Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era (ANDE)

Numeracy and digital literacy skills are essential for navigating in and contributing to society. Yet, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), nearly a third of adults in the United States lack basic numeracy skills—and even fewer have the basic digital literacy skills needed to complete important daily tasks.

Purpose

Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era (ANDE) aims to address this challenge with an innovative course design and instructional supports. In partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and World Education, a JSI Initiative, WestEd developed and evaluated a 10-week, technology-based numeracy course for adult learners. The project is part of the CREATE Adult Skills Network, an IES-funded national initiative dedicated to building knowledge about using technology effectively to support learning in adult foundational education. The goal of ANDE is to generate knowledge and tools that benefit the field of adult learning at large and adult numeracy instruction in particular.

Audiences Served

ANDE will provide a personalized learning experience for adult learners to develop numeracy and digital literacy. While the existing audience is researchers and practitioners who are working on interventions for adult learners, the application of the project will benefit adult learners, including adult English Learners and Multilingual Learners.

Project Activities

Through user-centered design cycles and usability and feasibility testing, WestEd worked with adult numeracy instructors in Pennsylvania to create and refine a technology-based numeracy course and professional supports. A  quasi-experimental study found promising results for ANDE learners.

Learners who participated in ANDE tended to score higher on measures of math knowledge than learners who participated in their regular instruction.

The ANDE curriculum and instructional support materials are now available for use as openly licensed resources.

Project Director

Ann R. Edwards

Ann R. Edwards, Senior Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, is a nationally recognized leader in mathematics education with over 30 years of experience in research and development in mathematics learning, instructional practice, teacher learning, curriculum development, and policy.

Funder

This project is funded in full by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education through award number R305N210029. 

Project Duration

5 years (9/1/2021–8/31/2026)