The Role of Online Materials Brief describes how English language learners interact with online learning materials and resources in a digital literacy acquisition program. The Research Briefs series highlight key findings about how underserved adults acquire digital literacy skills, and include quotes from participants and practitioners. The Briefs are designed to be accessible by practitioners, program administrators, and policy makers to inform and enhance digital literacy programs

Castek, Jill

Jacobs, Gloria

Pendell, Kimberly D.

Pizzolato, Drew

Reder, Stephen

Withers, Elizabeth

PDXScholar (Portland State University)

Portland State UniversityPDXScholarResearch Briefs and Case Studies Tutor-Facilitated Digital Literacy Acquisition inHard-to-Serve Populations: A Research Project2015Language Learners: The Role of Online MaterialsJill CastekPortland State University, jcastek@pdx.eduGloria JacobsPortland State University, gljacobs@pdx.eduKimberly D. PendellPortland State University, kpendell@pdx.eduDrew PizzolatoPortland State UniversityStephen RederPortland State University, reders@pdx.eduElizabeth WithersPortland State UniversityLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/dla_research_briefsPart of the Applied Linguistics Commons, and the Information Literacy CommonsThis Research Brief is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Briefs and Case Studies by an authorizedadministrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu.Recommended CitationCastek, J., Jacobs, G., Pendell, K., Pizzolato, D., Reder S., & Withers, E. (2015). Language Learners: The Role of Online Materials(Digital Literacy Acquisition in Brief). http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/16212The Role of Online MaterialsCastek, J., Jacobs, G., Pendell, K., Pizzolato, D., Reder S., & Withers, E. (2015). Tutor-Facilitated Digital Literacy Acquisition in Hard-to-Serve Populations:.  A Research Project Funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). •	 curriculum	on	the	Learner	Web,	an	online	platform	designed	specifically	for	adult	learners,	which	included		digital	literacy	material	in	English	and	Spanish•	 in-person	tutor	support•	 the	opportunity	to	work	at	their	own	pace	and	identify	their	own	goalsThese findings are from an Institute of Museum and Library Services funded research project that interviewed more than 100 participants within a multi-state Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) Sustainable Broadband Adoption (SBA) project. The BTOP project  included six lead partners who developed local networks of community organizations to provide adults with an opportunity to learn to use computers and the Internet. While these networks created a variety of implementation strategies and ways to serve learners’ needs, they shared these key features: OverviewDigital Literacy Acquisition in Brief:What Research Tells Us about Language Learners1A learner described how using the online materials felt fun and unthreatening, so much so that at first she didn’t see herself as using her time productively. Eventually, she realized that by playing, she was learning.“[At	first,]	some	times	I	thought	I	was	wasting	my	time	here.	This	is	kinda	nonsense	because	you	have	to	play	with	a	mouse...	No	I	didn’t	come	for	this.	But	once	you	continue	those	little	games,	sometimes	it’s	part	of	the	learning...	and	it	takes	your	fear.	I	don’t	know,	all	of	a	sudden,	I	realized	that	I	was	playing	with	the	computer.	I	was	doing	things	on	the	computer,	and	I	was	looking	for,	searching	for,	certain	answers,	looking	for	things.”	~ Learner•	 Multimedia content and games were a needed and valuable form of support. Listening to audio and watching videos helped learners understand the content and stay engaged. Games provided practice for important skills, especially mousing and typing. Additionally, the ability to choose between English or Spanish online materials (using a language toggle) allowed learners and tutors to select the material that best fit the needs of the learners. The tutors and learners used the language toggle flexibly depending on the needs of the learner.•	 Out of 12,127 learners, 9,906 (81%) used the Learner Web in English, and 2,213 (18%) used the Spanish version (Figure 1). The percentages are rounded, and do not equal 100% because the data were not available from all of the participants. Key DiscoveriesVoices from the FieldThe Role of Online Materials2•	 Among all users, 2051 (17%) used the language toggle at least once, and 220 (2%) used the toggle four or more times (Figure 2). •	 The 17% of those who used the language toggle at least once is closely proportional to the number of those who used the Learner Web in Spanish. Having the toggle between languages may have encouraged Spanish speakers to at least try some element of the program in English.•	 The language toggle allowed the learners to use the resources in English, if the tutor felt the learner had a good understanding of spoken English. However, the tutors would have some learners take the quizzes in Spanish. Other times, the tutors would have the learners use the English version of the online materials, but then verbally repeat the content in Spanish as a way to check for understanding.Figure	1.	Comparison of the number of learners who used Learner Web in English or SpanishOne tutor described how a learner started learning in Spanish, did a number of the plans, then asked the tutor to reset her Learner Web account so she could redo the lessons in English. Another tutor described how using the program in English while sitting next to another learner who was using it in Spanish allowed the learner to master content while also gaining confidence in English. As the tutor noted,“She	has	started	to	talk	to	me	in	English	all	the	time.	When	I	met	her,	she	would	have	brought	me	a	note	written...	She	wrote	things	down	for	me	and	had	someone	read,	but	now	she	actually	speaks	off	the	cuff.”	The availability of learning material in English and Spanish, combined with the ability to switch language at any time in the learning process, can be used creatively to support learner needs.•	 Although it was possible to toggle between languages in the middle of a lesson, most learners stayed in one language for the duration of the lesson. Once they completed the lesson, they would use the language toggle to repeat the lesson in the second language. This repetition served as a review of the material while building language skills.•	 Even though Spanish might have been the primary language of a learner, at times the tutor or the learner would want to use the English resources. In some cases, this was when the tutor felt the English resource was better than the Spanish resource. Other times, the learner felt the Spanish material was too difficult, and the English version was easier to understand. This was especially true for information presented in videos. Spanish speaking learners may not have been able to read the material in English, but were able to understand a video in English.•	 The multimodal nature of the material supported the English Language Learners. Audio, videos, and the use of graphics lessened dependence on reading in either language and allowed the learners to grasp content regardless of literacy and language skills.  •	 The addition of voiceover reading of content was  added later to further support learners with limited English literacy. Although learners might not have the skills to read English fluently, adding the voiceover to reading material helped the learners by allowing them to hear the pronunciation of words. This can be especially helpful for learning computer and Internet specific vocabulary. Key DiscoveriesOn the GroundThe Role of Online Materials31 or more4 or moreNoneFigure	2. Number of learners who switched between English and Spanish content 1 or more, 4 or more, or zero timesWhat Do These Findings Mean For Your Work?With almost 2/3 of our participants being English Language Learners, we soon realized that having good resources in both English and Spanish is imperative to the successful completion of a plan. As we work on creating new learning plans in Spanish and English, we are noticing how often times websites do not have good resources in Spanish. We are trying to either create our own, or find good English resources that are easy to listen to or watch.  We now look for learning plans that have an abundance of video and voiceover rather than all text. ~ Program AdministratorLanguage Learners•	 Tutors’ Perspectives•	 The Role of Online Materials•	 The Learner/Tutor Relationship•	 Learners’ PerspectivesProgram Design•	 Tutor-facilitated Digital Literacy Acquisition•	 The Learner Path•	 Volunteering in a Digital Literacy Program•	 Learning Digital Skills in a Time-limited Program•	 Learning Digital Skills in a Corrections Setting Tutors•	 Personal Qualities of Tutors•	 Tutoring Strategies and Organizing Learning•	 The Tutor/Learner RelationshipLearners•	 Development of Self-confidence•	 Measuring Success•	 Impact•	 Learners Who Become Tutors•	 Self-paced LearningThese research efforts were informed and supported by a National Advisory Committee and a Research Applications Committee made up of professionals who support adult learners.More information about the project, research findings, publications, and project data can be found in PDX Scholar at:http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/digital_literacy_acquisition/This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant # LG-06-11-0340-11.Acknowledgements & Further InformationDigital Literacy Acquisition in Brief: What Research Tells Us about...Castek, J., Jacobs, G., Pendell, K., Pizzolato, D., Reder S., & Withers, E. (2015). Tutor-Facilitated Digital Literacy Acquisition in Hard-to-Serve Populations.  A Research Project Funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Role of Online Materials4

Language Learners: The Role of Online Materials

http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=dla_research_briefs

Language Learners: The Role of Online Materials

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