jisc rsc northwest newsletter

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JISC RSC Northwest Newsletter August 2012 RSCs - stimulating and supporting innovation in learning Three North West colleges have so far been successful in gaining JISC funding as part of the UK-wide FE and Skills Development and Resources programme. Ashton Sixth Form, Beaumont College and Kendal College are the first regionally to be given the go-ahead for their bids. Ashton Sixth Form plans to use their funding to produce an app across multiple platforms to help and engage students in their planning and monitoring of time and workload. The idea is to sync this app with the college MIS system to populate students’ timetables and to allow students to add ‘events’ such as submission of work, exam, test or homework deadlines and meetings within college. Beaumont College’s proposal is to meet the demand for support with Assistive Technology (AT) and development and training of AT focussed staff. This is in order to enhance the disabled learners experience through the effective use of AT tools/approaches for independence and self- determination. The College has successfully led the DART ‘Disseminating Assistive roles and Technology’ LSIS funded project for 2010-12 and wants to continue to assist colleges that wish to participate. Kendal College’s project aims to build on its creation of the world’s first Further Education Augmented Reality (AR) prospectus. Continued p2 In this issue… Bridge College’s Bruno Mars performance P3 Annual Event extravaganza P4-5 Assistive technology trial kit P6 ROI Award winners P7 New pilots for Adult Education P8 NW’s cloud computing success P8+9 Local projects given JISC funding thumbs-up The funding programme aims to improve the learner experience through technology.

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Stories in the August issue include: 1. North West projects given the JISC funding thumbs-up 2. A two page spread on our Annual Event 3. How to loan our assistive technology box of kit 4. Recognition of Innovation Award winners 5. New pilots for Adult Education; and 6. NW’s cloud computing success

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JISC RSC Northwest Newsletter

August 2012

RSCs - stimulating and supporting innovation in learning

Three North West colleges have so far been successful in gaining JISC funding as part of the UK-wide FE and Skills Development and Resources programme. Ashton Sixth Form, Beaumont College and Kendal College are the first regionally to be given the go-ahead for their bids. Ashton Sixth Form plans to use their funding to produce an app across multiple platforms to help and engage students in their planning and monitoring of time and workload. The idea is to sync this app with the college MIS system to populate students’

timetables and to allow students to add ‘events’ such as submission of work, exam, test or homework deadlines and meetings within college.

Beaumont College’s

proposal is to meet the

demand for support with

Assistive Technology (AT)

and development and

training of AT focussed

staff. This is in order to

enhance the disabled

learners experience

through the effective use

of AT tools/approaches for

independence and self-

determination. The College

has successfully led the

DART ‘Disseminating

Assistive roles and

Technology’ LSIS funded

project for 2010-12 and

wants to continue to assist

colleges that wish to

participate.

Kendal College’s project

aims to build on its

creation of the world’s first

Further Education

Augmented Reality (AR)

prospectus. Continued p2

In this issue…

Bridge College’s Bruno Mars performance

P3

Annual Event extravaganza

P4-5

Assistive technology trial kit

P6

ROI Award winners

P7

New pilots for Adult Education

P8

NW’s cloud computing success

P8+9

Local projects given JISC funding thumbs-up

The funding programme aims to improve the learner experience through technology.

The AR technology allows the viewing of real time videos through the portal of a standard picture. The college wants to develop this further to improve teaching and learning through introducing AR within learning materials.

Their submission is to pilot this idea in Plumbing because a high proportion of plumbing students are assessed as visual learners and it is thought this format of supporting and enhancing the learning experience is likely to be successful. Nationally 245 bids were received for the JISC Advance programme and a number of projects have already been approved covering all aspects of the UK sector. Although this was a fantastic response, half of these bids were submitted on the last day so there is an unfortunate delay in marking submissions. As a result the timescale

for projects has been updated:

Small projects (up to £50,000) will run for six months from September 2012 to January 2013

Large projects (over £50,000) will start from September 2012 and must complete by October 2013, depending on the circumstances of individual bidders. RSC Northwest Manager, Paul Deane, says; “We

are delighted that three of our colleges will receive funding to improve the learner experience, I look forward to seeing these projects come into fruition and we will help to disseminate relevant findings to the wider FE and Skills community. “Our apologies to those that have not heard about their bids yet, all the RSC’s are pulling together to get these marked as soon as possible and letters will go out to all Learning Providers by August 7th to let them know if they are successful and the reasoning for this decision.” A progress update can be found via http://bit.ly/fes-drp.

Thanks to those who took part in the RSC Northwest’s short survey asking about the three key challenges facing you and your organisation in the coming year and the three things you would like the RSC to help you with. The feedback is appreciated and has been used in a planning exercise for the coming year. Responses were separated into themes and below are the top scoring results: Your three key challenges: 1. Funding 2. Technology for learning 3. Student numbers Three areas you would like our help with: 1. Staff development 2. Technology for learning 3. Business Processes, in particular funding support (70% of these responses).

Local projects get JISC funding (continued) Three challenges survey

Bids will make a significant contribution to developing technology in the sector.

A fond farewell to Hilary

Thomas who has finished her secondment at the

Northwest Regional Support Centre (RSC) after

nearly four years as

eLearning adviser for the Higher Education sector.

Hilary has left to take up a

new post as Co-ordinator for Research, Training and

Learning Services in ISS

support at Lancaster University.

She says that what she

enjoyed most about her

role in the RSC was the tremendous breadth of

knowledge and skills of the colleagues she worked with

– both in the RSC team and those working in

Learning Providers in the

region.

Bridge College marks move with Bruno Mars performance Staff and students from

Bridge College paid a special visit to the builders

working on their new Openshaw Campus site at

The Manchester College to

teach them Makaton sign language.

You can watch the Wates

Construction team, in the

video opposite, trying out

Hilary adds; “It is the

connection with people

that makes the role of the Regional Support Centre so

distinct and I shall truly miss the mix of contacts

that brings.

“I’ve learned such a lot

about all sorts - about people and their ways of

working, about the different attitudes and

learning cultures that (continued above)

the newly learned sign language to the Bruno

Mars classic, ‘Marry You.’

characterise different

sectors, about technologies

and the ways they can be used.

“It’s been a privilege to have worked with the

RSC and it's given me much to take away that

will help me in my new role. It doesn't end

here, mind, I'm an RSC

services 'user' now.””

eLearning Adviser Mark

Ayton has now taken over responsibility for

supported providers in Higher Education and

can be contacted using

email [email protected] or by

phone on 01524 510060.

The College will move to the new campus in

September this year.

Pastures new for eLearning Adviser

Goodbye to Hilary Thomas.

Using social media to engage learners, discovering new emerging technologies and trying out the latest exhibitor kit were just some of the things enjoyed by delegates at JISC RSC Northwest’s Annual Event on June 27th. An impressive 233, delegates, presenters and exhibitors from a range of North West Learning Providers and suppliers made it to Southport for the All the Fun of the (technology) Fair event.

Delegates arriving at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre were greeted with fun fair music, balloons and bunting and were given the opportunity to choose a

pick and mix of sessions they wished to attend. Of those who gave feedback about the day, 98% rated it excellent or good. Exhibitor Linda Lamb, Assistant Manager of Engineering and Construction from West Cheshire College said; “It has been absolutely fantastic, it’s been so much more than we thought and we’ve been busy all day with visitors. We also had a chance to share apps and learn new things we can use to make the learner experience more enjoyable.” Tim Blackburn, UcLAN eLearning Developer added; “I found it really useful. I particularly enjoyed the eAssessment for Work Based Learning session and learning about remote learners.”

A host of JISC RSC resources are available from eFairs that have taken place across the UK for Learning Providers to benefit from. The events showcase technology in teaching and learning through workshops, online sessions, hands-on expertise and guidance. Click on the first link to access recordings, links and presentations from the North West event and access all others from the link below:

North West’s All the Fun of the Technology fair

UK wide eFair resources.

All the Fun of the eFair resources

Preston College shows visitors a range of technologies from their Beacon award-winning Innovation and Excellence Room.

Presenter Gary Cookson from Wigan and Leigh College gets attendees thinking about technology in teacher education.

Attendees at RSC annual

events in the North West and

East Midlands were asked

how they are currently using,

and planning to use

technology in the next year.

Interviews provide valuable

insight to the RSC’s on

areas which Learning

Providers are interested in.

Filming was done through

using miituu software on

an iPad supplied by

exhibitors SBP Digital.

There are 13 North West

interviews from a range of

supported providers.

Click below to see what was

said...

Twitter users were out in force using #nwae12 for the Annual Event. 295 tweets were received under the event hash tag leading up to and at the event. Tweeters also got to see what was being said on a tweet wall displayed in the exhibitors area on the day. Key words from #nwae12 tweets have been put into a wordle below so you can see the topics that gained the most mentions.

Technology Fair Tweeting up a

storm

Video Responses from delegates on their technology use

A Kindle to read

ebooks.

A Mantra Lingua recorder pen. Small white stickers can have audio notes attached which are played back when the pen touches them.

A Livescribe

smartpen. Records audio along with your handwritten notes. Use the pen to touch

any handwritten notes and the pen plays back the audio that was recorded at that moment; and;

A Digital Dictionary Bookmark.

Three colleges have borrowed the assistive technology box of kit to date. The outcomes of these loans have included:

Learning providers

buying some of the devices to support learners

ALS staff producing a

list of devices which learners might want to

buy for themselves, particularly those learners who are moving onto Higher Education

The limitations of

some devices being identified, which has helped providers prioritise how to make the most of resources available and;

Staff and students

working together to come up with innovative uses for some of the devices. If you would like to be next in line for the kit, contact eLearning Adviser

Kevin Hickey on [email protected]. He will deliver an overview/ training session to staff using it. After two weeks Kevin will collect the equipment and learning provider’s will fill in a report of how useful they found each of the items and what they plan to do as a result of the loan. The box of kit is being expanded for the next academic year and will include: An iPad and an Android tablet loaded with assistive apps, a scanner mouse, a Kobo ebook reader and a RNIB penfriend.

A growing assortment of useful technologies to support those with learning difficulties is now available from JISC RSC Northwest for a two week loan. The aim of the equipment is to offer staff the opportunity to get a better understanding of some of the devices which might not be traditionally thought of as assistive technology, but can really help learners. Inside the technology box you’ll find:

A Nintendo DS with games

A Digital note taker. This is a device which clips onto the side of a writing pad, which can then be connected to a computer and all handwritten notes can be uploaded. It also includes software which converts the image of the handwritten text into digital text.

(Continued above)

Assistive Technology Box of Kit Try Our

Seven Recognition of Innovation (ROI) award winners have been announced for 2012.

For the second year running the ROI’s celebrate the improvements and transformations that individuals and organisations in the North West are making in the sector through the use of technology.

The winners of the RSC Northwest award are:

Dan Hodge, Kendal College for his original use

of Augmented Reality (AR) to create the world’s first AR prospectus for FE.

Scott Anderton, Hopwood Hall College for his

innovative use of touchscreen technology for teaching and learning.

Simon Channell, for Xaverian College’s

bespoke and award-winning VLE/ ILP intranet system.

Tracey Holt, Tameside College, for her dynamic

use of Triptico in Hair and Beauty.

Rob Clarke , King George V 6th Form College, for

enabling students to run their magazine entirely online through its VLE.

eBrary team, Sylvia Haggett, Bethan Bligh, Patrick Veale, Warrington Collegiate, for creating a

valuable pop-up training centre in their LRC.

Diane Broughton and Dawn Wilkinson, Wirral Metropolitan College for

developing their Functional Skills Online English Course on their Moodle.

RSC Manager Paul Deane said; “We really enjoyed learning about these innovative practices and plan to write case studies on each winner so others can learn from

what has been achieved.”

“One thing the winning projects all have in common is that they innovate and take their organisation forward in some significant way, helping these organisations to deliver effective and efficient teaching and learning.”

Click here for full details.

Recognising your Innovation

The Recognition of Innovation Award winners, or those that nominated them, are pictured with their awards alongside RSC Manager Paul Deane far right.

North West colleges have come out trumps by putting forward several winning bids for The Association of Colleges (AoC) cloud computing fund.

Seven colleges in the region have been announced as winners of the project money, the highest for any area nationally. The Collaboration and Shared Services Board allocated £1 million for Cloud projects from the Grant Fund. Managed by the Association of Colleges the aim is to progress Cloud Computing in Further Education Colleges through a range of project activities. Colleges were invited to bid for individual projects and 36 projects were selected by the Committee. These projects have been divided into two categories; Category one projects are defined as Software as a service (SaaS), when software and its associated data are hosted centrally by the Cloud Computing Provider and the organisation accesses it when and where required. Category two projects are defined as Infrastructure as

a Service (IaaS), when a College effectively outsources the IT equipment used to support operations. This includes storage, hardware, servers and network components. The North West winning projects are: Accrington and Rossendale College This is a consortium project from four partner Colleges in the Lancashire Shared Services Project for a Microsoft 365 Plan A2 service. This will provide storage and capacity for staff and learners across these Colleges. A key benefit will be improved anytime anywhere access to students and staff. Bolton College This is for access to Google Apps (for education) and Google's Cloud based operating system Google Chrome. It will enable work based assessors to deliver and record live learning, tracking and feedback, progress and achievement from a variety of work based locations. This new way of working will give efficiency benefits for staff and learners. Blackburn College This project is for the development of a virtual

Four Community Learning Trust pilot schemes are to begin in the North West this month. They are part of the 15 successful trusts chosen nationally to get FE colleges, adult education services, businesses and voluntary organisations working together to increase the number of adults taking part in education. The regional pilots are: 1. Blackburn with

Darwen (Sustainable Neighbourhood Services)

2. CLCumbria (CLC)

Community

Learning in Cheshire (CLiC)

4. Liverpool Opportunities for Community Adult Learning (LOCAL)

Skills Minister John Hayes said; “By bringing passion, purpose and innovative thinking to the pilot scheme, the Community Learning Trusts can change lives by transforming attitudes and abilities, bringing communities together to nurture the common good.” Email ACL eLearning Adviser John Dalziel on [email protected] if you want support with your scheme.

North West Colleges on a New pilots for Adult Education

desktop facility so that students can access software online at the College and remotely. The benefits are described as improved access to software for staff and students, the widening of this access beyond the College IT suites, the ability for staff to work at home and the value of a desktop which is tailored to reflect the home or office desktop. Reaseheath College This project is for Microsoft 365 Cloud Services for student e-mail and data storage. It involves the use of SharePoint as a portal and linking it to Moodle. Benefits are identified in improved e-mail access and data storage. Warrington Collegiate This project is for a Virtual Cloud Desktop offering to enable learners to access College owned software and desktop services on their own devices. College flexibility to run courses off site is a further benefit.

Wigan & Leigh College This project is for the hosting of the College's VLE in the Cloud to enable increased development and adoption. The learner will benefit from the hosting of the VLE in the cloud. Xaverian College This is for Cloud based e-mail (Microsoft Live@edu) together with a 365 solution for software and subsequent integration with the College's VLE. The benefits are to students in respect of email, storage capacity, and access to applications. To view the full list of winners visit: http://www.aoc.co.uk/en/policy-and-advice/technology-nilta/cloud-computing-in-fe-colleges/

TechDis Jess and TechDis Jack are two new high quality synthetic voices for use with text-to-speech tools which are freely available to staff and students in publicly funded post-16 education providers in England. Available at no cost, the Voices are packaged with msi files for network installation. Once installed on Windows and Mac systems, the Voices can help organisations to:

Provide a better

service to all their learners and yet save considerable money compared to site license costs for commercial tools

Demonstrate

enhanced support for dyslexic, visually impaired and learning disabled users

Support the needs of

learners for whom English is an additional language and;

Offer new e -learning

opportunities by making it easy to convert course hand-outs, presentations and notes to audio format for downloading and listening to on a phone or MP3 player. Visit the JISC TechDis website for more information and to register

www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/voices

Cloud Computing High TechDis Voices

If you are one of the successful colleges and would like support with your project please email [email protected] Image by http://dryicons.com

Thank you Thanks again to those of you that completed our survey that asked about your top 3 challenges and the top 3 things you would like us to do in the coming year. A summary of the results is on page 2 and the RSC NW Team found all of your responses useful at our planning day.

You said – we did Funding cuts and managing

to do more with less were a

big issue for you as was

interest in funding

opportunities so I’m pleased

that in this issue we

celebrate some of those

successful in securing

funding from both JISC and

the AoC on pages 1 & 8 and

also that we can make you

aware of new funding

opportunities such as the

current £7 million Arts

Council England initiative to

use digital technology.

Details available from:

www.artsdigitalrnd.org.uk

(Continued above)

We are also planning to do a number of things to help identify how technology can help you do more with less and there will be more on that in our next newsletter. But I would draw your attention to some very practical real life examples of case studies where local providers are investing in technology to deliver real benefits now as well as savings both now and in the future: Warrington Collegiate: Green ICT initiative reduces 409,000kw of electricity consumption a year through technology Carmel College - Implementing a HyperV infrastructure to reduce costs Quality Improvement – The New Common Inspection Framework – I just can’t get no....... It seems that Ofsted have been listening to some old Rolling Stones tunes as ‘satisfaction’ seems unattainable for their inspection teams in future and the old grade 3 “satisfactory” is renamed “requires improvement.” There is also a strong emphasis on the “quality of teaching, learning and assessment” and they say they will evaluate the extent to which:

Learners benefit from high expectations, engagement, care, support and motivation from staff

Staff use their skills and expertise to plan and deliver teaching,

learning and support to meet each learner’s needs

Staff initially assess learners’ starting points and monitor their progress, set challenging tasks, and build on and extend learning for all learners

Learners understand how to improve as a result of frequent, detailed and accurate feedback from staff following assessment of their learning

Teaching and learning

to develop English, mathematics and functional skills, and support the achievement of learning goals and career aims

Appropriate and timely information, advice and guidance supports learning effectively, and;

Equality and diversity are promoted through teaching and learning.

Many of you in our survey asked us to continue to support you with staff development and information on technology for learning so in our planning we have been looking at how we can provide you with information and examples of how technology can help inside and outside the classroom and how it is being used effectively to enhance the “quality of teaching, learning and assessment” so keep an eye on our website for news of relevant events.

Strategic Challenges

RSC Manager Paul Deane

To contact the JISC RSC Northwest team visit: http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/northwest/

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