eolas magazine issue 45 May 2021 eLearning and eTraining report by bmf business services

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Minister Norma Foley TD: Digital teaching, learning and assessment There has been great progress in recent weeks with the return of our entire school community to in-school learning. Minister for Education Norma Foley TD writes. The phased approach to returning to inschool learning has been made possible with the support and work of everyone in school communities, and by the progress made in curbing the levels of Covid-19 in the community. In early 2020, education systems around the world were faced with an unprecedented challenge following mass school closures as part of public health efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. More than 100 million learners, educators, education and training staff globally were affected. To ensure the continuity of teaching, learning and assessment, digital technologies were used on a large and unprecedented scale particularly in the remote environment.

Challenges I want to acknowledge the challenges faced by teachers and school leaders

with the sudden move to a remote learning environment. You delivered a balanced and manageable programme, ensured that learners were not overwhelmed by information and supported the most vulnerable children and young people and for this I thank you. The use of digital technologies in teaching and learning is not a new concept in the Irish education system. A number of government strategies and initiatives over the last two decades have encouraged and promoted the effective use of digital technologies in teaching and learning. Significant progress has been made under the current Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 – Enhancing Teaching, Learning and Assessment. The focus of this strategy is on the effective use of digital technologies in teaching and learning, assessment and

in leadership and management. The strategy has been underpinned by a €210 million investment through an infrastructure grant for schools. The implementation of the strategy in schools is supported by a Digital Learning Framework and comprehensive digital learning planning guidelines. This is backed up by extensive continuous professional development (CPD), resources and supports for teachers and school leaders. Initial research and surveys conducted on the experiences during the pandemic indicate that some schools found the transition to online learning somewhat easier. Many of those schools were familiar with online learning platforms and adapted quickly to providing learner feedback on work submitted digitally. For others, their capacity to provide continuity of

learning was impeded by poor broadband connectivity in some home environments and the lack of digital devices for both teacher and learners and alternative methods of delivery had to be deployed.

The Department provided schools with a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a Covid19 context. This included the following requirements for schools: •

regular engagement with pupils/students;

•

a blend of guided and independent learning tasks/experiences;

•

appropriate and engaging learning opportunities;

•

learning tasks;

•

two-way feedback between home and school; and

•

support for pupils/students with special educational needs.

Professional development All schools are required to have a communication and learning platform in place. Schools can select the platform that best suits their own needs. Extensive support and guidance on the use of many of the most commonly used platforms is provided by the Department’s support service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), and its technology in education team at www.pdsttechnologyineducation.ie. The continued professional development of teachers and their upskilling on the effective use of digital

technologies will continue to be a key priority for the Department and its teacher support service, PDST. The Inspectorate also provided an advisory service to schools to support the delivery of remote learning and to provide assistance to school leaders in particular during school closures. A dedicated PDST portal on remote learning includes information on popular communication and learning platforms, digital tools and resources, video conferencing, webinars to support and inspire teachers to identify good practice and a dedicated online course for teachers for remote learning. In general the two most applicable blended learning models as identified by PDST are the enriched virtual model and the flipped classroom model. The PDST leadership team is also available to support school leaders in leading remote teaching and learning process through school support, national programmes and localised networks. Also with regard to training, the Centre for School Leadership developed an online module in terms of mentoring newly appointment principals and as well as for professional learning for mentors and 1:1 coaching.

Online safety Along with the many benefits for our learners in using technology to access education, participation in the online environment can expose our children and young people to online risks. While schools have a key role in educating children about online safety, internet safety does not lie solely within the remit of the school environment. Providing an effective response to online safety requires collaboration

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Moving swiftly to alleviate some of the immediate challenges, €100 million in grant funding was issued to schools during 2020 to improve ICT infrastructure and to support teaching and learning using digital technologies. Schools were advised that this funding could be prioritised to assist them in addressing their ICT needs arising out of the Covid-19 environment, including the purchase of digital devices to loan to students and teachers, software, essential learning platforms and other ICT solutions as determined by the needs of the individual school.

“I want to acknowledge the challenges faced by teachers and school leaders with the sudden move to a remote learning environment.” between many stakeholders including government, parents, educators, industry and individuals themselves. The Department continues to make available extensive training and curricular supports and resources to assist schools in the development of policies and practices on the safe use of the internet and on the prevention of bullying and harassment using the internet. The Webwise programme is a key educational resource in this area: www.webwise.ie. Digital technology is a tool to be employed by teachers to enhance and support teaching and learning it will never replace the teacher in the teaching process. Regular engagement with pupils and students supplemented by digital technologies, will continue to be important elements of the education provided by teachers.

Digital strategy The current digital strategy for schools expires at the end of this school year and I was pleased to recently announce the consultation process, as we work to develop the new strategy. It will build on the progress to date and the learnings from the impact of Covid-19 and online learning. The consultation framework is designed to be wide-ranging and effective, to ensure that a broad variety of views and ideas are considered in developing the new strategy. It is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/ and I encourage educators, parents and all those interested to have their say in this important area over the coming weeks.

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Creating the right cloud experience

We have seen a rapid acceleration of digital transformation over the last 12 months, and the pandemic has acted as a catalyst to accelerate many transformation projects. The most common one was the rapid shift to support a remote or hybrid workforce to deliver services long-term. We have also seen organisations thrive as they adapted their business model to enable them to operate and meet their customer needs throughout the various stages of restrictions.

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In the early stages of these transformations, immediate decisions had to be made and services quickly provided so the organisation could operate, however these decisions need to be evaluated again as the economic environment changes.

How do we do it? Cloud has been many organisations’ default position for a few years now, and while it’s definitely part of that digital

transformation journey, organisations need to understand their true requirements or it can lead to inefficiencies, unnecessary expense and can also degrade user experiences. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and it can be difficult to know where to start.

• Public cloud

Before we go much further, it’s helpful to create a common baseline for context. We may all be familiar with the term cloud, but what do we actually mean when we refer to it? If we look at the different types of cloud and what they entail, it helps gain a better understanding of what might suit each organisation’s needs:

• Private cloud

Computing services offered by a third party by which scalable and elastic ITenabled capabilities are delivered asa-service using internet technologies. Use cases include off-site data storage, online office applications and software development.

Infrastructure, software, and services combined to deliver the cloud experience within a private network. In this scenario, the organisation has more control over it and increased security. Located in a data centre operated by, or on the behalf of, your organisation.

• Hybrid cloud Combines private cloud with one or more public cloud services to work together. Offers agility and flexibility, supporting a remote workforce. • Multi cloud

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Uses multiple cloud services from different providers to ensure the best service for each workload. Can be cost effective, easily scalable, and agile. We must also consider the fact that all of these options reside within a data centre, local or remote, yet in the majority of cases, we interact with our customers, employees or citizens out in the community. That is why today organisations need to consider the end point as part of the overall mix of service delivery.

The Edge: what is it? As the expectations and requirements of customers evolve, we need to be able to facilitate fast decision-making, so we can exceed these expectations. Recent improvements in connectivity outside the data centre now mean that we can distribute compute and data to deliver more effective outcomes. Instead of operating from large, centralised data centres, Edge computing operates from a more distributed model, with small centres of data springing up closer to the end user to support immediate low latency insights and decision-making, therefore enhancing the customer experience. Edge will definitely play a role in many organisations’ services mix. The question for every organisation will be how and where?

With this expanded thinking and keeping in mind that 70 per cent of workloads are currently not suitable for public cloud, it is crucial to understand your

• Who are your customers? (Customers, citizens, workforce.)

Taking action We have seen organisations jump to cloud without proper consideration and understanding of their requirement and

• Where are your users? Your organisation doesn’t stop at your cloud edge, how do you interact with them?

the upstream and downstream impacts

• What are the workloads and applications used? It’s important that they sit where they are best placed. For example, does the workload require fast scalability for peaks in demand, something the public cloud providers excel in, whereas if you have services or workloads that need to be closer to the user or the process, then private cloud will deliver the low latency from your private data centre.

help you understand what the correct

• What skills do you have today, and what skills will you need in the future?

of these changes on the organisation and their customers. It is therefore very important to involve a partner who can mix looks like for your circumstances and can help drive a successful cloud strategy by providing the insights needed to achieve the most efficient, cost-effective, and beneficial cloud environment, specific to your requirements. HPE has a vast breadth of knowledge and experience in advising organisations on creating the right mix of cloud, appropriate for their business objectives.

• What organisational or cultural changes will this transformation require, to be successful?

We understand that cloud is a

Getting the right mix to support your organisation will ensure you have created the best foundation that will enable an agile and scalable environment that is cost effective, efficient and secure, offering a breadth of services to support the skills of your staff and deliver the requirements of your customers.

more information, or if you’re

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It is for these reasons that our view of hybrid cloud needs to adapt to factor in the importance of the Edge requirement. At HPE we believe that hybrid cloud is a way to architect and operate IT that takes advantage of cloud capabilities, cost, performance and agility available on-premises, on public and private cloud, and at edge locations. Hybrid cloud is not simply using public cloud and private cloud for your workloads. It is cloud everywhere.

organisation’s requirements before taking your next step. Areas to consider include:

continuous journey, rather than a destination. Contact Davin Cody for interested in getting assistance with your cloud journey. Davin Cody Chief Technology Officer HPE davin@hpe.com

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Digital: Resetting education and training The European Commission is aiming to reset education and training across all member states in ambitious plan to be finalised by 2022. Preparation for the digital age, in the form of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), has been identified by the European Commission as critical to developing a fairer and more sustainable Europe. Much of the strategy’s ambitions are not new and the core components of the Commission’s previous two-year strategy, including better use of digital technology, development on competencies and skills and improvement through better data analysis remain. However, core to the new strategy is that adoption of learnings brought about in response to the pandemic. The Commission launched a public consultation of its new action plan in June 2020, outlining two strategic priorities in the form of plans to “foster the development of a high-performing digital education eco-system” and “enhance digital skills and

competencies for the digital transformation”. The EU Commission adopted the Action Plan for Digital Education at the end of September 2020 in response to the Covid-19 crisis, however, the expansion of the length of the plan to seven years from its predecessor has signalled an intention to not only address the disparities in digital education highlighted by the pandemic but also to put in place a strategic and longer-term approach to digital education and training. The seven-year period will enable the plan to better align with the programme period of the EU and leverage various funding instruments such as Erasmus +, Horizon Europe, the Recovery and Resilience Facility. UNESCO estimates that more than 1.6 billion learners across the globe (91 per cent of the world’s school population) had their learning affected by the first

wave of the pandemic. However, while there was impact on a broad scale, undoubtedly the pandemic also served to exacerbate inequalities in educational opportunities. The EU Commission has recognised a greater responsibility to increase access to digital learning for every child, to enable them to fulfil their potential. 2019 Eurostat figures estimate that access to broadband varies significantly across EU member states ranging from 74 per cent of households for the lowest-income quartile to 97 per cent in the highest-income quartile. Meanwhile, while this figure is likely to have increased in response to the pandemic, an OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey put just 39 per cent of educators in the EU as well or very well prepared for using digital technologies in their daily work, with the figure varying significantly across member states.

However, according to the EU Commission, experiences from the pandemic show that education and training systems and institutions that had previously invested in their digital capacity were better prepared to adapt teaching approaches, keep learners engaged, and continue the education and training process.

The Commission has set out a range of actions in relation to the Plan’s two strategic priorities. In the context of its ambition to foster the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem, the Commission will launch a strategic dialogue with member states in preparation for its proposal for EU Council recommendation on the enabling factors for successful digital education by 2022. Specifically, the Commission will seek a Council recommendation for online and distance learning for primary and secondary education, with a focus on an EU-wide common understanding of how to make digital learning inclusive and engaging by the end of 2021. The Commission is proposing the development of a European Digital Education Framework which it hopes will build on cultural and creative diversity. This will be aided by a feasibility study on a potential platform to share certified online resources and connect with existing education platforms across the EU. Interestingly, the plan recognises that digital education and the transformation of education and training must not be solely student focused. Erasmus Teacher Academies are being proposed to support digital pedagogy and expertise in the use of digital tools for teachers. Additionally, an online selfassessment tool for self-reflection on effective learning through innovative educational technologies is to be rolled out for teachers. Finally, the Plan points to action in the well discussed area of AI and ethics. The Commission has signalled its intentions to develop ethical guidelines on AI and data use in teaching and learning for educators.

Enhancing digital skills and competences for the digital transformation The second priority of the plan will see the Commission develop common guidelines for teachers and educational staff to not only foster digital literacy through education and training but also to tackle disinformation through work with a wide range of stakeholders from parents to media and tech companies. The Commission also recognises the requirement to update the European Digital Competence Framework to include AI and data-related skills and to support the AI learning resources for education institutions. Interestingly, the Commission is proposing the creation of a European Digital Skills Certificate to be recognised and accepted by governments, employers, and others across Europe. Below this, the

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Fostering the development of a highperforming digital education ecosystem

“The Commission is proposing the creation of a European Digital Skills Certificate to be recognised and accepted by governments, employers, and others across Europe.” Commission has set a target for student digital competence of under 15 per cent by 2030 for 13- to 14-year-old students who underperform in computer and information literacy.

Cooperation and exchange think tank Included in the action plan is the creation of a new European Digital Education Hub which will seek to link national and regional digital initiatives and actors, while also supporting cross sector collaboration and new models for exchange of digital learning content, seeking to address issues such as common standards, interoperability, accessibility and quality-assurance. The Commission says that the hub will serve as a think-tank, supporting the development of policy and practice and monitor the development of digital education in Europe.

EU reasons for action

74%-94% Broadband access varies across member states and is lowest in households of low income

1 in 5 young people fail to reach a basic level of digital skills across the EU

39% of teachers in the EU pre-Covid feel well prepared for using digital technologies in their daily work

60% of Digital Education Action Plan respondents had not used distance and remote learning pre-pandemic 63

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HEAnet: helping Ireland’s students to stay connected “HEAnet connects students, staff and researchers nationally but we also offer them connectivity to Europe and globally via GÉANT, the pan-European association of NRENs, and I mention that because that’s where the eduroam initiative is coordinated from within Europe,” Byrne says.

Ronan Byrne, Interim CEO and Chief Technology Officer, HEAnet

HEAnet Interim CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Ronan Byrne, talks to eolas about expanding the eduroam service beyond the confines of the college campus and partnering with both the public and the private sectors to assist thirdlevel students studying remotely during a pandemic.

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HEAnet is Ireland’s national research and education network (NREN). It is a not-for-profit entity, owned and funded by the education sector whose role is to deliver connectivity and ICT services to all publicly funded universities, institutes of technology and other colleges, in addition to all of Ireland’s 4,000 schools. One notable stand-out service offering during these pandemic times is HEAnet’s management of the eduroam service, the free Wi-Fi service available at publicly funded Irish third-level campuses. eduroam will be a very familiar service to any students to have graduated in the past 10 years. eduroam, short for education roaming, is a Wi-Fi service set identifier (SSID) that

is broadcast over a Wi-Fi network. The service is available to students, staff and researchers from participating HEIs. Similar to the way a mobile device immediately connects to a known home Wi-Fi network when its owner enters the entrance hall, a student’s phone automatically connects to eduroam as they walk onto a campus, or any other location where eduroam is available. eduroam is preconfigured on the student’s device, meaning there is no reconfiguration needed, or indeed no cost to use the service, as they roam from one location to another. The service is managed nationally by HEAnet, and its fellow NRENs in their respective countries around the globe.

“The ambition of our latest connectivity initiative, eduroam Everywhere, is to extend eduroam coverage beyond the college campus to other public infrastructure and public buildings, but also to private commercial infrastructure such as retail outlets and conference centres. There is a big challenge to address in making quality broadband available for every higher education learner in the country. We wish to make eduroam available nearer to people’s remote location and help them to gain access to the internet and thus enable access to the materials they need to continue their education. “The advent of Covid-19, and the restrictions on campus attendance, has served as a real-world catalyst for the need to expand eduroam availability. We’ve received excellent support from Minister Simon Harris in making other public infrastructure providers more aware of the service,” Byrne says. “The Minister has enabled us to develop partnerships with other public infrastructure providers and agencies across the wider public sector, including the county councils, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), and also the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). We’ve had great engagement with the county councils across the country, with eduroam now available in many public libraries. We continue to add new libraries to the national eduroam map as we speak, with the eduroam service

available inside but also outside the library building using external Wi-Fi antennae. Additionally, we are planning to make eduroam available in public spaces such as town centres and parks.

While a key pillar of the eduroam expansion strategy is to leverage existing public infrastructure, Byrne is keen to stress that HEAnet is also actively seeking private sector collaborators. “We have already connected the student accommodation in Tralee, the Convention Centre Dublin and the conference suite at Croke Park which has been hosting a cohort of RCSI students. Likewise, we anticipate that Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork will come on stream shortly,” Byrne says. “The CHQ retail outlet in the IFSC is also connected. We continue to target coffee shops, restaurants, and anywhere that lends to convenient connectivity for students, even if that’s just a short visit to upload an assignment, for example, or to download educational content on the go. Each of these measures are significant when you’re competing for broadband at home, or are experiencing high mobile data tariffs, or you simply do not have coverage at your location.”

However, Byrne recognises that the expansion of eduroam availability will not solve all of the connectivity problems experienced by Ireland’s students during this pandemic chapter. HEAnet pursue other initiatives to assist students including the operation of the HEAnet online store, which offers discounted laptops, broadband deals and software components for third-level students. HEAnet also manage centralised procurement of ICT services for the sector, a feature procurement from last year being the expedited bulk order of laptops for disadvantaged students prior to academic term commencement in late summer 2020. “eduroam Everywhere is an ambitious project but is not a silver bullet for the connectivity challenge,” Byrne says. “The availability of devices is also an issue and we have been working with various stakeholders on this since this time last year. An aggregated procurement opportunity arose last year with the advent of the July stimulus provision coming via Minister Harris’ department. Against a backdrop of unprecedented global demand for laptop components, we aggregated a bulk order of 16,700 laptops for disadvantaged students from across a

breadth of education institutions. This was a great illustration of a collective effort by the many educational institutions involved, coupled with great support by the suppliers too, notably Dell, Microsoft, and Intel.” “The merit of aggregating ICT orders may well persist beyond Covid times, as I think there are benefits to doing these things collectively and more efficiently. It’s a classic example of the HEAnet purpose, as a shared service provider for the sector. We work on behalf of our clients and together with our clients, leveraging our collective strengths in a trusted way.” Collaboration has been key to the success of HEAnet since its inception and this will be key to its future success, as Byrne concludes: “We will continue to work closely with our clients, with the Department of Education, and with the newly formed Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to develop and leverage the national asset that is HEAnet. It is essential that we continue to develop this national resource, to foster high value collaborations across the sector, and to further enable the digital ambitions of the sector, and Ireland generally.”

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With the support of the Department of Transport, a pilot scheme on some Dublin Bus routes is now also in operation. Trialling eduroam across transport types is also a current priority for the eduroam Everywhere project. “We are exploring all good eduroam location candidates beyond the college campuses, and we are actively encouraging good suggestions from the commercial market. We need support to achieve our goals and we are keen to work with any organisations that wish to include their public Wi-Fi in the eduroam service.” Byrne explains, adding: “The project objective is to make eduroam as ubiquitous as we can for the benefit of students. It’s about leveraging public

and private infrastructure that’s already in place, particularly to ameliorate connectivity issues during the pandemic, but we see the benefit continuing beyond that. Blended learning is likely to persist into the future with a balance of on-campus attendance complemented by some remote learning aspect.”

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“Working with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the OGCIO, we plan to make eduroam available at Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and we anticipate that these will come online in the very near future. As the objective of the NBP is to target areas of the country with lesser broadband service, there is a natural fit for eduroam to be available at these geographic locations.”

T: 01 660 9040 E: info@heanet.ie W: www.heanet.ie Twitter: @HEAnet

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While it is difficult to measure the impact the switch to remote learning has had on children and young people, one evident trend is that those who entered the pandemic with the fewest academic opportunities are on track to exit with the greatest learning loss. Described as a global experiment, remote education, necessitated by the pandemic, has taken many forms as nations sought to manage the spread of the virus within their own restrictions. Pinpointing the outcomes of remote learning for children and young people has proven difficult when considering the many variables, not least the different lengths of school closures, different delivery methods and differing levels of accessibility. While it is obvious that remote learning has brought benefits in relation to access to education that would not have existed had schools simply remained closed, the overwhelming indication from research is that remote learning remains a poor substitute for being back in the classroom and that students have paid a heavy price in lost learning. Many countries, including Ireland, are still deliberating on the best pathway to return all students back to classroom and so an efficient evaluation of the full impact of remote education will require

fuller analysis in the future. However, a common theme emerging from current research is a divide in relation to remote education outcomes. In February 2021, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) offered some insight into the divide when it published data in relation to the impact of school closures on students’ learning and social development, informed by input of more than 1,600 parents. The data sought to capture opinions on the different outcomes for different age groups within education. It suggests that the negative impact of school closures is less prevalent when moving down the sliding scale of age groups, for example, almost half of parents with a child in fifth or sixth year secondary education reported a major negative impact on their learning, compared to just over a third for the whole of secondary education. These figures fell further when assessing the impact of school closures on primary school children, where almost 15 per cent reported a major negative impact.

Looking at it from another perspective, the data outlines that only 9 per cent of parents with a child in fifth or sixth year reported a positive effect of remote education on their child’s learning and this figure fell significantly further for children in junior cycle secondary education, where the rate was just 1.5 per cent.

Disadvantage However, research carried out outside of Ireland would suggest the need for closer analysis, not just of the outcomes for children and young people of different ages, but also the impact on the different levels of disadvantage. A report by McKinsey & Company has sought to look into the cost of remote working on pupils, with a particular focus on vulnerable students. Unlike the CSO data, the McKinsey report surveyed teachers, recognising their unique viewpoint in “deciphering the long-term impact of this protracted learning experiment”.

Ireland: Impact of enforced school closures on student's learning by school cycle, February 2021

Secondary school

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Primary school

10% Major negative

UNESCO estimates that by mid-April 2020, 1.6 billion children were no longer being taught in a physical classroom and while it is recognised that many nations used different timelines in relation to school attendance restrictions and that within that there were various models and experiences of remote learning, the broad consensus was that remote learning is a poor substitute for being in the classroom. Recognising the value of face-to-face learning, amidst the pandemic, The World Health Organization released guidelines which states that school closures should be “considered only if there is no other alternative”. A trend recognised as a result of teacher feedback from various nations is that while remote learning has improved as schools adopt best practices, it remains difficult for students who struggle with issues such as learning challenges, isolation or lack of resource. “Teachers in schools where more than 80 per cent of students live in households under the poverty line reported an average of 2.5 months of learning loss, compared with a reported loss of 1.6 months in schools where more than 80 per cent of students live in households above the poverty line,” the report stated. Although different countries reported different experiences of the effectiveness of instruction once

20%

30%

40%

Moderate negative

50%

60%

Mild negative

70% No impact

80% Positive

90% Source: CSO

Global: Student engagement with remote learning by share below poverty line % of students 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 <20%

>80%

100%

Average

McKinsey teacher sentiment survey: 28 October-17 November 2020

classes went online, one of the most telling trends is an almost universal outcome that teachers in private and wealthy schools are more likely to report effective remote learning, access, and engagement. In a score out of 10, of the teachers surveyed, those who taught in public schools gave remote learning an average global score of 4.8, which compares to a 6.2 average rating by those who teach in private schools, where it is assumed there is better access to learning tools. This disadvantage trend is analysed further in assessing the scale of poverty within public schools. Teachers working in high-poverty schools flagged an ineffectiveness of virtual classrooms,

rating it just 3.5 out of 10, a finding which feeds into concerns that the pandemic has exacerbated educational inequalities. Teachers in wealthy and private schools reported a much higher rate of students logging in and completing assignments, linked to higher levels of reporting that their students were more likely to report that their students were well equipped with internet access and devices for remote learning. The report adds: “The full impact of this unprecedented global shift to remote learning will likely play out for years to come. For students who have lacked access to the tools and teachers they need to succeed academically, the results could be devastating.” 67

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UCD Professional Academy: How Upskilling Can Help Your Organisation Retain Staff

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Aaron McKenna, Managing Director of UCD Professional Academy

Antonio Palacios, Head of Product at UCD Professional Academy

A key issue that organisations across Ireland and the world are facing is employee retention. Turnover rates are quantified in great detail by some sources, but in times of deep, transformational change, when businesses and HR departments are making substantial coordinated efforts to change the culture of the organisation, turnover erodes these efforts in ways that are hard to quantify but frustratingly tangible. 68

In both the private and public sector, the effects of staff turnover are exacerbated by younger entrants to the job market, who may be prone to leaving a role after a short amount of time, rather than the lifelong career which had previously been associated with the public sector in particular.

Aaron McKenna, Managing Director of UCD Professional Academy, says that investing in your workforce via training is one way to get a win-win, showing your team that you are willing to invest in them whilst also increasing their skills to achieve in their roles. The pandemic has had a two-tier impact on employment trends. While headline unemployment figures have been high, this isn’t the case across the board and the competition for talent remains high in certain sectors. Recruiters are approaching staff with tempting remuneration packages and promises of career development and organisations understand that losing key staff at a time of major organisational change such as this would be doubly difficult given the knowledge capital built up over the past year in particular.

As technology evolves at a rapid rate, skills shortages are sure to follow in its wake. According to Antonio Palacios, Head of Product at UCD Professional Academy, it’s no longer enough to source specialised roles, now those roles have to come “with tech”: business analysis with tech, financial expertise with tech, marketing qualifications with tech. Even in small businesses, the potential combinations grow and quickly lead to the question: Should we map out all the possible learning paths our employees can potentially take (and perhaps in the process inadvertently limit development growth avenues), or is it time to empower them to make their own choices from a broader set of solutions? The lack of certain skills within the Irish landscape can drive people to seek opportunities elsewhere, where those possessing shortage skills in fields like IT and data analytics could be headhunted to join opposing companies or organisations. When employees are encouraged to upskill into these fields, they’re a lot more likely to remain with the employers who helped them get there. Acquiring these skills is an ideal way for employees to move upwards in a company, as well as in a lateral way, to explore other opportunities. In addition, as a large number of organisations move towards a more digitally driven model in the wake of the

In addition to all the obvious staff retention benefits of offering courses and qualifications to employees, a huge factor that organisations need to be thinking about all the time is employee wellness and engagement. With many employees reporting lack of engagement and interest in their roles being exacerbated by the ongoing Covid-19 situation and remote work, it is more imperative than ever to encourage and facilitate employees in their personal growth and development. One advantage of providing access to courses that lead to professional diplomas is instant recognition beyond the confines of the organisation. On successful completion of a professional diploma, employees earn that accreditation, one they can proudly display on their LinkedIn profile and at work. Celebrating and demonstrating learning achievements can be a key component of a larger talent development strategy that provides new opportunities, clear career progression paths and turns key employees into change agents that bring new skills and initiatives to the organisation. Although there is still much uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and the ability of previously mighty sectors like tourism and hospitality to return to normal, one thing is already clear: management training and management style are still one of the main drivers of employee turnover. It is not a matter of if, but when these businesses start hiring again, and as they begin to ramp up to pre-pandemic levels, they will not be able to afford unwanted turnover. As manager training increases, employee turnover intentions decrease. The time to create the right management culture to quickly build teams that perform and remain committed to their employers is now, before the hiring process starts.

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More and more organisations are looking toward the benefit of continuous learning for retaining staff. Staff training and upskilling is becoming a must rather than a “nice-to-have” in the modern world, so whether organisations are looking towards online courses, sponsoring further education or training on technical skills, there are a number of different approaches available, all of which are likely to lead to improved levels of staff retention. Over the past year, UCD Professional Academy has enrolled over 5,500 students, of which the vast majority were sponsored by their employer, who in many cases went on to enrol additional students based on positive feedback and increased levels

There are many reasons why people seek alternative employment opportunities; these range from general dissatisfaction to looking to increase earnings, but one of the biggest factors influencing people on an outward trajectory from a company is lack of room to grow and progress. When employees have access to resources including outside courses, you create an environment where people can see themselves acquiring the skills to progress, which motivates them to do so. In cases like this, organisations are able to promote from within rather than look externally to fill more senior roles, which not only boosts employee morale, but allows organisations to give these roles to people who already hold the business knowledge and context.

pandemic, IT and other digital skills will become even more valuable. An ideal way to ensure that employees are retained, is by offering them the chance to gain these skills through training, courses, and professional diplomas.

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The negative impacts of high staff turnover rates are wide-reaching, encompassing not only the high cost of replacing long-term staff, but also the loss of both soft- and hard-skills, knowledge gaps, reputational damage and a negative impact on remaining staff. The average time taken to recruit a new staff member can range from one to four months, with the Adare Human Resource HR Barometer finding the average cost of replacing a staff member coming in at around €14,000 in recent years, much more than the cost of offering learning and development to current employees.

of employee retention. Clients like the HSE Finance and Health & Wellbeing Departments, Skillnet Ireland, Concern Worldwide and Microsoft all choose to upskill their employees with UCD Professional Academy within the past year.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how UCD Professional Academy can benefit your organisation, you can get in touch using the details below. professional.academy@ucd.ie www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/eolas

eLearning and eTraining report

EDUCATION 4.0

The evolution of education to meet the needs of a new world of work has been kickstarted by the necessitated response to the pandemic, writes David Whelan. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, its impact on the labour market and the efficiencies which can be driven by increased artificial intelligence, virtual reality and big data analytics have been a feature of future economic strategies for some time. However, while much attention focusses on the changes which will be brought about in industry, analysis of how the education system must adapt to prepare for Industry 4.0 is relatively new. Industry 4.0 is a concept of evolution rather than a defined moment or an

exact period of implementation, but a host of research all points to a transformed, smarter labour market by 2040. The vast majority of this change is expected to be driven by automation. Research by McKinsey suggests that around 60 per cent of occupations could see around one third of their activities automated. Education 4.0 is a concept in which schools, higher education facilities and universities adapt their traditional methods to prepare students for the future world of work. Importantly, the

concept envelopes not just school leavers but also adult learners, seeking to up- or re-skill. However, many have assessed that current education delivery, especially higher education, will need to revolutionise rather than just adapt from their traditional methods if economies are to take full advantage of changing industry. Importantly, the Education 4.0 concept involves not just meeting the changing needs of industry but also integrating evolving technology to enhance student

Away from simply preparing students for the world of work of the future, Education 4.0 will also involve detailed planning around course delivery. For example, what will be the role of teachers if AI, VR and other technologies are immersed in the education experience? How personalised can and should learning within these institutions become? How will assessment methods change to incorporate digital experimental learning? And how should campuses be re-designed to incorporate smart technology? In Ireland, the journey to Higher Education 4.0 has already begun. In January, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris TD, announced €12.4 million for IT Sligo towards its initiation of Education 4.0. experience and drive greater efficiencies in staff time and investments in estate and infrastructure. The traditional methods of education were disrupted by the mass transition to remote teaching in 2020 in response to the pandemic. Although education methods have remained traditional, they have not remained static. Previous introductions of technology such as computers and later a more usergenerated internet (Education 2.0 and 3.0) have seen delivery methods of education diversify and undoubtedly the building blocks of Education 4.0 have been evolving. The scaling of technologies associated with Industry 4.0 on top of these building blocks offers huge potential. While most education institutions remained focused on transitioning

Announcing funding for a number of higher education institutions Human Capital Initiative, the Minister said: “This global pandemic has reinforced the need for us all to be agile and diverse. Crucially though it requires us to develop new skills and equip the next generation with the critical importance to the economy and the workplace of the future.” IT Sligo is held up as an exemplar of online learning having transitioned from online course delivery to five students in 2002 to over 10,000 students accessing 140 courses by 2020. It would be wrong however, to suggest that challenges to implementing Education 4.0 do not exist. The primary challenge is one currently being recognised in relation to remote

learning, digital disadvantage. Although technology is evolving, the costs and accessibility of these technologies, once available at scale, remain unclear. Analysis of the past year has taught us that the negative outcomes of remote learning tend to be compounded for those already experiencing disadvantage through, for example, computer access. This digital divide could be widened further if Education 4.0 comes with accessibility barriers.

eLearning and eTraining report

classroom learning online, these efforts represent the first step in a shift to more permanent blended learning. The 2019 Jisc Digital Experience Insights Survey offers a look at the changing mindset of higher education students to digital education. Over three-quarters of those surveyed said that digital education allowed them to more easily fit learning into life, while a similar amount found it enabled them to be more independent in their learning. Probably more interesting is the shift in mindset over just one year. In 2018, 32 per cent of university students said that they wanted more digital technologies in their course but by 2019, this figure had risen to 44 per cent.

Another major challenge is that of connectivity. Industry 4.0 predicts super-fast broadband connections across the globe, however, in Ireland in 2021, the variety of connectivity experiences in differing parts of the island are evident. Again, any inequalities in connectivity could provide an unlevel playing field in education delivery. Delivery will require a cultural as well as a technology shift. While individually tailored and delivered education has its opportunities, it also challenges the pre-existing strongholds of inclusivity and belonging which comes with traditional classroom learning in the student experience. Those who will be expected to deliver these new teaching models have also raised concerns about the potential shift in their competencies. Covid-19 has offered an initial insight into the levels of digital upskilling that may be required as education evolves but subject mastery remains core. However, as education evolves alongside disruptive technology, more will likely be required of teachers in terms of design and facilitation of courses. Education’s response to the pandemic has shown both the advantages and challenges associated with remote learning and the greater integration of technology into traditional methods of education. Industry 4.0 is set to change the landscape of the future of work and while those technologies associated with it remain some way away from being rolled out at scale, in order for economies to recognise the full benefits, education must be ahead of implementation.

How Ireland’s oldest educational and legal institution is at the forefront of digital learning

eLearning and eTraining report

King's Inns. “For us, it's not about revolutionising how we run courses, it's about maintaining equality of access and optimising the learning experience, whether that's in person or online.”

Focus on the learner

The past 12 months have witnessed unprecedented change in the way we work, live and study. Renate Ní Uigín and Kathy McLaughlin, the Librarian and Learning Technologist at Ireland’s renowned law school, King’s Inns, give us an insight into how the oldest institution of professional legal education in Ireland has been at the forefront of digital learning, using technology to make learning more accessible. Working and studying online brings many challenges, not just how we use technology to stay connected with our colleagues and classmates but also how we process business information using various technology solutions. This includes how education and training centres share course materials and process personal data while continuing to meet the relevant domestic and EU legislative requirements.

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Although the institution was founded in 1541, King's Inns (The Honorable Society of King's Inns) is still renowned for professional legal education and training. As well as training future and qualified barristers, the School extends its reach to a diverse community of people from non-legal backgrounds offering a range of accessible part-time courses in specialist areas of the law.

Technology as an enabler Kathy McLaughlin, Learning Technologist with King's Inns, explains 72

how digital technology enhances the learning experience: “At King's Inns, our focus is on using technology to make learning easier and more accessible. Many people will have heard of the importance of bringing learning to people, rather than people to learning, but that's exactly what the technology we use here at King's Inns enables us to do.” Whether through the use of lecture capture software to record lecture content for consumption by the learner in their own time, through the delivery of live group learning sessions using videoconferencing software, or by making learning materials, including course manuals and lectures, available online via our virtual learning environment, King's Inns can deliver learning to students at a time, place and, importantly, a pace that suits them. Such flexibility in the learning provision mainly serves individuals who need to fit their study around existing work commitments or those who live at a distance from

The range and availability of educational technology solutions have grown exponentially over the past number of years. While King's Inns staff continue to keep abreast of the latest offerings in technology-enhanced learning, they are always cognisant of the importance of choosing technology that adds value to the learning experience. The learning experience remains central when planning and developing courses and implementing digital solutions. “It's important to ensure that any digital solutions we utilise have a proven benefit to learning and, crucially, that they will be easy for our learners to use and navigate. Technology should never be something that our learners need worry about,” adds Kathy.

Flexibility Technology-enhanced learning has also allowed King's Inns to provide flexibility in its educational delivery. Many of the Advanced Diploma courses at King's Inns offer classes either early in the morning, in the evenings or at weekends. Lectures on courses such as Data Protection Law, Social Media and Media Law, Applied Employment Law, Public Procurement Law, Law and Education, Planning and Environmental Law, and Medical Law, all use videorecording technology to record sessions for those unable to attend the scheduled live classes. These courses are designed with busy schedules in mind. Through all these courses, submission of assignments and coursework is made online rather than in person. King's Inns Librarian, Renate Ní Uigin, remarks that King's Inns also uses technology-based study support tools for its learners, including online revision notes to accompany recorded lectures and video guides to assist students in navigating the range of digital resources. Students have access to the online legal resources subscribed to by King's Inns for their course duration, facilitating

access to cases, journal articles, and legislation. E-book versions of several legal texts are available, with publishers continually updating their e-book offerings in response to a growing market.

Increasing the reach

Alongside its degree of Barrister-at-Law course and Diploma in Legal Studies, King's Inns provides many other highly regarded courses with a broad crosssector appeal. The use of technology allows King's Inns to accommodate those who wish to take part in such courses whilst also working in full or part-time employment. By delivering their courses online, including Corporate, White Collar and Regulatory Crime, Quasi-Judicial Decision Making, and Immigration and Asylum Law, King's Inns has provided an opportunity for professionals to enhance their legal knowledge and make valuable professional connections, regardless of where in the country they are located.

Innovation King's Inns have successfully used technology, including video capture and video conferencing software, for several years, either to facilitate viewing remote

attendance at lectures on our Diploma in Legal Studies or to run small group sessions remotely on our Advanced Diploma in Law and Education. This experience was invaluable when they, like many other organisations, had to move all their activities entirely online in March 2020. They were well-positioned to expand the use of existing technology across all courses and complete the academic year successfully. This was partly due to the technology they employ; “We are very aware that some technologies can overwhelm the learner, so the platforms we currently use, including Zoom, Microsoft Office and Moodle, can be navigated with confidence by our students. All courses can be completed successfully without requiring a high level of technical expertise or a particular skillset,” says Renate.

Kathy McLaughlin, Learning Technologist

Anyone interested in enhancing their career and learning more about the law, please visit the King's Inns website, kingsinns.ie/education. King’s Inns is very proud of its courses, its teaching teams and its diverse network of graduates, and believes that many people will find at least one of its courses useful for their continuing professional development.

King's Inns Henrietta Street Dublin 1, Ireland DO1 KF59 W: kingsinns.ie

About King's Inns Based between Henrietta Street and Constitution Hill in Dublin 1, King's Inns is an independent educational institution, renowned for professional legal education and training. As well as training future and qualified barristers, the School extends its reach to a diverse community of people from non– legal backgrounds offering a range of accessible part-time courses in specialist areas of the law.

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Renate believes that “one of the prime benefits of digital learning is that it is not defined by geographical boundaries”. “Currently, we have students attending remotely from all over the country and further afield. In addition, our Advanced Diplomas are designed to take into account the needs of participants who are in full-time employment, as the sessions are scheduled either for early mornings, evenings or weekends.”

Renate Ní Uigín, Librarian

eLearning and eTraining report

Communications technology is critical in the delivery of learning at King's Inns. This has become even more evident over the past year when face to face contact waned, but the need for learner engagement and connection continued to grow. Thanks to the use of technology such as video conferencing for 'virtual coffee chats' and online discussion forums for interaction in the user's own time, King's Inns fosters the peer-to-peer engagement and collaboration that is so important in the learning sphere. Technology also provides students with the opportunity to connect with legal and industry experts on King's Inns courses, with live online Q&A sessions and panel discussions enabling students to engage with leaders in their fields.

With courses taught by expert law practitioners, King's Inns students include leaders, advocates, innovators, and game-changers, from industries across Ireland and abroad. The School excels in promoting the use of the Irish language in the law. For more information, please visit kingsinns.ie. 73

Digitalised or online guidance provision: What is it? eLearning and eTraining report

From March 2020, the adjustment to providing eLearning and eTraining has focused the attention of educators, policy makers, practitioners, teachers, students, and parents alike. With the delivery of education online, all other support services provided throughout the education sector were required to “go online”. As a result, the provision of Career Guidance and Guidance Counselling within post-primary schools and the Further Education and Training (FET) sector was required to change delivery practices to online provision also, but what would this look like? How could the traditional classroom-based career guidance classes or group based adult guidance sessions and the confidential one-to-one guidance counselling sessions be delivered via online platforms? Interestingly, it has not sounded the death knell of quality guidance provision. Indeed, the opposite is the case. Guidance provision in the education sector is adapting to using online provision as another tool within the guidance toolkit for such quality provision.

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So, what is online guidance, how is it provided and how does it relate to e-learning and e-training? In reality, guidance (otherwise referred to as career guidance, guidance counselling or career development) has been provided online for many years in Ireland. Websites such as qualifax.ie and careersportal.ie are well known by anyone who has researched higher education courses or career information in the last 15-20 years. More recently,

1. 2. 3.

fetchcourses.ie and apprenticeship.ie, springboard.ie, jobsireland.ie among others, provide clear information on what education, training or employment opportunities are available across different sectors and for different target groups. In March, the Gov.ie website portal ‘The Right Course’1 aimed to provide one reference point for ease of access to all these sites. But this is just one element of guidance; ensuring access to up-to-date quality information on education, training and employment options and does not include the myriad of private sector employment and recruitment websites. To understand how guidance is provided online, it is important to understand what is meant by “guidance”. For too long, there has been continued misunderstanding that “guidance” is about filling out college application forms in schools for post-school career and education plans. For many adults, whose career trajectories included moving from school to the local university or institute of technology and into specific careers, they may not have had any experience of job loss or career change considerations and therefore have not required or accessed guidance services as an adult. Perhaps their experience of “career guidance” in schools, was not positive? So how can such professionals now understand that changes in career guidance or guidance

www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/f205a-the-right-course/ www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/2227 www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/4193_en.pdf

counselling provision have developed in line with all other developments within the education, training, and employment sectors? Informed by academic research and international policy documents particularly since 2000, guidance delivery has changed and pivoting to deliver online is just another example of how all professions develop in response to the needs of their clients, students, and stakeholders. In 2019, just prior to the global pandemic, a joint publication of international organisations Cedefop, OECD, EU Commission, ILO, ETF and UNESCO2 provided an updated definition of guidance. In follow up to this joint publication in 2019, to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on guidance provision, Cedefop, OECD, EU Commission, ILO, ETF and UNESCO conducted a global survey of guidance practitioners and stakeholders in 2020. The subsequent report Career guidance policy and practice in the pandemic: results of a joint international survey – June to August 20203 indicated that globally guidance services have considered providing wider access to more marginalised communities, while also remembering that not everyone has access to internet services and noted that…

Definition of Guidance, 2019

eLearning and eTraining report

Career guidance describes the services which help people of any age, to manage their careers and to make the educational, training and occupational choices that are right for them. It helps people to reflect on their ambitions, interests, qualifications, skills and talents – and to relate this knowledge about who they are to who they might become within the labour market. Career guidance involves a range of connected activities, including provision of careers information, personalised guidance/counselling, skills assessment, engaging with the world of work and the teaching of decision-making and career management skills. Career guidance is delivered face-to-face, by telephone and online.

…greater use of social media was reported, as well as the development of online resources to replace face-to-face provision…

Since 2017, the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE), with the support of the Department of Education has supported the implementation of the Whole School Guidance Framework4, providing guidelines on the provision of whole school guidance, which also involves the development of the student’s own competences of Developing Myself, Developing my 4. 5. 6.

Of note, however, the Adult Education Guidance Services (AEGS)6 provided by

the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) nationally, have developed an online presence over many years, using websites, social media and oldfashioned telephone and text contact to provide access to adults to impartial, quality guidance provision. Notably, NCGE provided a continuous professional development webinar for guidance practitioners of the AEGS in 2015 on ‘Telephone and Remote Platform Approaches to Career Development’. Delivering group guidance sessions and one-to-one guidance counselling supports to adults, AEGS services have continued to respond to adult and FET guidance needs across the 16 ETB regions. Here, guidance professionals and practitioners remain clear that guidance services must remain integrated and impartial, working closely with and referring to other support services such as personal counselling and recruitment/admissions services. Working closely with INTREO offices locally, AEGS ensure that unemployed adults are fully aware of their education, training, upskilling and career options.

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…changes in practice were designed to make career guidance more accessible to users. In this way, and if delivered in ways to ensure equity of access, innovation represents a positive development in the provision of guidance...

Learning and Developing my Career Path. This Framework initiates the guidance process in Junior Cycle, through guidance related learning in class settings, to support young people to develop their own career management skills including personal development skills of confidence and self-understanding and career research (e.g, discerning appropriate information, accessed online and elsewhere) and encourages them to explore all their career interests from a younger age. Augmented by psychometric tests of aptitudes and abilities (many of which are online), administered by appropriately qualified staff and providing access to a one-to-one personal guidance counselling session with the professionally qualified guidance counsellor, ensures that students have time and space to consider their own personal circumstances, the research information they have gathered and their own education, training, and careers plans. Delivering this whole school guidance service online became a priority at the outset of school closures. NCGE supported the development of Department of Education Continuity of Guidance Counselling Guidelines5 for schools providing online support for students and published resources and Support Information for schools and FET guidance practitioners to inform digitalised guidance provision to students and clients.

Furthermore, e-learning and e-training is crucial for continuous professional development for guidance counsellors and practitioners. In this regard, NCGE delivered webinars for guidance counsellors in schools and the AEGS, developed guidelines and provided resources for digitalised online practice including using use of various social 4 media platforms to deliver guidance

www.ncge.ie/resource/ncge-whole-school-guidance-framework www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Post-Primary-School-Policies/Policies/continuity-of-guidance-counselling-guidelines-for-schools-providing-online-supportfor-students.pdf www.ncge.ie/ncge/adult-educational-guidance-services

eLearning and eTraining report

NCGE Resources supporting online digitalised guidance provision, available at www.ncge.ie/resources/post-primary/digital-guidance www.ncge.ie/resources/FET/digital-guidance

services. From March 2020 to March 2021 over 1,000 individual guidance counsellors, practitioners and stakeholders have attended at least one of 25 webinars, reflecting the appetite for developing digitalised guidance skills. In addition, the three universities in Ireland (Maynooth University, Dublin City University and University of Limerick) providing qualifications in guidance are ensuring that current students of guidance counselling are developing and utilising ICT skills to learn, complete assignments and deliver guidance. This reflects the Department of Education Programme Recognition Framework7 which provides guidelines for the training of Guidance counsellors, which indeed bodes well for continued inclusion of online guidance service delivery into the future. Ensuring access to impartial information and guidance supports individuals to make decisions on careers and education transitions. The EU Commission has revised and redeveloped the Europass.eu8 portfolio portal to documents skills, qualifications, and work-related experiences.

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In the UK, the innovative development by Dr Deirdre Hughes and associates of CiCi the chatbot as a ‘career chat facility’ using “human and digital resources”9 marks an interesting departure in ensuring wider access to initial career guidance services and provides… “a personalised, guided career journey experience for adults… available 24 hours, seven days per week to support your career journey, choices, and decisions along the way”. 7. 8. 9. 10. 76

In 2019, the Department of Education published the Indecon Review Report of Career Guidance10 which recommended the development of a national userfriendly centralised careers guidance portal, to provide multi-channel, blended career guidance supports, including online tools with telephone and internet access to experienced guidance practitioners. Currently discussions continue between the two government departments in the education sector (i.e., Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science) on the implementation of the Indecon Review Report.

As Director of NCGE, I am heartened by the commitment of guidance counsellors and practitioners, schools, institution management and stakeholders to continue who include digitalised guidance within guidance practice. Our next step is ensuring ease of access to all individuals to impartial, up-to-date information on all education, training, and employment options, through one career guidance online portal, with the backing of an online, telephone or textbased chat facility with an appropriately qualified guidance practitioner, to help them to consider upskilling, reskilling, job search and/or career change. This will be the guidance online contribution to the personal and economic recovery from this horrendous global pandemic.

Jennifer McKenzie, Director, National Centre for Guidance in Education (Ireland) E: director@ncge.ie

Jennifer McKenzie (BA, MA(Psych), HDCG). As Director of NCGE, an agency of the Irish Department of Education (DoE), Jennifer leads the vision and strategy of NCGE to inform policy in the field of guidance and to support/develop guidance practice in all areas of education and the Further Education and Training (FET) Sector. As part of her role, Jennifer works closely with colleagues in the EU Commission and is a Steering Group member of the Cedefop CareersNet expert network for lifelong guidance and careers education. Jennifer holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and a Higher Diploma in Career Guidance from University College Dublin and is currently studying for her Education Doctorate in Queen’s University Belfast.

www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/Programme-Recognition-Framework-Guidance-Counselling.pdf www.europa.eu/europass/en www.dmhassociates.org/careerchat. www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/indecon-review-of-career-guidance.pdf

Emergency remote learning statistics The full impact of emergency remote learning experience upon the trajectory of eLearning remains to be seen. eolas considers some of the data currently available.

eLearning and eTraining report

The annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey 2020 was published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in November 2020.

representing a seven per cent increase on 2019; 2. 25 per cent of internet users reported ‘using online learning material other than a complete online course’, representing

In mid-March 2021, all schools, pre-schools and further and higher education institutions closed for the remainder of the academic year. To ensure continuity of teaching and learning, all schools were asked to provide online resources or lessons, where possible, using online learning platforms.

a four per cent increase on 2019; and 3. 18 per cent of internet users reported ‘doing an online course’, an increase of five per cent on 2019. Meanwhile, Education Indicators for Ireland, a Department of

The CSO’s ICT Household Survey 2020 (based on data collection for the full two quarters of Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 2020) produced three key findings for online learning:

Education report published in late December 2020, indicates a

1. 21 per cent of internet users reported communicating with instructors or students using educational websites/portals,

indicate that higher education enrolments increased from 6,015

growing trend towards remote learning within higher education even in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures in 2015 to 9,207 in 2018.

Individuals who conducted online learning activities in the last three months, 2019 and 2020 (%) 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Undertaking an online course

Using online learning material other than an online course 2019

A Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) survey of 1,036 its members at second level, as well as the further education and training sectors was completed in March 2021. Key findings include: • 93 per cent of respondents noticed disengagement by some of their students as a result of the move to emergency remote teaching and learning; • 76 per cent of respondents believe that emergency remote learning had a disproportionately negative effect on students from disadvantaged backgrounds;

Communicating with instructors or students using educational

2020

• 86 per cent of respondents believe that additional supports should be introduced for 2021/22 to support disadvantaged students; •

5 per cent of respondents said that student engagement with emergency remote learning had improved in 2021 when compared with 2020; and

• 89 per cent of respondents said that preparation, provision and work associated with remote lessons required much more time (64 per cent) or more time (25 per cent) than face-to-face teaching.

eLearning and eTraining report

E-learning driving business success

(L-R) Sven Spollen-Behrens, Director SFA, and Paul Healy, Chief Executive Skillnet Ireland, are pictured with Sonya Murphy-Lyons, founder of Mezzo Music Academy, who participated in MentorsWork.

One of Ireland’s biggest strengths is its skilled and agile workforce. But as technology, new ways of working, climate change and global competition reshape the landscape, investing in this asset is vital. Embracing the revolution in online learning has opened up a world of opportunity for Irish businesses to develop their workforce.

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“Unprecedented” is a word which was been frequently used to discuss the challenges Irish businesses have faced in the past 12 months. However, amidst the challenges, the past year has also yielded opportunity, particularly in the digitisation of learning and skills development.

Embracing online When Covid-19 emerged, Skillnet Ireland immediately engaged with its industry partners and established a strategy to bolster businesses 78

throughout the crisis and prepare them for recovery. By examining and redesigning existing support models, a range of targeted digital learning initiatives were created across all 73 Skillnet Business Networks, which could see businesses through the crisis and beyond, and support the Government response to the pandemic. Skillnet Ireland has also sought to leverage digital learning to go further, developing specialised virtual programmes including the new MentorsWork, Skills Connect and Climate Ready initiatives. Digital learning has always been a key

component of Skillnet Ireland’s model. However, like much of the world, the organisation saw its digital delivery rapidly accelerated in 2020 as skills demand from businesses soared and the classroom model became an impossibility. Tracey Donnery, Executive Director Skillnet Ireland said: “Ensuring Irish businesses are successful is at the very heart of what we do. Business leaders and their teams were facing a completely new landscape and were seeking enterprise-led upskilling across many areas. Together with our networks, we made use of our expertise in digital skills development to create new programmes and support the workforce in an agile, responsive way.” The pivoting to virtual delivery has enabled Skillnet Ireland, along with its industry partners, to support over 18,000 Irish businesses in 2020 and tackle rising skills demands including digital and specialised technology skills, ecommerce, financial management, healthcare supports, medtech, manufacturing, supply chain and

logistics, managing remote working, and agri-food production.

Driving competitiveness

A strong appetite from businesses paired with flexible online delivery has been fundamental to the programme’s success according to Donnery: “Small businesses needed fast, focused support. Embracing digital learning allowed us to bring that support directly to businesses, pairing them with expert mentors for one-to-one guidance online and offering a suite of other virtual supports they can engage with on their own schedule for minimal disruption and maximum impact.” MentorsWork is on track to support over 1,000 businesses by late 2021, with the online learning model delivering strong engagement levels for this traditionally hard to reach segment.

Meeting talent demand

One example of the work underway is the Future in Tech programme from Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet. Supported by a host of technology companies, it offers seven certified Tech Skills Pathways to help non-tech jobseekers rapidly develop new digital skills and access job opportunities in the tech sector. Delivered fully online, the programme also incorporates online

(L-R) Minister Simon Harris, Tracey Donnery, Minister Eamon Ryan and Paul Healy are pictured at the launch of Climate Ready, an initiative to equip Irish businesses with green skills.

mentoring with more than 40 industry mentors supporting pods of four to six participants throughout. Having helped hundreds of trainees establish a new career within the technology sector to date, the programme demonstrates the potential of e-learning to develop healthy pipelines of new talent for Ireland’s economy. Most recently, Skillnet Ireland has launched Climate Ready, a long-term initiative to equip Irish businesses with the skills to manage climate change. Developed to support Government’s Climate Action Plan and the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill, it aims to equip businesses with the practical skills and insights they need to respond to challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. Virtual learning, via the Climate Ready Academy, will form a cornerstone of the offering. Aiming to support over 1,100 companies in its first year, the Climate Ready Academy already offers online programmes including a Sustainability Pass and the Energy Leaders Programme.

The digital learning horizon Digital learning has proved its value, most especially for the business sector. Key to its future is the ongoing focus on innovation and quality assurance. One area Skillnet Ireland believes will pay dividends for workforce development is the adoption of digital badges and micro credentials, an emerging field that offers short lead-in times, flexibility in learning, and skill provision in new areas.

In 2021, Skillnet Ireland published A Micro-Credential Roadmap: Currency, Cohesion and Consistency, examining how micro-credentials can contribute to upskilling demands from industry. Conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Digital Learning (NIDL) and the Irish Institute of Digital Business in Dublin City University (DCU), and five Skillnet Business Networks, the research indicated a strong appetite from employers and several projects are currently underway to examine how the future workforce will adapt to new ways of learning including the use of micro-credentials and digital badges. Looking ahead, Donnery says: “As the world of work changes, embracing new and creative approaches to workforce development and accreditation is vital. Ongoing development with new technologies including augmented and virtual reality will ensure continuing professional development becomes more accessible and engaging for each of us.”

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Another digital learning initiative that has achieved notable success is Skills Connect, an initiative aimed at helping workers severely impacted by the pandemic to quickly reskill and secure new roles within their sector or undertake conversion courses to avail of opportunities in new sectors. The Skills Connect programmes have focused on sectors where there is employment potential and the demand for talent is high, including technology, agri-food, medtech, cyber security, wind energy, logistics, energy efficiency and digital marketing.

eLearning and eTraining report

In 2019, Future Jobs Ireland outlined the need to encourage higher numbers of SME owners/managers to engage in upskilling to address the productivity gap between SMEs and larger companies. In response, in 2020 Skillnet Ireland created MentorsWork in partnership with the Small Firms Association. Focused on building SME owners and managers capacity to navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19 and future business recovery, the programme offers bespoke one-to-one virtual mentoring support to participants, allow them to sustain their business and plan for growth.

As the economy rebuilds, the e-learning revolution for businesses has taken root. Offering ample benefits for businesses, it has the potential to reshape the face of workforce learning as more and more businesses discover and recognise its value.

For more information on Skillnet Ireland visit www.skillnetireland.ie

The Right Course: Online training portal launched eLearning and eTraining report

and their teams. It will be great at showcasing the diversity of upskilling supports available from formal accredited programmes, apprenticeships to practical work-based learning from all the agencies,” he added.

Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme Included within the July Jobs Stimulus, the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme provides employers with a financial incentive to recruit apprentices. This support incorporates all existing national apprenticeship programmes as well as any new programmes launched in 2020.

Credit: Merrion Street

A new online training portal has been launched and additional capital funding for those seeking to upskill or train has been announced by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Launched in January 2021, The Right Course, an online portal for those seeking to retrain or upskill is promoted as a “one stop shop for businesses, employees or unemployed persons”. Speaking at the launch, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD outlines: “This online portal offers people a clear picture of what is on offer, how they can access it and the supports available to people also.” Aimed equally at employers, employees and unemployed people, The Right Course details further education, training and higher education opportunities, alongside information for those in receipt of a social welfare payment. The portal also outlines the range of upskilling options offered by Skillnet Ireland. These options include enterprise-led business supports, targeted upskilling for 80

employees, free online training programmes and virtual job placements. At the portal’s launch, the Further and Higher Education Minister acknowledged the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic in exposing Ireland’s skills shortages. Ensuring that people and businesses are equipped with the right skills to grow is essential to the post-pandemic recovery, he contends. “If you are unemployed temporarily as a result of Covid-19, now could be the time to do a short course. You can still retain your social welfare payments while undertaking the course. Or, if you are in employment but want to improve your skillset, there are options available to you too,” Minister Harris indicates. “The new portal will be a valuable tool to help each person identify the most suitable upskilling option for themselves

A grant of €3,000 per new apprentice registered between 1 March and 30 June 2021 is provided to employers, with €2,000 paid upon registering the apprentice and €1,000 in Q3 2021 for each eligible apprentice that has been retained for one year.

Additional funding In late March 2021, Minister Harris and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD announced €20 million of capital funding to expand apprenticeship provision. “Today’s investment of €20 million, to be provided via SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority (HEA), will fund the delivery of almost 4,000 additional craft apprentice places annually across further and higher education – helping to catch up on the lost provision in 2020, and to support the target increase of 1,450 registrations across all apprenticeships in 2021.This investment reaffirms the Government’s strong commitment to enhancing and expanding the apprenticeship system. “The Government will shortly consider a new Action Plan for Apprenticeships. It will set out new ways of structuring, funding and promoting apprenticeships, with a target of 10,000 new apprenticeship registrations per year by 2025,” Harris states.

Léargas and Digitalisation: Committed to Connecting During COVID

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McKeown, a teacher at Our Lady of Fatima Special School in Wexford. eTwinning links more than 500,000 primary and post-primary teachers across the continent to work on collaborative projects using information and communication technology. Glenda’s project was about supporting pupils’ mental health and she found that using the platform “kept us on the right road, the learning continued”. Transferals like these were a constant reminder of the importance of digital education. Without the right skills and methods, navigating the digital realm can become draining.

As Ireland’s National Agency for European Union programmes like Erasmus+ and eTwinning, Léargas has managed international and national exchange programmes in the adult education, school education, vocational education and training, and youth sectors for more than 30 years. These exchanges connect people across different communities, counties, and countries, and bring a European dimension to Irish organisations. It might be natural to assume that Covid-19 would bring this work to a standstill. While restrictions have indeed made international travel a distant memory, Irish participants in European programmes continued to interact with other communities and countries, pursue their project objectives and benefit from engagement with European counterparts, and they did it all online.

"It’s [about] staying connected," says Lisa Downes, a TCA attendee and Youth Worker at St Andrews Resource Centre in Dublin. "We were feeling quite isolated on a European level, local level,

For some, being involved in European programmes before lockdown had already laid the groundwork for a new, online way of working. “If we hadn’t been involved in European projects, we wouldn’t have that digital infrastructure and learning in place, so wouldn’t have been able to connect online," says Sarah Boland, Assistive Technology Facilitator at Saint John of God Community Services. Sarah found that moving SJOG services online was made easier because of the organisation’s previous involvement in Erasmus+ Adult Education Strategic Partnerships, which enhanced digital skills and improved accessibility.

This commitment to support digital transformation among learners, educators, youth workers, young people and organisations remains, and is one of the four key priorities of the new Erasmus+ programme for 2021–2027. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that the adaptive nature of Erasmus+ and those who take part in it will continue to create connection and innovation in education, training and youth work. Many of us felt our horizons growing narrower under lockdown, and discovered that even virtual travel broadens them.

Programme Support & Development Team: psdt@leargas.ie / eTwinning: etwinning@leargas.ie

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In Léargas, we quickly digitalised complex international events like Transnational Cooperation Activities, which were intended to bring professionals from across Europe to meet face-to-face and work together. Ultimately, moving this collaborative space online proved hugely important in the midst of the pandemic.

every level. It’s about keeping the conversation [going] and keeping the doors open.”

Last September, in direct response to these challenges, the European Commission funded two new types of Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership projects. Almost €2.5 million was available to organisations in Ireland to support the recovery process, and to build digital and creative readiness in some of the hardest-hit sectors.

W: www.leargas.ie Twitter: www.twitter.com/Leargas Facebook: www.facebook.com/Leargas.ireland LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/leargas/

Similarly, eTwinning, the online community for schools across Europe, “literally came into its own during lockdown”, according to Glenda 81

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Connect with DCU for a digital edge

As a world leader in digital education for 25 years, DCU has enabled thousands of people living throughout Ireland, and beyond, to upskill and advance their careers by studying fully online through DCU Connected. DCU has a long history of fully online education well before the Covid-19 pandemic. Did you know that DCU has been offering distance education since 1982? This was the year the National Distance Education Centre was established at DCU and ever since the University has been committed to providing wider access to higher education through flexible learning pathways.

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The term DCU Connected helps to convey that in today’s new digital world students can be connected to DCU wherever they live. Through DCU Connected people with limited time or opportunity to study in-place on a DCU campus, can pursue part-time online study with flexibility that fits their life. Importantly, DCU Connected programmes make it possible to continue to learn and earn from anywhere, with potential to take you everywhere. We have many stories of students who began their study through DCU Connected when living in Ireland, and as new career opportunities arose were able to stay connected, and complete their DCU degree, from anywhere in the world.

As one of the world’s top ranked young universities, a DCU degree is internationally recognised and importantly our online programmes have the same status and meet the same high-quality standards as any other DCU qualification. DCU was also named the Sunday Times University of the Year 2021. We offer the only online degree in Psychology that is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), which ensures that the programme meets the highest standards. Moreover, DCU is the only Irish university that applies the internationally recognised Quality Matters (QM) standards to the design and delivery of our online programmes. These standards adopted by the world’s leading online providers, including our US partner Arizona State University, ensure that students can have confidence in the quality of DCU Connected programmes. Notably, over 85 per cent of our online students ranked the quality of digital learning on their DCU Connected course as good, excellent or best imaginable in the 2018 International Student Digital Experience Tracker Survey.

DCU is known around the world for our innovation and leadership in the design of online education. The National Institute for Digital Learning in DCU hosts a team of experts spread across specialised labs and units each dedicated to innovation in the science, craft and design of learning experiences. Mostly recently we have been helping onboard hundreds of learners new to online learning via our Digital Edge: Essentials for the Online Learner course. We want to bring you on a study journey with us. All you need to do is take the first step.

eLearning and eTraining report

Remote learning at a glance eolas engages with teachers and lecturers across the spectrum of first-, second-, and third-level education in Ireland in order to gauge the experience of remote learning and teaching, the greatest challenges for educators and the most significant impacts upon students. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the closures of educational institutions across Ireland, from primary schools to universities, educators and students alike have been forced to reckon with a shift to online and remote learning and teaching that has proved to be a challenge for all involved. Educators typically reported a period of getting to grips with technology, both on their side and the side of the students, during the first lockdown period and a more fluid process during the second lockdown. “We gave timetables to the kids,” says

Lisa Howell, a teacher in a Dublin secondary school, explaining how education was organised in her place of work. “The first time we did remote learning, teachers were left to do their own thing, but the second time, we gave the kids timetables so that teachers and students were made accountable. This meant that teachers were teaching classes rather than just assigning work all the time. “As a year head, I would know that a child in my year had a class at a given time and if they weren’t online, I would be able to ring home and ask why they

were not online. We were finding that the kids would find it too difficult to do all-online all day, so you’d give them a mix. If I had five lessons planned for a week, five 40-minute classes, I might do four online classes and one where I would assign written work. If you assigned them work, you would correct it electronically over Google Classroom. Some of them found it difficult to type, say if they were working off a phone, so they might take a picture of the work done and send it in to us.” Siobhán Shovlin, a primary school teacher, also in Dublin, reports similarly,

Gareth Burns, Director of the Turn to Teaching programme in Maynooth University, which aims to improve diversity in the teaching profession, reports that despite “the inequalities that the pandemic has deepened, especially amongst underrepresented groups, the students on Think About Teaching have been fully engaged with high attendance figures for our on-line classes”. “The high level of student engagement is testament to the unbelievable commitment our students demonstrate despite the challenges that the past year had presented for them,” he says. In terms of challenges and impacts on students, both Howell and Shovlin point to a lack of social interaction among students and the challenges presented by students being confined to homes crowded with their siblings. “The social interaction inside and outside the classroom is a really special element of school life and I am really glad that school has reopened to facilitate the ongoing building of friendships and social development,” Shovlin says. Detailing the lack of interaction among her students in an online setting, Howell recounts: “I had a computer issue one day and told them I’d be back after I got a new laptop. So, I went and got a new one and was back in maybe three minutes, but there was nobody talking. They didn’t interact. There would be times when I would say, ‘right, I’ll get off here and leave you all on’, but everybody would get off. There was no interaction. That will be a major impact for them, that they don’t have this social interaction with each other.”

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that following the learning curve of the first lockdown, the second period had proved more productive. “Overall, it has been a positive experience and we all understand why it was necessary,” she says. “I was much more prepared this time than last March and had a good idea of what worked well and what students enjoyed. It was nice to work as part of a team and pool together when it came to resources and lesson ideas. It was nice to provide different learning opportunities and variety to our students, for example, we made pancakes for ‘pancake Tuesday’, dressed up as book characters and had a book themed quiz for World Book Day and held a quiz to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge.”

“It was also challenging for children who were sharing devices with other family members who may have had scheduled video calls with their teacher too. The routine of school is great for everyone and the flexibility of remote learning could be tricky as the standard school hours are not there to provide the same structure to our learning day.” Primary teacher, Siobhán Shovlin Shauna Gilligan, Burns’s colleague in Maynooth University’s Turn to Teaching found “the absence of shared kinaesthetic learning” to be the biggest impact of remote learning, an inability to be “in a room with a group, ‘reading’ the room and the people”. Gilligan’s Turn to Teaching colleague Pádhraic O’Hanrahan found getting students to engage in an online environment to be a challenge, that there was “a lot more anxiety from a student to unmute their mic and pose a question to the class”. Learning from homes where bedrooms and resources are shared also caused disruption, as both Howell and Shovlin observed. “You have some kids who might live in crowded houses and they can’t engage because they can’t turn on their mics because they have siblings in the house making noise,” Howell says. “They’re not able to engage in the same

way as a child who has a bedroom to themselves.” Shovlin agrees: “It was also challenging for children who were sharing devices with other family members who may have had scheduled video calls with their teacher too. The routine of school is great for everyone and the flexibility of remote learning could be tricky as the standard school hours are not there to provide the same structure to our learning day.” A lack of routine for schoolchildren was also of particular concern to Shovlin and Howell. Howell expresses concern that the disconnect of digital schooling allows children to disengage without feeling consequences: “The children don’t get the same structure they get from going to school. They have to motivate themselves to get up out of their beds too, they don’t have a teacher there to get them going. If they skip a

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take from this time,” Gilligan says. “I think it can only be a good thing that so many teachers were exposed to some new forms of teaching,” O’Hanrahan concurs. “It can sometimes take a pandemic to get people to change their habits. I think when things go back to

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‘normal’ people will incorporate some of the new methods they found to benefit their teaching.” O’Hanrahan also sees lessons in the monitoring of student welfare: “During remote learning, there has been a bigger onus on the students to structure their day and organise their work. This

“Despite the inequalities that the pandemic has deepened, especially amongst underrepresented groups, the students on Think About Teaching have been fully engaged with high attendance figures for our on-line classes. The high level of student engagement is testament to the unbelievable commitment our students demonstrate despite the challenges that the past year had presented for them.” Gareth Burns

can be liberating for some but scary for others. To help alleviate this, the Think about Teaching programme have applied an end of week check-in with the students where they can discuss their week and help keep some students on track. These kinds of activities would be great to continue.” Howell noticed a deficiency within students that may not have been noticed otherwise. “We all assume that children are IT literate because they can use phones and Xboxes; they’re not IT literate. They might be able to use a phone or an Xbox, but they can’t use Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Some don’t know how to send an email. There

class, they don’t see it as skipping school. They just see it as them not getting up and tuning on the computer, so it’s not the same consequence as mitching off school.”

social interaction in school and how important each and every one of our interactions are including paired work, group discussions and class projects,” Shovlin says.

were plenty of times I had to go online

With regard to how the teaching was done, Howell cites Google Classroom as her most used tool, Gilligan mentions tools such as Mentimeter, Padlet, Kahoot, Moodle and Microsoft Teams; her colleague O’Hanrahan also mentions Moodle and a departmentprovided Wacom tablet “that became my “virtual blackboard” and a way to convey my mathematical ideas to the students in real time”.

“I will be so grateful for daily interactions with colleagues, students and being able to support as required. There are so many lovely projects and initiatives which schools can take part in and participation in such programmes become such a part of school life and as a teacher I am really glad to be able to explore such learning opportunities again.”

by students and cooperation among

As hopes for a return to some form of normalcy rise with increasing numbers of vaccinated people, thoughts will turn to a return to “normal” schooling and those involved see lessons to be learned for that return from this ordeal. “We have learned the importance of

Both Gilligan and O’Hanrahan see an opportunity to change the way educators teach and relate to their students. “Keeping sessions learner and task focused rather than learning-outcome focused and using flipped classroom methods as well as ensuring learners have agency in the process is what I will

and share my screen and show a child how to send an email,” she says. Concluding, she sees hope for an improvement in both feedback received students facilitated by the tools used throughout this period: “I would have always used Google Classroom but now I feel like my students get better feedback. When I would take up a copy, there would be a small margin where I could write in a note, but now I can type whole, long suggestions about what the student could try instead, where examples are needed etc. I don’t think we would have gotten to that without this. All of the teachers being forced to use it also allowed teachers to swap advice on how best to use things like Classroom and I don’t think that would have happened otherwise.”

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