AAACE 2021 Annual Conference

Digital Literacy, Access, Equity

We build bridges to success by providing accessible educational opportunities to non-traditional students. In the past year, we adapted our program model to meet the needs of our most vulnerable students, including developing new ways to connect with students digitally.  This session will cover lessons learned during the pandemic.

Maintaining a connection with adult learners during a global pandemic is possible. But, it is not easy. We can connect in a meaningful way if we look outside of our traditional program models and instead mold ourselves to the realities we encounter with our students. Over the past year we have been able to connect with non-traditional students through their cell phones, tablets, iPads and other electronic devices by adapting our programs to the devices and applications that they use, rather than insisting that they use particular technologies to learn with us. In addition to meeting people where they are digitally, we needed to meet our students where they are physically to deliver course materials and other training supplies. In many ways, our efforts were successful - for example, we were able to train over 300 parents in basic digital literacy skills in the Fall so that they could support their children with online learning. However, there were significant challenges in connecting with students and helping them successfully navigate the digital environment in which we found ourselves. This session will provide both the successes and the failures in our efforts to build equitable and accessible training programs during the pandemic.