THE LESSON FROM THE WORKSHOPS
Grounded in what we learned from the needs assessment phase, the synthesis report is completed and the main findings were made clear. The learners we are designing for are not a homogeneous group. They are migrants navigating administrative language, seniors facing unfamiliar devices, and unemployed adults under pressure to access services they have never used digitally. Their needs are real, specific, and varied.
Across all three countries, the findings point to the same underlying barriers, namely, low confidence, language challenges, limited personal support networks, and uncertainty with multi-step digital processes. From employment and government portals to account and password management, form and document handling, online safety, and basic financial transactions, our research finds a real need for easy-to-use and real-life based resources. Learners across all three countries pointed toward the same kinds of formats to help them build digital confidence, including short learning video tutorials, step-by-step visual instruction, hands-on practice on their own mobile devices, small-group or one-to-one settings, with slow pacing and deliberate repetition built in throughout.
With this knowledge, the Digi Ready project has reached a pivotal point: turning evidence into action.
A DECISION FOR SPECIFICITY
There is a very humbling moment that every educator working with vulnerable adult learners will recognize. You have prepared your material carefully; you have planned the steps, tested the tools, and are ready for the session ahead. Then it begins, and you quickly realize that the digital skills needed and base competences vary enormously from one learner to the next. One participant doesn’t have access to a mobile phone and laptop for two-step authentication. Someone else can manage a messaging app but feels overwhelmed from an official government portal. The room that looked like “one group” turns out to be five different starting points sitting side by side.
In response, the partnership has made an important design decision. The video tutorials will be short, accessible digital learning resources that will serve as the starting point for the Activity 4 workshops. They will show learners how to concretely and in practice use digital and AI-supported tools to help them with the tasks they need to do. That means, while the tutorials may be more broad explanations to begin with, the Activity 4 workshops will be built as closely as possible around what those specific learner groups actually need, taking into consideration the contexts where they use digital tools in their daily lives.
Ultimately, the partners will use the workshops in Activity 4 to refine and improve the tutorials by adding real-life examples.
WHAT WE ARE BUILDING NOW
The tutorial phase of the project includes the creation of seven short video tutorials.
The tutorials are being designed around a learner-cantered structure that grew directly from the workshop experience. Each tutorial will follow this flow:
- A welcoming opening – to set a calm, supportive tone from the first moment
- A short roadmap of learning goals – so learners know exactly what they will be able to do by the end
- A materials-needed slide – removing uncertainty before the learning even begins
- Slow, step-by-step instruction – designed for learners who need more time
- Real-life context examples (to be added after the next workshops) – anchoring every skill to the situations learners actually face
- A brief recap – consolidating what was learned and building confidence before moving on
The tutorial structure addresses the specific barriers identified in the needs assessment: confusion about trying a tool, lack of prior context, or the fear of moving too fast without support. The aim is to present AI tools as real practical helpers for everyday tasks like summarizing official government videos or helping learners to safely set up financial or government service accounts. The focus is on building digital confidence.
LOOKING AHEAD
As the tutorial development phase continues across all three partner countries, the Digi Ready project is building a set of practical materials to help vulnerable adults gain digital competency. After summer, the Activity 4 workshops will commence, where the tutorials will move from screen to practice and be tested with the people they were designed for. The tutorials will be refined based on feedback and finally, presented as ready-to-use, free resources on our project website and YouTube channel.
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