News

Portland State University was awarded a grant to launch the Learner Web, an innovative Internet- and telephone-accessed learning support tool, to help youth and adults in self-directed education pursuits. The $910,064 National Leadership grant was awarded from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Created and designed by Steve Reder and Clare Strawn, Portland State University professors, the Learner Web reaches out to community members and provides people with customized learning resources and assistance based on their skills, needs and learning goals. The projects hopes to cover a broad range of subjects including helping people study for the GED, improve English language skills, or prepare for college or the workplace.

“The Learner Web is a learning support system that youth and adults can use to follow customized Learning Plans that help them meet their goals,” said Steve Reder, chair and professor of Applied Linguistics at PSU. “In each stage of a learning plan, specific online and community-based resources are matched to a learner’s background, needs and goals. Whenever the person needs help at a particular step in a plan, volunteer helpers and tutors are just a click away. The Learner Web puts the user at the center of community collaborations, and helps build individuals’ capacity to manage their own lifelong learning.”

The Learner Web works by creating a unique profile for each learner, and tailoring easy-to-access online and local community-based resources. Qualified local tutors and telephone-based helpers will be available to support each user with their learning goals.

Portland State University will conduct a national demonstration and evaluation of the Learner Web, involving PSU graduate students with the building and implementation of the software tool. A consortium of libraries, community organizations, state agencies, and educational institutions in six states across the country, will field-test the Learner Web, helping determine what is needed to implement it in rural and urban communities of varying sizes.

For more information call Steve Reder at 503-725-3999 or visit www.learnerweb.org.

Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: www.imls.gov.

For Immediate Release

Source: Steve Reder (503-725-3999 or reders@pdx.edu)
Professor, Chair - Department of Applied Linguistics

IMLS Contact: Jeannine Mjoseth (202-653-4632 or jmjoseth@imls.gov)