This chapter focuses on the role of online educators as mentors and addresses the potential impact of a mentoring relationship on the development and persistence of adult learners in the online medium.

Operation Soft Boot was a program designed to develop a computer literacy curriculum for use with adult basic education (ABE) students at their educational level. Computer literacy instruction included a review of the component parts of a personal computer system and their operation and a review of basic keyboarding skills. Instruction also…

Issues related to the use of technology in literacy programs, such as how decision makers can sort through the claims made by hardware and software vendors and how scarce resources can be found to purchase technology, are the focus of this report. The paper also provides a framework for incorporating technology into the curriculum. It gives a…

For this paper, prepared as an input to an ongoing assessment called "Adult Literacy and the New Technologies: Tools for a Lifetime," the literature on the use of technology in educational programs was reviewed, and the use and instructional effectiveness of audio equipment, television, computers, and interactive media were examined. Special…

This document contains 43 papers presented at a conference on research in teaching adults at the University of Exeter, England, in 1998. Among the papers are the following: "Reconstructing Academic Practice: Research and Teaching in a University School of Adult Education" (David Boud); "Re-searching Adult Education Practice:…

These proceedings contain the summaries of 60 presentations. Among those included are: "Desk Top Publishing & Experiential Literacy Material" (Arnold); "A Description of the U.S. Experience in Providing Vocational Skills to Individuals with Low Literacy Skills" (Barbee); "Audio-Disk Technology" (Bixler, MacClay); "Technology for Teachers: A Group…

An adult educator at an all-male maximum-security correctional center in Virginia conducted a research project to learn her students' attitudes toward the computers that had recently been introduced in their classroom. She used the following data collection tools and activities: a nine-question survey that was administered to the students in all…

Libraries that have assistive technology can help adult educators meet the information access needs of adult learners with disabilities. For example, the Special Needs Center at the Burton Barr Phoenix Public Library has been providing services to individuals with disabilities for more than 18 years. The Special Needs Center's services include…

The pros and cons of integrated learning systems (ILS) and stand-alone software for adult literacy instruction were examined in a comparative analysis that focused on their use in adult literacy programs in Canada. The comparison focused on the following variables: achievement gains in reading; changes in students' attitudes toward computers;…

An academic teacher at a maximum-security prison in Virginia conducted a study to determine how to improve instruction and motivate adult learners in a correctional facility. Data were collected through a survey that was distributed to 22 individuals and completed by 20 of them (2 academic teachers, 1 vocational instructor, 6 students, and 11…

This document contains 43 papers on many aspects of adult literacy: "Literacy, Human Rights and Equality of Opportunity" (Einfeld); "Overcoming Illiteracy" (Marquet); "The Literacy Issue" (Crocker); "Literacy and Civil Liberties" (O'Gorman); "Designing a Tutor Training Program for Tutors of ESL"…

This handbook is intended to help administrators and instructors of adult basic education and English-as-a-Second-Language programs use the 30 Tierra de Oportunidad (Land of Opportunity) instructional modules, which address four strands or clusters relating to the different major domains in which adults function: work life, family life, community,…

The Office of Technology Assessment reviewed the nation's literacy problem and the current and potential impact of using technologies in adult literacy programs. Data were collected from 2 workshops, 155 contributors and reviewers, 60 existing literacy programs, and 6 contractor reports. The information is summarized in this eight-chapter report.…

"Changing Education" is targeted for Australian teachers and administrators. This theme issue, which the editorial defines as about "The Changing World of Continuing Education," contains eight articles and an editorial about recent developments in adult literacy and basic education (ALBE), vocational education and training, and…

The community literacy program of Western District Adult Basic Education in Georgia was examined to demonstrate how the meaning and value of literacy is a function of specific local institutions. The goal of the examination was to theorize literacy by constructing a localized framework for understanding literacy within a given institution in order…