Program Management
"Presenter was EXTREMELY knowledgeable. There were plenty of resources and examples present that I have been able to use in my class already!"
"This webinar had a lot of great ideas about where to go for support."
"The wealth of resources shared is very helpful."
This session offers strategies for how to develop, adopt, and embrace a robust digital literacy strategy that will benefit teachers and learners alike. Topics include how programs have built in access, practice, time, and space for both staff and students to increase their digital literacy.
Students can arrive to our classes with a range of computer skills. This can be challenging to manage! Come hear how Catholic Charities, Worcester Public Schools, and MassLINKS adult education staff address this using a variety of approaches. These include an in-person “boot camp” before the semester starts, an in-class intensive focus on digital skills at the beginning of the semester, and a fully online training. Using these approaches can help students feel confident that they have the skills to handle the digital tools used in their classes.
What do we know now about administering NRS assessments remotely that we didn’t know last year? A lot! Many programs have found creative ways to plan for, administer, and score the NRS assessments from a distance. This 90-minute workshop features presentations from four panelists to help you think ahead and implement a plan that will enable you to capture as many of your learners’ measurable skills gains as possible. The session addresses, in specific terms:
MAPT-CCR
BEST Plus 2.0
TABE CLAS-E
How can digital tools be used to efficiently and successfully carry out recruitment, assessment of students’ digital literacy strengths and needs, onboarding, and orientation? In this two-part offering, you will learn about tools and the research-based strategies for using them to create an inclusive and supportive culture for welcoming new learners into your program and preparing them for success.
After completing the components of this professional development, you will come away with a plan to implement according to your program’s class format(s): in person, distance education, and/or hybrid (a combination of in-person and distance education).
Digital literacy is a priority for programs, but in order for students to build digital literacy skills, they need access to computers and internet service to work and study. It can be expensive for programs to purchase technology for use in classes and to loan out to students and staff. In this workshop, you will hear about three sources of free or discounted devices and connectivity, and we will discuss successful practices for loaning technology. We will also share a source for assistive equipment for computer users with disabilities.
>> January 2024 update: One of the resources, the Affordable Connectivity Program, is halting applications on February 7, 2024. You and your students can advocate to continue funding it through a COABE petition.
Research shows that centering student voice in the life of a program increases student persistence by fostering student engagement, cultivating a sense of community, and building student ownership of their own learning. Student leadership also promotes the “liberation” concepts shared in our UPD ADEI work: power-sharing, community, understanding, belonging, self-determination, and trust.
This workshop will help you explore how engaging students as active partners in program design and implementation can strengthen your program, further equitable access (IPQ2), and help you meet enrollment targets by increasing student persistence.
With many program spaces closed, designing a process for online student intake and placement is a necessity. What are successful ways to carry out this process? How can staff collaborate to share the work?
Come hear AACA Director of Next STEP Shinobu Ando discuss the process she and her colleagues put together (and revised) to move their assessments for applicants online. Shinobu will provide examples including interviewing, assessing language skills, and proctoring tests, as well as organizing small group and individual sessions.