intouch the termly newsletter produced by JISC RSC East Midlands
Stimulating and supporting innovation in learning
Summer 2011 Volume 9: Issue 3
In this issue...
Becoming an agile provider
1 Becoming an agile learning provider 2 Regional News 2 Celebration of e-learning 2 Regional innovation 3 Using video in learning 3 Moodle 2 3 Mobile Learning 4 Moving Learning Online 4 WBL provider gains funding 4 Investment at Specialist College 5 Best practice in the UK
A key summer task for the RSC is planning to meet your technology support needs for 2011-12. Although we do not yet know the final level of JISC – and hence RSC – funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS), some things we do know. We have had the good news that the Department for Education (DfE) will continue the funding of JISC services for Sixth Form Colleges, after responsibility for them transferred to DfE from DBIS. Furthermore, JISC Advance has agreed a Concordat with the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) which will enable the two services to work together effectively. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what it is, but it feels like something significant is changing in the way that East Midlands learning providers see the strategic role of technology. Severe funding cuts are concentrating minds to think more radically and creatively. There is a realisation that dealing with the squeeze by piecemeal cutting back simply results in a downward spiral for the learner’s experience and consequently retention, success and recruitment. Instead, providers are thinking fundamentally about how learning is delivered. Support requests reaching us at the RSC provide evidence for this: • The RSC is being asked to facilitate more strategic e-progress reviews. These reviews enable a provider to consider
where its use of technology has maximum – or minimal – impact on key areas of the provider’s activity. It can then explore those factors which would enable the provider to derive more benefit from technology. • Providers are establishing a whole organisation approach to blended learning. Although many providers have access to tools for online learning and use them in some areas, increasingly providers are considering very carefully the balance between face-to-face and online elements in the pattern of learning delivery. • Since many (but not all) learners have very powerful personal pieces of technology, providers are re-considering their assumptions about their technology investment. As providers work hard to become agile performers, more of the benefits of using technology could at last be realised – with ongoing RSC support available to help. Come along to the e-fair on 23rd June in Nottingham to find out how your organisation can become an agile learning provider.
5 Resource Corner 6 Hints & Tips 6 Getting data to the bottom line 7 Focus On: A new online webinar series for practitioners 7 JISC News 8 Forthcoming Events 8 2011 e-fair
New look If you are a regular reader of intouch then you may have already noticed that we’ve had a slight re-design, which is just part of the RSCs having moved into JISC Advance. You’ll also experience a similar change on our websites and other communications. But it’s still us!
Regional News
Celebration of e-learning
Award winners Lyndsey Welch from Loughborough College became the first winner this year of an RSC Learning Technology Award. With several nominations from across the College the award was given to Lyndsey for excelling in her role for leading on the development of a suite of online lectures and study skills materials. Lyndsey Welch chose an iPod Nano as her prize and commented, “It’s great to have won the award and the fact that it is sponsored by the JISC Regional Support Centre makes it more special.”
It’s back for a third year! Following on from the success of our previous celebration of e-learning prize draws we’ve brought it back to recognise e-learning progress in the region. Is there something that you are proud to be involved with? Is there something that you’ve done that would be of interest to others?
draw will include an Elonex e-touch tablet, a Kindle e-book reader and a 8Gb Vado USB camcorder.
If so then please take a few moments to let us know what you’ve been up to. Entry is via our website at www.rsc-em.ac.uk.
All entries will be entered into a prize draw that will take place at the end of the RSC East Midlands e-fair on 23rd June at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.
This prize draw is open to all parts of the post-16 education and training sector that we support and can cover any practice relating to e-learning. The prizes for the Ann Bullock (left), Staff Development Manager at Loughborough College, presenting Lyndsey with her prize of an iPod Nano
Several learning providers are already in preparation for running an award scheme in their organisation in the next couple of months, so we’ll have news of the winners in the next edition of intouch.
Regional Case Studies Since the last edition of intouch there have been two new case studies of good e-practice from learning providers in the region published on the Excellence Gateway website at www.excellencegateway.org.uk.
• Linkage College: All-in-one touchscreen PCs improve access to communication while delivering cost benefits • Leicester College: Using blogging tools in Mahara to aid reflective thinking and improve retention If you have any good e-practice that you wish to highlight then please get intouch with Kevin Spencer on 01509 618112 or kevin.spencer@rsc-em.ac.uk. 2
Full details on how to enter are available on our website at www.rsc-em.ac.uk/prizedraw.asp.
Regional innovation Several learning providers in the East Midlands have been awarded grants from the LSIS Regional Response Fund. The lead providers are Loughborough College, KM Training Ltd, the Nottinghamshire Training Network, Stephenson College and Northampton College. Supported by the Learning & Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) these new projects aim to support providers to deal collectively with the operational, funding and planning implications of the changes to funding mechanisms. Loughborough College is leading on a project with Gateway College and South Leicestershire College which is looking at the intelligent use of data to provide business optimisation, a topic that will be covered in a couple of breakout sessions at this year’s e-fair on the 23rd June in Nottingham. Another of the successful bids was from KM Training. Teresa Mullin explains that “the aim of our project is to form a Joint Practice Development (JPD) network for hairdressing practitioners working in the Learning and Skills sector in order to increase collaboration between providers and employers.”
If you would like to join this network or would like more details, contact Teresa via lsishairnet@yahoo.co.uk or come along to the e-fair on the 23rd June in Nottingham, where the project will be exhibiting. In terms of funding generally, things are inevitably becoming tighter with some sources of grant funding disappearing and others being more targeted and reduced. A number of the regular sources of funding for developments in the use of ILT are still available, including grants from JISC and further opportunities from LSIS. We are expecting some funds to shift in emphasis, away from specific reference to technology but still allowing for ILT-based proposals. At the moment, we are monitoring the situation to see how this develops. As always, however, your RSC can help with scoping and bidding for project funding and can provide a range of support services, if your application is successful.
Improve your videos in 4 Easy Steps
Moodle 2
Moodle 2, an updated version of the open source Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), now offers many significant new features, some completely rewritten features and hundreds of bug fixes, in comparison to the Moodle 1 versions that are predominantly in use within the region. You can find out more about the new features and about the factors you should consider before making any decision to move from Moodle 1 to Moodle 2 at the e-fair on 23rd June in Nottingham. There’s also the Moodle Users Group on 8th June which provides a forum for colleagues across the region to share their experiences.
Steve Hull from our sister organisation, JISC Digital Media, joins us in this edition to talk you through making better quality videos. Often the difference between “acceptable” and “rather good” is quite small in my experience, and is certainly the case with amateur videos. I’ve seen a lot of self-made videos, particularly in the world of education, and again and again the same problems keep cropping up, problems which are actually very easy to rectify. Here are my Top 4 Tips. Pay attention to these and you will immediately see an improvement in the materials you produce on video. 1) Bad Lighting The advent of auto-exposure systems on camera and camcorders may have simplified the process of getting a properly exposed image but it hasn’t eliminated the need for user involvement. The problem is simply this – the camera doesn’t know what the subject of your video is – it could be anything within the frame. To help your camcorder calculate better exposures make sure there is some light falling on your subject, preferably from the front and a bit to one side. If you can’t get good lighting of your subject in the current location, move to a new one! 2) Shaky camera This is perhaps the most common problem with amateur videos. Thankfully it is also the most easily corrected. How? Simple – get a tripod and use it religiously. It is not possible to hand-hold a camcorder of any size for a significant length of time without introducing some sort of shake or wobble into the image.
This applies to pocket camcorders as well, because it is not the weight of the camcorder that’s the problem but rather the length of time you have to hold it still. There’s really no excuse for not using a tripod, not when you can get one for as little as £3.
Resources from the forum are on our own Moodle (no login required) at http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk.
Mobile Learning Northampton College, along with Tresham College, has been running an LSIS-funded project to pilot the delivery of tutorial materials via mobile devices such as smartphones and iPod touches.
3) Bad sound In order to get a good picture we want to have the camera far enough away from the subject to see them. In order to get good sound we want to have the microphone very close to the subject’s mouth. So what do we do if the microphone is built into the camcorder? Simple – we get either bad sound or a bad picture – and picture unfortunately tends to trump sound. The best solution is to use an external microphone such as a lapel mic. Even the cheapest such mic will give results significantly better than a built-in mic. 4) No editing Even a tiny amount of editing can improve the look of your video immensely. There are numerous free editing systems available nowadays which can provide you with the tools to perform basic editing, and even more sophisticated free systems are beginning to appear. JISC Digital Media will be attending the e-fair on 23rd June in Nottingham in the “Try It For Yourself” Area. All of their advice, including a helpdesk and an extensive library of guides and tutorials, is completely free. Find out more at www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk.
Three tutorials have been produced, one on the topic of sexual health, one on homophobia and a third about online safety. Tony Jewson from Northampton College will be showcasing this work in a breakout session at the e-fair on 23rd June and offering a chance to access the materials and take part in a discussion about their use and further development.
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Moving Learning Online
Taking an agile approach
Giving learners greater control over their learning, fostering independence and improving efficiency. These are just some of the potential benefits offered by blending online and face-to-face learning. But turning these possibilities into reality is a different story. Over the past few months we have run a series of online webinars looking at the different components that can make this transition possible for a learning provider. We covered aspects such as how the funding rules relate to online learning, ideas for good practice in delivering learning online and how to tackle online essentials such as assessment, learner support and quality.
CTEM Ltd has gone from strength to strength over the past few years culminating earlier this year with success in its bid for European Social Funding. CTEM Ltd is an innovative, flexible, family-run company with 80 dedicated staff supporting employed and unemployed customers across the East Midlands. It enjoys an excellent reputation for quality and responsiveness with local stakeholders and employers. Alex Ford, Director at CTEM, is convinced that much of their success has been down to their approach to and use of technology to create innovative learning experiences and their willingness to adapt.
Blended learning offers benefits
Each session is complemented by an associated course hosted on our Moodle site at http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk (no login required) which includes a recording of the session, the presentation and a host of resources to explore the topic further. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Overview Funding Pedagogy Compliance Assessment Learner support Evaluation
Speaking earlier this year at the RSC’s Work Based Learning (WBL) Forum, Alex told delegates that feedback from their recent bid for European Social Funding had made
CTEM is a specialist in employer-driven Pre-Employment training programmes and innovative approaches include bespoke customer progress tracking systems; interactive portable classrooms; mobile access to courses; and using voting technology for sessions and feedback. Alex will be showcasing some of CTEM’s innovative approaches at this year’s e-fair as part of the “Best Practice in Work Based Learning” breakout session.
College to invest in ILT Landmarks has recently secured a substantial amount of funding from the Ian Karten Charitable Trust which will be used to replace the College’s current ILT infrastructure on both of its main learning sites. assistive technologies; and specialist learning software.
If you require further support on how your organisation can move learning online then please get intouch with your RSC. Landmarks, a Specialist College for people with learning disabilities, is based between Chesterfield and Worksop. The College provides a supportive and challenging environment to enable learners to develop their independence, work-related and social development skills through a practical curriculum.
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much of their innovative approach and he believed that it was recognition of this that had led to their success.
The equipment purchased with funding from the Trust will include server and PC solutions; mobile learning technologies; interactive plasma screens; adaptive and
The grant will also provide new furniture for the locations where the ILT equipment will be housed. The project implementation was already underway as intouch went to print, leaving learners and staff excited about the new equipment. Dawn Green, Principal at Landmarks, commented; “we are sure that it will make a very big difference to learning at Landmarks and we are indebted to the generosity of the Ian Karten Charitable Trust. “ Landmarks is especially looking forward to becoming a Karten Computer-aided Training, Education & Communication (CTEC) centre and engaging with the well-established CTEC network.
Best Practice in the UK
Resource Corner Our advisor Gordon Millner lets you into his secret on how he manages his resources. “I’m a busy person ... and I’m sure you are too.
In this edition of intouch our example of best practice looks at how one learning provider has used a free set of tools to help its learners. The challenge Using multiple packages to provide different solutions to support learners was becoming unwieldy at New College Nottingham (ncn) – greater standardisation was required. The Additional Learning Support (ALS) team, therefore, started using the award-winning AccessApps suite of free software tools. It then received notification of a new addition called My Study Bar, a floating toolbar that links to a suite of 15 learning support tools designed to help overcome problems students commonly experience when studying. The main difference to AccessApps is that there are fewer programmes on My Study Bar, making it simpler to get to grips with.
• independent learning – as in some cases there is no longer a need to have a teaching assistant present. The outcomes The outcome of this activity was that the College decided that it wanted to roll-out the use of My Study Bar on as wide a scale as possible by co-ordinating the deployment of My Study Bar to the desktops of all staff and learners. Michelle Iannantuono, Head of Additional Learning Support, explained that “as it is easy to use and reliable one of the consequences is that ALS staff need to spend less time explaining how to use it. Plus with fewer requests for specialist software, it has made our budget stretch further.”
“So anything that saves me time, or helps me communicate my random thoughts, or makes me take notes simply, or gets snippets of information organised from the internet or emails, then it’s got to be on my list of must-haves. “So what is it? Evernote.
“Nothing has transformed my workflow more than this piece of software that can be installed for free on a PC, a MAC, a laptop, an iPad, an iPhone, an Android phone, or a Blackberry. “And if you’ve got more than one of those devices, then Evernote will keep everything all beautifully synchronised with the latest version between them.
My Study Bar is a suite of 15 free learning support tools Evernote can be used for managing your resources
The activity The software was downloaded and installed on memory sticks to trial and received a very positive initial response. An informal working group, training workshops and a Technology Day all helped keep up the momentum of its adoption across the College. Maria Nicholas, Head of Learning Centres and ICT, commented that “there was lots of discussion and sharing of ideas across different curriculum areas. One of the most important things to come out was that it was seen as a tool for all learners not just the ones supported by the ALS team.” My Study Bar helps learners with: • personal choice and flexibility – as the software can be used anywhere;
Andrew Edis, one of the College’s ILT Co-ordinators added that “it has made learners feel comfortable and confident in their studies and all the support tutorials and support available within My Study Bar saves time for ILT staff.” Andrew will be joined by the creators of My Study Bar from JISC RSC Scotland North & East in a breakout session at the e-fair on 23rd June in Nottingham. We hope that this will have given you some inspiration for your organisation. Our thanks go to the Excellence Gateway website for allowing the reproduction of this case study. To view the full version of this case study and find links to other resources on this topic, we recommend that you visit www.excellencegateway.org.uk/ncn.
“Tag a note with a keyword or two and it’s all perfectly searchable. “And now I’ve got a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner feeding directly into Evernote, all those hand-written notes, receipts and articles torn from magazines that I must keep, they’ve all gone! “I’m all electronic and paperless.” Find out more and download the free version at www.evernote.com. For more free tools for learning visit The Free Zone at the e-fair on 23rd June in Nottingham.
• inclusion – as using the software doesn’t highlight that a learner needs additional help; and
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Hints & Tips: Web Sticky Notes Spaces for sharing thoughts and ideas are always useful in encouraging learners to get actively involved. There are plenty of tools to help with this, from online forums to more visual aids such as “mind maps”. For a quick, easy and very visual way to share thoughts, however, we’ve been using an online “sticky note” board. This simple web-based tool allows you and your learners to add sticky notes, images, video clips and attachments to a virtual cork board. The notes can be dragged to position them where you want. They can then be edited and repositioned as thoughts and ideas develop.
Getting data to the bottom line Data is seldom thought of as being interesting and yet for many learning providers it is becoming a key resource that is critical for their business success and the success of their learners. The ability to make sense of data through computers and software has finally come of age and analytics, originally the sole domain of a few data intensive businesses, is now seen as a critical function of any effective business – irrespective of its size or turnover. The reason for this is clear – consistently good decisions usually have systematically assembled data and analysis behind them. The term frequently being used for this is ‘Business Intelligence’. In education and training and with the increased use of managed learning environments we have the potential to access key information needed to create a sustainable and profitable business.
STAGE
You can have a go with Linoit without registering, but registration enables you to set up groups to control who can use your boards. It’s quick to register and Linoit is free to use.
NON-ANALYTICAL ANALYTICAL PROVIDER
See what other free tools are recommended by colleagues in the region by visiting the Free Zone at the e-fair on 23rd June in Nottingham.
LOCALISED
There are various sticky note tools out there, but we have found this one from Linoit to be simple and reliable http://en.linoit.com.
ASPIRATIONAL/ DEVELOPING
It has many applications in teaching, from acting as an icebreaker to supporting group activities, or even as a tool to help you capture learners’ views about their learning experience.
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Analysis of data to provide key information is a growing art that few of us naturally possess. Like many other things it is a skill that needs to be learnt. The grid below provides some guidance to the maturity of business analysis capability. If you would like help with understanding your business and how data can impact on your bottom line please get intouch with Stuart Jones on 01509 618113 or stuart.jones@rscem.ac.uk or visit our new data website at www.rsc-em-sandpit.co.uk/dashboards.
ORGANISATION QUALITY
The virtual corkboard is effective in the classroom, particularly when used on an interactive whiteboard, or it can be used wherever learners have internet access.
By joining up key information from across the whole organisation we begin to make sense of our ever more complicated, competitive and business-oriented world – and at the same time improve the support to our learners.
PEOPLE
TECHNOLOGY
PROCESS
SKILLS
Data often incomplete or at times even spurious.
Standard reports.
Usually fixed on what is needed or on what is demanded by external sources.
Gut–based decisions.
Missing or poor quality data. Systems not well integrated.
Data owned and used at departmental level.
Adhoc reports relevant and available to few.
Some will have physical access to key data and a few will have necessary skills to understand the information.
People know where to look and appropriate data can usually be found when needed.
Some organisational data being analysed (often demand led and finance based) Little or no analysis of VLE / learner performance.
Checking is carried out at critical stages such as data entry.
Query drill down.
Uses terminology such as Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Critical Success Factors (CSF).
Data and Information is “pulled” from appropriate sources.
Roadmap of systems integration.
Data quality is, as far as possible, correct, complete, current, consistent, in context and controlled.
Analysis/ predictive modelling.
Everyone has immediate access to data that is relevant to them. They know how to access and investigate further detail.
Fact-based decisions made on information provided on a “pushed” basis.
Cross organisational and at all levels with wide use of bespoke applications and graphics software (e.g. Data Dashboards).
Alerts. Data reports are usually presented in tabular format.
Analysis of data relating to learner progress and attendance.
CULTURE
Information provided across the organisation to those that need it.
Focus On: In Brief webinars
JISC News Business Intelligence toolkit
As senior managers are looking for more information about finance and costs, a fresh toolkit from JISC is helping them source hard evidence to support decision making. The popular Strategy InfoKit has been revamped to include a major new section on Business Intelligence and the role it can play in enabling institutions to make informed evidence-based decisions.
As part of a move to provide services and support in a more flexible, convenient and sustainable way, the UK Regional Support Centres (RSCs) have been delivering an increasing number of online “webinars”. Here in the East Midlands we have a new series, “In Brief: Technology and Teaching”, which offers bite-size chunks to practitioners. The webinars are presentations delivered using software tools that allow a combination of a video stream (normally showing the presenter), a slideshow and whiteboard, links to websites and text or audio chat among presenters and delegates.
We have scheduled four sessions for the summer term. Resources and the recordings from the first two are on our Moodle site at http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk. The first session looked at how iPads and similar tablets are being used in education. The second gave tips for improving your use of Moodle, the most commonly used Virtual Learning Environment in the region. Attendees from previous sessions commented that “the webinar was useful to see what other people are doing in the region,” and also that “the session was a good way of keeping up with how tablets are being used in the educational environment.” To attend a session, you just need access to a computer connected to the Internet, with speakers or headphones so you can hear the presentation.
We are now using this format to deliver a regular series of short online sessions aimed primarily at tutors. The sessions are intended to provide busy teaching staff with quick bursts of information, updates on developments and ideas for improving practice with the aid of technology. To help ensure the sessions are kept relevant and grounded in teaching practice, most will include contributions from practitioners at regional learning providers. Our aim is to keep things short and sweet, giving you just one or two good ideas each time that you can take away and use. The sessions run every third Tuesday from 13:15 to 14:00.
The sessions are free to attend and in a departure from our normal procedure you don’t need to book a place, just simply turn up online at the correct time. Details of how to access each session and how to ensure your laptop or PC is set up correctly are available in the Events section of our website at www.rsc-em.ac.uk. The next sessions in the series are: 21st June Quick and easy video production
Access the Strategy InfoKit and related pilot resources for free at www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/strategy or visit the new Business Intelligence resource direct at www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/bi.
e-safety resources
Cybercrime costs the UK around £1,000 a second according to the Government. Organisations have a right – and sometimes a duty – to ensure that their computer systems are not being used for inappropriate purposes. JISC has pulled together six key resources from within its network of organisations to help learning providers ensure they do not fall victim. Jason Miles-Campbell, manager of JISC Legal, commented that “learning providers undertake a balancing act between open access to world-class technology, and ensuring the security of their systems.” Access the resources via http://tinyurl.com/jisce-safety.
Both JISC InfoNet and JISC Legal will be taking part in The Free Zone at the RSC e-fair that showcases the best free tools, publications and software.
12th July Ideas for online assessment
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Forthcoming Events
RSC e-fair showcases e-learning
June 7th (am)
Joint LRC Forum: Sharing practice East Midlands Information 7th (pm) Skills (EMIS) meeting 8th (full day) Advice and Guidance Network – Good Practice Sharing Day 8th (am) Moodle Users Group 9th (am) Heads of IT Forum 21st (online) In Brief: Technology and Teaching – Quick and easy video production 23rd (full day) RSC East Midlands e-fair 2011: Becoming an agile learning provider 24th (pm) MIS Network
July 12th (online) In Brief: Technology and Teaching – Ideas for online assessment
“The content of the presentation was very good and the group discussion afterwards was interesting and informative.” Learning Resources Forum attendee, Spring 2011
For further details please visit www.rsc-em.ac.uk where you can also sign up to our Events RSS feed. All our events and forums can be counted for CPD hours.
Previous newsletters are available via our website at www.rsc-em.ac.uk
Get intouch JISC RSC East Midlands Loughborough College Radmoor Road Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 3BT Tel: 01509 618110 Email: support@rsc-em.ac.uk Web: www.rsc-em.ac.uk VLE: http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk
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The biggest regional e-learning event returns for its 7th year on 23rd June in Nottingham. There will be the usual wealth of content in relation to e-learning and the event is free to all our supported learning providers. The Comprehensive Spending Review reduced the Further Education resource budget by 25% by 2014-15. The pressure is on learning providers to deliver more efficiently without compromising on quality. This year’s e-fair will focus on ways in which the use of technology can contribute to this. Come along to find out how you can become an agile provider. Our keynote speaker will be one of the country’s leading education technologists, Stephen Heppell.
He will be exploring the theme of how learning providers need to adapt to the challenges of the current climate in the sector, and how technology can play a leading role in providers becoming more agile.
This will be the topic of one of our record number of fifteen breakout sessions, and one of the “Have your say” lunchtime debates – another new feature for the 2011 e-fair. Another new area for this year’s e-fair is our Network Cafe. There will be no formal presentations. Instead delegates will get a chance to ask questions and find out from each other what’s happening across the region. One delegate from last year’s e-fair fed back to us that “finding out about equipment and resources available and being able to have a hands-on experience was really useful to me. Having the chance to network with colleagues and other delegates has also led to further opportunities for work and sharing of resources.” The e-fair will also comprise an exhibition with over 30 participants including services in the JISC network, educational organisations and commercial companies. Plus there’s The Free Zone, where we’ll bring a selection of the best free tools, publications and software that are available for you and your learners to use.
Stephen will also be highlighting the role that learners’ own devices can play in adapting to the new environment we find ourselves in.
This year’s Try-It-For-Yourself Area will have “Using learners’ own devices” and “Video technologies” as its main themes.
As highlighted in the Spring edition of intouch, allowing learners to use their own devices has potential benefits, but there are issues to be resolved too.
For further information on the e-fair please visit our Moodle site at http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk. After the event this is where all the event resources will be made available too.
This publication is printed on paper from sustainable sources. In the interests of the environment, please pass on to a colleague when you’ve finished with it or recycle it. It is also available online at www.rsc-em.ac.uk.