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This is the Real World-Level 3 Communications Project

One of the most exciting features of Accelerate is the incorporation of the project into the body of the learner's workbook. For too many adult learners in the past, the project was like a ball and chain shackled to their necks throughout the course-they knew they had to do the project, but they didn't know how to take the first steps to get the project started. Instead, it was left to the end of the course and the intended benefits of doing a project were entirely lost.

Learners must demonstrate competence in skills such as research, information transfer, planning, drafting and editing their own writing. The best way for learners to practice these skills and prove competence is to do a project.

In Accelerate, the project is done in Lesson 15, but all of the lessons prior to this lesson play a part in preparing the learner for the project. In Lesson 7, learners are taught how to plan an essay using a mind map and then in Lesson 8, they use their mind maps to write an essay. Lessons 12-14 deal with skills such as organising text in a table of contents or index, summarising information from a textbook or website and doing research on a project topic. Therefore, when learners get to Lesson 15, they have all the skills they need for project preparation and they can focus on information processing and presentation of the project.

More than any other part of the course, they project takes the learner into the realm of "real life", which is essential if we are expecting learners to remember the theoretical components of their learning and apply their knowledge. Tell the learners that the project is an opportunity for them to learn more about a hobby or interest, or to research a burning question that has puzzled them for a long time. This is the ABET learners' chance to make a difference to their own lives and hopefully to the lives of others.

Elizabeth chose to do a project on her hobby of quilting or patchwork. Her project was divided into different sections and each section described a different step in making a quilt from a pattern that she was given in her quilting class. Her support material included the pattern she used, a photograph of the quilt she made and a material sample of one of the squares that she had prepared for her quilt. She also included a copy of a quilting newsletter and several pages from a book on quilting. Overall, it was a well-researched and presented project, but it was even more pleasing because the project was able to enrich Elizabeth's experience of something she already enjoyed in her daily life. Try to get to know learners-their jobs, hobbies, families and interests-this often inspires some great ideas for project topics.

Accelerate also provides the learners with a few more prompts, just to get over the initial hurdle of getting started. In the Starting Blocks exercise, learners read about another ABET learner who did a project and they are exposed to her methods and the outcome of her project. Learners therefore have an example to follow. There are also some suggestions for project topics in the workbook and a blank mind map that learners can use to plan their projects. As a workbook exercise, learners are expected to find at least one piece of supporting material for their topic and to take notes on it. So before they know it, learners have actually done half the work required for their projects and all that remains is to write up the first and final drafts. In Test Yourself 3, learners are given a checklist to help organise their project tasks and the Assessment Grid for the project, so they are completely clear on the expectations when the time comes to assess the project.

What are your learners writing about in their projects? We'd love to hear from facilitators and from learners about how ABET Communication is changing the way you see the world. Good luck with your projects!