LANTITE: A driver for innovative literacy and numeracy practices

Abstract

Since 2014, the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Academic Skills Unit (ASU) has been creating a suite of academic literacy and numeracy resources, which all students can access via the university online learning management system (Moodle). This space utilises digital resources including asynchronous video tutorials (created with Adobe Captivate and uploaded to the ASU YouTube channel) and interactive quizzes to extend students' learning experiences. In early 2016, the Faculty of Education and Arts requested ASU to create materials to support those students preparing for the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE). This was a priority initiative and as ACU has campuses across 3 states, a national response was required. Accordingly, the ASU team developed a suite of self-access literacy and numeracy resources, often in collaboration with academic staff. This resource development process utilised skills and pedagogical approaches that have informed the ASU’s development of its generic online resources. The involvement in LANTITE has included ongoing reviews and development of additional LANTITE materials, which, in turn, has led to further innovative ALL practices, such as the provision of online workshops via Adobe Connect. This experience resulted in yet other new approaches to service delivery across the ASU, such as providing online individual consultations and a program of online workshops. Whilst innovation has delivered exciting and positive opportunities for student engagement, it has not come without some challenges. Mastering these technological and service delivery challenges, while continuing to meet the evolving needs of students and the University, has become an ongoing learning and development process for ASU.