 Profiling Adult Literacy and Numeracy Levels
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A seminar presented at SETT by a group of staff from Glasgow College of Building and Printing – which has since become Glasgow Metropolitan College – outlined experiences of using automated software to profile the literacy and numeracy skills of new students.
(Please note that the job titles listed below were those of the presenters at the time of the report. Margaret McKay is currently the eLearning Advisor: Accessibility & Inclusion for JISC RSC Scotland South & West.)
- Margaret McKay, ELS Coordinator, Glasgow College of Building and Printing
- Victoria Blair, ALN Coordinator, Glasgow College of Building and Printing
- Janis Carson, Dean, Faculty of the Built Environment, Glasgow College of Building and Printing
The team from GCBP shared their experiences of using automated software to profile the literacy and numeracy needs of students. The main group of students who used the profiling software were those on entry-level courses, for example construction, which require no formal qualifications. Many of the students were non-traditional learners who required very general learning support. This increased demand required the staff at GCBP to extend their capacity to meet learners’ needs.
Why carry out basic skills screening?
- A systematic and consistent approach to addressing students’ support needs
- Places the student at the centre of the process
- Identifies the match between learners and the demands of the curriculum
- Informs the design and delivery of the curriculum
Students involved in this profiling activity were offered feedback on their results on a 1:1 basis and at this point they were also provided with an opportunity to disclose any other additional support needs. Data from the profiling could be fed back to management to emphasise the need for additional resources.
GCBP decided on an automated assessment tool after trying out formal paper-based standardised tests and more flexible subject-specific paper-based tests. Both of these had to be marked manually which is very time-consuming. What was needed was a system that was: user-friendly; quick to administer; gave speedy results and was less labour-intensive.
Whole classes rather than individuals were profiled: 240 students in 2 weeks. The team felt that “Skills Profiling” was a more positive term than “screening”. 20 students at a time could use the program over a 2 hour session in a computer lab. There was no set time limit, but the staff facilitating the sessions suggested 45 minutes for each activity (literacy and numeracy) with a break in the middle. Practice sessions were done as a whole group exercise. Detailed printouts were generated instantly for each learner which was followed up with a one-to-one feedback session where the students could discuss their profile.
The team at GCBP have found the Target Skills software very accurate in identifying need. The program was developed by the Basic Skills Agency and NFER Nelson. The software is semi-adaptive in that no student is “set up to fail”. If it is clear that the student is unable to perform the most basic tasks, it will not force him or her to proceed. The software has additional speech output in the form of recorded human voices in a variety of regional accents.
The results output is not in the form of scores or pass/fail. Two pages of “spiky profiles” are produced; the first of which gives an overall indication of the student’s profile, while the second presents a more detailed breakdown of skills such as listening, reading and writing.
How are the results followed up?
Target Skills profiling results all correspond to specific literacy and numeracy resources and can form the basis of an individual learning plan. GCBP responds to students’ needs via:
- classes to build skills in literacy and numeracy which are offered during guidance slots in students’ time tables
- integrated support in the classroom or workshop – lecturers are given copies of the profiles for all their students within the first two weeks of term
- some one-to-one support
- academic and social support in the form of group projects
- opportunities for lecturers to work closely with ALN and ELS specialists when preparing classes
Response to computer-based skills profiling at GCBP has been overwhelmingly positive
- A paper-based version is available for people without IT skills
- Learners are attracted to the modern graphics and the real-life questions
- Results are instant and can be entered into a custom-designed database
- Clear goals are identified for individual learning plans
Potential drawbacks
- Requires access to computing labs
- Students need to be reasonably comfortable with IT
- Can put pressure on the printers, so the facilitator needs to learn to save screen grabs
Future directions
- Sustaining and further mainstreaming profiling activity
- Ensuring more effective use of resources
- Piloting a database of profiling information
- Recording the “distance travelled” by students, i.e. how their skills have improved as a result of GCBP’s response to their literacy and numeracy needs.
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