HELLO Project

What is the Hybrid Education for Literacy Learning Optimization (HELLO) project?

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Settlement services, like other organizations, are intrinsically intertwined with the macro-social and the global landscape. A recent factor that has significantly reshaped the landscape of settlement services, as well as the world at large, is the emergence of COVID-19. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting pivot to purely online LINC instruction, Literacy learners struggled with this transition. This is particularly due to low digital literacy and the loss of valuable teacher-student interactivity.  In response, TIES Centre for Immigrant Research in partnership with University of Michigan, The University of British Columbia and Edmonton Catholic School Division embarked an initiative aimed at addressing these challenges by:

1. Studying the impact that in-class, online, and hybrid modes of delivery have on literacy learners in an increasingly online, continually evolving environment
2. Testing the extent in which digital instruction aids or does not aid literacy learning
3. Identifying sector best practices for facilitating and improving newcomer literacy education in a hybrid format.

This Project Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), spanned three-years from 2021 to 2024.

Process

The project team identified toolkit development as a suitable approach to address the gap in practical knowledge on how to integrate technology, develop digital literacy, and shift towards hybrid and remote modes of delivery in literacy classrooms. To develop the toolkit, we used participatory approaches to research by working collaboratively with literacy teachers at The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) and Edmonton Catholic School Division.

Stage 1: Planning the Toolkit

We collected data to help inform our toolkit in three ways:

• We formed an advisory group comprising seven literacy educators and two university-affiliated participants. This diverse group met remotely for 25 sessions discussing essential elements of hybrid delivery in literacy contexts.
• We conducted classroom observations to understand their dynamics and instructional approaches.
• Following the observation period, a focus group with literacy teachers was conducted. This session facilitated open dialogue, allowing instructors to share insights beyond direct observations. Informal conversations further clarified teaching practices and resources.

‍Stage 2: Developing the Toolkit

During this stage, we combined valuable insights from the Advisory Group and relevant literature to create the initial version of our toolkit. We constantly sought feedback on our toolkit from the Advisory Group to refine it and ensure its relevance.

‍Stage 3: Piloting the Toolkit at Local and National Levels

The final stage involved an iterative process of piloting the toolkit at local and national levels to assess, improve, and enhance its layout, contents, resources, and ideas.

• Local Scale Piloting: The first pilot was completed in Alberta with 11 literacy teachers and 4 administrators from TIES and ECSD. The participant teachers were instructed to apply the toolkit in their classrooms over a two-month period, and to reflect on aspects of the toolkit that worked well or that did not suit their hybrid classroom. At the end of the implementing period, three focus groups and one interview were conducted to collect feedback on the educators’ experiences of using the toolkit. The data was analyzed, and their suggestions were incorporated to create version two of the toolkit.
• National Scale Piloting: The second pilot was completed among ten teachers across Canada. They implemented version two in their classrooms and shared their feedback through an online survey. The toolkit was finalized based on their feedback, ensuring its responsiveness to the diverse needs of literacy learners.

Projects Outcomes

The Impact of Implementing Our Toolkit:

• 74% improvement in digital literacy skills within the pilot group compared to the comparison group.
• 65.5% increase in positive attitudes towards computers in the pilot group compared to the comparison group.
• Within the pilot group, 90% improvement in digital literacy skills and a more than twofold increase in positive attitudes toward computers.
• More than 20% increase in Canadian Language Benchmarks.
• All instructors who tested the toolkit agreed on its appropriateness and confirmed that they would continue to use the toolkit.

While overall satisfaction with the hybrid delivery mode was evident, students still preferred in-person classes. This underscores the enduring importance of face to face interaction with peers and teachers in education.

These findings emphasize the HELLO toolkit's effectiveness in addressing the evolving needs of literacy learners, offering valuable insights into effective literacy education within hybrid modes of course delivery.

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HELLO Resource: