Vancouver Island

Submitted by Jill Auchinachie

North Island College ABE Update

The ABE department at North Island College is off to a busy stat this year!

As always, we are really focused on finding new and better ways to serve a wider variety of students. Some campuses offered a summer time flex program during July and August. We are also now offering our Fundamental Math courses online, as well as our Intermediate English and math. Our students tell us that they really appreciate the variety of options.

On the marketing and recruitment front, we are still having fun with our monthly newsletter and getting out to as many events in our communities as we can.

Submitted by Sandy Faust

Malaspina Reading and Writing Centre (Fundamentals Level)

Students at the Reading and Writing Centre have been studying Sounds and Levels in English, Group One, and reading the novel, Smoke in Group Two. Kate Nonesuch as been teaching Parents Teach Math at the centre two afternoons a week. For special events we've had a mandella-making workshop, and Emotional Freedom Technique workshop and we are going on a tour of the Nanaimo campus.

Also, Cowichan Independent Living is one of the five centres across Canada participating in ‘Making a Connection – Literacy, Disability and Quality of Life; Participatory Action Research Approach Project'. The Reading and Writing Centre is their Community Literacy partner for this research. One instructor and one student have gone to Ottawa to participate in the Think Tank, organized by the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC).

Submitted by Nora Randall

Camosun College, Academic Upgrading Institutional Update

Fall 2007 classes began at Community Learning Partnership (CLP) sites and both the Lansdowne and Interurban campuses for School of Access learners. Students have the option to enroll for individually-paced classes at Interurban and at the CLP sites on a continuous basis, space permitting. In particular, this option allows busy parents who might be feeling pressured to organize their children's schooling and not their own studies to access varied start dates.

Fundamental and Intermediate Computer studies 030 and 040 continue to attract many registrants, and the learners are able to seamlessly progress to the Intermediate level.

Marketing and recruiting remain central themes for the School of Access, and the Marketing Committee meets monthly with good representation from every area of the School.

Thompson/Okanagan

Compiled by Lyra Warkentin

NVIT

Submitted by Brent Langlois

The College Readiness - CR (ABE) Department at NVIT is currently undergoing substantial (exciting!) involvement with Provincial Literacy initiatives. Overall, NVIT is engaged in an Indigenization project aimed at refining a template/framework that can be used to design and deliver curriculum to ensure relevance to the Aboriginal learner. A major part of this college wide work will be to research and develop aboriginal-specific literacy curriculum!! In addition, we are working with community partners (led by SD 58) to develop a community literacy plan. Our new submission for CALP (Community Adult Literacy Programs) funding was accepted, titled ‘Literacy Through Cultural Immersion”. Yes, literacy is now being pushed to the foreground. I look forward to learning, and sharing, from so many others that have been very active in this field, probably for some time!

Local language experts are also working with us to develop a ‘template' for developing ABE First nations language courses.

Recently, we have been vetting 5 culturally specific language and fine arts courses through Education Council for approval. Should these be approved, I will engage the FNABE articulation working group to seek articulation.

As many already know, NVIT is now operating a campus within Burnaby (old IIG campus). I am excited to have their (continued) involvement with the ABEABC.

Most importantly, and sometimes not celebrated nearly enough, there are again numerous learner success stories, occurring regularly! We will now begin capturing these successes, and testimonials, at the CR link on the website!

We look forward to working with everyone in the year ahead!

Bring on the Spring Conference!!

Continued...