CC-BY-NC-SA 2025 New Language Solutions Avenue Program Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, version 1.2 Now, when instructors submit well-justified requests, we accommodate them when budgets allow. For example, at an instructor’s request, we purchased Presentation Plus textbook versions with interactive activities for Smart Boards, and document readers that let instructors display printed materials. Both have proven very useful in the classroom – an approach now shared by other instructors. Standard 2: Infrastructure. Programs acquire, maintain, and keep current the technology devices, systems, and applications necessary to fulfill their educational missions. • At TIES, we are lucky to have had great support from IRCC and other funders to invest in capital assets that support technological integration into our programming. In our LINC department, all classrooms are equipped with smart boards and high-end web cameras, allowing us to facilitate successful hybrid delivery. In the past few years, all of the devices in our computer labs have been replaced, and online instructors have access to organizationmaintained laptops for course facilitation. • The LINC program at TIES has been utilizing avenue.ca for quite some time now. Each instructor maintains a course and utilizes the built-in tools in both hybrid and fully online courses. TIES also has its own LMS, TIES Learn, which houses Moodle-based courses that have been developed in-house. Some of the courses included are Newcomer Introduction to Classes Online (NICO), English for Employment Online: Workplace Online Retention Class (WORC), among others. Standard 3: Preparing instructors to use technology effectively. Programs offer resources and professional development that will allow instructors to meet and exceed clearly defined expectations. • The LINC program at TIES strives to equip instructors with the technical knowledge necessary to effectively administer LINC classes in either online or hybrid modes of delivery. All instructors hired at TIES are required to participate in avenue.ca training and are compensated up to Transitions to Stage 2. The program requires instructors to utilize the course templates for TIES LINC classes that have been uploaded to the course builder on avenue.ca. Instructors are also expected to use ready-made materials housed on avenue.ca as well as through tutela.ca until after they complete the PBLA training offered by the CCLB. • Instructors who teach in literacy classes are advised to use materials created by TIES’ Literacy Centre of Expertise, which includes paper-based and digital tools for use in LINC Literacy classrooms. Standard 4: Learners have access to resources they need. Programs provide necessary infrastructure, training, and technical support for learners to use technology to achieve their goals. • TIES has a device lending library for clients who do not have access to devices needed for hybrid and online course participation. Clients are able to borrow devices if they are lowincome and do not have access to one at home. We are hoping to expand this library in the future due to the high demand and long waitlist for devices. • The laptops and other devices in the library are all donations, mainly from corporations in the Calgary area. During the thick of the pandemic, we reached out to the Alberta Computers for Schools program. Their generous donations went a long way towards meeting our needs. 37
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