Access keys
Search Skip navigation
Work Based & Vocational Learning
More than half of MoLeNET projects had work based learning as their
main or a secondary focus whilst most projects involved groups of
vocational learners, including apprentices, developing a diverse range
of skills. Vocational subjects studied included:
dental nursing,
business administration, customer service, warehouse and distribution,
health and social care, construction, catering, child care, engineering,
hair and beauty, motor vehicle, agriculture, horticulture, equestrian
studies and electronics
The advantages of mobile technologies for work based learning
Advantages include:
The advantages of mobile technologies for work based learning are summarised at the bottom of the page.
Convenience
Engineering students explain why they prefer mobile technology:
The convenient size of mobile devices, and improvements in their
processing power, storage capacity and battery life, has enabled the
provision of technology to support learners in places where this would
not have previously been possible due to space and power supply
limitations e.g. riding and horticultural centres (Bolton) as well as in
a variety of workplaces where paperwork can be impractical e.g.
factories, workshops, salons. Mobile technologies meant that work
based learners “dispensed with their folders” and “used the devices in a multitude of places” where they were able to continue their coursework and collect material for inclusion in their assignments (Chichester).
A New College Swindon student explains the benefits of mobile devices over books at work
“I trained as a chef when I was 15 years old and if I had taken
a book into the kitchen somebody would have hit me with something quite
heavy probably and there would be a degree of ridicule... there are
times nowadays when guys are doing complex stuff with boilers, highly
dangerous stuff with gas and you’ve got to know what you’re doing.
If you’re not sure … something like this has to be a good thing. I
don’t think you would be laughed off site... I work with guys who have
been in the plumbing trade for years and years … and they can’t remember
everything … on site you might get ribbed a bit but if they think he’s
got that on his iPod, that certain boiler, they might say can I have a
look.”
Improved Communication
Mobile technologies can improve communication with work based
learners. This can include immediate communication via voice calls
and text messages were devices with phone/SMS contracts are used, or
where Skype is used with Internet enabled devices (the Skype approach
was used by South Thames to enable calls whilst controlling costs),
and/or email communication.
“one assessor’s feedback revealed that previously, when tasks
had been set for between meetings, they were sometimes not completed
because learners were uncertain of what they were being asked to do –
with MoleNET regular and instant communication ensured all learners
understood, which increased the work undertaken by learners between
meetings with their assessors.” Bournville.
Internet access
For work based learners or those on work placements access to a
computer and/or the Internet is often limited, if available at all.
Therefore a significant advantage of mobile devices is that they can
enable learners to access learning resources and support, to continue to
work on their coursework and assignments and to keep in touch with
staff and peers whilst on placement.
However there were sometimes problems due to lack of Internet access in some locations. Learners tried to get around this “they had tried McDonalds (with varying degrees of success) and Starbucks” (Chichester) and when they were unsuccessful learners said they felt “disadvantaged” (Chichester) indicating that an expectation of anytime, anywhere access had quickly become established.
Just in time, any location, access to video and video recording
Gloucestershire college learners working in industrial services have
been able to access health and safety videos loaded on their mobile
devices, thus providing them with prompts and support for their own
work. Learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities at the
Gloucestershire consortium partner NatStar have also used their mobile
devices off site to provide video instructions for tasks on an
allotment, so that they can be completed without mentor support. This
was so successful that a range of further video sequences are being made
to cover a variety of activities on the allotment.
Chichester and their partners Sussex College created How-To guides and videos for Care students who “rarely, if ever, attend the College. So their sole contact is via their assessors” and report “Learners
like the video concept and the consortium has received feedback 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.”
14-16 year olds at Chichester and their tutors found head cams to be a
very effective way of recording outdoor activities such as sailing,
kayaking. Whilst “Motor vehicle / construction used their
devices to project images at the learners’ work place as well as in the
college’s work shops. Tutors report that learners like the instant
feedback provided by using film as they can see their immediately and
rectify them straight away. Replaying film also stimulates discussion
and on a less serious side injects humour into the lesson.”
Hair and Beauty students at Norwich, have used their Smartphones to
record their work placements and/or Saturday job achievements, to “enhance learning in professional practice”.
A tutor at Accrington and Rossendale describes the convenience of
mobile devices for evidence collection, as it enabled their student to
record themselves for evidence purposes rather than having to wait for
the tutor to arrive. Accrington and Rossendale explain that the
Bluetooth tool has been used effectively to send work, materials and
evidence, therefore promoting a streamlined process of managing
portfolios. Another member of staff also adds that by having
access to the VLE using a mobile device, the learners are able to feel a
part of the wider college community and have access to the facilities
that learners based onsite have.
Evidence gathering, portfolios and assessment
Three quarters of the projects involved in MoLeNET reported on the
impact that mobile devices have had on the assessment process in their
college/consortium for both college based and work based learners. This
process involves collection and collation of evidence for coursework,
assignments and portfolios, assessment of coursework, assignments and
portfolio evidence, formative assessment, peer and self assessment and
reflection, and feedback . Many learners have used the video,
voice and camera recording facilities on their mobile devices to capture
their work as an alternative or supplementary way to provide evidence
of progress or achievement. Some examples of positive
feedback from teachers and assessors are:
“All students have valued the assessment processes that have
accurately and fairly measured their capabilities and provided effective
feedback as a basis for reflection. The project has enabled the
students to collect a wide range of mini-assessments, both formative and
non-formative, comprising professional assessor, self and peer
assessments.” (Care, Bournville)
“The students uploaded their portfolio of work onto the iPods and
then took them out to demonstrate to potential customers in London - the
BBC, Quench Design and Mainframe. The iPod solved what has always been a
massive problem - demonstrating your work out in the field.”
(Performing Arts, Matthew Boulton)
Asked whether use of mobile devices has improved the assessment process, tutors from Accrington and Rossendale responded:
“Definitely, the process is much smoother and faster. The students
seem more engaged and willing to collect evidence. As for referencing,
it is much easier to claim for video footage than marking an observation
sheet”
“…the students have been able to demonstrate their competence in
finding the information they need. All work has come back completed and
to a high standard.”
“…the students have been more confident in accessing the online site
from home and it has given them more confidence. I can also access
my emails so I have the most up to date information to hand and
assessment documents”
Tutors at Chichester College reported that hairdressing learners,
using Asus EEE mini notebooks, who only attended college once a
fortnight were able to produce coursework of a higher standard,
including photographs as evidence, and that coursework was submitted
earlier than then by previous learners without mobile
devices. Whilst at Norwich, hair and beauty students used
their Smartphones to record their work placement or Saturday job
achievements. Hairdressing students at Lowestoft used their mobile
devices to record the step by step progress of their hair designs, to
create PowerPoint presentations to explain what they had done, and to
photograph their cutting and styling techniques for inclusion in their
portfolios. Lowestoft highlight the benefit of being able to capture
less common occurrences within the workplace without having to plan
ahead or ensure the presence of the assessor/tutor.
Trainee teachers at Lowestoft used their mobile devices to support
their own learners, by allowing them to capture photographic and video
evidence for their portfolios, and to Bluetooth evidence from the
learner’s phone to the trainee teacher’s PDA for downloading. One
trainee teacher has also used their device to record interviews to
validate work based evidence. Huddersfield consortium
learners have been collecting video, audio and photographic evidence of
their work for their portfolios, with 95% of the learners asked
commenting that the mobile device/learning environment has allowed them
to collect evidence quicker than with paper-based methods.
E-portfolios
Together with the introduction of mobile technologies for work based
learners a number of projects have been trialing the use of e-portfolios
to collate evidence and record individual progress and achievement
online. For example Lowestoft apprentices uploaded
photographic evidence of completed tasks directly to their e-portfolio
and provided a written explanation of the task to complement and expand
on the photographs. 70% of Huddersfield tutors recommended
this method over the traditional paper-based system. More than
three quarters of these tutors reported that candidates found the
e-portfolio system easier than the traditional paper-based system and of
these, 86% felt that candidates had uploaded more evidence because the
system is easy to use. Other advantages of the system were
identified as “keeps all candidates evidence in one accessible place”,
with less risk of losing the different types of evidence; enables
candidates to check their progress “at a time that is convenient to
them”; allows the candidate to contact the tutor at anytime and access
feedback online; allows evidence to be uploaded from anywhere; and is
more inspiring for the learner. Apprentices at Boston
reported that their mobile devices made collection of evidence for
portfolios easier, that the evidence was of better quality and also that
the process helped them to develop a wide range of additional skills:
“video, photo storage, email, file management, word, excel, database”.
In Summary
In many cases MoLeNET projects involved the use of mobile technologies to gather evidence of learning and skills development with some projects uploading evidence to e-portfolios. Bolton, Boston and Stockport colleges were pleased to be able to provide more convenient and flexible access to e-learning resources and college support services for learners in remote settings and work based learners. Brockenhurst College issued mobile devices to staff supporting and assessing the learners in the workplace. This technology also facilitated visit planning and communication with learners and colleagues. Lowestoft College reported very positive employer reactions
to their use of mobile devices for work based learning. Having
witnessed the benefits, two employers plan to purchase mobile devices
for other employees. Accrington and Rossendale College introduced
mobile technologies in an attempt to attract more learners to level 2 and 3 courses via Train to Gain and to increase access to learning and assessment for work based learners. Similarly Stockport College wanted to attract more learners
to their work based learning programmes. Aylesbury College
focussed on embeddiing e-learning into work place and work based
learning and providing real workplace opportunities for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
including providing mobile technologies to enable recording of
activities. Chichester College learners, tutors and assessors in
hairdressing and motor vehicle reported that mobile technologies made learning more engaging and more convenient. Hairdressing tutors found that coursework was completed more quickly and to a higher standard. Bournville College introduced mobile technologies to help to improve employer engagement in the care sector and to provide work based learners in this sector with better access to learning opportunities. Cornwall, East Berkshire, Matthew Boulton, New College Swindon and Rotherham used mobile technologies to improve access to learning for engineering students
and with the aim of improving success, completion and performance rates
of work based learners. Swindon consortium, including New College
Swindon with Wiltshire, Salisbury and Cirencester Colleges, also
involved learners in construction, science and sport. Gloucestershire College focused on using mobile technologies to create innovative ways to deliver the curriculum for both vocational and academic learners. For the Huddersfield consortium introducing mobile learning into the workplace was about improving the learning experience.