OTAN Digest November 2026

Meet Francisco Solano

Salinas Adult School | Nominated in 2023

A 2023 California Adult Education Students Succeed Nominee

Francisco Solano is the epitome of the best of what adult education stands--a self-directed, self-valuing individual who has built/rebuilt himself under the most trying of circumstances and is still growing, integrated, contributing, and connected to the broader community.

After he got his GED, he enrolled in [the]local community college where completed 3 associate degrees before transferring to UC Santa Cruz. At UCSC, Francisco continued on his upward trajectory all the while staying connected to others around him by not only volunteering at Breakthrough, a men's community group, but also at the university in his cellular and molecular biology program. He's also been part of several programs and events that promote equity and inclusivity for Hispanic undocumented students, and has returned to my class many times to speak to and inspire those who are now in the same chairs he occupied. He has just recently been accepted into the doctoral programs at both UCLA and UC Davis where he has chosen to work on cancer research.

🔗 Read more about his powerful here

Look at the top-right corner of your Google Chrome browser window, next to your address bar and profile icon. Click Ask Gemini to open a side panel without leaving or refreshing your current webpage.

1. Instant Differentiation for Mixed-Reading Levels: Finding authentic digital materials (news articles, government forms, health guidelines) that adult learners with lower English literacy can understand is difficult.
   • How to use it: Open the article in Chrome, click Ask Gemini, and prompt: "Rewrite the main points of this article at a 3rd-grade reading level using short, simple sentences for ESL adult learners."
2. Lesson Plan & Graphic Organizer Prep in Seconds: Limited prep time between evening or hybrid classes.
   • How to use it: Open a resource page and ask: "Based on this page, outline a 15-minute warm-up discussion activity and create a simple T-Chart template (Pros vs. Cons) I can draw on the whiteboard."
3. Live Vocabulary & Glossaries: Specialized terminology in workforce preparation or CTE (Career and Technical Education) materials, such as medical assistant terms, construction codes, or IT concepts can overwhelm students.
   • How to use it: Keep a course article open and ask: "Extract 5 key vocabulary words from this page. Provide clear, simple definitions and an example sentence for an adult student for each word."

Hear what Nikki Rae Hart shares about HyFlex classes at her agency.

Nikki Rae Hart
Adult Education Program Director, Inyo County Office of Education

What has the experience of implementing HyFlex been like for instructors and students? What has gone well, and what challenges have you had to address?

Satellite Classrooms have been the best part to come out of our HyFlex instructional model. We’ve found that students learn better when they are physically in a classroom and can develop a sense of rapport and camaraderie with their classmates. Zoom is an excellent option for students who cannot get to a classroom, but not everyone is comfortable enough with computers and Zoom to use it as a learning tool. Having an in-person class where students can participate and be part of their own community has become an integral part of our HyFlex model.

Many students can only attend one of the scheduled class times, so recording each class and making it easily available in Canvas has been critical to the success of the asynchronous, or “Flex,” part of our model. We encourage these students to form study groups and make our location, computers, and internet available to them. These groups allow students to practice their skills with partners and in teams, creating a learning community that continues beyond class time. In this way, our HyFlex English classes almost become syndicated. Before we began building Satellite Classrooms, every instructor teaching ESL had a full semester to learn the equipment, which proved essential to the model’s success. Nothing will turn a student away faster than watching a teacher troubleshoot technology for the first time. As new teachers join, we make sure they have ample training and opportunities to observe before leading their own HyFlex classes so they can deliver a seamless experience for students—whether in person, remote, or asynchronous.

What equipment or tools have been most important for launching HyFlex programming, and what have you learned about setting up and maintaining them?

Our program uses two 85-inch Samsung screens—one interactive smart board and one noninteractive display used specifically for participant videos. They are wired together with a Poly 70X system that integrates with Zoom. The interactive board connects to a laptop that the lead teacher uses to manage the Zoom session, while the Poly controls the second board to display participant videos. A satellite classroom logs on only through the Poly controller, which shows the presentation on the interactive board and participant videos on the noninteractive display. While the equipment carries much of the load in our Satellite and HyFlex classes, success also depends on having a dynamic lead teacher who can engage students across time and space, and a Satellite Facilitator who supports learners on-site and communicates with the lead teacher. The role of our Technology Integrator is equally critical. Having this position filled by a dedicated staff member within our organization has been key to launching and maintaining the program successfully.

Our HyFlex model also depends heavily on Canvas, an intuitive learning management system that supports both remote and in-person learners. For our ESL classes, we use the Cambridge One curriculum, as each textbook includes its own Canvas shell course. These shells provide strong practice materials that mirror the textbook and allow asynchronous students to participate in discussions and partner activities. They are also highly adaptable, allowing instructors to add presentations, activities, and links to class recordings.