrade/supportandPD• Identifyingchampionprograms

Supportthebuildingofleadershipandsupportofadministrators• Buildingofawarenessofthevalueofadministrativeleadership• DeliverLINCAdministratorscourse

Gatherinformationtoevaluatethestatetechnologyintegration• Surveyp.d.participantsaboutthestateoftechnologyintegration• Surveyserviceprovidersthroughnationalandprovincialsurveys• Collaborateonsurveyswithnationalorganizations(e.g.SLNN)• EvaluateresultsgatheredfromLINCAdministratorscourse