(For best results, view and print this document in 10 point Courier or a similar mono-spaced font.) WORKPLACE LITERACY PRODUCT CHECKLIST - JUDGING THE QUALITY OF WORKPLACE LITERACY PRODUCTS National Alliance of Business The National Workforce Assistance Collaborative builds the capacity of the service providers working with small and mid-sized companies in order to help businesses adopt high-performance work practices, become more competitive, and ultimately advance the well-being of their employees. The Collaborative was created with a $650,000 cooperative agreement grant from the Department of Labor to the National Alliance of Business. Current partners on the project include the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at The Pennsylvania State University, the Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity, and the National Labor-Management Association. The Collaborative provides assistance in four areas: employee training, labor- management relations, work restructuring, and workplace literacy. For more information, contact Bernice Jones at the National Alliance of Business, 202/289-2915. Development and printing of this publication was funded under Grant Number F-4357-3-00-80-60 by the U.S. Department of Labor. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the official policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Copyright 1995 National Alliance of Business All Rights Reserved. R5581 To order additional copies, contact: National Alliance of Business Distribution P.O. Box 501 Annapolis Junction, MD 20702 1-800-787-7788 (fax: 301-206-9789) ------------------------------------------------------------------ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Workplace Literacy Product Checklist was developed by Terri Bergman with the assistance of Louise Bertsche, Stephen Mitchell, Michael Puzia, and Peggy Siegel. The National Workforce Assistance Collaborative would like to thank the many workplace literacy specialists who reviewed draft versions of the Checklist and provided advice and guidance: * Judith Alamprese, COSMOS Corporation * Eunice N. Askov, Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, Penn State University * Ann Belletire, Illinois Secretary of State Literacy Office * Dale Brandenburg, Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal * Forrest P. Chisman, Southport Institute for Policy Analysis * Lynne Fry, U.S. Department of Labor * Regina Guaraldi, Workplace Literacy Programs, Miami-Dade Community College * Karl O. Haigler, The Salem Company * Inaam Mansoor, Wilson School * Michael O'Brian, CertainTeed Corporation * Anthony Sarmiento, AFL-CIO Department of Education * Sondra G. Stein, National Institute for Literacy * Johan Uvin, Massachusetts Adult and Community Learning Services * Kenneth Edwards, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers This Product Checklist could not have been completed without their help. Bernice Jones, Denise Hall, Cathy Stewart, and Kim West handled the design and production work. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.....................................................3 THIS CHECKLIST IN CONTEXT........................................4 HOW TO USE THE PRODUCT CHECKLIST.................................5 CHECKLIST........................................................7 Step 1: Program Development.....................................7 Step 2: Program Preparation.....................................7 Step 3: Curriculum Development..................................8 Step 4: Instructional Development...............................9 Step 5: Training Staff Preparation..............................9 Step 6: Program Delivery.......................................10 Step 7: Training and Program Evaluation........................10 COMPARISON CHART................................................11 ADVISORY GROUPS.................................................13 INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF THE PRODUCT CHECKLIST This Product Checklist can be used to determine whether a particular workplace literacy product - such as a series of instructional workbooks or computerized instructional system - follows best practice and will meet the needs of your firm and build the productive capacity of its employees. It also allows you to evaluate what parts of a workplace literacy program your firm is prepared to undertake in order to successfully integrate the literacy product you ultimately select into your company practices. The Checklist will help you, as a business person or labor representative, to review potential workplace literacy products and get the most value for your training investment. It can be used to assess the quality of a variety of workplace literacy products, including, but not limited to: * Workplace literacy training development guidebooks, * Curricula, * Series of instructional workbooks, or * Computerized instructional systems. WORKPLACE LITERACY The Checklist was developed from a list of Workplace Literacy Best Practice Guidelines, constructed by nationally recognized workplace literacy professionals, business people, and union representatives. These individuals defined workplace literacy as the following: Workplace literacy encompasses the basic and higher order skills individuals need to function in the workplace. Using the definition of literacy contained in the National Literacy Act of 1991, workplace literacy is an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job. The most effective workplace literacy programs use the workplace as the context for instruction and take account of workers' skills, knowledge, and interests in training design and delivery. This "functional context" approach has benefits for both companies and employees. The approach: * Increases participants' motivation to learn, because they can see the value and applicability of the training; * Increases participants' ability to learn, because the concepts being taught are less abstract; and * Increases training's return to the company, because it is easier for employees to transfer learning back to their jobs. PRODUCT CHECKLIST STRUCTURE The Product Checklist is divided into five sections: 1) Introduction - Explains the purpose of the Checklist, defines workplace literacy, and lays out the structure of the Checklist. 2) This Checklist in Context - Explains how workplace literacy training fits within the larger context of workforce and workplace change, and lists other Collaborative products designed to help small and mid-sized companies in their change efforts. 3) How to Use the Product Checklist - Provides instruction on using the Checklist. 4) Checklist - Provides an annotated listing of the key elements in each of seven steps in the development and implementation of a workplace literacy program, against which you can measure various workplace literacy products. 5) Comparison Chart - Provides space to compare the merits of three different products you review, along with your firm's own capacity to undertake parts of a workplace literacy program. THIS CHECKLIST IN CONTEXT Workplace literacy training is just one of a number of workforce and workplace changes companies must undertake to remain competitive in today's global economy. For many companies, staying profitable involves the adoption of new technologies, restructuring work processes, redefining the relationship between employers and employees, as well as upgrading employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities. All of these changes are interrelated. New machines frequently require new work processes if they are to be fully utilized. New work processes can lead to changes in the locus of decision making and a redefinition of both labor's and management's roles. Training in a variety of skills, including basic reading, writing, and mathematics, is almost always necessary to put any other changes into place successfully. The National Workforce Assistance Collaborative has prepared a series of tools to help small and mid-sized companies select the high quality service providers and products they need to undertake successful workforce and workplace changes, including: * Employee Training Interview Guide: Judging the Quality and Effectiveness of Training Providers, * Employee Training Product Checklist: Judging the Quality of Training Products, * Labor-Management Interview Guide: Judging the Quality and Effectiveness of Labor-Management Relations Consultants, * Work Restructuring Interview Guide: Judging the Quality and Effectiveness of Work Restructuring Consultants, * Workplace Literacy Interview Guide: Judging the Quality and Effectiveness of Workplace Literacy Providers, and * Workplace Literacy Product Checklist: Judging the Quality of Workplace Literacy Products. In addition, the Collaborative has published a listing of national membership organizations and state program offices supporting workforce and workplace changes in employee training, labor- management relations, work restructuring, and workplace literacy. Companies seeking training or consultant services, tools, or resources in any one of the four areas can use this guide - Resource Guide: A Key to Organizations Working in Employee Training, Labor-Management Relations, Work Restructuring, and Workplace Literacy - to find organizations or agencies that can steer them in the right direction. All Collaborative publications can be ordered through the National Alliance of Business Distribution Center, listed on the inside front cover. Collaborative products can also be downloaded from our Internet gopher server. The gopher server address is INFO.PSU.EDU. After you reach the gopher server, open "Information Servers at Penn State," then open "Research Centers and Institutes" to find the National Workforce Assistance Collaborative gopher site. HOW TO USE THE PRODUCT CHECKLIST The Checklist itself is divided into seven steps in the development and implementation of a workplace literacy program: 1) Program Development - Tying training to company business objectives and company, employee, and customer needs. 2) Program Preparation - Determining the literacy skill needs of your workplace and its employees. 3) Curriculum Development - Creating a curriculum that reflects workplace requirements and bridges the gap between the skills needed in your workplace and employees' current skill levels. 4) Instructional Development - Adapting training methods to the workplace and employees. 5) Training Staff Preparation - Ensuring staff are skilled in literacy training and the needs of your workplace. 6) Program Delivery - Tailoring training to employees' needs. 7) Training and Program Evaluation - Using evaluation to assure training quality. To use the Checklist, just compare the products you are considering purchasing against the quality elements asked about for each of the seven steps. (The questions in the Checklist vary slightly depending on whether the product you are evaluating is "ready-to- use" or serves as a "how-to guide.") Not all products you review will cover each of the seven steps. A training development guidebook, for example, would probably provide instructions on all seven steps. A computerized instructional system, on the other hand, may cover only curriculum development, instructional development, and program delivery. All seven of the steps are important parts of a workplace literacy program, and each must be accomplished if the program is to be completely successful. However, each step does not have to be a part of the workplace literacy product you purchase. In cases where the product you are reviewing does not encompass a particular step, your firm should be prepared to undertake that step itself in order to successfully integrate the workplace literacy product into your company practices. The ideal workplace literacy product would meet all of the quality elements in the Product Checklist that your firm is not prepared to undertake itself. However, you will probably find that the different products you review will vary in the percentage of elements they cover, possess differing strengths and weaknesses, and have relatively divergent costs. In the end, you will have to use your own set of criteria to select one from among the products you review. Factors to consider include: * The percentage of elements they cover; * The relative value you place on the elements the products either did or did not cover; * Your ability to use other methods to address any of the elements not covered by a product; and * The cost of the products - compared to each other and to your budget for workplace literacy training. You can use the Comparison Chart at the back of this Checklist to summarize the results of the reviews you conduct. The Comparison Chart also has space for you to indicate which of any key elements missing from the products you review your firm has the capacity to provide. By using the chart, you will be able to compare the products you are reviewing to each other and to your firm's own capabilities in order to determine the best product for you to purchase. CHECKLIST --> Feel free to make copies of the Checklist <-- Instructions: Check the boxes where you can answer positively. For a ready-to-use product - one that you can immediately use in your company, with no development or adaptation required on your part - read only part of each question, for example: Does the product: . . . For a how-to guide - a product that provides you with instructions in doing something - read all of the question, for example: Does the product provide instruction on how to: . . . STEP 1: Program Development - Tying training to company business objectives and company, employee, and customer needs. Does the product (provide instruction on how to): * Incorporate training into company strategies? Incorporate basic skills training into the company's business strategy and link employees' continuous learning with the company's continuous improvement efforts. * Align the program with company objectives and practices? Align the workplace literacy program with the company's overall performance objectives, workplace practices, and job requirements. * Involve key players? Gain input and buy-in from management, supervisors, employees, and, in unionized workplaces, union representatives. STEP 2: Program Preparation - Determining the literacy skill needs of your workplace and its employees. Does the product (provide instruction on how to): * Determine workplace skill needs? Determine the basic and higher order skills needed to meet company goals and customer needs, and carry out company work processes and job tasks, including the skills needed to solve problems, work in teams, and make decisions related to products and processes affecting employees' work. * Provide, select, or develop appropriate assessments? Provide, select, or develop assessments that are valid for training purposes and reliable indicators of the literacy skills required in the workplace. * Assess potential trainees? Assess the target population's knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors. * Assure confidentiality? Assure confidentiality of trainees' assessment results and training participation. STEP 3: Curriculum Development - Creating a curriculum that reflects workplace requirements and bridges the gap between the skills needed in your workplace and employees' current skill levels. Does the product provide (instruction on how to develop) a curriculum that: * Bridges the skill gap? Brings the target population's skills to the level required for their work. * Uses jobs as the context for training? Uses real on-the-job work as the context for teaching literacy skills. (For example, teaching reading by using company safety instructions, or learning to measure variability using the products the company produces.) * Incorporates company processes? Incorporates and draws on company work processes, tasks, and materials. (For example, practicing speaking English by simulating a company team meeting, practicing writing skills by producing a written report required by a supervisor, or learning to read and understand measuring instruments using company tools and machines.) * Allows trainees to solve job problems? Allows trainees to use the knowledge and skills they are gaining to solve problems commonly encountered on the job. (For example, determining which supplier is offering a better price when each supplier uses a different metric to express price per quantity, volume, or, weight, or, for a brick layer, calculating the number of bricks needed to build a wall.) * Links literacy with other training? Links or integrates, where appropriate, literacy skills training with other training required in the workplace. * Trains workers to continue learning? Trains workers to continue their learning and transfer knowledge and skills from one work situation to another. STEP 4: Instructional Development - Adapting training methods to the workplace and employees. Does the product provide (instruction on how to develop) training activities that: * Match employee needs? Match instructional methods and media to the different learning styles and the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds of individual trainees. * Use company equipment? Use company technology and equipment. * Can be adapted to workplace schedules? Have a flexible format that can be adapted to workplace schedules. * Allow for self-paced instruction? Include self-paced training modules. STEP 5: Training Staff Preparation - Ensuring staff are skilled in literacy training and the needs of your workplace. If training staff are to be drawn from among a company's operations staff or training department, does the product (provide instruction on how to): * Train staff in the principles of learning and literacy instruction? Train staff in the basic principles of adult learning, adult education, and literacy instruction. * Train staff on good instructional delivery? Train staff on good instructional delivery techniques. * Train staff to work with employees with different backgrounds? Train staff to work with the various ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds of employees. If training staff are to be drawn from professional functional literacy instructors outside of the company, does the product (provide instruction on how to): * Introduce staff to the corporate and industry environment? Introduce the staff to the corporate environment, your industry, and working with individuals at all levels of the company. * Train staff to work with employees with different backgrounds? Train staff to work with the various ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds of employees. STEP 6: Program Delivery - Tailoring training to employees' needs. Does the product (provide instruction on how to): * Assess employees' needs and customize training plans? Assess each individual's skill development needs - defined by his or her own skill levels and training goals - and customize each individual's learning plan accordingly. * Assess participants in order to change training plans? Assess participants during training so that needed changes can be made in the training plan. * Provide trainees with feedback? Provide trainees with regular, ongoing feedback concerning their progress while in the training program. * Help employees to apply their new skills to their jobs? Help employees, during and after the training program, to apply their newly-acquired skills to their jobs. * Encourage and reward employee participation? Encourage participation, and recognize and reward employees who complete training successfully. * Foster a desire to learn? Foster workers' desires for continued learning, and demonstrate that learning can benefit other aspects of their lives. STEP 7: Training and Program Evaluation - Using evaluation to assure training quality. Does the product (provide instruction on how to): * Involve key players in evaluating the program? Involve management, supervisors, employees, and, in unionized workplaces, union representatives in evaluating program effectiveness and its responsiveness to their needs. * Assess individuals against learning objectives? Use assessments to determine whether individuals attained their learning objectives. * Provide, select, or develop multiple evaluation measures? Provide, select, or develop multiple evaluation measures that gauge participant satisfaction, performance gains, and the quality and effectiveness of the training process. * Conduct evaluations in order to revise the training program? Conduct evaluations regularly to inform and revise the training program and to ensure that the training program is meeting its objectives. COMPARISON CHART --> Feel free to make copies of the Comparison Chart <-- Instructions: Put the names of the products you reviewed in the blank boxes across the top. Copy the Checklist results for each product over to this chart, add up the number of elements covered by each product, and note the products' costs. In the last column, check the elements your firm will be able to undertake in order to successfully integrate the workplace literacy product into your company practices. In comparing products, do not rely solely on the total number of elements covered by each product. Be sure also to compare which elements the products did and did not cover, whether your firm is capable of undertaking the missing quality elements, and product costs. --------------------------------------------------------------------- | STEPS AND ELEMENTS IN A | | | | | WORKPLACE LITERACY PROGRAM |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 1. Program Development |######|######|######| | - Incorporates training into company | | | | | strategies. |______|______|______| | - Aligns training with company | | | | | objectives. |______|______|______| | - Involves key players. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 2. Program Preparation |######|######|######| | - Determines workplace skill needs. |______|______|______| | - Provides appropriate assessments. |______|______|______| | Assesses potential trainees. |______|______|______| | - Assures confidentiality. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 3. Curriculum Development |######|######|######| | - Bridges the skills gap. |______|______|______| | - Uses jobs as the context for | | | | training. |______|______|______| | - Incorporates company processes. |______|______|______| | - Allows trainees to solve job | | | | | problems |______|______|______| | - Links literacy with other training. |______|______|______| | - Trains workers to continue learning. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 4. Instructional Development |######|######|######| | - Matches employee needs. |______|______|______| | - Uses company equipment. |______|______|______| | - Adapts to workplace schedules. |______|______|______| | - Allows for self-paced instruction. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 5. Training Staff Preparation: |######|######|######| | - Trains staff in learning and | | | | | literacy principles. |______|______|______| | - Trains staff on good instructional | | | | | delivery. |______|______|______| | - Trains staff to work with diverse | | | | | employees. |______|______|______| | Or Staff from outside of the Company |######|######|######| | - Introduces staff to the corporate | | | | | environment. |______|______|______| | - Trains staff to work with diverse | | | | | employees. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 6. Program Delivery |######|######|######| | - Assesses trainees' needs and | | | | | customizes training. |______|______|______| | - Assesses participants to revise | | | | | training plans |______|______|______| | - Provides trainees with feedback. |______|______|______| | - Helps employees to apply their new | | | | | skills to jobs. |______|______|______| | - Encourages and rewards employee | | | | | participation. |______|______|______| | - Fosters a desire to learn. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | 7. Training and Program Evaluation |######|######|######| | - Involves key players in evaluating | | | | | the program. |______|______|______| | - Assesses individuals against | | | | | learning objectives. |______|______|______| | - Provides multiple evaluation | | | | | measures. |______|______|______| | - Conducts evaluations in order to | | | | | revise training. |______|______|______| | |######|######|######| | TOTAL NUMBER OF ELEMENTS |______|______|######| | |######|######|######| | COST |______|______|######| --------------------------------------------------------------------- ADVISORY GROUPS Stephen Mitchell Project Director Terri Bergman Products and Services Manager ----------------------------------------------------------------- BOARD Chair William H. Kolberg National Alliance of Business Eunice Askov Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, The Pennsylvania State University William L. Batt, Jr. Consultant Robert Baugh Human Resource Development Institute Clair Brown National Center for the Workplace Robert Fien Stone Construction Equipment, Inc. Evelyn Ganzglass National Governors' Association Marshall Goldberg The Alliance for Employee Development, Inc. Andy Hartman National Institute for Literacy Cathy Kramer Association for Quality and Participation David Pierce American Association of Community Colleges Jack Russell The Modernization Forum Benjamin Schneider University of Maryland Dennis Sienko Prairie State 2000 Authority Stephen Sleigh International Association of Machinists Pamela Tate Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Hugh Tranum National Labor-Management Benjamin Tregoe Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. Thomas Tuttle Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity Joan Wills Institute for Educational Leadership John Zimmerman MCI ----------------------------------------------------------------- EMPLOYEE TRAINING Chair Pamela Tate Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Brian Bosworth Regional Technology Strategies Thomas L. Clogston Boeing Defense and Space Group Kenneth Edwards International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Phyllis Eisen National Association of Manufacturers Wendell Fletcher Congressional Office of Technology Assessment Patti Glenn Texas Instruments Ruth Haines National Institute of Standards and Technology Janet Steele Holloway Kentucky Small Business Development Center John Hoops Bay State Skills Corporation Center Tom Huberty Upper Mid-West Manufacturing Technology Center Dan Hull The Center for Occupational Research and Development Victoria Kraeling Southeastern Institute for Advanced Technologies Arny Manseth US West Alfred Moye Hewlett Packard Frederic Nichols National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing Joan Patterson UAW/Chrysler National Training Paula Reeder Sallie Mae Martha Reesman National Center for Manufacturing Sciences Lee M. Shrader, Jr. Great Lakes Manufacturing Technology Center Duc-Le To U.S. Department of Education ----------------------------------------------------------------- LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATI0NS Chair Hugh Tranum National Labor-Management Association Nick Argona Xerox Corporation William L. Batt, Jr. Consultant Betty Bednarczyk SEIU- Local 13 Barry Bluestone University of Massachusetts Rena Cross Foamade Industries Joel Cutcher-Gershenfield Michigan State University David Fontaine Maryland Labor-Management Committee Pat France Stark County Labor-Management Council Robert Frey The CIN-MADE Corporation Maria Heidkamp Wisconsin Labor-Management Council Edsel Jones Mapleton Local No. 7-7807 Robert Landsman New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations Malcolm Lovell National Planning Association Charlene Powell Kentucky Association of Labor-Management Committees John Stepp Restructuring Associates Brian Turner Work and Technology Institute Earl Willford Bureau of Mediation ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORK RESTRUCTURING Chair Thomas Tuttle Maryland Center for Quality and Productivity Eileen Appelbaum Economic Policy Institute Mike Beyerlein The Center for the Study of Work Teams Jane Reese Coulbourne Restructuring Associates, Inc. John Dodd Computer Science Corporation Ned Ellington Productivity and Quality Center Michael Galiazzo Regional Manufacturing Institute Debbie Goldman Communications Workers of America Bruce Herman Garment Industry Development Corporation Robert King Goal/QPC Vaughn Limbrick Society for Human Resource Management Peter Manella New York State Department of Economic Development Robert Meyer Work in Northeast Ohio Joe Rigali Sanden International, USA Jill Scheldrup U.S. Chamber of Commerce Maureen Sheahan Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal Peggy Siegel National Alliance of Business Audrey Theis Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development Edwin Toussaint Xerox Corporation ----------------------------------------------------------------- WORKPLACE LITERACY Chair Eunice Askov Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, The Pennsylvania State University Judith Alamprese COSMOS Corporation Lorraine Amico National Governors' Association Dale Brandenburg Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal Jinx (Helen) Crouch Literacy Volunteers of America Regina Guaraldi Miami-Dade Community College Karl O. Haigler The Salem Company Mary Ann Jackson Wisconsin Technical College Board Inaam Mansoor Wilson School Donna Miller-Parker State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Michael O'Brian CertainTeed Corporation James Parker U.S. Department of Education James Ryan District 1199C Anthony Sarmiento AFL-CIO Johan Uvin Massachusetts Adult and Community Learning Services Robert Visdos NETWORK Jo Ann Weinberger Center for Literacy, Inc.