Co-creating a digital learning framework with educators teaching literacy and basic skills
How do we evolve and communicate our offerings to meet the emerging digital demands of adult literacy educator
The Challenge
AlphaPlus is a support organization working with adult literacy groups to integrate digital technology into education. With the pandemic changing the landscape of digital learning, there was an opportunity for AlphaPlus to re-establish its role in the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) sector and gain a deeper understanding of the emerging needs of education professionals.
Our Response
Made Manifest took a co-creative process, engaging directly with internal staff and sector stakeholders such as program directors, educators, and administrators to develop a digital learning structure. This structure allows AlphaPlus to plan, organize, and develop service offerings that better reflect educator priorities and key work areas.
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The Opportunity
AlphaPlus helps adult literacy programs find innovative ways to integrate digital technology into their services. The pandemic forced many literacy programs to quickly adapt in-person learning initiatives to remote ones, adding new service demands and challenges. To address these changes, AlphaPlus recognized the need to develop an organizing framework that would describe the digital learning aims of educators. This structure would allow AlphaPlus to better organize, plan, and update its offerings to continue supporting educators and facilitate better learner outcomes.
Our Approach
Made Manifest worked closely with AlphaPlus using a design research process to inform the development of the digital learning structure. The team conducted several rounds of in-depth interviews with internal staff and sector stakeholders such as program directors, educators, and administrators to gain insight into their experiences and uncover their biggest needs, challenges, and priorities.
We then facilitated an alignment workshop with internal staff members to build an early iteration of a learning structure while mapping existing AlphaPlus offerings to areas of priority. To ensure that the structure accurately reflects the needs of educational programs, the structure was brought into a concept testing session with educators. Further iteration was made based on the collective input of participating educators.
Project Outcomes
Made Manifest helped AlphaPlus identify seven key areas of work related to integrating digital technologies into classrooms and services; this was articulated within three main domains that represented perspectives at the organization, teacher, and learner levels.
Articulating this learning structure gave AlphaPlus an updated perspective on which of its existing services aligns with educator priorities and key areas of work. It helped the team to imagine new offerings that would continue providing value. The framework acts as both an internal tool by informing AlphaPlus’ business planning and as a communication tool by establishing alignment with educators on the ways AlphaPlus can support their needs.
