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Reimagining Online Training: Using UDL to Support Adult Basic Education Teachers

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Project Name
Module Creation for the US Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE)

Project Description

Learners who participate in Adult Basic Education (ABE) seek to complete diploma pathways, certifications, or increase skills or knowledge so they can successfully enroll in additional postsecondary programs. Along the way, this population of learners may face significant barriers. For example, 44% of these students received their previous schooling outside the United States, and more than half do not have a high school diploma. One-third are unemployed.1

With the UDL framework as a guide, CAST will create seven modules to help ABE teachers effectively teach and support neurodiverse adults, including those with learning disabilities. Fewer than 3% of such teachers are trained in special education2 so these modules will provide much-needed research and strategies that support instructional design to benefit all learners.

Both the content and design of the modules will be universally designed to ensure accessibility and ease of use, and to support broad understanding of the subject matter. Models will also be developed to align with current UDL-based microcredentials.

Once complete, the modules—which will be developed for individual or collective use—will be made freely available through OCTAE’s Literacy Information and Communications Systems (LINCS) website.

Timeline

2021–2023

Funder

Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), U.S. Department of Education

Partners

Travis Combs, Branch Chief, Innovation and Improvement Team, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
Deborah Weinstock, Director, Corporate Operations, MDB, Inc.

Project Leadership

Amanda Bastoni, EdD, Project Director

Contact

For more information about this project, please contact Amanda Bastoni.

Footnotes

1: Source: National Reporting Systems for Adult Education, Participation Status and Enrollment (table 6)

2: Source: National Reporting Systems for Adult Education, Adult Education Personnel by Function and Status (Table 7)

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