Literacy Volunteers help adults with reading, ESL

This article is from News and Sentinel 

A fifth of all adults in West Virginia have difficulty reading beyond a fourth-grade level, according to the National Institute for Literacy.

The Literacy Volunteers of the Mid-Ohio Valley, a member agency of the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, is working to change that.

The Literacy Volunteers is a community-based nonprofit organization serving adults 18 and older in Wood and Wirt counties who need to learn or improve their reading skills and who need to learn English as a second language.

The Economic Advantage of Online Education

Susan Gilbert, Dean of the School of Business and Management at Thomas Edison State College, wrote this article for the Huffington Post. It discusses some of the advantages of online education. Here is an excerpt: 

When an economist refers to a "revolution", he/she means a dramatic change, not a battle; as in Industrial Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, Information Revolution. This change is often attributed to the introduction of a technology that changes the way things are done; e.g., a reaper, a steam engine, a personal computer. However, as Peter Drucker pointed out in 1999, the real revolution and resultant cost savings that occur in an industry do so as a result of industrial engineering and the teachings of Adam Smith, rather than the technology itself. (The Wealth of Nations, 1776). Yes, a sewing machine may increase the seamstress' productivity from 1 shirt to 5 shirts per day; but it is the assembly line and specialization of labor that can magnify those results. Can we apply these lessons of Adam Smith to higher education? Can colleges be compared to tee shirt factories? These are the burning questions of our times, at least for those of us in higher education.

Distance education has been around for nearly 30 years, if we go back to the first Computer Assisted Learning Center in 1982; and web-based services in the area of education
date back at least 15 years. Blackboard was founded in 1997. Around 2000, I began using Webex for Sunday night help sessions with my executive MBA students. I recall the freedom of "working" in my pajamas (no web camera, please) coupled with personal savings of time and gasoline for me and the students. There were no labor savings to the institution; the technology provided greater access.

Click on the link to read the full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-gilbert/online-education_b_1282646.html

"The Advantages of Online Education for Professionals"

This article by careerealism addresses three of the most prominent advantages of online education for professionals. Here is an excerpt: 

How many hours are left in the day after work?

Is it enough to go to college?

Maybe not if you have to commute, but if it simply meant logging on to your school’s website, you could complete a simple reading assignment in the amount of time to watch a television show.

An estimated 6.1 million colleges take online courses, according to a report by the Babson Survey Research Center. The flexibility of online school has allowed working individuals to rise ahead, procuring a better position at a current company or even transitioning into a better working environment. Online education has really changed the game for military families and single parents as well. For these students, taking courses over the Internet really saves time and even money.

Click the link to read the full article! 

MCC's Adult Education Program Gets Financial Boost

This article is from Huntley Patch 

McHenry County College is getting $20,000 from the Chicago Tribune Charities to develop a new class for its Adult Education program.

The Friends of MCC Foundation received the funding through the charity’s Holiday Campaign_ a fund of the  McCormick Foundation, according to an MCC press release.

MCC will be able to develop a first year student orientation class for Adult Education students transitioning from GED or ESL classes into post-secondary education.