25/01/2008
Technology-Based Learning Directive from the US Employment and Training Administration On January 3rd 2008, Emily Stover DeRocco, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, issued a directive encouraging the use of technology-based learning (TBL) to increase access to learning opportunities for workforce investment system customers. The directive underlines the use of ‘e-learning’ as an important strategy to help address the talent development needs of regional economies across the United States.
In response, Mike Feerick CEO of ALISON, the online education service, explained that ALISON is actively helping Workforce Investment Boards articulate their technology-based learning strategy and most importantly, helping them to put their plans into action. The WIB partners of ALISON are leading the way in using e-learning as a strategy to increase both the numbers of clients served and the impact of training delivery.
In her directive, Ms DeRocco explains that TBL strategies can be a powerful tool in efforts to increase the capacity of the public workforce investment system to provide training and expand access to training, because TBL is accessible, flexible, and provides for accountability.
The advantages of technology-based learning are clear:
• TBL options are available any time and from anywhere, and allow learners to access training and education when they need it, expanding opportunities for those unable to participate in traditional classroom-based instruction due to family or work demands, physical limitations, or course offering schedules.
• TBL accessibility allows workers to access training where they need it by expanding the geographic reach of training, and it brings access to those with transportation barriers.
• TBL flexibility adapts to different learning styles by allowing learners to advance at their own pace and to repeat material for learning reinforcement.
• TBL is readily-scalable to both large and small groups since it can accommodate larger numbers of learners at little extra cost and smaller groups of learners that otherwise would not be able to participate in traditional classroom training for lack of enrollment numbers. In this way, TBL allows grantees, states, and local areas to creatively, efficiently, and effectively remove artificial barriers to training created solely through lack of capacity or the unavailability of local courses.
• TBL can also hold providers and learners accountable for results by measuring learning content, skill advancement and satisfaction, while potentially creating a portable online portfolio of learned content.
Martin Galvin, Chief Academic Officer at ALISON, commented that “for these reasons TBL has rapidly gained in popularity among government, industry, and educational institutions.” He further described how the ALISON education service meets all of the above criteria, while primarily providing free online e-learning in basic workplace and life skills.
The ALISON mission is to allow anyone, anywhere, and at any time, to educate themselves using standards-based interactive learning on the Web for free. Course offerings include IT training, Typing, Financial Literacy, a Health and Safety course suite and more.
