Starting Out — Asking Questions

The first step was to ask such questions as:

• What information was critical?

• What supports do we include?

• How do we keep it accessible?

• How do we help learners new to the computer environment?

• What, if any, assumptions can we make?

• What competency levels do we target for language?

• How do we field test?

• How do we evaluate and measure learning?

• How do we accommodate different learning styles?

• What will be the limitations of the medium?

• How can we keep it interesting?

OWLware had a whole different set of questions. Fortunately, their experience complemented and enhanced what we planned to do!

Three Key Areas

WHMIS content is static. There are symbols, labels, MSDS, rights and responsibilities, protective equipment, etc. Our plan had to include all of this information. But in asking all our questions we identified three key areas that would drive anything that we did:

1. Many front-line workers have little or no computer experience. They may use computerized equipment such as scanners and Statistical Process Control (SPC) systems but do not use a computer as a tool for living and learning.

2. The vocabulary of WHMIS is sophisticated, dense and specialized. It includes chemical and medical language.

3. WHMIS is a 100% type of learning. Handling hazardous material with a 60–70% understanding is a potential life and death issue.

One assumption we had to make…a co-worker, supervisor, volunteer or instructor would turn the computer on and help with the log in.

Working Through the Units

In order to address the potential computer barrier, we asked Mary Hall (co-author of Processing Words: Computer Supported Language Lessons for ESL and Literacy Students) to develop the first unit as an introduction to using the computer to navigate the course. She limited the information to those skills that would actually be needed: using the mouse and keyboard, relevant keys, scrolling, etc. If a learner is comfortable with the computer environment, they can skip this unit.

In order to give learners the opportunity to practice vocabulary needed for the WHMIS content, we started with general information about health and safety and protective equipment. There is an extensive glossary included. When a learner sees a word in blue, they can click and get to the glossary for more information, perhaps a picture. OWLware worked with us to develop pictures, sound and action to explain concepts.