AIR Researchers to Present at Adult Education Conference in Denver

Washington, D.C. – American Institutes for Research (AIR) experts will present at the annual Commission on Adult Basic Education conference (COABE) in Denver, April 21-24. More than 1,400 people will attend the conference, which provides professional development opportunities for adult education professionals.

AIR’s research and expertise in adult education instruction and literacy, professional development, program management and policy will be highlighted through presentations and sessions.

Research sessions include an overview of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Practice sessions include hands-on opportunities to explore professional development to enhance instruction and learning, including through open educational resources (OER) and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Other topics include preparing adult learners for college and career readiness and workforce success. 

Wednesday, April 22

Why Adult Education Matters: What PIAAC Tells Us About the Skills of Adults 16-65 in the United States
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
L3 Agate A
AIR Presenters: Sondra Stein and Katie Landeros

Join this session for an introduction to key features and main results of the 2012 PIAAC, a large-scale international assessment of cognitive and workplace skills of adults aged 16-65 an overview of PIAAC results. 

Free or Open? That is the Question for OER
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
L4 Capitol Ballroom 6
AIR Presenter: Amanda Duffy

Open educational resources are not only free, they are open—meaning they are licensed by the author to be reused, remixed, redistributed, and/or revised. This hands-on session explains licensing designations and considerations for students and teachers

Introduction to the Adult Education Teacher Competencies and Induction Toolkit
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
L3 Mineral Hall G
AIR Presenter: Mariann Fedele-Mcleod

Learn about the Adult Education Beginning Teacher Induction toolkit, which is designed to give local adult education agencies a method for preparing new teachers to provide evidence-based instruction.

Master the OER Universe! Revise, Remix, Share
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
L4 Marble
AIR Presenters: Amanda Duffy, Delphinia Brown, Dahlia Shaewitz and Ruth Sugar

Through hands-on activities, participants will learn about the value and process for revising and remixing open educational resources for their adult education classroom. The workshop is for all content area teachers and will get attendees interested in using, creating and sharing OER.
 

Thursday, April 23

What’s in Your OER Toolkit?
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
L3 Agate B
AIR Presenters: Dahlia Shaewitz, Delphinia Brown, Amanda Duffy and Ruth Sugar

Identify what you need in your toolkit to adapt OER and use them with learners. Participants will learn about web-based tools for creating, editing and sharing OER as well as strategies for preparing new OER users.

One-Size Doesn’t Fit All: Strategies for Site-Based Standards Alignment
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
L3 Quartz A
AIR Presenters: Cherise Moore and Marcela Movit

To meet the expectations of the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act for greater alignment among workforce development, career preparation and adult education systems, participants will consider lessons learned and strategies to align standards through customized professional development and resources to support Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, English as a Second Language and Career and Technical Education teachers.
 

Friday, April 24

Professional Development With Massive Online Open Courses
9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
L4 Sandstone
AIR Presenters: Amanda Duffy and Marcela Movit 

What exactly is a MOOC? Are they all alike? Can MOOCs be designed for learning and not just scale? Are MOOCs here to stay? Are they really open? As their promise is explored and debated, this session will create a space for learning and talking about professional development with MOOCs.

Two Heads are Better Than One: Building a Professional Learning Community Around Data
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
L3 Agate A
AIR Presenters: Amanda Duffy and Marcela Movit

Looking at data regularly can help local programs monitor their progress toward performance goals, identify areas for improvement, and meet their reporting and accountability requirements. We explore the community of learners approach to professional development as a framework for promoting data use within programs and create an outline for how to work through these steps.

For more information about the conference, visit http://www.coabe.org/conference2015.html. 

About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.

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