Learndirect online courses were launched in 2000 to provide quality provision in literacy, numeracy and
ESOL for adults using computer-based learning. Its provision puts the learner at the centre of the learning process by providing self-access materials and diagnostic packages that enable learners
to identify their individual weaknesses and choose the appropriate learning materials to address them. It offers alternative provision to traditional class-based learning which research has shown can lead to a culture of dependency on the tutor.

All those wanting to access the online learning must first register at a learndirect centre; there are over 1000 in the UK in a wide range of locations - colleges, libraries, schools, community centres and high
street shops. Learners can then access online materials in the way that suits them best - from home, from work or at a learndirect centre - with most using a combination of these methods. Support is provided at three different levels: facilitation, mentoring or one-to-one specialist support from a basic skills tutor.
Learners can also ask for assistance, feedback or advice at any point during their course. The system is designed to allow learners to access maximum support, or none at all if they so desire.

At the heart of the literacy provision is the Word Skills Check, a diagnostic tool that probes learners' skills in literacy and provides them with a skills profile that identifies strengths and weaknesses. This profile provides the basis for a discussion with a specialist tutor to develop an individual learning plan.

Word Skills Check also provides a simple dyslexia checker. We are currently developing a quick initial
assessment of learners' levels in literacy so that the diagnostic assessment can start at the appropriate level.

The core of the literacy programme is A Way with Words, a modular package covering all the elements of literacy learning identified in the new adult basic skills standards and curriculum. It enables the learner to choose the particular components of learning they need, rather than have to work their way through a complete course. Each section includes clear learning outcomes, contextualised instructional content and the opportunity to practise skills in context. The learner can return to the skills check after completing each module to check how much they have learned and how much progress they have made.

In addition to A Way with Words, other courses have been developed to address more specific needs. As well as products covering areas that learners may identify as a specific problem (for instance, punctuation or spelling), there are contextualised packages to address literacy needs at work, for life skills and for lifestyle. Examples include Spelling it Out (a complete spelling package), Checkpoints (help with punctuation), Essential Skills for Health and Care (entry level literacy), Getting a Job (life skills
literacy), Helping your Child (life skills literacy) and Fishing Challenge (literacy for lifestyle pursuits). Other specialist literacy courses are being developed for specific learner groups - for example, Essential Skills for Work, a package being jointly produced with the TUC. In order to enable learners and tutors to decide which of these smaller packages addresses their learning needs, a database maps
each section of each product onto the literacy curriculum.

Initially, many doubted that online delivery would work for basic skills learners but reality has proven otherwise. In the first full year of operation (up to April 2002) there were 35,000 enrolments on basic skills courses, more than half of them for literacy; from April to September 2002 there were 30,000 enrolments.

Feedback from learners shows an 86% satisfaction rate. It seems as if the strategy is working and new groups of adults are accessing and benefiting from literacy courses online. The next step is to offer the
literacy national tests at levels 1 and 2 in learndirect centres.

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