Working Hard on Soft Skills: ACES/TIF Foundations Course Available on Canvas

Good news: the ACES/TIF Foundations course is now available on our new online learning platform, Canvas! This course is designed to provide a thorough introduction on how to integrate academic, career, and employability skills (ACES) into your instructional context through the use of the Transitions Integration Framework (TIF), a document that identifies key skills our adult students need for successful transitions to college, career, employment, and community involvement. This course is useful for teachers who are new to ABE in Minnesota and those who might not be familiar with ACES/TIF.

Essential skills for adult learners

The TIF is broken into six categories:

• Effective Communication
• Learning Strategies
• Critical Thinking
• Self-Management
• Developing a Future Pathway
• Navigating Systems

These skills are sometimes referred to as soft skills. But don’t let the word “soft” fool you. These skills are essential in the life of an adult learner. Incorporating lessons that involve these skills at any level of the ABE classroom will ensure that your learners have the necessary skills to successfully transition to training, work, or post-secondary opportunities. It can be hard work to incorporate these skills into our daily work, but the ACES/TIF Foundations course will help you get started.

ACES/TIF Foundations

In the ACES/TIF Foundations course, you’ll start with a basic overview of Adult Education content standards and how the ACES/TIF was developed and adopted in Minnesota. Then you will choose three of the six categories to focus on in the course. The self-paced, independent study Canvas course should take you approximately six hours and you will earn six CEUs upon completion.

To access the ACES/TIF Foundations course:

1. You can self-enroll in the course here: https://mnadulted.instructure.com/enroll/PETAFX

2. Alternatively, you can sign up at https://mnadulted.instructure.com/register and use the join code PETAFX. You will receive an email to complete registration.

3. Please sign up as a STUDENT for any Canvas course offering, not a TEACHER.

NOTE: As of October 1, any in-progress ACES coursework on the Schoology platform is no longer accessible.

Questions?

Please contact Carly at [email protected]u