This workshop focuses on research, policy and practices that help adult learners who are parents, achieve workforce credential and post secondary success via online learning. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, many college students are nontraditional students—3.9 million are parents, of whom 1.9 million are single parents. In addition, women comprise 71 percent of parents pursuing post-secondary degrees, and 78 percent of single parents at community colleges. However while student parents are likely to attend community colleges, One Stop Career Center workforce programs, and non-degree institutions, they are less likely to complete their degree. Student parents face a myriad of challenges that impact their success—they are less likely to come from a family with a parent that holds a post-secondary degree; they are more likely to be low-income; they are more likely to be working full-time; they may face transportation barriers; and they are a parent to their children.

We focus on the use of technology and online learning to deliver classes to student parents in ways that are more compatible with their family and work lives. Dr. Mary Gatta, Senior Scholar, Wider Opportunities for Women, will share research findings on aspects of online learning that can help student parents succeed including—hybrid models of instruction; classes with multiple exits and entrances; mentoring; and highlighting supports to succeed in online environments. In addition, we will discuss models of online learning that are currently being used to specifically help student parents succeed. Specifically we focus on two programs in the community college and workforce arenas that are currently providing innovative online learning models to student parents. Alexandra Pickett, Associate Director, SUNY Learning Network will discuss a current Next Generation Learning Challenge Grant funded project at SUNY which used a blended model online learning program that targets 19-26 year old adult low-wage working single parents from underserved populations at two campuses—Herkimer Community College and Finger Lakes Community College. Kim Bunting, CEO, of Business Access will discuss the Business Access online learning program that targets education and skills training to individuals in the workforce development system.

Price: Free for Sloan-C Members and Corporate Sponsors, $99 for Guests/non Members

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Dr. Mary Gatta is currently a Senior Scholar, at Wider Opportunities for Women. Prior to that she served as a Director, Gender and Workforce Policy at the Center for Women and Work, Rutgers. Her scholarly interests center on the broad issues of women, low-wage work and workplace skills, and social welfare policy including workforce development, poverty, and welfare.

Currently, Dr. Gatta is working on major projects on workplace flexibility for low-wage workers, including workers in small business, restaurants and tourism, and manufacturing. In addition, she developed a large research project, “All I Want Is A Job: The Experiences of Women in the Public Workforce Development System”, to explore the experiences of women as they navigate the workforce development system, in particular via the One-Stop Career Centers. What is most unique about her project is that she conducted participant observation analysis, where she posed as a client of the workforce system over a six month period. She has received an advance contract from Stanford University Press to publish this book in 2013.

Dr. Gatta has published several books, articles, and policy papers. Her latest book, Not Just Getting By: The New Era of Flexible Workforce Development released from Lexington Press's imprint Press for Change, chronicles innovative workforce development initiatives that delivers skills training to single working poor mothers via the Internet. Her book, Juggling Food and Feelings: Emotional Balance in the Workplace was released from Lexington Press in 2002. She an editor on the book A US Skills System for the 21st Century: Innovations in Workforce Education and Development released by Cornell Press.

Alexandra M. Pickett (@alexpickett) is the Associate Director of the award-winning SUNY Learning Network (SLN), the asynchronous learning network for the State University of New York. Working with 30 of the 64 SUNY institutions, she has directly supported or coordinated the development of more than 4,000 faculty and their web-delivered courses. She also teaches Introduction to Online Teaching in the online CDIT master’s program at the University at Albany. She is the principle investigator on the SUNY/SLN Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) grant-funded project that targets young adult single parents from under served populations with interventions that focus on student success to begin to break the cycle of poverty in New York State. She is also on the National University Technology Network (NUTN) executive committee and an advisory board member, and on the steering committees of the Sloan ALN and Sloan Blended Learning conferences. She consults and speaks nationally and internationally on effective online teaching and learning, online faculty development and instructional design, and using web2.0 to enhance instruction. Please join - http://slnfacultyonline.ning.com/ - http://slneducation.edublogs.org/about/ - http://wiki.sln.suny.edu/display/SLNED/*about - http://etap640.edublogs.org/about-2/

Kim Bunting is the epitome of a social entrepreneur. The tech company she founded twelve years ago, Business Access, has implemented more than 200 technology-based training and workforce development programs across 14 states. These programs have positively impacted the lives of more than 50,000 disadvantaged people. Prior to starting Business Access, Kim’s career focused on representing employer interest in hiring diverse populations. She held the positions of Executive Director with the U.S. President’s Committee Business Leadership Network Dallas and the Dallas Mayor’s Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities. Mrs. Bunting also served as a diversity employment consultant to companies such as EDS, JC Penney, Bank of America, the US Departments of Labor and Education and many others.