HE in FE: Using e-Learning to support students in the workplace?

1
HE in FE Using e-Learning to support students in
the workplace?

• Charles Engola LRC Adviser
• Tony Delahunty - E-Learning Development
  Co-ordinator
• Jenny OCallaghan LRC Assistant

2
College of North West London

• 3 sites in Brent, North West London. 
• Stepping stone to employment or higher education
• To lead in the provision of knowledge and skills
  for work, in support of London's economic
  success.
• Feb 2007 successful OFSTED inspection

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HE Programmes

• 344 approx students per year
• Foundation Degrees (Part-time)
• Construction, Building Services Eng
• ICT, Comp Eng
• BTEC Higher Nationals (Full and part-time)
• Teacher Training
• Interpreting
• Internal progression is frequent
• Links withUniversities
• Middlesex
• Westminster
• Reading
• Thames Valley Univ.

4
HE validation/approval

• 4 successful validations from 3 separate
  universities since 2003
• Quality assurance confidence in HE programme
  (QAA/HEFCE inspection, 2005)

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HE graduation
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ILT Strategy

• Targets in CNWL Strategic ILT Implementation
  Plan, eg
• All schemes of work, assignments, and mock exams
  are on the Student Intranet for full time courses
  
• 50 of courses using the student intranet provide
  material that enable learners to study at their
  own pace
• Student Intranet (VLE) available at anytime
• Parallel targets in School of HE in FE
  Implementation Plan
• - need for separate strategy?
• SMT support critical

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ILT Team

• 2 (now 3) dedicated ILT Support
• Established specialist LRC support for curriculum
  staff, students
• LRC staff work as part of ILT team, can upload
  and link materials on VLE
• LRC attained Matrix Accreditation 2006 AoC
  BEACON highly commended

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ILT (E-Learning) implementation

• VLE all staff and students have College email
  and VLE access/remotely
• LRC manage resource acquisition
• Ongoing staff training programme, plus ILT
  Champions
• Infrastructure Equipment networked computers
  in all classrooms, LRCs

9
VLE (CNWL Online)

• Moodle-based (since 2005)
• All staff and students have open access within
  VLE (roaming allowed)
• Students get induction with lecturers and/or LRC
• Remote access very important (20 across whole
  College)
• Aim is to unify resource access via VLE (
  Student Intranet)
• Focus tends to be more on resources than
  activities

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VLE front page

• Opens up as home page at start-up
• Whats New ensures VLE does not look static,
  stale

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Typical Course Area on VLE

• Maintained by Lecturers
• Scheme of Work, Course Handbook
• Worksheets, Presentations
• Assignments
• Interactive Content, e.g. NLN Materials, Multi
  Choice Quizzes, Hot Potatoes Activities
• Links to Web Resources
• Exam Past Papers
• Standards, uniformity, quality control still in
  development

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VLE Course Layout

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VLE Resources

• Barbour for technical indexes, info
• Access via VLE within college, or remotely

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VLE Assignments, Communication

• Developing use of online assignments
• Developing use of email to students using VLE

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VLE Exam Past Papers

• Lecturers send past papers and assignment specs
  to the LRC annually to make available on VLE

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VLE Usage Statistics

• Number of Students Logging In to the VLE (all
  course areas), arranged into weekly totals.
• These are number of hits, not number of students
• Long-term trend rising, with dips in academic
  holidays

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VLE Usage Statistics

Curriculum Area Nov 2005 hits (students) Nov 2006 hits (students) Increase Over Year ()
Computing 5996 11229 87
Electrical Electronic 4840 13713 183
Learning Resources 2325 2306 -1
ICT Information and Communications Technologies 1882 7148 280
Building Crafts, (includes Brickwork) 1221 572 -53
Maths Science 1100 864 -21
Access Courses 715 836 17
Mechanical Services Engineering 608 2170 257
Media Design Art 558 1524 173
Plumbing, Gas, Heating 478 6057 1167
Key Skills 463 226 -51
ESOL ALL 457 3042 566
Health Social Care 395 103 -74
Accountancy 375 495 32
Automotive 284 3107 994
Student Services 195 6915 3446
Higher Level Technology Courses (School of HE) 180 639 255
Literacy, Numeracy, English 172 744 333
.

• Student hits by Curriculum area
• Hits also recorded for individual courses, or
  indeed resources
• Need to correlate with achievement, etc

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VLE Usage Statistics

• Taking students only, roughly 20-30 of access
  is from outside the College, eg from home or a
  workplace
• Proportion from outside the College appears to
  be rising (29 in Jan 2007)

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E-resources Usage Statistics

• Access to resources measured, need to look at
  impact

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Students portfolios

• Students tend to have ad hoc portfolio on flash
  drive
• Some assignments on VLE
• Relevance for transition to University, work?
  Some exchange e.g. Students may use PDP in CNWL
  assignments, and in workplace, job applications
  but not standardised

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E-portfolio?

• College looking at emerging ePortfolio options
• Some possibilities in Moodle, or with Elgg,
  PetalPad not yet robust or smooth
• Need for standardisation or personalisation?

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Resources online - constraints

• Cultural resistance from staff
• Time constraints
• Learning curve
• Perception of unreliability
• Current model working why change?

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Resources online - constraints

• Cost of HE resources
• Appropriateness of online medium for e.g.
  technical drawing
• Complexity of some resources, eg CAD/CAM

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Future development

• Employer engagement, access
• Interactive learning
• Student file area ie construct and display own
  work, ePortfolios.
• Collaboration with partner universities?

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Issues, Questions

• HE in FE funding disparity
• Student Fees disparity
• Measuring Impact
• Quality, standards of online resources, VLE
  external benchmarks?

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HE in FE Using e-Learning to support students in
the workplace?

• Thanks for your attention
• www.cnwl.ac.uk/vle
• charles.engola_at_cnwl.ac.uk
• tony.delahunty_at_cnwl.ac.uk