Creative states find best ways to reach adult learners

MORE THAN HALF THE STATES in the U.S. have a powerful advantage for helping their adult learners, but they use it in different ways.

Curious?

They all have statewide educational use licenses from KET, giving them much greater flexibility in broadcasting, distributing, and using GED Connection, Workplace Essential Skills (WES), TV411, or LiteracyLink’s Online Management System—and organizations in those states are able to buy materials under the license at significant discounts.

"Sometimes it’s a public television station that holds the license," says sales manager Dan Wooten. "But in some cases, it’s the state department of education or corrections. No matter who purchased the license, the benefits can be made available to everyone in the state."

South Dakota and Arkansas keep teachers in the loop

South Dakota broadcasts GED Connection and WES statewide, according to Sherri Rodgers, director of education and outreach services. The state also provides a free weekly electronic newsletter that lists the programs airing that week.

"We have about 1,000 teachers signed up," she says, "and we are adding people all the time. Every week, they have the schedule of which programs are airing that week, and we cover everything from preschool to adult education."

They use a similar approach in Arkansas but with a twist, says Marsha Taylor with the Arkansas Learning Resource Center.

"We like the product and wanted to get it out there for programs to be able to use," Taylor says. "We broadcast the programs each day, mostly in the early mornings, on the Arkansas Education Television Network (AETN).

"As a resource center, we purchased the license so we could make the DVDs available for all our adult education centers and literacy councils. We also purchased a round of workbooks for each. They purchase the rest on their own."

This ensures broad use of the materials, according to Taylor because the state has some 52 adult education centers and approximately 48 literacy councils.

Hitting the numbers in Vegas

Adult learners have hit the jackpot in Nevada, particularly in Las Vegas.

"Vegas PBS Education Media Services has adopted a multi-platform and distribution strategy for GED Connection and WES," says Lynette Stevens, coordinator for Vega PBS.

"One way this is accomplished is through the CCSD [Clark County School District] Educational Media Center, which provides instructional media and other resources to schools." Vegas PBS provides GED Connection and other programming through six dedicated channels fed directly to 300 schools. Digital streaming is provided through a secured school-wide gigabyte Ethernet Wide Area Network (WAN) which allows students to watch programming on a computer at their convenience.

Stevens says they also broadcast on non-commercial cable channel Vegas PBS Jackpot!

"Vegas PBS provides multiple cable channels to the Las Vegas community and has two local channels that are geared to educational applications," says Stevens. GED Connection and WES are integrated into these channels.

"Vegas PBS has worked with many local organizations to expand GED training, including employers as well as training providers," Stevens says. "One major provider of workforce preparation for the community is the Clark County Library District. Vegas PBS has worked extensively to partner with the local library district through staff and program support."

Online lessons reach out to teachers and learners in Texas

In Texas, they broadcast GED Connection, WES and TV411 on several stations across the state. They also give learners statewide access to GED Connection online, according to Harriet Smith, project director for the Texas Center for Adult Learning.

"We recently renewed our statewide license," says Smith. "I talked with our programs because I was interested in which programs they were using. I found that the larger programs are using GED Connection online as a distance learning tool. This makes geography less of an issue."

Mississippi streaming

Mississippi purchased a license for GED Connection and is in the process of having the programs "streamed" so learners can see them anytime they have access to a computer or handheld device such as an iPod.

"Before we started streaming, we broadcast GED Connection on public television, airing it in the early morning to give libraries and educators a chance to record it and play it back the next day," says Nikki McCeilers, director of education services with Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

"But we wanted it to be accessible anytime. We also wanted to put some of the responsibility on the learner. In addition, we wanted individuals who were trying to pursue their GEDs alone without the assistance of a teacher to have the ability to go on our website mpbonline and not have to wait on a teacher to provide that video or information. If a student wanted to do enrichment work, it would be there for them also."

McCeilers says that includes inmates at correctional facilities who are trying to earn their GED credentials. "We do presentations for their inmate programs," she says. "We tell them why they need a GED certificate and how Mississippi Public Broadcasting can assist them. We are trying to guide them and encourage them to download the videos."

Hoosiers learn at home

Indiana broadcasts GED Connection on all eight public television stations, says Molly K. Robertson, director of Learn at Home. "By doing this, we get the programs on many cable stations and cover the whole state."

A well-established program, Learn at Home, also known as GED ON TV, has provided statewide distance learning since 1990. Learners watch GED Connection on television and work through companion workbooks.

"We’ve recruited students with TV, radio, newspaper, payroll stuffers, brochures, posters, and our best tool—word of mouth," Robertson notes. "We pretest each adult for basic skills, because it is hard to study at home and we don’t want to set them up for failure. We ask those who pretest below 8th grade reading and 7th grade math if they would like to try the Pre-GED series. When they complete the Pre-GED Connection programs we pre-test again to see if they are ready for GED Connection. The Pre-GED learners do not have to pay again."

For a $45 enrollment fee GED ON TV enrollees receive a pre-test, workbooks, a calculator, a post-test, and a voucher that will pay for their GED Tests at any testing site in Indiana.

Ohio offers video access four ways

Ohio is using their statewide license to make GED Connection available through conventional broadcast, streaming on the Internet through their library network hosted by the Ohio Library Association, and now in video on demand (VOD) through a cable network.

"Broadcast reaches everyone with access to a television," says Ron Griffin, KET’s director of sales and marketing, "so a lot of people can see it, but air times don’t always suit everyone’s schedule. Streaming works well for anyone with access to the Internet—which is available for many at home, at school, or at the library—so learners can watch when it’s more convenient. VOD allows students who have cable television even more flexibility, since they can watch at home on their own schedule. And there’s always DVD."

Ohio chose to have KET host the streaming video through its new Fast Forward Streaming Service, which means KET is responsible for maintenance and upkeep.

Broadcast, streaming, and VOD can all be used with a statewide license or KET can set up a special license agreement. For more information, contact Jim Copeland at 614.519.4460 or email him at jcopela2@columbus.rr.com

Georgia’s got adult learning on everybody’s mind

"We are the state public broadcasting network with nine stations," says Patrice Weaver, manager of education services for Georgia Public Broadcasting. "We serve all the learners of the state of Georgia, including people struggling with literacy issues as well as those who want to complete their GED certificates."

Georgia broadcasts GED Connection, TV411, and WES in a block from 9-11 a.m. and repeats from 3-5 p.m., with encores on Saturdays 4-6 a.m., and Sundays from 6-9 a.m.

"We try to hit everybody with that schedule," says Weaver. "Because of the digital conversion, we now have three channels, including GPB Knowledge. We are excited about that. It has also freed up the schedule to allow us to repeat the programs on the same day. The digital conversation has been a real benefit."

"We partner with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)," she says. "They do the testing and we do the delivery of materials."

Weaver says part of their strategic plan is to increase participation. "Our goal for 2009 is to use train-the-trainer sessions to make sure all the teachers are familiar with the programs and are using them."

Increasing demand for video on demand

Another new technology called video on demand (VOD) is making learning more convenient. Some states are working with cable companies so that subscribers can watch GED Connection, WES, TV411 and other educational programs as easily as they can watch movies.

Cable subscribers can not only watch the programs at their own convenience, they can fast forward, rewind, and freeze frames to study segments in-depth, and they can watch them as many times as they wish.

Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio (see Ohio story) all offer VOD.

To learn more about any of these ways to help adult learners, contact Ron Griffin, director of sales and marketing at KET by phoning him at 800.354.9067 or e-mailing him at rgriffin@ket.org.