Walford and North Shropshire College

Year 3 Micro Project-M-learning at Walford Campus

Following the employment of an ILT co-ordinator staff at Walford College (the land-based studies/engineering campus of WNSC) have begun to embrace the possibility of online learning through Moodle. Access to learning materials outside of lessons remains fairly limited however as computer suites tend to be used exclusively for lessons. With this project we aim to allow students access through their own devices or those provided by the College on a loan basis, and improve learner engagement by providing a range of learning activities based on the creative use of these devices to maximise our facilities.

Aims:

Agricultural/motor vehicle/animal studies learners will use handheld equipment, including GPS devices, PDA's, and handheld video and audio recorders to capture field data, record their learning experiences, and provide many opportunities for peer assessment and reflective learning. The equipment will enable agricultural, vocational, and academic students to become more involved in their own learning experiences and gain additional transferable ICT skills. The project will radically improve access to ICT at the Walford site and improve motivation for agricultural learners by allowing them to access learning materials, some of which will be produced by them.

Objectives:

• Install wireless network access points within the Walford campus, so that students can access learning materials to facilitate learning at a time of their choosing.
• Make available a range of mobile devices that learners can borrow and use outside of lessons to access learning materials. Mini-notebook computers ('netbooks'), MP3/MP4 players, Nintendo DSi and video camcorders will be made available for students on loan to improve engagement with the curriculum.
• Use the College's already acquired Google Video service to store and make available student videos for use outside of lessons.
• Explore the use of video diaries made using the video camcorders/netbooks to enhance the reflective learning of 14-16 Diploma students.
• Explore the possibility of assessment through video and audio on vocational courses.
Walford has an extensive collection of animal life kept within enclosures and on the 500 acre Walford Estate. We will explore the use of video cameras to engage animal studies students by providing them with access to the cameras through internet streaming.
• Students of land based subjects, for example the new Land Based and Environment Diploma, will use GPS, audio, and video devices to capture field data and use this in projects. This will be made available using Moodle, Google Video, and Moleshare/MoleTV. Habitat maps will be produced and made available online. Students will be able to use blogging, podcasting and vodcasting to share and comment upon these maps and revise them year on year, providing an invaluable learning resource for a range of subjects across the land based curriculum.
• Students with learning difficulties/disabilities will work with staff to improve numeracy/literacy through the use of the Nintendo Wii/Nintendo DSi handheld devices with brain training. These devices can also be used to access learning materials online on Moodle as well as record video/audio in ways that such learners will find accessible.
• Students housed in the College's residential blocks will as a result of this bid have access to a Nintendo Wii for leisure and internet access through the Opera browser. They will be able to view videos and materials produced by themselves and their lecturers.

Contribution to Local and Regional priorities:

The College SAR identifies 3 relevant key priorities: to embed the use of ILT to aid curriculum delivery; to enable individualised learning, and increase the number of merits and distinctions on BTEC courses. The project will contribute to these priorities by motivating learners to access learning materials they have produced during practical activities, and widening the possibilities for assessment through audio and video. The College is also required to provide equipment for field study for the new Diploma courses, which this project will enable. The data collected will also be used for sustainability purposes.