South West College Online Learning Case Study

• The document contains a case study from South West College (SWC) regarding delivering effective online learning in Further Education (FE).

Introduction

• The UK government produced a Digital Skills Strategy in March 2017.
• One key point was that it is crucial that everyone has the digital skills they need to fully participate in society.
• 90% of jobs will require some element of digital skills within 20 years.
• SWC has a long-term digital strategy and has been building capacity in Technology Enhanced Learning for the past 10 years.
• In March 2020, colleges in the UK closed and moved to remote learning and teaching.
• Long-term planning and investment in digital learning infrastructure ensured the transition to remote delivery was seamless in SWC.

Access and Connectivity

• Jisc digital experience insights data indicates 11.82% of FE learners personally own a smartphone but only 68% own a laptop, 28% a desktop and 25% a tablet.
• SWC full-time learners participated in a Digital Connectivity and Access Survey in September 2020.
• Key findings resulted in the creation of:
  • A 'My PC Booking System'.
  • A learner/staff laptop loan scheme to ensure access to IT devices and broadband.
• 3,724 students were supported during September and October 2020 through online and face-to-face inductions.
• 88% of SWC full-time learners personally own a smartphone.
• 96% own or have regular access to an IT device (laptop, PC, MAC, Tablet).
• 93% have broadband access, and of that 93%, 65% rated their broadband as excellent to good.
• 196 laptops have been loaned to students without access to an appropriate IT device.
• A comprehensive student induction programme was delivered.

Skill Set

• Lecturing staff were surveyed in April 2018 to highlight gaps in their digital skillset.
• A Level 3 Certificate in Digital Skills for Educators was devised as a result.
• It mapped to the JISC digital capabilities framework in these areas:
  • Information, data and media literacies.
  • Digital creation, problem solving and innovation.
  • Digital communication, collaboration and participation.
  • Digital learning and development and digital identity and wellbeing.
• A college strategic objective for 20/21 was to deliver a comprehensive digital skills programme for all staff.
• The Centre for Excellence in Digital Learning delivered the College staff Digital CPD Passport.
• The digital CPD passport consists of a range of accredited and non-accredited mandatory courses to help with skills building.
• From September 2020 until February 2021, SWC delivered over 72 online training workshops across nine academic schools.
• A number of accredited qualifications were developed in preparation for the return of learners in September 2020.
• Qualifications were designed to build learner digital capability and confidence, in preparation for online learning and working in a digital work.

Course Design

• Around one in five of NI FE students has a disability and/or learning difficulty.
• SWC courses were designed with a consistent approach and staff were trained on designing material for online use.
• Disabilities come in many forms, both visible and unseen including.
  • Visual
  • Hearing
  • Cognitive
  • Speech
  • Mobility
  • Neural

Planning for an Effective Online Classroom

• Reflection upon an 'effective online lesson' resulted in the following fundamental points being highlighted as necessary for an engaging active online learning environment:
  • Class size.
  • Pace of the learning.
  • Length of the session.
  • Develop the lesson plan with reduced cognitive load.
  • 'Chunking' within the lesson to provide natural breaks.
  • 8-10 minute maximum lecturer talk before changing format.

Behaviour

• Safeguarding is fundamental in all classes whether online or face-to-face.
• SWC produced a poster for learners and staff, presenting 'hints and tips' for successful online classes - in training we call it 'lesson etiquette'.
• Digital tools that are being employed are also beneficial for managing online behaviour.

Building Relationships

• Teacher presence or 'virtual visibility' is critical during online lessons.
• Teacher presence is a combination of three modes of engagement:
  • Cognitive presence: how teachers consider students' preparedness.
  • Social presence: communication channels to maintain interaction.
  • Facilitatory presence: Teachers facilitatory discourse, direct instruction embodying tools and mentoring activities.
• Learners should be provided with online avenues outside the virtual classroom to allow for opportunities for meetings in a social environment.

Collaboration

• Using group work as a strategy enhances learner engagement and provides a better learning experience.
• During live sessions, SWC use 'breakout rooms'.
• Lecturers move around the groups to help facilitate discussion / activity with feedback either verbal or using a digital tool such as Trello.

Assessment

• For formative assessment a range of tools were employed including, VLE quizzes, polling, Microsoft forms, apps were tools used.
• Student files uploaded to date: 243,927
• Learners using e-portfolios: 2318
• In the Jisc Future of Assessment report, February 2020, the report indicates that:
  • "[we] must embrace technology to transform assessment in five ways: so it is more authentic (preparing the learner for using knowledge in practice or at work), accessible (to those with both long-term and short-term disabilities or mental health issues), appropriately automated (easing teachers' workload), continuous (adapting to lifelong learning and the changing world of work) and secure (avoiding cheating)."

Conclusion

• SWC have discovered that for an online lesson to be effective a mix of ingredients are necessary.
• Teachers must have considered learner access to IT devices and learning platforms.
• Students’ digital capability and confidence reviewed.
• Central repository for learning resources with accessibility in mind.
• Tools and pedagogy needed for the lesson should be planned.
• Build good relationships and to allow collaboration to take place and encourage student engagement.
• Carry out some form of assessing learning.