National Adult Literacy Database

Electronic communication is becoming essential for many workplaces. The definition of workforce literacy is shifting to include much more than reading and writing text.

Writing in electronic contexts often has unique challenges. This paper examines an instructional program developed at the Annapolis Valley Work Centre in Nova Scotia, where electronic discussion groups (EDGs) created an electronic context for instruction designed to teach three strategies for participating in EDGs. The characteristics of writing in EDGs is similar to that utilized in chat groups, ICQ discussions and e-mail.