Eccles College

Year 1: Mobile in Salford 2007/2008

This phase 1 project was undertaken as a consortium of four partner colleges and built on previous collaboration between Eccles, Pendleton and Salford colleges. Langdon College, a specialist residential college, joined as a partner to offer the benefit of its technical resources the large colleges.They also contribute to the evaluation process with the specialist support they give to their learners who the large colleges do not cater for.

Eccles has a good track record for innovation in the use of IT in education and a recent Beacon Award for IT from BECTA so it was the lead partner.

The project remit was to explore the potential of hybrid personal digital assistant (PDA)/phone devices, with 3G capability, to see if they enhanced learning in and out of the classroom. The project developed methods of two-way interaction between mobile devices and college-managed learning environments with learner tracking systems and explored how these can be used to capture student opinion by creating facilities for a running dialogue throughout courses. The project aimed to exploit the potential of closed social networks to develop collaborative learning across the four colleges using mobile devices.

College and Project Background

Educational achievement in Salford is improving. In 2007 over a third (37.8%) of 16 year olds in Salford achieved five or more higher grade GCSEs including English and Maths compared to a national figure of 46.8%. This situation has now been highlighted within the Government’s National Challenge which has identified six Salford schools as falling short of the GCSE floor targets of 30% of 15 yr olds achieving at least five A*–C grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics. Salford also has the lowest proportion (56%, Greater Manchester average 67%, national average 70%) of 19 year olds achieving Level 2. (LSC paper Key messages in Level 2 by age 19, Nov 2006). Performance at Key Stage 2 is improving and is close to the English average in English, Mathematics and Science. At Key stage 3, Salford is well below the national averages.

Its performance does not compare well with its statistical neighbours. Attendance rates at secondary level are low and have fallen in recent years and ranks 11th out of 11 statistical neighbours in 2005. Salford had almost the highest rate of authorized absence at secondary level in 2003 of any LEA (148 out of 149 LEAs) at 10.7% compared with the England average of 7.5%. Primary absence is also higher than the England average. There is little tradition in Salford for remaining in education after the statutory school-leaving age. Figures for 2006 indicate that the number of students staying on post-16 improved from 62% in 2005 to 67.7 %. This is well below the national average of around 80%. In 2006 9.5% were not in education, employment or training (NEET). Progression to higher education is the lowest in Greater Manchester.

Nearly a fifth (19.7 %) (NW 15.8%, GB 13.8%) of the working-age population have no qualifications (NOMIS Dec 2005); only 19.8% of the working-age population of Salford has a qualification at Level 4 or above (NW 24.8%) and only 60.1% are qualified to Level 2 or above (NW 63.5%). Research by the Basic Skills Agency (2000) showed that 28.1% of the population aged 16–60 have low or very low levels of literacy and 29.6% have low or very low levels of numeracy.

This project was a partnership of four colleges in Salford – including Eccles College, Pendleton College, Salford College and Langdon College – and built on previous successful collaboration and a Beacon Award for IT.

Eccles College (the lead college) was established as a sixth form college in 1972. It was originally designed for 450 students but in October 2007 had 1116 full-time and 7 part-time 16–18 students and expects to have 2000+ part- time adult students over the year 2007/8. The college has widened participation through a number of means: working closely with local schools for students with learning difficulties and disabilities to develop Entry level provision; developing Level 1 and 2 provision; working closely with schools to develop 14–16 provision and developing a growing range of adult evening classes and short courses for community groups and business clients. It also undertakes significant work on adult basic skills in the local Salford community.

Langdon College is a national specialist residential college that promotes a Jewish ethos.  The college works with other organisations and government to develop provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities. They are committed to offering students an inclusive multifaceted extended curriculum with access to nationally recognised qualifications, independent living skills, vocational training, work experience and social and leisure development opportunities designed to meet individual requirements.

Salford College is a general further education college, with status as a Centre of Vocational Education (CoVE) for construction and media. Learners in vocational areas are part of a vibrant College learning community made up of school leavers, adults in work and adults in the community.

Pendleton College was established in 1973 from the sixth forms of Salford Grammar School for Boys and Pendleton High School for Girls. In 1997, the college merged with a nearby former grammar school, De La Salle Sixth Form College. Students at Pendleton College consistently achieve examination results that are significantly higher than the national average and the college has been awarded Learning and Skills Beacon Status.

Since gaining project funding, three of the four colleges in the partnership (Eccles, Pendleton and Salford) have been negotiating a type B merger in order to access significant funding for capital development and address the skills issues that face the city.  The plan has been to develop three sixth form centres located across the city and develop separate advanced and foundations skills centres. This merger has taken a great deal of senior management time across the colleges. It has been approved by the Learning and Skills Council and, at the time of writing, has been turned down by the Secretary of State for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills but may still go forward.  The MoLeNET project has been, in many ways, a microcosm of the issues that face the three colleges in undertaking a merger. They have different IT structures, different ways of working and different systems, and this has stimulated some interesting discussions.

Project aims

The initial aims of the project were as follows:

• To explore the potential of hybrid PDA/phone devices, with 3G capability, to enhance learning in and out of the classroom
• To develop methods of 2-way interaction between mobile devices and college managed learning environments (MLEs) and learner tracking systems and explore how these can be used to capture student opinion by creating facilities for a running dialogue throughout courses
• To exploit the potential of closed social networks to develop collaborative learning across the four colleges using mobile devices
• The end result of this project will be significant take up of the use of mobile learning devices, improved success rates at Levels 1 and 2
• Increased engagement, particularly of male students
• Greater employability of students with learning difficulties and disabilities in all the colleges in Salford.

Key objectives

• To trial six mobile-enabled learning guides for trips and visits/work related learning with 160 students on Level 1 and 2 vocational programmes and 16 students with learning difficulties as an aid to learning outside the classroom
• To produce 8–10 appropriate media-rich learning materials for inclusion in learning guides using Java/.NET software/mp3 to support learning outside the classroom for 160 students on Level 1 and 2 vocational programmes
• To write a software interface to communicate with mobile learning environment/learner management systems to enable downloading and uploading of learning materials via mobile device
• To trial the use of blogs on mobile devices to capture student opinion about their learning with 150 students on Level 3 academic courses in two colleges (eg opinions on lessons, learning activities, things they have found difficult.)
• To utilise mini web page builder tools to develop a ‘closed social network’ to encourage collaborative learning between 160 students on vocational courses at Levels 1 and 2 in the four colleges
• To develop the use of mobile GPS and PDAs to develop independent living skills such as shopping for 16 students with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Benefits for participants

Benefits for learners

Learners have gained:

• greater independence/continued learning away from the session room
• greater direction when learning independently
• increased self-motivation within and away from sessions
• increased motivation for tasks and trips
• opportunities to collect different types of evidence for portfolios, away from concentration on written work
• recording notes while outside classroom rather than trying to remember later
• greater collaboration while on trips
• ‘on-the-go’ guidance while on external trips
• a portable device rather than a large folder
• the incentive of recreational use if task completed (if on residential style trip)
• access to mobile equipment in future activities next year
• improved wireless access around campus
• increased access to mobile technology and the internet.  Access to Mobile office for most students.

NVQ learners moving to the e-portfolio next year will benefit from use of mobile devices.

Benefits for staff

Staff gained:

• access to resources that allow enhanced engagement and recording of students in and outside the session
• increased knowledge of mobile technology and the practical applications associated with the technology.
• the opportunity to vary assessment types
• motivated learners
• new skills for continuing professional development (CPD)
• collection of different evidence types for portfolios
• more contact with the support network in college
• mobile devices available for future learning activities and trips
• expanded inner circle of peers who are exploring mobile technologies for learning
• access to a wider support group of staff to share resources
• the ability to make more creative presentations (particularly at Pendleton College)
• increased awareness of the possibilities of mobile learning, and of more varied uses of ILT within the curriculum.

Benefits for the lead college

The lead college gained:

• experience of leading a major and innovative project that helps to keep the college (a Beacon Award winner in 2006) at the leading edge of e-learning developments
• the benefit and experience of leading a partnership project
• increase in its status as the leading college for e-learning in the local area, particularly in the light of an impending merger
• a contribution to being shortlisted in the last 16 (out of 63 applicants) for Becta Technology Exemplar Status and acceptance as a Developing Provider
• the opportunity to develop project management skills in one of its staff
• good contacts in the participating colleges
• significant pump priming funding for future development
• significant investment in wireless network infrastructure.

Benefits for partners

Partners have gained:

• significant pump priming funding for future development
• significant investment in wireless network infrastructure
• the experience of working together at senior management and lower levels
• shared ideas and lessons
• shared expertise and good practice
• demonstration that mobile technology can be another useful tool in a teacher’s armoury;
• opportunity for future collaboration
• significantly improved wireless network and the opportunity to widen services to staff and students
• engagement with curriculum teams to continue development in mobile use
• introduction of e-portfolio to be supported by lessons learnt and by devices purchased through project
• knowledge-sharing at practitioner meetings on all aspects of mobile technology and mobile learning.

Lessons learned

The use of handheld technology brought a new dimension to the way the students could be taught and the way they learnt. The devices allowed the students to have consistent support away from the session or away from the tutor no matter the location or the setting. The time it took to create the resources for the devices (video tutorials in line with the seasonal content) meant that there was not enough time after the research was completed to achieve the full potential of the devices (sessions focused around one area of independent living skills / shop and cook).

Some students instantly took to the technology and immersed themselves in learning all the functionality of their phones, while others saw it as a mobile phone with a camera and video capability. In future planning of schemes of work to incorporate mobile learning, an introduction to the devices and the functionality learners will be required to use will need to be addressed and included at the beginning of lessons. It was noted that some students who were not as able as others could feel overwhelmed by a task and allow others to take the lead roles. This problem could be addressed by teachers with a thorough understanding of the requirements of developed tasks, who could assist students with less understanding of the mobile technologies.

When using the mobile devices on excursions, unexpected obstacles can arise (eg weather, time constraints) so potential problems need to be anticipated by carrying out a risk assessment and contingency planning.  Considerable time management and planning for use of mobiles should be built into any trip schedules – it should not be assumed that use ‘on-the-go’ is always possible. Significant student direction is required before a trip, as well as during, to keep students on task.  A suggested method is a preparation session and printed sheets to remind them of tasks. Short quizzes were well received by students and are a good way to focus students and provide review activities. Preparation time and testing of activities can be time consuming, so support for tutors is essential when new technology is introduced.  Allowing sufficient in class time for data retrieval from mobile devices in colleges has also been recognised as a requirement in lesson planning.

Initial feedback from Pendleton College suggested that production of materials for use on mobile devices was time-consuming. As this was the first engagement with these technologies, a large learning curve hindered rapid development. Students had sessions to introduce them to the devices and explain the functionality; staff had one-to-one sessions. Both staff and students were extremely keen to see the project move forward and intend to implement more mobile training and student participation in the next academic year. Time taken to produce materials and incorporate the use of mobile learning into schemes of work proved high. Timing of the device rollout was not ideal as it coincided with the lead up to exam season.