JISC RSC Northwest Newsletter Local projects given JISC funding thumbs-up Three North West colleges have so far been successful in gaining JISC funding as part of the UK-wide FE and Skills Development and Resources programme. Ashton Sixth Form, Beaumont College and Kendal College are the first regionally to be given the go-ahead for their bids. Ashton Sixth Form plans to use their funding to produce an app across multiple platforms to help and engage students in their planning and monitoring of time and workload. The idea is to sync this app with the college MIS system to populate students’ The funding programme aims to improve the learner experience through technology.
timetables and to allow students to add ‘events’ such as submission of work, exam, test or homework deadlines and meetings within college. Beaumont College’s proposal is to meet the demand for support with Assistive Technology (AT) and development and training of AT focussed staff. This is in order to enhance the disabled learners experience through the effective use of AT tools/approaches for independence and selfdetermination. The College has successfully led the DART ‘Disseminating Assistive roles and Technology’ LSIS funded project for 2010-12 and wants to continue to assist colleges that wish to participate. Kendal College’s project aims to build on its creation of the world’s first Further Education Augmented Reality (AR) prospectus. Continued p2
August 2012 RSCs - stimulating and supporting innovation in learning
In this issue…
Bridge College’s Bruno Mars performance P3
Annual Event extravaganza P4-5
Assistive technology trial kit P6
ROI Award winners P7
New pilots for Adult Education P8
NW’s cloud computing success P8+9
Three challenges survey Thanks to those who took part in the RSC Northwest’s short survey asking about the three key challenges facing you and your organisation in the coming year and the three things you would like the RSC to help you with. The feedback is appreciated and has been used in a planning exercise for the coming year. Responses were separated into themes and below are the top scoring results: Your three key challenges: 1. Funding 2. Technology for learning 3. Student numbers Three areas you would like our help with: 1. Staff development 2. Technology for learning 3. Business Processes, in particular funding support (70% of these responses).
Local projects get JISC funding (continued) The AR technology allows the viewing of real time videos through the portal of a standard picture. The college wants to develop this further to improve teaching and learning through introducing AR within learning materials.
for projects has been updated:
Small projects (up to £50,000) will run for six months from September 2012 to January 2013 Large projects (over £50,000) will start from September 2012 and must complete by October 2013, depending on the circumstances of individual bidders.
Bids will make a significant contribution to developing technology in the sector.
Their submission is to pilot this idea in Plumbing because a high proportion of plumbing students are assessed as visual learners and it is thought this format of supporting and enhancing the learning experience is likely to be successful.
RSC Northwest Manager, Paul Deane, says; “We are delighted that three of our colleges will receive funding to improve the learner experience, I look forward to seeing these projects come into fruition and we will help to disseminate relevant findings to the wider FE and Skills community.
Nationally 245 bids were received for the JISC Advance programme and a number of projects have already been approved covering all aspects of the UK sector. Although this was a fantastic response, half of these bids were submitted on the last day so there is an unfortunate delay in marking submissions.
“Our apologies to those that have not heard about their bids yet, all the RSC’s are pulling together to get these marked as soon as possible and letters will go out to all Learning Providers by August 7th to let them know if they are successful and the reasoning for this decision.”
As a result the timescale
A progress update can be found via http://bit.ly/fes-drp.
Pastures new for eLearning Adviser characterise different sectors, about technologies and the ways they can be used.
A fond farewell to Hilary Thomas who has finished her secondment at the Northwest Regional Support Centre (RSC) after nearly four years as eLearning adviser for the Higher Education sector. Hilary has left to take up a new post as Co-ordinator for Research, Training and Learning Services in ISS support at Lancaster University. She says that what she enjoyed most about her role in the RSC was the tremendous breadth of knowledge and skills of the colleagues she worked with – both in the RSC team and those working in Learning Providers in the region.
Goodbye to Hilary Thomas.
Hilary adds; “It is the connection with people that makes the role of the Regional Support Centre so distinct and I shall truly miss the mix of contacts that brings. “I’ve learned such a lot about all sorts - about people and their ways of working, about the different attitudes and learning cultures that (continued above)
“It’s been a privilege to have worked with the RSC and it's given me much to take away that will help me in my new role. It doesn't end here, mind, I'm an RSC services 'user' now.”” eLearning Adviser Mark Ayton has now taken over responsibility for supported providers in Higher Education and can be contacted using email ma@rscnorthwest.ac.uk or by phone on 01524 510060.
Bridge College marks move with Bruno Mars performance
Staff and students from Bridge College paid a special visit to the builders working on their new Openshaw Campus site at The Manchester College to teach them Makaton sign language. You can watch the Wates Construction team, in the video opposite, trying out
the newly learned sign language to the Bruno Mars classic, ‘Marry You.’
The College will move to the new campus in September this year.
eFair resources
All the Fun of the
Delegates arriving at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre were greeted with fun fair music, The events showcase balloons technology in teaching and bunting and learning through Preston College shows visitors a range of and were workshops, online technologies from their Beacon award-winning given the sessions, hands-on Innovation and Excellence Room. opportunity expertise and to choose a guidance. Using social media to pick and mix of sessions engage learners, they wished to attend. Click on the first link to discovering new emerging access recordings, technologies and trying out Of those who gave links and presentations the latest exhibitor kit were feedback about the day, from the North West event and access all just some of the things 98% rated it excellent or others from the link enjoyed by delegates at good. below: JISC RSC Northwest’s Annual Event on June Exhibitor Linda Lamb, North West’s All 27th. Assistant Manager of the Fun of the Engineering and Technology fair An impressive 233, Construction from West delegates, presenters and Cheshire College said; “It exhibitors from a range of has been absolutely North West Learning fantastic, it’s been so much UK wide eFair Providers and suppliers more than we thought and resources. made it to Southport for the we’ve been busy all day All the Fun of the with visitors. We also had a (technology) Fair event. chance to share apps and learn new things we can Presenter Gary Cookson from Wigan and Leigh College gets use to make the learner attendees thinking about technology in teacher education. experience more enjoyable.” A host of JISC RSC resources are available from eFairs that have taken place across the UK for Learning Providers to benefit from.
Tim Blackburn, UcLAN eLearning Developer added; “I found it really useful. I particularly enjoyed the eAssessment for Work Based Learning session and learning about remote learners.”
Technology Fair
Tweeting up a storm Twitter users were out in force using #nwae12 for the Annual Event. 295 tweets were received under the event hash tag leading up to and at the event. Tweeters also got to see what was being said on a tweet wall displayed in the exhibitors area on the day.
Video Responses from delegates on their technology use Attendees at RSC annual events in the North West and East Midlands were asked how they are currently using, and planning to use technology in the next year.
Interviews provide valuable insight to the RSC’s on areas which Learning Providers are interested in.
Filming was done through using miituu software on an iPad supplied by exhibitors SBP Digital. There are 13 North West interviews from a range of supported providers. Click below to see what was said...
Key words from #nwae12 tweets have been put into a wordle below so you can see the topics that gained the most mentions.
Assistive Technology Box of Kit
Try Our A growing assortment of useful technologies to support those with learning difficulties is now available from JISC RSC Northwest for a two week loan. The aim of the equipment is to offer staff the opportunity to get a better understanding of some of the devices which might not be traditionally thought of as assistive technology, but can really help learners.
A Kindle to read ebooks. A Mantra Lingua recorder pen. Small white stickers can have audio notes attached which are played back when the pen touches them. A Livescribe smartpen. Records audio along with your handwritten notes. Use the pen to touch
Inside the technology box you’ll find:
A Nintendo DS with games
A Digital note taker. This is a device which clips onto the side of a writing pad, which can then be connected to a computer and all handwritten notes can be uploaded. It also includes software which converts the image of the handwritten text into digital text.
(Continued above)
any handwritten notes and the pen plays back the audio that was recorded at that moment; and; A Digital Dictionary Bookmark.
Three colleges have borrowed the assistive technology box of kit to date. The outcomes of these loans have included:
Learning providers buying some of the devices to support learners ALS staff producing a list of devices which learners might want to
buy for themselves, particularly those learners who are moving onto Higher Education The limitations of some devices being identified, which has helped providers prioritise how to make the most of resources available and; Staff and students working together to come up with innovative uses for some of the devices.
If you would like to be next in line for the kit, contact eLearning Adviser Kevin Hickey on kh@rscnorthwest.ac.uk. He will deliver an overview/ training session to staff using it. After two weeks Kevin will collect the equipment and learning provider’s will fill in a report of how useful they found each of the items and what they plan to do as a result of the loan. The box of kit is being expanded for the next academic year and will include: An iPad and an Android tablet loaded with assistive apps, a scanner mouse, a Kobo ebook reader and a RNIB penfriend.
Recognising your Innovation Seven Recognition of Innovation (ROI) award winners have been announced for 2012. For the second year running the ROI’s celebrate the improvements and transformations that individuals and organisations in the North West are making in the sector through the use of technology. The winners of the RSC Northwest award are: Dan Hodge, Kendal College for his original use of Augmented Reality (AR) to create the world’s first AR prospectus for FE. Scott Anderton, Hopwood Hall College for his innovative use of touchscreen technology for teaching and learning. Simon Channell, for Xaverian College’s bespoke and award-winning VLE/ ILP intranet system. Tracey Holt, Tameside College, for her dynamic use of Triptico in Hair and Beauty. Rob Clarke , King George V 6th Form College, for enabling students to run their magazine entirely online through its VLE.
The Recognition of Innovation Award winners, or those that nominated them, are pictured with their awards alongside RSC Manager Paul Deane far right.
eBrary team, Sylvia Haggett, Bethan Bligh, Patrick Veale, Warrington Collegiate, for creating a valuable pop-up training centre in their LRC. Diane Broughton and Dawn Wilkinson, Wirral Metropolitan College for developing their Functional Skills Online English Course on their Moodle. RSC Manager Paul Deane said; “We really enjoyed learning about these innovative practices and plan to write case studies on each winner so others can learn from
what has been achieved.” “One thing the winning projects all have in common is that they innovate and take their organisation forward in some significant way, helping these organisations to deliver effective and efficient teaching and learning.” Click here for full details.
New pilots for Adult Education Four Community Learning Trust pilot schemes are to begin in the North West this month. They are part of the 15 successful trusts chosen nationally to get FE colleges, adult education services, businesses and voluntary organisations working together to increase the number of adults taking part in education. The regional pilots are: 1.
2.
4.
Blackburn with Darwen (Sustainable Neighbourhood Services) CLCumbria (CLC) Community Learning in Cheshire (CLiC) Liverpool Opportunities for Community Adult Learning (LOCAL)
Skills Minister John Hayes said; “By bringing passion, purpose and innovative thinking to the pilot scheme, the Community Learning Trusts can change lives by transforming attitudes and abilities, bringing communities together to nurture the common good.” Email ACL eLearning Adviser John Dalziel on jd@rsc-northwest.ac.uk if you want support with your scheme.
North West Colleges on a North West colleges have come out trumps by putting forward several winning bids for The Association of Colleges (AoC) cloud computing fund. Seven colleges in the region have been announced as winners of the project money, the highest for any area nationally. The Collaboration and Shared Services Board allocated £1 million for Cloud projects from the Grant Fund. Managed by the Association of Colleges the aim is to progress Cloud Computing in Further Education Colleges through a range of project activities. Colleges were invited to bid for individual projects and 36 projects were selected by the Committee. These projects have been divided into two categories; Category one projects are defined as Software as a service (SaaS), when software and its associated data are hosted centrally by the Cloud Computing Provider and the organisation accesses it when and where required. Category two projects are defined as Infrastructure as
a Service (IaaS), when a College effectively outsources the IT equipment used to support operations. This includes storage, hardware, servers and network components. The North West winning projects are: Accrington and Rossendale College This is a consortium project from four partner Colleges in the Lancashire Shared Services Project for a Microsoft 365 Plan A2 service. This will provide storage and capacity for staff and learners across these Colleges. A key benefit will be improved anytime anywhere access to students and staff. Bolton College This is for access to Google Apps (for education) and Google's Cloud based operating system Google Chrome. It will enable work based assessors to deliver and record live learning, tracking and feedback, progress and achievement from a variety of work based locations. This new way of working will give efficiency benefits for staff and learners. Blackburn College This project is for the development of a virtual
Cloud Computing High desktop facility so that students can access software online at the College and remotely. The benefits are described as improved access to software for staff and If you are one of the successful colleges and students, the would like support with your project please widening of email admin@rsc-northwest.ac.uk this access Image by http://dryicons.com beyond the College IT suites, the ability for staff to Wigan & Leigh College work at home and the This project is for the value of a desktop which is hosting of the College's tailored to reflect the home VLE in the Cloud to enable or office desktop. increased development and adoption. The learner Reaseheath College will benefit from the hosting This project is for Microsoft of the VLE in the cloud. 365 Cloud Services for student e-mail and data Xaverian College storage. It involves the use This is for Cloud based eof SharePoint as a portal mail (Microsoft Live@edu) and linking it to Moodle. together with a 365 Benefits are identified in solution for software and improved e-mail access subsequent integration and data storage. with the College's VLE. The benefits are to Warrington Collegiate students in respect of This project is for a Virtual email, storage capacity, Cloud Desktop offering to and access to applications. enable learners to access College owned software To view the full list of and desktop services on winners visit: http:// their own devices. College www.aoc.co.uk/en/policyflexibility to run courses off and-advice/technologysite is a further benefit. nilta/cloud-computing-in-fecolleges/
TechDis Voices TechDis Jess and TechDis Jack are two new high quality synthetic voices for use with text-tospeech tools which are freely available to staff and students in publicly funded post-16 education providers in England. Available at no cost, the Voices are packaged with msi files for network installation. Once installed on Windows and Mac systems, the Voices can help organisations to:
Provide a better service to all their learners and yet save considerable money compared to site license costs for commercial tools
Demonstrate enhanced support for dyslexic, visually impaired and learning disabled users
Support the needs of learners for whom English is an additional language and;
Offer new e -learning opportunities by making it easy to convert course hand-outs, presentations and notes to audio format for downloading and listening to on a phone or MP3 player. Visit the JISC TechDis website for more information and to register
www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/ voices
Strategic Challenges
RSC Manager Paul Deane
Thank you Thanks again to those of you that completed our survey that asked about your top 3 challenges and the top 3 things you would like us to do in the coming year. A summary of the results is on page 2 and the RSC NW Team found all of your responses useful at our planning day.
You said – we did Funding cuts and managing to do more with less were a big issue for you as was interest in funding opportunities so I’m pleased that in this issue we celebrate some of those successful in securing funding from both JISC and the AoC on pages 1 & 8 and also that we can make you aware of new funding opportunities such as the current £7 million Arts Council England initiative to use digital technology. Details available from: www.artsdigitalrnd.org.uk (Continued above)
To contact the JISC RSC Northwest team visit: http:// www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/northwest/ contact.aspx
We are also planning to do a number of things to help identify how technology can help you do more with less and there will be more on that in our next newsletter. But I would draw your attention to some very practical real life examples of case studies where local providers are investing in technology to deliver real benefits now as well as savings both now and in the future:
learning and support to meet each learner’s needs
Staff initially assess learners’ starting points and monitor their progress, set challenging tasks, and build on and extend learning for all learners
Learners understand how to improve as a result of frequent, detailed and accurate feedback from staff following assessment of their learning
Teaching and learning to develop English, mathematics and functional skills, and support the achievement of learning goals and career aims
Appropriate and timely information, advice and guidance supports learning effectively, and;
Equality and diversity are promoted through teaching and learning.
Warrington Collegiate: Green ICT initiative reduces 409,000kw of electricity consumption a year through technology Carmel College Implementing a HyperV infrastructure to reduce costs Quality Improvement – The New Common Inspection Framework – I just can’t get no....... It seems that Ofsted have been listening to some old Rolling Stones tunes as ‘satisfaction’ seems unattainable for their inspection teams in future and the old grade 3 “satisfactory” is renamed “requires improvement.” There is also a strong emphasis on the “quality of teaching, learning and assessment” and they say they will evaluate the extent to which:
Learners benefit from high expectations, engagement, care, support and motivation from staff
Staff use their skills and expertise to plan and deliver teaching,
Many of you in our survey asked us to continue to support you with staff development and information on technology for learning so in our planning we have been looking at how we can provide you with information and examples of how technology can help inside and outside the classroom and how it is being used effectively to enhance the “quality of teaching, learning and assessment” so keep an eye on our website for news of relevant events.