Assignments

Response Papers

Practice Exercises

Samples of Practice Exercise Responses

Applications

Module 1

Module 1: The Need for Workplace Literacy

Write a focused response paper of 2-3 pages, based on the readings for the module, designed to convince your congress representative of the importance of workplace literacy to the nation, your state, your region or your city.

Module 2: Planning Issues

Write a focused response paper of 2-3 pages, based on the readings for the module, designed to convince an employer/union committee of the need for certain elements in a workplace literacy program.

Each of these practice exercises should be about one page in length. For examples similar to these practice exercises, see the texts of Modules 3-8.

Module 3: Proposal Writing

Write notes outlining a proposal narrative for a workplace literacy program at Product Line Inc. (described below). Include notes on the need for the program, the types and sizes of classes, when and how often they should meet, outline of curriculum, amount of custom-designing, and recruitment strategies.

Product Line Inc.

This manufacturing company in a very competitive market is reorganizing its whole structure for greater efficiency. It is cutting out middle management and shop-floor supervisors, in favor of developing flexible and self-directed work teams. The members of each team will decide among themselves how best to meet the demand for "their products" at the next stage of the production process. The workforce of 180 will be divided into 18 teams of 10, with a group of 6 teams on each of the three shifts, so that production can continue 24 hours a day.

Because of these changes, the company sees a need to educate its workers in the areas of quality, efficiency and teamwork. To maintain product quality, they are introducing Statistical Process Control, which workers will need to learn how to operate. To become more efficient, they want teams to keep inventory low and to be able to make quick switches from one product to another in their area. All of this will require teamwork, involving cooperation with other workers, clear communication (including brainstorming and note-taking in meetings), and rapid decision-making.

Module 4: Task Analysis

Conduct a task analysis for the everyday task "Mail order catalog" described below. Read the description to each person you ask to do the task. Observation of 2-3 people performing the task should be part of your analysis. In your conclusion, you should decide which aspects you would concentrate on if you were teaching this task, with reasons based on needed skills and possibly cost factors.

[If a clothing catalog is not available, write your own task description for another catalog and include comparable details in your description.]

Mail order catalog

You want to order some new shirts from a clothing mail order catalog. Look through the catalog to decide what you want (number, style, price range, etc), carry out any other steps needed, and fill out the order form.

Describe in detail everything you do.

Module 5: Curriculum Materials

Outline the design of curriculum materials for teaching the workplace literacy topic "Writing conduct reports" described below. These materials should be for two hours of class activity. Describe the materials and outline how you would use them. (It may help to imagine that you are providing these materials for another teacher to use.)

Writing conduct reports

Prison corrections officers are writing unclear and ungrammatical reports on inmate offenses, which then do not hold up at disciplinary hearings, and so cases are being dismissed. An examination of current reports has shown that they include very long sentences, mis-spelled technical language, and a lack of objectivity.

Module 6: Supplementary Materials

Review two items from the publicly-available materials on a workplace topic, making recommendations for the use of other teachers. These could be commercially-produced textbooks, curriculum materials entered into the ERIC database system, or materials available on the Internet. Include an annotated list of items and your judgements on their relevance, intended use, coverage of material, instructional method, reading level, and price.

Example topics:

• grammar for writing a memo or report;
• reading tables for use of labels, manuals or forms
• cooperative exercises for developing teamwork;
• fractions for measurement;
• statistical terms and techniques for Statistical Process Control;
• reading graphs for inventory control;
• technical language for low-level readers or ESL workers.

Module 7: Lesson Plans

Plan the outline of 10 hours of instruction for the workplace literacy topic "Dealing with complaints" described below. Set out an overview of your plan, including objectives, materials and activities connected with your teaching. (You do not need to produce the materials. Just describe what they would be.)

Dealing with complaints

In a large department store, customer service personnel in the complaints department are having difficulty with telephone complaints. Problems include reading the store handbook, working with computerized order details, talking to customers, taking good notes, and setting priorities (e.g., between the standard "send it in" and the emergency "service now"). This generates problems of lost or misunderstood complaints, customer dissatisfaction, and loss of sales.

Module 8: Evaluation

Develop a set of 3 job-related scenario questions for the workplace newsletter article "Competitor Close-Up." You should write one factual, one inference and one application question, and supply model answers for the questions.

Competitor Close-Up

This article is in the course handbook.

Choose two of the electives for which you have completed practice exercises and received feedback. For each of these electives, develop a detailed application, following the guidelines below. It is highly desirable that your application be based in a real workplace situation, but, if one is not available to you, please contact us to make alternative arrangements.

Describe the workplace and the program in sufficient detail to set the applications you develop in a clear context. Such details might include (depending on the module concerned) the nature of the work and workplace, any organizational changes taking place, the size and education level of the workforce, the education needs of the workforce, and the types of classes being provided.

Note: Your assignments are very likely to include new ideas and information of use to other educators. We plan to make available on the Internet a selection of the assignments from this course. Therefore, please provide contact details with your assignments in case other educators wish to ask for further information.


Module 3 – Proposal Writing
Write a proposal narrative of 4-5 pages for a workplace literacy program, including the need for the program, its goals, the types and sizes of classes, when and how often they should meet, personnel required, space and materials needed, outline of curriculum, amount of custom-designing and lead-time required, recruitment strategies, and methods of evaluation.


Module 4 – Task Analysis
Conduct a task analysis for a workplace job in a real workplace situation. Observation of workers performing the task, or interviews with workers using actual materials, should be part of your analysis. In your conclusion, you should decide which aspects to concentrate on, with reasons based on needed skills, safety and cost factors, and potential loss of customers. (4-5 pages)

Possible example jobs are:

• bank teller taking telephone call, making notes, and writing memo;
• delivery person deciding on schedule and route, making deliveries, completing paperwork;
• factory worker taking quality control readings, entering information on computer screen, using results to adjust machinery;
• telephone engineer fixing problem by looking up reference in manual, reading text and diagram, and checking instrument;
• loading dock attendant reading information from order request, checking inventory list, calculating weight of load, and filling out despatch form.

OR

Conduct a task analysis for an everyday task. Observation of people performing the task should be part of your analysis. In your conclusion, you should decide which aspects to concentrate on, with reasons based on needed skills, and possibly cost factors. (4-5 pages)

For example,

• filling out a tax return, including reading directions, gathering documents, and making calculations and decisions;
• devising a day’s healthy meals for a special diet, taking account of food groups, calories and interest;
• using a computer information system to locate a person, service or product;
• planning a meeting, including inviting participants, agreeing on a time and place, arranging accommodations, and writing an agenda.

Module 5 – Curriculum Materials
Use your own or a theoretical task analysis (taking account of its priorities for what should be taught) to design curriculum materials. These should be for three hours of class or individual instruction to teach a workplace or everyday task, or some basic skill associated with such a task. Produce the materials and describe how you would use them. (It may help to imagine that you are providing these materials for another teacher to use.) Include enough background description about the learners and what they have already been taught to set the context for these instructional materials.

For possible example tasks, see Module 4 above.


Module 6 – Supplementary Materials
Review the publicly-available materials on a workplace topic, making recommendations for the use of other teachers. These could include commercially-produced textbooks, curriculum materials entered into the ERIC database system, and materials available on the Internet. Include an annotated list of items and your judgements on their relevance, intended use, coverage of material, instructional method, reading level, and price. (4-5 pages)

Example topics:

• grammar for writing a memo or report;
• reading tables for use of labels, manuals or forms;
• cooperative exercises for developing teamwork;
• fractions for measurement;
• statistical terms and techniques for Statistical Process Control;
• reading graphs for inventory control;
• technical language for low-level readers or ESL workers.
  

Module 7 – Lesson plans
Use your own or a theoretical task analysis (taking account of its priorities) to plan 20 hours of instruction for some workplace area in a specific workplace context. Set out a 4-5 page overview of your plan, including objectives, materials and activities connected with your teaching. (You do not need to produce the materials–just describe what they would be.)

Example workplace areas:

• writing of safety reports for hospital workers, including filling out forms and writing clear, concise descriptions;
• Statistical Process Control, and the necessary statistical background, for machine-tool workers;
• accurate measurement, including fractions and decimals, for wood-products workers.

Module 8 – Evaluation
Develop two evaluation measures for a particular workplace situation:

• a set of 6 job-related scenario questions (with model answers),
• a set of 5 employee rating scales.
  

Describe the workplace, the workers and the course being assessed. Explain why these evaluation measures are important for both the job and the skills taught in the course. Also describe what other evaluation measures you will use (custom-designed tests, standardized tests, questionnaires, etc), and explain why they are important for this program.