An example is “A Caring Life– Our Lives” a 19-page booklet containing “…little short stories from Newfoundland with nonintrusive illustrations.” It received the full five stars and is at a “basic” curriculum level. There is no audio, but it is very visually appealing, well organized, engaging, and fun, in clear/plain language and an easy-to-read font. All of this information and more is available from the evaluation. The purpose of this project, called “Training for the Enhancement of Online Educational Resources,” was to make it easier for CASP instructors to find appropriate learning materials to use with their learners. This is accomplished by having all the evaluated materials accessible through one central location: www.nald.ca/EvalToolNALDResources/search/eval_list.asp.

Another objective of the project was to help CASP instructors increase their skills in using the Internet through learning to search for online educational resources. They were also given the opportunity to work with and learn from each other, which helps to ensure that knowledge is shared and passed down to new CASP instructors, whether about individual resources or about the Internet in general. The “Training for the Enhancement of Online Educational Resources” project was funded by the National Literacy Secretariat. The Community Academic Services Program is a free community-based literacy program for adults, customized to meet the needs of the individual learner. For more information about CASP in New Brunswick, please see www.anbilnbi.nb.ca/English/WhatWeDo.htm#CBL.

Literacy and Disabilities Study

You are invited to participate in the Literacy and Disabilities Study. The purpose of the study is to learn how people are using the SARAW (Speech Assisted Reading and Writing) program. The study will produce an information guide on innovative practices in SARAW programs across Canada, .and will also produce a booklet of stories by SARAW students.

To participate, you must be a student in a SARAW program, or a SARAW instructor or tutor, or a SARAW coordinator. There are three ways to participate in the study. You can choose one, two or all three ways to participate:

Interview If you agree to an interview, you will be interviewed by telephone or the researcher will come to your organization to do the interview. The interviews will take between 30 and 45 minutes each.

Case study If you agree to a case study, the researcher will come to your organization and spend approximately one day with you. During the day you and other people in the SARAW program will be interviewed. The researcher will observe students and tutors working together, and the researcher will look at some of the handout s and other tools you use.

Book of Student Stories Students in SARAW programs are invited to submit a story to be published in the booklet of student stories. Please include a short introduction to the writer and story. Please contact the researcher at the email address below for the guidelines for the story and accompanying introduction. For information please contact the Audrey Gardner. Phone 403-410-1502; email agardner@bowvalleycollege.ca. LADS website http://www.nald.ca/lil/english/whatsnew/ladsdscr.htm

Human Resources Skills Development Canada --- Public Policy Forum

On behalf of Human Resources Skills Development Canada, the Public Policy Forum has been commissioned to organize a two-day Symposium on Essential Skills. The objective of this Symposium is to broaden the community of experts and practitioners and engage a wide range of stakeholders in discussion on the national goals of essential skills research and the actions needed to reach them. The Symposium sets out to engage a wide range of participants and introduce them to the research, policy initiatives and best practices surrounding essential skills. The Symposium, tentatively scheduled for October 25 & 26, 2004, in Ottawa will bring together approximately 40 participants, from federal, provincial and territorial governments, and other key figures. http://www.ppforum.ca/skills symposium/index_e.html For information contact Geneviève Lépine or Nicole Murphy, at 613-238-7160 or at genevieve.lepine@ppforum.ca or nicole.murphy@ppforum.ca