Beyond Recruitment was the second on-line workshop delivered by Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). It was funded by the National Literacy Secretariat (Human Resources Development Canada).

This electronic workshop was designed for anyone working with literacy volunteers: program staff, Board members or other volunteers.

There was no charge to participate in Beyond Recruitment. Participants did need to have a computer with a connection to the internet and a browser capable of linking to AlphaCom¹ (Netscape 4.0 or higher or Explorer 4.0 or higher). No other software or hardware was needed. It was suggested that participants set aside 1-2 hours per week to read the modules and complete the activities.

Beyond Recruitment was held in April and May, 2000. The workshop consisted of six modules with accompanying activities, discussion questions and additional resources. Modules were posted regularly over the two-month period. Participants were able to log on at any time to read the modules, respond to the discussion questions, and post their own questions or comments.

A two-week registration and introduction period was provided at the end of March, but participants continued to register throughout the duration of the workshop. In fact, a few participants even registered after the workshop was officially closed and others continued to access the modules well into the summer months.

A flyer advertising Beyond Recruitment was circulated to all community-based literacy delivery agencies in the province of Ontario. Flyers were also distributed to agencies associated with OMAFRA. Notices advertising the workshop were posted on various discussions within AlphaCom and on CyberVPM (a listserv for managers of volunteer programs).

A total of 117 participants registered for the workshop. 62 participants were from the Ontario anglophone community-based literacy sector while another 34 were from outside of the province of Ontario and/or outside of the anglophone literacy field. A total of 295 messages (including modules and participant postings) were posted to the workshop discussion.

Beyond Recruitment participants were invited to complete an on-line evaluation at the end of the workshop. 33 people did so, and their responses were overwhelmingly positive - both in terms of electronic workshops as a way to access training and about the workshop itself. Time to participate was the common difficulty noted. Almost everyone, however, indicated that they would like to try another workshop of this type.

This manual reproduces the modules and additional resources posted to the electronic workshop. It does not include the comments and questions posted by workshop participants. The complete workshop has been archived on the AlphaCom system. It can be viewed at http://alphacom.alphaplus.ca/home. Participants who are not already registered with AlphaCom will need to do so.