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Chichester College

Year 3: Real Science, Real Places, Real Learning! 2009/2010

 

 

 

 

Project Description

In partnership with four local schools and Natural England the project will involve 300-400 learners in the 14-25 age range.

The aim is to support the government’s ‘STEM’ agenda for increasing the country’s supply of scientists and technologists by developing the use of mobile technologies in the fields of horticulture, science, sport and public services. Building on Phase 2 the project will also continue to find innovative ways of using mobile devices to benefit learners with learning difficulties or disabilities.

The use of mobile technology should increase motivation and enthusiasm and contribute to raising levels of achievement.

Aims:

Building on the Government’s ‘STEM’agenda the project aims to develop the use of mobile technology in the context of field studies in areas such as horticulture, A-Level Science and outdoor pursuits.

The technologies will open up exciting opportunities for learners already in the industry to raise their levels of achievement and develop new skills transferable back to the work place. Hopefully, learners following mainstream courses will be encouraged to consider pursuing science related courses or careers.

In addition, we aim to continue to develop the use of mobile technologies for students with learning and/or physical difficulties.

Objectives

Science and technology
• To use mobile technology to support science investigations and collect, process and share information
• To enable students to understand concepts and access the curriculum through real hands-on investigation
• To develop the use of geocaching to strengthen navigation, map reading and orienteering skills
• To evaluate different mobile devices and geocaching web sites
• Subject to gaining permission, use geocaching to direct participants to areas of special scientific interest or habitats (e.g. to support work in ecology, horticulture or forestry)
• To use geocaching as a means to encourage people to enjoy the countryside
• To increase the ‘employability’ of participants by equipping them with 21st Century skills to use mobile technologies in ways employers may not have considered before
• To increase the choices open to learners with learning and or physical difficulties
• To motivate students to consider Science as a long term career path.
• To provide opportunities for learners to manage and take responsibility for planning a project (e.g. through an extended A-Level study at Kingley Vale or by setting up a geocache exercise)
• To equip participants with the skills and/or qualifications necessary to progress on to further courses of study.
• To equip staff with the skills to use mobile technology effectively and with confidence.
• For teaching staff to be trained to create, re-purpose and personalise mobile learning content appropriate to the needs of the learner.
• To raise awareness of environmental issues.

Communications
• Create a dedicated learning space on Chichester Online (‘Moodle’), enabling partners to access and download learning content.
• Where appropriate, learners to be able to upload completed assignments and complete other tasks via Chichester Online.
• Develop the use of SMS texting and pod-casting.

Recording
• In partnership with Natural England, set up a mobile field station at Kingley Vale, a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), to measure the effects of climatic change and pollution.
• To evaluate the use of mobile monitoring equipment for the purpose of collecting and analysing data in the field.
• To use mobile devices such as data loggers and time-frame recorders to receive and transmit data for the purpose of processing at a remote or distant location.
• To evaluate mobile equipment for the purpose of learners with physical difficulties.

Accessibility and Independence
• To enable access to information for all learners, irrespective of disability.
• To enable participants to take responsibility for their own learning with less reliance on support workers to help.
• To provide opportunities to choose when, where and how they will go about completing a task, thus increasing their independence, confidence and self-esteem.
• To motivate and engage reluctant learners.

Target Group

In partnership with Natural England, employers and local schools the project is designed to meet the needs of 300 work based learners, apprentices, ‘NEETs’ and full time learners following courses of study in land based industries such as farm management, conservation, horticulture, science and outdoor pursuits. Learners requiring support to access the curriculum (LLDD) will also be included.
The courses range from NVQ level 1 and GCSE through to National Diplomas and A-Levels.
The technology will enable them to record and process data in the field, monitor changes to the environment, conduct investigations and explore the benefits of GPS positioning.

Partners

 

Bishop Luffa College, Manhood Community College, St Anthony's School and Bourne Community College

 

Year 2: Keys for Opening Doors 2008/2009

 

 

 

In partnership with three local secondary schools and Connexions the project will involve up to 300 young people in the 14-25 age range.

The participants have learning difficulties or disabilities (or both) and also include individuals who need to develop their inter-personal skills to gain entry into employment or further education.

They are from a variety of social groups and backgrounds.

The mobile devices will be used to enable participants to access learning materials whenever and wherever they like. This should increase their self-confidence, improve the overall quality of the learning experience and develop them into independent and successful learners.

Project Aim

The project is aimed at participants with learning difficulties or disabilities and includes people referred to the College by Connexions. They are individuals with varying levels of ability but in the main they require their basic or interpersonal skills (or both) to be improved.

It is hoped that the use of mobile technologies will contribute significantly to the development of their independent learning skills, increase their self confidence and self esteem and open up enhanced opportunities to undertake further training or enter into employment.

Project Objectives

• To enable all participants to become more independent
• Increase the confidence and self esteem of the participants
• To increase accessibility and learner choice (in terms of ‘when, where and how’ they choose to study)
• Reduce reliance on support workers
• Improve the quality of work
• To deliver personalised learning materials through various mobile devices
• To equip participants with the skills and/or qualifications necessary to progress on to further courses of study.
• To increase employment opportunities for learners not in employment or training (Train-to-Gain/NEET)
• To increase employment opportunities for learners who choose to look for work (as opposed to continue a course of study)
• To motivate and engage reluctant learners.
• To create a community of learners who willingly use mobile technologies to
  complete tasks or access learning materials at any time or place.
• For learners to be trained to use mobile technology effectively and with
  confidence.
• For teaching staff to be trained to create, re-purpose and personalise mobile learning content (this will include an ability to create written, audio and visual learning materials, notes, assignments, quizzes, SMS texts and pod casts).
• For a dedicated learning space to be installed on Chichester Online (VLE).
• For teachers to use Chichester Online in ways that enable learners to access
  materials at any time or place convenient to them. Including the ability of tutors
  to:
  • upload course information, activities and assignments
  • mark and return assignments online
  • engage learners in online discussions (forums, blogs etc)
  • use Instant Messaging to engage learners in real-time discussion
  • hold conference-style calls (for, say, individual or group tutorial purposes).
• Learners to be able to use Chichester Online to access and download the learning content described above
• Learners to be able to use the technology to enable them to record save and send tutors evidence of their work
• Where appropriate, learners to be able to upload completed assignments and other tasks via Chichester Online or through SMS texts or email.
• To establish an e-portfolio or similar archive to hold evidence of learners’ work.
• To combat resistance to using IT and increase IT skills – of students and tutors alike.
• For teaching staff to increase their m-learning pedagogical expertise.
• To increase collaboration and cooperation between learners extending to the formation of social networks.
• To use mobile technology to raise levels of success and achievement
• To ensure school leavers involved continue to enjoy the benefits of m-learning should they decide to go on to study at Chichester College (the development should be seen continuous and seamless)
• For the partners to evaluate the impact of m-learning on their beneficiaries and to develop long-term strategies to sustain and further develop the use of m-learning at school, in College and in the work-place.
• For partners to share and disseminate MoLeNET findings across the wider education community.
• To improve the quality of the participants learning experience.

Phase 1: Any time, Any place, Any where

 

 

 

The Anytime, Any place, Any where MoLeNET project focused on supporting and improving the learning experience of work-based learners using mobile devices. Using ASUS PCs and PSP Lites, learners were able to take their learning into the workplace. The project focused on cohorts of Apprentices and mature learners and evidence suggests that they benefited from using mobile devices.

The provision of learning resources and ability to take mobile devices into the workplace enabled learners to feel more supported. There was also evidence of increased quality of work, improved submission times and more involvement of learners in accessing resources and completing coursework, which could lead to increased retention and achievement. It may even increase networking between learners in the workplace. Furthermore, the cost of delivering resources through mobile learning devices indicates that this could be an effective way of meeting the needs of work based learners.

College and Project Background

The lead partner in the Any time, Any place, Any where MoLeNET project consortium was Chichester College which has two campuses in Brinsbury and Chichester, West Sussex. Chichester undertook the project in partnership with Sussex Downs College, which is primarily located in Lewes, Eastbourne and Newhaven, East Sussex. Both colleges are in the further education (FE) sector and cater for a wide range of full-time, part-time and work-based learners. Subjects covered range from GCSEs and A-levels to National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). There is also some provision for higher education and pre-school leavers aged 14–16.

Although the colleges serve a predominantly rural population they do draw in students from towns such as Worthing, Horsham, Crawley and Brighton. Sussex Downs attract students from as far as the neighbouring county of Kent. The colleges have a good track record of working together and are ideal partners because their territories are adjacent and, in geographical terms, complement each other. They also have large numbers of work-based learners and Apprentices who attend college for a day at a time on a weekly or fortnightly basis. In some cases they do not attend college as work is set and then assessed in their own workplace.

Many work-based learners find it difficult to maintain progress and successfully complete their course of study. In national terms this equates to around 50% of Apprentices failing to complete on time (source: LSC provider gateway@period 9 June 2008). The reasons frequently cited for failing to complete include a lack of contact with other learners, intermittent or no contact with institutions, insufficient time and few opportunities to discuss learning requirements or review progress. These reasons suggest that that work-based learners need just as much, if not more, support as their full-time counterparts.

The purpose of the project was to find out if different mobile technologies can be used to bridge any of these gaps and increase successful completion rates.

Chichester College and Sussex Downs College identified two extra outcomes that could be linked to the research project. They were:

• long-term sustainability for the use of mobile devices
• identification and development of appropriate learning resources to support work-based learning, based on the expressed needs of learners.

The project involved three curriculum areas; hairdressing, health and social care and motor vehicles.

Project aims

• To enable work-based learners to receive and complete learning exercises remotely and submit evidence electronically
• To improve communication and create a ‘community’ of learners
• To assess the impact of mobile learning and use the experience to inform the future mobile learning strategy.

Key objectives

• To review impact on the levels of success, achievement and retention
• To create a community of mobile, work-based learners
• To equip teaching staff with the skills necessary to create, re-purpose and personalise mobile learning content
• To assess the amount of training and resource required to enable learners and assessors to become proficient in the use of m-learning technologies
• To create a dedicated space on the virtual learning environment (VLE) or Moodle for project member
• To assess the practicalities of taking handheld devices into the workplace (taking into account issues such as safety/cleanliness/breakages/security etc)
• To determine the practical advantages and barriers associated with mobile technologies
• To assess the way handheld technologies are adopted and sustained by learners (and assessors)
• To use mobile technologies to record evidence in their own time
• To use mobile technology to provide access to learning materials at any time or place.

Benefits for participants

Benefits for learners, across all learner groups

• Mobility: learning can take place in the workplace, at home and at college.
• Time and place: learning extends beyond the classroom and learning materials are available at any convenient time.
• Ownership – devices are dedicated to them for the duration of the course.
• There is less lost work.
• Assignments are completed earlier than in previous years.
• The quality of assignments has improved.
• Access to information: students can carry out research at any time.
• Reduction in paperwork – some learners have all but dispensed with folders.
• It is easy to find notes.
• Learners enjoy reviewing and sharing images and movie clips of activities completed in the workplace.
• Use of movie clips helps to explain concepts.
• Learners benefit from being able to see the teacher performing a task and comparing it to themselves.
• Learners can return to learning materials at any time and use them to catch up, revise or to simply recap. In their own time and at their own convenience. 

Benefits for staff

• Time and place: learning extends beyond the classroom and learning materials are available at any convenient time. Students can catch up in their own time.
• There is less lost work.
• Assignments were completed earlier than in previous years.
• Learners enjoy reviewing and sharing images and movie clips with teachers, which could not have happened in this way before.
• They started to realise the potential of the Moodle.
• Collaboration: there was increased sharing of resources.
• There was increased development of online resources.
• There was realisation of the potential for improvement in achievement and levels of success.
• Enjoyment: teachers enjoyed using the devices.

Benefits for the lead college

• Acceleration: the opportunity to experiment and discover the potential of mobile technologies in a short amount of time. Without the project this would not have been possible.
• It increased the awareness of the different types of mobile technologies available.
• The MoLeNET model of Moodle helped in the development of the college Moodle site (Chichester Online).
• It is early days but other departments such as International are now talking about the possibilities of developing online learning modules. This has the potential to open up new markets as learning materials can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
• Skills: there is still some way to go but the teachers have rapidly acquired new IT skills.
• Teachers involved in the project have seen the possibilities of Moodle and have helped to promote the development of Chichester Online.
• Learning methods: teachers have become quite interested in areas such as forums and online quizzes. Even if they haven’t set them up themselves they’re now eager to learn these aspects so they can incorporate them into future lesson planning.
• Team working: a great sense of camaraderie developed between the departments.

Reality check: There’s a considerable amount of work involved in purchasing the right equipment, preparing materials and training learners and teachers. This needs to be carefully planned and not under-estimated.

Benefits for institutions taking part (partners and colleges)

• Collaboration: ideas, expertise and resources. The benefits mirror those above and the positive working relationship between the two institutions enabled ideas to be discussed freely.
• Technical expertise helped both members and sharing learning resources saved time and avoided duplication of effort. 
• In the long term the two institutions intend to continue working together so they can continue to benefit from each other’s skills.

Lessons learned

In addition to the delays caused by the suppliers, work-based learners only attend college once a fortnight so the training and deployment of the devices needs to be completed quickly.

Ideally, there would have been more time set aside to introduce the devices in bite-size proportions. However, in future, the introduction to Moodle and any software not actually requiring the devices to be present could be covered much earlier, pending delivery.

The tutors in hair and beauty created a quiz that was a great incentive for the learners to get themselves registered and acquainted with the devices. However, the process took more time than anticipated and that aspect – and the group sizes – will need to be reviewed in the future.

The students have responded positively to the devices and the content provided by the tutors and they are well placed to prepare content from now on.

The learners dispensed with their folders, used the devices in a multitude of places and were able to complete assignments earlier than expected. The revision elements and links to websites were really well received and when brought into the classroom they were encouraged to use them to research and find out answers to the questions they had raised.  Feedback from employers was very positive and we know – off the record - of some who have extracted the materials to use themselves.

Some learners felt disadvantaged if they didn’t have internet access and in interviews conducted they had tried McDonalds (with varying degrees of success) and Starbucks. In future the project would need to take more account of this possibly either by making the materials available via a device such as a memory stick or by purchasing broadband dongles (3G, Vodaphone, etc). A straw poll of learners found they would be prepared to pay £10 per month subscription if the project funded the devices.

Work-based learners in care rarely, if ever, attend the College so their sole contact is via their assessors. The ‘How to’ guide and the excellent videos created by Chichester and Sussex respectively have been well received but the assessors handing them out do require an opportunity to go through the devices thoroughly. The approach to this would need to be planned at outset.

Learners like the video concept and the consortium has received feedback that they are being viewed in a variety of settings such as the bus to and from work. Including questions on the film clips helps focus attention and also encourages the learner to reflect on the learning content.

The preparation time is considerable and the willingness of partners, spouses and family members to help create the movies should not go unrecognised. It was recognised early on that the initial preparation time was worthwhile as the materials could be saved and used again. 

Although the quality of learning resources is important to members the speed of deployment to the learner is more important. In future, teachers will be encouraged to go for content over quality. This is a tricky one for some teachers in the consortium. However, the quality comes in the content itself and the impact it makes to the learner, not necessarily the appearance.

The devices do need to be up to the job as the head-cams for example, would not focus using micro circuitry. In the end more expensive but more robust and fit-for-purpose products were purchased.  A by-product of this was the re-deployment of the original head cams to the 14–16 provision at Chichester. They created a huge ‘buzz’ and were really very successful when used in the context of filming sailing, kayaking and other outdoor activities. That department are keen to use them in the future and the information and learning technology (ILT) development team will work with them to ensure they get the most out of the devices.

Motor vehicle used their devices to project images at the learners’ workplace as well as in the college’s workshops. Tutors report that learners like the instant feedback provided by using film as they can see their mistakes immediately and put them right straightaway. Replaying film also stimulates discussion and can inject humour into the lesson. This aspect of the project is still very much ‘work-in-progress’ but the department are keen to continue and build on the achievements they have made so far.

They also used the devices for recording practice. However, one external verifier was concerned at the prospect of trawling through hours of film to find the evidence he needed. In future, the participants would need to work more closely with verifiers and ensure clips are properly tagged (new devices do this anyway but Veotag.com is also available for this purpose).

Finally, to get the best out of the learning materials the learners and the assessors need to be trained to use them properly. Or, at the very least, given the essential skills to get to the detailed ‘How to...’ guides and videos. The development of these essential guides will continue.