Case Study

Client:

AlphaPlus

Sector:

Education, Non-Profit

Project Type:

Consulting

Services:

Qualitative Research

Systems Thinking

Systems Visualization

Collaborators:

Cathexis

The Challenge

Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) is an adult learning stream within the Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development, and AlphaPlus is one of several support organizations. The pandemic moved the sector to a tipping point, forcing many service providers to quickly adapt in-person learning initiatives to remote ones, adding more strain to an already challenging service landscape. This project aimed to identify and prioritize a roadmap for moving the sector forward and increasing capacity through digital learning.

Our Response

Made Manifest took a systems thinking approach to visualize and understand the challenges within the current LBS sector. Leveraging ongoing consultations with learners, educators, and organizations from across Ontario, the team used this data to create a detailed systems map illustrating the key system dynamics, barriers, and opportunity areas. This map illuminated a new perspective on increasing digital capacity in the system.

Client:

AlphaPlus

Sector:

Education, Non-Profit

Project Type:

Consulting

Services:

Qualitative Research

Systems Thinking

Systems Visualization

Collaborators:

Cathexis

Client:

AlphaPlus

Client Sector:

Education, Non-Profit

Project Type:

Consulting

Services:

Qualitative Research

Systems Thinking

Systems Visualization

Collaborators:

Cathexis

The Challenge

Our Response

The Opportunity

AlphaPlus supports the LBS system by helping adult literacy education providers incorporate digital technology into their services, bridging the gap between an organization's current skills and new technologies. The pandemic necessitated the move from in-person to online learning, creating many challenges for providers within the LBS system who already lacked the capacity and resources to meet the demands of their learners. To address these challenges, the Ministry engaged AlphaPlus to work alongside stakeholders to identify gaps and priorities for digital services and tools for learners, educators, and organizations. These findings informed a roadmap that enhanced the LBS system’s capacity to deliver more services remotely and expand the blended learning opportunities to adults across Ontario.

Our Approach

Made Manifest worked closely with AlphaPlus and the public sector consultancy, Cathexis, to provide a different perspective on the system dynamics and bring about new ways of working in the consultations with key stakeholders and users. The team observed eight consultations with educators, learners, and administrators from francophone, anglophone, deaf, and aboriginal communities. These consultations provided the foundational knowledge required to identify the challenges as well as the relational dynamics that exist within the LBS system.

A series of system maps were generated over several weeks, which helped to provide context and clarity regarding the current system. Ultimately, the system map is a tool for AlphaPlus to better understand the core systemic barriers and enablers to more technology use, the key relationships within the system, and the ultimate impact on learners of all these factors.

The system map enabled the team to better understand the key “stories” that reinforce system dynamics and have helped identify opportunities for AlphaPlus to gain leverage to expand learning opportunities for adults across Ontario.

Project Outcomes

By the end of the project, AlphaPlus had a system map, which they had struggled in the past to produce on their own, and a new perspective on system dynamics. This map not only provided them with a clear understanding of the current state of the LBS system but also provided the insight into key leverage points that AlphaPlus, as well as the Ministry, could tackle to expand the use of technology and, therefore, increase the reach of adult literacy programs across Ontario.

300

LBS sector orgs

system map iterations

system elements mapped

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What are the enablers and barriers to reaching more learners in the Literacy and Basic Skills sector?

The Challenge

Our Response

The Challenge

Our Response

The Opportunity

Our Approach

Project Outcomes

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