Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs in many Ontario colleges offer adult learners who have low literacy and basic skills with opportunities to improve their employment skills as well as results on prerequisite courses for entrance into post-secondary education. LBS students encounter many challenges and require extra interpersonal…

Defined as language, literacy and numeracy, and employability skills, foundation skills are essential for individuals to participate in further education, employment and wider society. Community education providers, such as community colleges, neighbourhood houses, faith-based organisations and adult learning associations, are key providers of…

This article highlights lessons from the experience of running a workshop that provides basic education. It focuses on the workshop that has been run for four years at Wakefield District College in England to support individuals from the community or students in college courses who need help with basic skills. The flexibility allowed by the…

This digest discusses two specific computer-aided instruction systems used in two-year colleges in the United States and Canada, and addresses critical points regarding system implementation in remedial education programs. As developed in the Nova Scotia Community College System in Canada, the INVEST computer system provides literacy-based…

The Commission d'evaluation de l'enseignement collegial in Quebec evaluated the implementation of general education in all of the institutions offering programs leading to a Diploma of College Studies (DEC). Seventy-five institutions were covered by the evaluation: 49 public colleges, 20 subsidized private colleges, and six institutions reporting…

This report on an internal evaluation, which was conducted for developmental purposes, describes services provided at the Learning Skills Centres (LSC) on three separate campuses of Grant MacEwan Community College, in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The key questions of the evaluation addressed student and staff awareness of the existence of the LSC;…

Ontario's College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC) devised a plan to enhance three dimensions of college education: general education, generic skills; and vocational or professional education. The CSAC designates generic skills as practical life skills essential for both personal and career success, defining these practical, portable…

The Master Student course was introduced at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to improve student retention; provide individuals with skills to become successful students; and to graduate students with technical, critical thinking, and effective communication skills. The course provides a point of entry into the institution in the areas of…

Data were collected between July and November 1992 to identify ways in which the Ontario Basic Skills (OBS) and Formation de base de l'Ontario (FBO) programs had helped learners progress toward further training or employment. It also identified the partnerships and collaborative efforts within Conestoga College and beyond that added to the…

A study was conducted to identify the literacy requirements of 10 college vocational training programs and their corresponding occupations. Following a review of 5 years of student records at an eastern Ontario community college, the 10 major vocational programs studied were categorized as follows: motor vehicle mechanic, engineering technician,…

This paper analyzes the United States community college as a model for adaptation in Latin America. The author argues that there is a growing frustration with the lack of responsiveness of universities to the development needs of societies in Latin America. Higher education continues to be accessible only to the privileged segments of society…