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PDA Case Study. The Sixth Form College, Solihull Matthew Marshall. The Sixth Form College Solihull. Large Sixth Form College, 2600 students 40% EMA, 25-30% Widening Participation Majority study Level 3 courses (51 on Lvl 2) Approximately 238 staff (fte)
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PDA Case Study. The Sixth Form College, Solihull Matthew Marshall
The Sixth Form College Solihull • Large Sixth Form College, 2600 students • 40% EMA, 25-30% Widening Participation • Majority study Level 3 courses (51 on Lvl 2) • Approximately 238 staff (fte) • 18 academic departments in 4 divisions • Each Department has an ILT Champion with approximately 30 hrs a year remission.
What did I set out to achieve and why?- The rationale for embedding a whole organisation approach to the use of technology Invigorate the ILT Champions, an under-utilised resource. Re-Focus the ILT Champions on Teaching and Learning. Create mini-PDAs in every department. Support ILT Champions to create and manage PDA projects. Share best practice, experience, skills and ideas. Develop a whole college training plan for ILT. Start a strategic review of ILT across the college.
What was already in place, what has been developed and how? Invigorate the ILT Champions, an under-utilised resource. The how? My enthusiasm Leadership support Enthusiasm for IT in the Champions £2000 bought a good lunch Outstanding trainer who really influenced the planning of the day. (Peter Shaw) Used as a spring board for change. One day, off-site, training event for Champions on project and coaching skills (outside trainer), to develop department PDAs. Best practice shared and a ‘community’ promoted 5 ILT Champion meetings in the college calendar. New role description agreed for ILT Champions / PDAs. Formal project proposals produced by departments, to target T&L. The ILT Champions feed into a whole college review of T&L and have become a consultative body for a strategic review of ILT.
How are we harnessing and developing the role of the PDA and the impact that this is having? • Each PDA is developing a project focused on T&L and the department action plan. • PDA’s will evaluate the impact of their project on learning. • Best practice and new ideas are being shared through show and tell type activities at the start of each meeting (interactive white boards, Play Station, Turn-it-in, Quizzes, for example). • Gadgets showcased. • PDA’s delivered training on the use of a new Individual Learning Plan (ILP) package to their teams in the first week of term. • PDAs are influencing the strategic review of ILT • PDAs focused on leading ILT, not doing if for someone else. Best practice and new ideas are being shared, for eg. through show and tell type activities at the start of each meeting. PDAs are influencing the strategic review of ILT PDAs focused on leading ILT, not doing if for someone else.
What is going well, how do we know this and what needs to be addressed next? Whole day training was a great success. Huge advance in team spirit, enthusiasm for ILT, confidence in role and the skills/ability/support to deliver something valuable. Pockets of excellent progress on team projects. Staff and student feedback. Pockets of apathy, in some cases teams with other priorities. ILT has leapt up the college strategic agenda (linked to changes in my role). Student Voice The ILT meetings are performing well, but the IT Training strategy has been overtaken by a new ‘Teaching and Learning Group’. The college did not have a Learning Strategy, and this group is developing this new agenda. ILT is an important part of this work but it is not featuring in the two January 2010 inset days.
Two top tips for PDA’s embarking on this journey. • Reduce the scale of your project and your expectations. Be realistic, achieve a success and build upon this. • Gain the support of middle managers as well as the college leadership team. • Focus on learning, not IT.
