Molenet - Southampton City College

Year 3 Micro Project-The use of Mobile technology in the area vocational evidence submission and assessment 2009/2010

This project will investigate the use of electronic, mobile devices as a means of evidence gathering and submission by students, against vocational qualification criteria, in a workshop setting. It will further explore the use of handheld technology in the recording and storing of assessment results against practical workshop activities by teachers and assessors. It will look towards the reduction and removal of double-handling of assessment information and monitor the impact on all stakeholders of the ability to share important information across the institution.

Aims:

To achieve the electronic submission of evidence against vocational criteria by students in workshops and learning centres; and the corresponding assessment of those criteria in the workshop using lightweight portable wireless technology.

Objectives:

• Southampton City College has a successful (moodle based) VLE and has for the last year been implementing an electronic student tracking system (eTracker).
• Our learning platform and tracking systems are highly integrated with the College MIS system. (We have already developed a VLE benchmarking system, which means that we are one of the few colleges that automatically measures and tracks teacher/student use of the VLE along with the quantity and range of resources contained within.)
• Much has been achieved by curriculum staff, but in the area of assessment, the reluctance to move to completely electronic systems has resulted in assessment information being handled twice.
• Assessments are made on paper and retrospectively recorded electronically.
Often this happens because there is little access to computers in vocational workshop areas, but this double-handling prevents the college from reaping the efficiency benefits of the digital dividend and acts as a barrier to further step-change, on our journey towards e-maturity.
• The parameters of this micro project, are that:
It is a pilot with teaching staff and students of full-time and part-time, college-based courses in construction crafts (trowel occupations, painting and decorating and wood-trades)
• To enable students to upload evidence (photographic, video, audio and text) against vocational assessment criteria in an eportfolio.
• To enable Teachers to assess this evidence and other workshop-based (skills) evidence from anywhere on site and record this assessment in our electronic student tracking system.
• To enable Teachers to conduct tutorials and record electronic action plans from anywhere on site
• To enable all stakeholders (student, teacher, personal tutor, parents, employers, training agents) to access individual learning plan (ILP) information and student progress against targets.
• To furnish students with equipment borrowed from library services to record and upload evidence, or enable the supported use of personal (student owned) mobile equipment via wireless technology.
• To determine the best equipment options for assessment and student tracking.
• To develop the technological skills of the sample group of staff in a vocational workshop setting as a pilot.
• To reduce the double handling of assessment information and reap the benefits of the digital dividend.
• To understand key issues around mobile technology tagging and issue, maintenance and power management for student loaned equipment.
• To overcome technical and security barriers in the use of wireless access to assessment management systems
• To monitor the cost effectiveness of electronic submission and assessment and the impact on learner experience and success.
• To monitor the impact on management across the curriculum area, of access to detailed analysis of student progress
• To understand more fully the technical, professional development and change management issues before a comprehensive college-wide roll-out

Contribution to Local and Regional priorities

local priorities
• Mission and Values: Strategic Themes
• Learner Experience - Cutting Edge Methods and Infrastructure
• Success for All - Learner Achievement and Staff Development
• Workforce Development - Professional, Technical and Skills Training
• The new College ILT strategy - on moving towards a paperless college by 2012

Regional Priorities

• Working for professional skills training in Southampton and South Hampshire.

On national issues:

• The intention that technology should be harnessed to put the student at the heart of their learning and assessment. All stakeholders need to feel the benefit of the efficiencies that can be made from the use of interoperable systems.