Synopsis
In this extended conversation, Avenue Digital News speaks with Sara Dos Santos, Digital Navigator and LINC Instructor with the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL), and Shayna Jepsen, CBAL’s Language Program Coordinator.
Together with Rob McBride, Executive Director of New Language Solutions, they explore the unique challenges and opportunities of delivering settlement language training across a vast rural region in British Columbia.
They discuss learner onboarding, the pivotal role of digital navigation, strategies for supporting both teachers and students with diverse digital skills, and CBAL’s innovative use of Avenue to create continuity, confidence, and community within the LINC program.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Introductions and Pathways into Settlement Language Training
Rob
Sara, to begin, could you describe your background in ESL and settlement language training?
Sara
Absolutely. I’ve been working in education for around 15 years. I earned my TEFL certificate in 2007, and since then I’ve taught language learners in various contexts. My background includes work with teenagers and young adults, but over time I found myself increasingly drawn to adult education. For the past two years I’ve been a LINC instructor with CBAL.
Rob
And what led you to choose language training as a career?
Sara
What really attracted me to adult language instruction is the level of intrinsic motivation learners bring. In the high school system, students often relied on external pressures—grades, credits, parents—to push them. In LINC, people arrive with very clear reasons for learning. They want to navigate life in Canada, access services, contribute to their communities. That sense of purpose is energizing. It makes the work not only meaningful but extremely satisfying.
The CBAL Context: Geography, Learners, and Delivery Models
Rob
Shayna, can you give readers a sense of CBAL’s teaching environment? Your region is quite large.
Shayna
It’s huge. Our catchment area stretches from the Alberta border across the East and West Kootenays and into the Boundary region. We also offer a LINC Online program intended to serve clients from across BC in rural and remote communities that do not have access to local LINC programs. We serve small towns, remote communities, rural families, newcomers working in ski resorts or hospitality industries – it’s incredibly diverse geographically and demographically.
Because of that, our programming falls into two broad spheres.
The first is our LINC Online program, which is offered four days a week. All teachers in that program work heavily in Avenue because it’s central to lesson delivery, communication, and assessment. The second sphere is our community-based in-person classes. We have instructors in ten different communities – each with one teacher – offering once-a-week sessions. These classes are smaller and vary widely depending on local needs.
And for learners who live in our region but cannot access in-person local classes or commit to four days a week – which is still common in rural British Columbia – we offer regional online classes. That access piece is central to our mission.
Because of that, our programming falls into two broad spheres.
The first is our LINC Online program, which is offered four days a week. All teachers in that program work heavily in Avenue because it’s central to lesson delivery, communication, and assessment. The second sphere is our community-based in-person classes. We have instructors in ten different communities – each with one teacher – offering once-a-week sessions. These classes are smaller and vary widely depending on local needs.
And for learners who live in our region but cannot access in-person local classes or commit to four days a week – which is still common in rural British Columbia – we offer regional online classes. That access piece is central to our mission.
Preparing Learners for Digital Success: The Orientation Model
Rob
Sara, how do you prepare learners – especially those new to online learning – to work with Avenue?
Sara
We’ve developed a digital orientation meeting that every learner attends before joining LINC Online. I meet with them on Zoom to walk through the essentials: how to find the Avenue website, how to log in, where their password comes from, and how the platform is organized. This includes the purpose and use of the Course Page and the Binder. We explore what different buttons mean, how to find assignments, and where to look for communications from their teacher.
With rolling admissions, teachers rarely have time to provide a full orientation during class hours – there’s always a new learner entering the course. Doing it up front ensures everyone begins with the confidence they need to participate fully in Week 1.
With rolling admissions, teachers rarely have time to provide a full orientation during class hours – there’s always a new learner entering the course. Doing it up front ensures everyone begins with the confidence they need to participate fully in Week 1.
Shayna
And Sara doesn’t just do an orientation – she has built plain-language guides and translated versions for learners who benefit from L1 support. Having something to take home and refer back to makes a huge difference. It empowers learners to troubleshoot on their own and reduces the fear of “breaking” technology.
Supporting Instructors and Helping Classes Run Smoothly
Rob
Do you also work with teachers directly, Sara?
Sara
My primary role is with learners, but teachers often approach me when learners in their class are struggling with a specific task or assessment. In those cases, we collaborate – diagnosing the issue, identifying where the misunderstanding is happening, and deciding how to address it. Sometimes that means coaching an individual learner through a login problem in a separate, tailored session; other times it means demonstrating an Avenue activity to the whole class.
Shayna
That modelling has been really powerful. Teachers who may not feel fully confident with Avenue get to observe Sara explain things to learners. Several have told us they learn “right alongside their students” during those sessions. For instructors who are new to digital tools, seeing how Avenue structures a PBLA-aligned module – skill-building, skill-using, assessment – helps them internalize PBLA more quickly.
Training and Teacher Capacity: Building a Digitally Confident Instructional Team
Rob
Shayna, how do you motivate teachers to complete the Avenue training stages?
Shayna
We pay them! We don’t expect instructors to complete professional development on their own time. Digital literacy and familiarity with Avenue are essential to the job, so teachers are compensated for the hours it takes to work through Stages 1 and 2. It’s a simple approach, but it communicates that the organization values their time and sees digital competence as core to quality teaching.
We also emphasize that Avenue isn’t just a requirement – it’s a tool that supports instructors. When new teachers see how a module is laid out, it provides a visual roadmap for PBLA. That clarity helps them plan lessons and understand assessment flow.
It’s also important to recognize the diversity of digital comfort among instructors. Some use Avenue every day; others use it primarily as an e-portfolio hub. Either way, Sara’s support helps make the platform accessible and less intimidating.
We also emphasize that Avenue isn’t just a requirement – it’s a tool that supports instructors. When new teachers see how a module is laid out, it provides a visual roadmap for PBLA. That clarity helps them plan lessons and understand assessment flow.
It’s also important to recognize the diversity of digital comfort among instructors. Some use Avenue every day; others use it primarily as an e-portfolio hub. Either way, Sara’s support helps make the platform accessible and less intimidating.
Learner Needs, Essential Skills, and Digital Problem-Solving
Rob
Sara, what did your recent survey with teachers reveal about their needs?
Sara
Most teachers emphasized that learners need stronger familiarity with Avenue navigation before starting class. Even learners with general digital proficiency sometimes struggle with basic assumptions – like thinking all websites end in “.com” and typing “avenue.com” instead of the correct URL. Clearing up those small misunderstandings prevents big disruptions in class.
Teachers also said they want learners to feel comfortable using Avenue’s activity types – quizzes, assignments, discussions – so that class time can be spent on language learning rather than platform navigation.
Ultimately, the goal is to prevent the entire class from stalling because one student can’t complete an essential step on Avenue, such as getting logged in. Digital orientation ensures learners begin at roughly the same level, which supports smoother instruction. They also have the printouts with pictures and plain language instruction (translated into their own language if requested) to support their Avenue journey.
Teachers also said they want learners to feel comfortable using Avenue’s activity types – quizzes, assignments, discussions – so that class time can be spent on language learning rather than platform navigation.
Ultimately, the goal is to prevent the entire class from stalling because one student can’t complete an essential step on Avenue, such as getting logged in. Digital orientation ensures learners begin at roughly the same level, which supports smoother instruction. They also have the printouts with pictures and plain language instruction (translated into their own language if requested) to support their Avenue journey.
Mobility, Portfolios, and Continuity for Rural Learners
Rob
Shayna, you mentioned earlier that Avenue plays a role in continuity for learners who move between communities.
Shayna
Yes. Many of our communities are resort towns – ski towns – and learners often move between them for seasonal work. Paper portfolios are hard to manage when people are mobile. Having all e-portfolios on Avenue means learners can continue their studies without disruption, no matter where they move. It’s the simplest way to ensure continuity across a geographically dispersed region.
Agents of Change in a Digitally Evolving World
Rob
A final question for both of you. Do you see yourselves as change agents?
Sara
I think so. Digital skills are becoming essential for daily life – banking, job applications, communication with schools or government. Some learners come from places where they haven’t needed digital tools to navigate the world. Bringing digital literacy into LINC gives them skills that extend far beyond the classroom. In that sense, we’re helping learners adapt to a new social and technological environment.
Shayna
I agree. To support learners effectively, we have to stay aware of the world they’re entering – its tools, expectations, and systems. Our job is to prepare them for the realities of Canadian life, not just teach language. That means staying responsive to change. If that makes us agents of change, then yes – we absolutely are.
CBAL is your regional online LINC provider supporting the Kootenay & Boundary, South Okanagan-Similkameen (Penticton, Okanagan Falls, Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Summerland, Peachland and Princeton), Shuswap (Salmon Arm, Sicamous and area) and Revelstoke.
