A REPORT BY
Peter Faid, Community Services Consulting Ltd.
AUGUST 1996
Literacy programs for rural communities in Alberta are dispersed over a large geographical area, and dependent on volunteer tutors. Because of their distance from large centres, these programs share common challenges: how to provide training for volunteer tutors and obtain resources beyond a basic level. These challenges are complicated further by budget and time constraints.
A 1991 study of training approaches for instructors in adult basic education (ABE)and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs concluded that, generally, volunteer instructors lack sufficient training. The American study identified several elements as being key to successful training programs. Among these are the inclusion of on-going evaluation processes, and the opportunity for trainees to participate in the selection of training course content.
The Audiographic Teleconferencing Project offers a way of exploring an option for meeting the training needs of volunteer literacy tutors in 8 sites in Alberta. Audio- graphics refers to the transmission of images and text between computers. When used in conjunction with audio-teleconferencing, participants are simultaneously able to hear each other and view the same information, diagrams or pictures on computer monitors. In addition, an electronic writing pad allows participants to communicate by writing or drawing. Participants receive and relay the visual materials through the computer and transmit their voices using a half duplex microphone system.