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Using e-Learning to Help Employers Contribute to Work Placements. Rose Papworth Hull College . HEA ICS HE in FE Mini-Project. 2006 / 2007 Foundation Degree Software Design and Development One-day-a-week work placements Regular, but infrequent tutor visits. HEA ICS HE in FE Mini-Project.
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Using e-Learning to Help Employers Contribute to Work Placements Rose Papworth Hull College
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project • 2006 / 2007 • Foundation Degree Software Design and Development • One-day-a-week work placements • Regular, but infrequent tutor visits
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Issues: • Limited support/feedback for students and mentors • Hard to keep track of progress • Personal Development Planning • Standard documents = chore • Blogs can = diaries • Non-traditional students
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Project rationale - use an online environment to: • Facilitate tripartite conversation between learner, employer and tutor • Increase support for all parties via online provision • Provide an online placement contract to keep track of progress • Develop personal reflection via blogs and mentor/tutor comments (PDP) • social constructivist perspective • Use an e-portfolio to facilitate widening participation via personalisation
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Elgg environment – free-to-use, open source: • Individual and community blogs with comments • Flexible e-portfolio space • Access controls • Open source to develop an online work placement contract • Good feedback on usability
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Elgg environment – online placement contract: Check boxes to sign off progress by each party
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Elgg environment in use: • 11 second year students as focus group • Work placement project • At least 12 blog entries during placement (weekly) • Employers and tutors read posts and commented - students respond • E-portfolio space used to share documents as required
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Conclusion - evaluation of use: • Most students posted regularly • Harder to get employers to comment • Students enjoyed using blogs as more immediate and aided reflection – better than standard PDP documents • E-portfolio helped share documents • Outcomes and progress more easily monitored • Enabled better communication and support
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project For the future!: • Students indicated that employers needed reminding to comment and that the quality of employer comments varied • Better mentor training on the use of comments to aid reflection • Two-year JISC-funded project • HE in FE e-learning strand • Using Elgg in the same manner with other subjects at Hull College
HEA ICSHE in FE Mini-Project Further information: • HEA page: http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/HEinFE/HullCollege_MP.htm • JISC page: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/programme_elearning_capital/el_heinfe/helpp.aspx • JISC Project web site: http://helpp.hull-college.ac.uk/