"Getting Online" The GO Project--A Research Report on Online Learning for Canadian Literacy Practitioners

Abstract

The Getting Online: Distance Education Practices for Canadian Literacy Practitioners (the GO Project) is a two-year (2007-2009) national project designed to research trends, technologies, and promising practices in online and distance learning in the field of literacy in Canada. This project includes "A Research Report on Online Learning for Canadian Literacy Practitioners", a "Promising Practices" manual, an online course, and self-directed training modules on the GO website. The GO Project team of Lynn Best, Joanne Kaattari, Deborah Morgan, Vicki Trottier, Diana Twiss and Pat Fahy set out to identify ways in which organizations outside of the literacy field and literacy practitioners themselves accessed training and support in a national and provincial landscape marked by reduced budgets and restructured funding streams. Based on the literature reviewed by team members, it is evident that Canadian literacy practitioners and organizations continue to work diligently to strengthen their support of the literacy needs of learners. As a result, the use and evaluation of online learning technologies is evolving and increasing in Canada. However, the GO Project team identified a gap in the research literature pertaining to the assessment of how the professional development needs of literacy practitioners are being met in a distance or online environment. Addressing this gap is especially important when considering the increased likelihood of practitioners offering online literacy programs if they themselves have had a positive and rewarding experience learning online.