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This section examines the extent to which OLT projects targeted identified equity groups.

OLT projects have had considerable success in reaching designated equity groups, although some groups were not particularly well reached. The case study analysis indicated that groups targeted by funded projects include seniors, persons in rural or remote communities, persons with disabilities and persons with low literacy skills. For example, the Teaching Literacy as a Safety Initiative by the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA) had a primary objective of increasing literacy skills of workers using industry-related knowledge and without alienating the target audience. The self-paced CD-ROM utilizes specialized teaching methods and tools to assist low literacy workers who would not otherwise participate in classroom based safety training courses.

The survey of project sponsors also indicated that OLT funded projects had considerable success in terms of targeting identified equity groups. For example, 59 percent of project sponsors noted that their project had targeted persons in remote/rural areas (as shown in Table 8-1).

In addition to the defined equity groups, project sponsors/partners also indicated a variety of other groups which were targeted as part of the OLT funded project(s). These included:

• students;
• unemployed;
• union members;
• professional association members;
• teachers/professors/educators of technology; and
• literacy workers.

It should be noted that while it appears OLT funded projects had good representation in terms of remote/rural participants (59% of sponsors noted that their project had targeted this group) and women (44%), it was suggested that there were some groups that were not particularly well reached:

• Young mothers: Although several projects noted that they had made specific efforts to provide services to both youth and women, it was noted that child-care responsibilities often limited the extent to which young mothers could access available programs/services. Some project sponsors/partners noted that programs had to retain sufficient flexibility to facilitate greater participation for young mothers. Examples included location of the project/facility in close proximity to daycare, and/or providing "quiet space" for mothers for nursing and/or other child related activities.
• ESL populations: Some project sponsors/partners noted difficulty in attracting ESL populations/clients to OLT projects. Lack of familiarity with technology and language issues were cited as key barriers to participation. ESL populations were also noted as requiring both language and computer training in order to obtain the maximum value from the provided programs.
• Aboriginal clients: In the case of the Aboriginal clients, the key missing resources needed to facilitate access to learning technology were said to be education, teacher training and access to financial and technological resources. To overcome these issues, informants suggested a more directed or "targeted" effort by OLT to meet with these groups and create links between the community access programs that serve them and OLT programs.

Non-funded projects also targeted a number of the identified equity groups including:

• Persons in remote areas (55%);
• Youth (44%);
• Aboriginal community (44%); and
• Women (39%).

The evidence indicates that OLT projects have worked to identify and respond to the needs of the end-user groups they target and have been innovative in adapting learning technology to be relevant and meaningful to the users. The case studies noted a variety of ways in which projects have worked to identify and respond to the needs of the end-user groups targeted by the project:

• For the Vancouver Community Learning Network (VLN) project, The Vancouver Community Network (VCN) adapted Internet portals and computer training to diverse groups of end-users including seniors, cultural workers, and multi-barrier inner city residents. In each instance the content and format of the Internet portals was directed by the partner organization's mandate and need. Additionally, the VLN coordinated workshops and guest speakers to illustrate the applicability and use of learning technologies to the end-users and facilitate participant driven content of the Internet portals. By making technology relevant to the concerns, interests and needs of the community, VCN decreased the barriers faced by individuals accessing the technology.

  Project partners indicated that the project had helped end-users by:

  • Decreasing social isolation (e.g. by increasing connections with family and friends);
  • Facilitating lifelong learning (e.g. by increasing the confidence and desire to learn); and
  • Helping individuals better adapt to the labour market (e.g. by teaching transferable skills and assisting in job search and networking).

The end-user focus group conducted for this project with seniors confirmed that the project had decreased seniors' social isolation by teaching them how to e-mail friends and family, increased social interaction within the Carnegie Community Centre (where a computer room had been developed by the project and staffed by VCN volunteers to allow public drop-in access and allow drop-ins to obtain computer training and one-on-one assistance) and increased their interest in capacity to use learning technology.

• For the Computer-Based Adult Learning Technologies Project, the Fanshawe College developed a learning model that applied a computer mediated learning (CML) process to adult learners facing various barriers or limited access to learning technologies. The end-user groups included the unemployed/underemployed, single parents, learners with disabilities, low-literacy learners, and individuals located in remote rural areas. A non-credit course was offered over the Internet to adult learners, many of whom were members of equity groups, to develop skills in the Internet, conferencing software and an audio-tactile network (ATN).

  Although an end-user focus group could not be organized for this case study, due to a lack of contact information for the majority of individuals who completed the course, the case study and the project's final evaluation report indicated that project end-users benefited from participation through increased language, decision-making, research and problem-solving skills. Also, the program helped to develop self-esteem and clarify career paths for end-users. One student had successfully acquired certification through the program, while two others went on to become facilitators for other CML programs at one of the community agencies.

The surveyed project sponsors and partners also confirmed that their OLT projects had developed new ways of using learning technology to reach target audiences by:

• Facilitating content development (78%);
• Testing the effectiveness of learning technologies in various settings (83%);
• Developing, testing and/or implementing new learning models (82%); and
• Conducting research on issues related to learning technologies (70%).

The key informants agreed that projects funded through the OLT initiatives of CLN, LTI and LTW have had a positive impact on a diverse group of end users. Within the community, the CLN initiative was said to assist in both identifying and meeting community needs through pilot and developmental project funding. One of the OLT initiative's greatest strength was said to be that it facilitated programs that "brought together people who were experiencing the same challenges", especially rural groups and people in job transition. Further, through OLT funded projects, techniques have been developed and used to bring new technology to marginalized groups who would not normally use learning technology. Key informants commented that access to new technology has helped such adult learners as the under/unemployed, seasonal workers, individuals with low literacy/numeracy skills, low income groups, First Nations groups, seniors, single mothers, and people from rural communities and resource-based communities. Youth have also been reached at the community level by OLT funded initiatives. Examples given by key informants of OLT funded projects that reached targeted audiences included the Family Literacy Project and the distance e-learning program in science for Aboriginal students.