Last week I attended a joint QAA / Jisc event at the University of Southampton about embedding digital literacies in higher education. It was a valuable event that offered plenty of opportunities to hear from learning and teaching experts, and network with colleagues from other UK HEIs.The QAA hosted the event and kicked it off with a short introduction to parts of the The Quality Code that relate to digital literacies. They asked some thought provoking questions about how organisations support and lead the way in the development of student and staff digital literacies. How are they assessed? Are teaching staff equipped enough in their knowledge and skills to be confident in their use of technology in their teaching. These are all questions that the Educational Technology team can help to answer. One of our main responsibilities and interests lay in researching good practice in these areas, and coming up with ways that Falmouth can tackle answering these questions. This event was part of that research; I heard case studies from Brighton, Southampton, Oxford Brookes and Trinity Laban about how they are promoting digital literacies at their institutions.Mark touched on the Jisc digital capabilities project in his Lens on… series post about digital literacies the other week, and I also heard from Helen Beetham at this event about Jisc’s work. Helen spoke about how, first of all, they are trying to move away from the term ‘literacies’ towards ‘capabilities’ and I like that they’re doing this. It is more representative of what is being achieved through building digital skills. The project is running 2014-2016.So far they have built a framework consisting of 6 elements that describe the skills needed by staff in a range of academic, administrative and professional roles. It is intended to provide a structure to help users understand what they’re aiming for, and the types of tools that can used or developed to support them. Digital Capability Framework, JiscThe case studies I then heard about helped to put the framework into context for me throughout the day. First of all, we heard from Fiona Handley about the University of Brighton’s impressive Digital Literacies Framework which was built as a response to an institutional goal relating to ‘digital transformation’ in 2012 and has continually evolved since. It has been developed for staff and students at Brighton to guide them through a series of items on which they can reflect; including research, communication and collaboration, administration and learning and teaching specific skills. It is included as part of their PGCHE programme.We then heard from Fiona Harvey from University of Southampton about the iChamps, or DigiChamps, project at Southampton. A network of multidisciplinary students from Undergraduates to Postgraduates who work with all staff, including academics at the University on initiatives relating to developing digital skills. They are guided and supported by a network of Student Champions who oversee how they work, and ensure academic rigour. Students can put themselves forward to become an iChamp, and staff can choose who they work with. iChamps build up a portfolio of evidence through their work with staff and can achieve digital badges to evidence their achievement through the iChamp scheme.Next up was George Roberts from Oxford Brookes who gave an enlightening overview of their approach to developing digital literacies. They have combined Digital and Information Literacy skills into the Brookes Taxonomy of Digital and Information Literacies. Within this taxonomy there are three digital and three information literacy skills; some of which are centred around being confident in navigating your way around technology, and your engagement in activities involving digital tools for reflection, recording learning and collaborating. And some of which are centred around building confidence in your ability to choose appropriate actions and strategies to obtain information, assessing if it is actually what you’re looking for, and applying and/or communicating it effectively.And last but not least Louise Jackson from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance gave us an overview of how the Arts focused institution has taken an effective approach to embedding digital literacies outside of the creative space, but maintained a more traditional approach within the studio. Dance students have been using blogs to reflect on their work and plan using post-its and transferring that to digital format. It sounds like it would be duplicating, but they find it effective. Louise described their approach as building trust through communities of practice with the students:"Embodied experience of writing is different to digital upload: this matters to dance students"Staff have been encouraged to develop their skills through the attainment of HEA fellowship and skills development is aligned to the UKPSF.There was a discussion session at the end of the day and we talked about the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). I don’t think anyone would disagree with me when I say that the introduction of the TEF will impact the expectations that students and anyone else that should have an opinion will be arriving with. So it’s time to start thinking about how that impacts on our own skills and how they can be developed and/or re-purposed to create excellent learning experiences for the students… amongst other things.Overall the day was a valuable learning experience, and it was great to see some old and new faces. I have come away from it with some ideas for Falmouth, so if you’re interested in getting involved in your own, your team’s or department’s development of digital skill/literacies/capabilities then do get in touch.

In this series of articles, the Educational Technology team will be providing an insight into existing practice using technology for learning and teaching at Falmouth University and also at projects being undertaken within the wider HE sector. Our previous articles have looked at the process of Feedback, Open Education, Assessment and Digital Literacy.The term ‘Blended Learning’ is interpreted in various ways depending on the practitioner that you are talking to. A good definition is that it is learning that takes advantage of the best of both physical and digital learning environments. As a result, open-ended activities take place which engage the learner and enables them to control their own learning in a directed setting, alongside face-to-face interaction with their tutors and peers, and structured activities which are focused and purposeful (Schmidt, 2007). There are a lot of pedagogic and instructional models and theories of learning that are adapted to describe teaching and learning processes and facilitate ‘blended learning’. Applying these into the process of designing learning in both digital and physical environments results in excellent learning experiences for your students.It isn’t always as simple as that though. There are many modes of learning when you consider mobile, social and personal, synchronous and asynchronous, online, face-to-face etc. Sometimes the student’s learning preference doesn’t co-exist harmoniously with the style of teaching; so formalising, or structuring the delivery of teaching and combining it with a flexible approach to learning gives the student the flexibility to learn in a way that is effective for them; but be guided by purposeful and meaningful learning activities.If your course/module is due for a re-design, or yet to be designed, then we would recommend that you talk to us about good practice that is already proved to be highly effective in the field.The Hybrid Learning Model developed by the University of Ulster combines events that take place during the learning cycle and suggests a clear approach to applying each event into practice. The model brings together 8 learning events model developed by LabSET, University of Liège (Verpoorten et al, 2006), and Sue Bennett from the University of Wollongong’s 30 verbs, to focus the mind on the human element of learning and teaching and the interactions between participants in the learning process. The CAIeRO process, used as an essential part of validation and periodic subject review at the University of Northampton, takes teaching teams through a set of six stages (listed below). The workshops are participant-centred, and are facilitated by Learning and Teaching experts.Blueprint: for the course or module - a revised and agreed spec.Storyboard: The storyboard incorporates any face-to-face and online components (synchronous and asynchronous), aligned to the learning outcomes and assessment.Prototyping: We design specific elements of the storyboard. Not content, but what learners are expected to do with it (activities and assessments).Reality checking: Students are invited to review the team’s work and feed back any changes.Review and adjust: We take those suggestions on board and modify things accordingly.Action Plan: Participants commit to specific actions by certain dates, which will be reviewed at the follow-up session.Institute of Learning and Teaching, University of Northampton, 2015Take a look through participants’ reflections on the CAIeRO process at Northampton on their LearnTech team blog.Embedding the Hybrid Learning Model into CAIeRO (mashed up with other teaching and learning models throughout the six stages) is a great way to make sure that those excellent learning experiences I mentioned above are created, and that they are delivered in a blended environment. So, essentially, Blended Learning is mixing two or more modes of learning together - like face-to-face sessions and an online lecture - and designing an activity that will help the student to take part in them, create meaningful pieces of learning that they can digest, and can reflect on to consolidate it all. The CAIeRO model’s early days actually started as the Carpe Diem model from University of Leicester (now called the 7Cs of Learning Design Workshop). CAIeRO has been adapted over a number of years, and successfully used in a variety of disciplines ranging from hands on sciences, health and education to fine art and performing arts (plus many more!). During the research for this post, I discovered that the original Carpe Diem model was used at Falmouth with MA Professional Writing back in 2008 as part of the original CHEETAH project with Leicester and 5 other UK HEIs.The Educational Technology team are here to help you with the design stage of course development, as well as implementing it into the Learning Space, or the most appropriate technology to facilitate it. Get in touch to have a chat about setting up a session for your course or module.ReferencesVerpoorten, D., Poumay, M., Leclercq, D. (2006), The 8 Learning Events Model: a Pedagogic Conceptual Tool Supporting Diversification of Learning Methods. Interactive Learning Environments [e-journal] 15(2). Available at: <http://hdl.handle.net/2268/10129> Schmidt, J.T. (2007), Preparing Students for Success in Blended Learning Environments: Future Oriented Motivation and Self-Regulation. Ph.D, LMU München: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. Available at:  <https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/6561> [Accessed 16/10/2015].

In this series of articles, the Educational Technology team will be providing an insight into existing practice using technology for learning and teaching at Falmouth University and also at projects being undertaken within the sector. The student experience is increasingly mediated through use of technology; timetabling systems, online learning, Student Information Systems, Customer Relationship Management software, mobile devices… all things that staff and students will need to engage with in one form or other to navigate their way through life at University. ‘Digital Wellbeing’ is concerned with exploring and improving these interactions in a personal and social context. Social media tools are incredibly useful and popular in teaching and learning, but are often built around a Culture of Participation; the more ‘likes’ you get the more influential you are. This in turn exacerbates the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) - if you’re not connected then you’re not part of the crowd. Some technologies are designed to help us improve our wellbeing; running trackers, calorie counters, sleep timers all attempt to provide us with feedback based on quantifying our day to day activity, but do they in themselves enhance our wellbeing? Technology proliferation and a participation culture within the HE sector, can lead to increasing anxiety amongst students and staff, so there is an increasing need for the individual and the institution to recognise and makes steps to mitigate this. JISC/NUS’s Student Experience Benchmarking Tool can be a great conversation starter in this area; note where you are on the scale of First Steps to Outstanding and plan to improve. Some courses at Falmouth University are addressing this head on by encouraging group discussion around stress and anxiety; there are various signs up inviting people to meditation groups and the University promote both internal wellbeing services and external Talking Therapies like BE|ME. A recent #LTHEChat that explored Digital Wellbeing asked participants to reflect on technology that enhanced their wellbeing, many focused on social connectivity that isn’t restricted by place/time and the ability to share. In thinking about how technology detracted from this, answers centred around not being able to ‘switch off’, being ‘all over the place’ and a saturation of ‘info’ and ‘spam’ that could be considered digital noise. So how do we manage our digital wellbeing? Suggestions from the chat were to set time boundaries for checking social media, literally switch off devices and step outside the bubble of your own technology use. It is also important to encourage discussion and development of our digital capabilities and as JISC/NUS suggest, provide space for self-reflection. Falmouth’s Student Union have identified ‘Mental Health Support’ in their Top10 issues for 2015/16 and have also established a ’Green Living’ project and ‘Digital Detox Series’. These events focus on removing oneself from the day to day technology and engage in outdoor making and horticultural activities as a means to improve wellbeing. The series was organised by a recent graduate who I had the opportunity to ask about the concept of Digital Wellbeing. He talked about access to the internet, movies and online games as "another layer of insulation from the outside world, a further excuse to stay indoors." and "a constant stream of stimulation, rendering anything outside of a virtual world boring." He acknowledged the benefits of online learning and video/audio chats, but said that above all the means of technology to play music was one thing they couldn’t be without. I also talked to a member of academic staff, who saw the benefits of technology in making you feel connected and providing avenues of accessibility, which chimes with the #LTHEchat. She also mentioned the negative impacts that mobile technology can have on our physical health, such as carrying the items, using the items incorrectly and sharing workstations adding "Right now, my laptop is on my knee and I am looking down at the screen. That can lead to a form of whiplash but in slow motion - accreting over the years." As working online is such a part of our daily lives, we’re often using the internet as a distraction instead of taking time away from the screen. A common theme was that access to online stuff can "suck you in", so techniques that break tasks up such as Pomodoro can be useful. Our staff member has introduced "an early morning switch off policy - going for a walk/run instead…I feel better for it". They suggested that less or better use of email could aid wellbeing, but although this has been discussed over a number of years, it remains hard to implement. It’s fantastic to see this concern being raised at national and institutional level and the JISC/NUS tool leaves us with an important consideration regarding implementation: "Most of the ‘outstanding’ practices involve staff and students working in partnership. The partnership needs to be meaningful in order to work, which means that both groups must listen, recognise each others’ skills and resources, and be willing to compromise. "

Over one billion people, 15% of the world’s population, live with some form of disability. Removing barriers to their participation creates a better world for all. December 3rd, marks the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities and this year’s theme centres around inclusion. The Equality Act 2010 asks us to make reasonable adjustments for disbaled people. With this is in mind, the Educational Technology Team have put together a set of good practice principles that staff can factor into their Learning Space module design. Involve a diverse groups of learners in the design of your online module to provide feedback and advice and help you iterate. Provide multimedia alternatives to text; close captioned videos, audio and supportive visuals can break learning into chunks. Provide a contextual description for the files you upload. Your Learning Space is your voice guiding learners through the module. Test your content using some of the accessibility features of popular browsers and devices Chrome, Apple, Windows, Firefox, Android. Read More. JISC have a range of resources published around the areas of disability, accessibility and special educational needs We’d encourage you to pick one or two of these and act on them to recognise today’s international effort.

…this was one of the most frequent questions I was asked when I was working as an eLearning Adviser for the North West Regional Support Centre (Sadly no longer with us). You only have to look on Twitter, Google+, Scoop.it, LinkedIn etc., to see FE & Skills stakeholders, doing a lot of talking about: blended […]

The world of Virtual Reality may seem either an expensive possibility for training providers, or a mere gimmick. However with the release of Google Cardboard this offers low cost, immersive ways to engage learners. This device costs under £25 so it is cheap enough to experiment with and with Google reporting that over 1 million devices […]

Roll up, roll up - become an Apprentice, you know it makes sense because everyone says so. Well that rather depends! In my opinion it depends primarily on the quality controls of the Learning Providers, the relationship they have with employers and the skills and dedication of the personnel meeting the needs of all concerned. […]

What does it take to get FE & Skills off the fence? The word on the street, blogs, forums etc. Is that the use of technology to deliver teaching, learning and assessment is not as high as one would believe possible. Now this may come as a surprise to some, what with it being fifteen years […]

For several years my role has been known as an eLearning Adviser, or is it e-Learning Adviser? With or without the hyphen it is an unhelpful title as it means different things to different organisations and to coin a phrase initiated by Craig Taylor several years ago - when are they going to take the […]

…or ideas on how to improve your video presentations. From guest writer Ian Gallacher: In a previous life I ran a film production company in London, starting around the time of film cutting rooms, optical effects, screening rooms in Wardour Street, video was edited on 2" tape and uMatic cassettes - VHS had only just […]

What does the future hold for education? From guest writer Phil Parker. The pace of change in education makes it hard to imagine what life will be like in our schools and colleges five years from now, in 2020. Yet that was the purpose of The Horizon Report 2014 where the views of 850 international […]

During a week of disturbing headlines for education, the article Public Accounts Committee to look at FE ‘financial meltdown’ caught my eye, relating as it does to the ongoing saga of FE college finances. Including a reference to the report by the National Audit Office (NAO), which in July stated that the ‘financial health of the FE college […]

From guest writer: Judy Bloxham. China is the fastest growing economy in the world despite some of the recent economic setbacks. It is a country of new wealth and an odd mix of private initiatives and state control. A country of paradoxes, where all around you see the ubiquitous smart phones, yet long cultural traditions […]

There appears to be an upsurge of interest in the use of technology in blended learning, even I am engaged in a MOOC at this time and whilst it may not be high on the list of staff development for many, I thought it appropriate to refresh my page of ‘tools’  to see if former favourites […]

Creating teaching materials that are more engaging is at last being recognised by the majority of teaching staff as the right thing to do and to most of us its equally essential to make the resulting courses accessible to students and learners inside and out of a classroom on demand and available on the learners […]

From guest writer John Dalziel. Just over 2 years ago, in one of my podcasts, I asked this question… "What has a Mallard got in common with, using New and Emerging Technologies?" At that time, before I retired, feedback from workshops, face-2-face and online sessions told me that most delegates had engaged with the amazing […]

But it took a lot longer than that for so many learning providers to become ‘less than good’. Over the past seven (ok ten) days a minority of organisations in the FE & Skills sector and in particular colleges, have through publications and articles come under severe criticism for the decline in performance of leadership […]

With most firms facing fierce competition in global markets, frequent organisational change - both large and small - is the norm. And yet by some estimates, two out of three change initiatives don’t achieve their intended goals. In an attempt to improve the chances of success, organisations are increasingly told to focus on the "soft" side of change: leadership style, corporate culture and employee motivation.

As organisations cast a wider net for opportunities in turbulent, global markets, managing the unexpected has become the new norm. Despite adopting more sophisticated technologies, data sets, tools and processes to cope, firms are more dependent than ever on hiring and developing key talents to innovate, build resilience, and navigate the unknown.

Why do some organisations repeatedly bring brilliant innovations to fruition, while others flounder and fail? On the surface, these innovation leaders seem infallible - but the truth is that even they fail sometimes too. However, they understand one thing more clearly than firms that repeatedly miss the mark: what matters more than great ideas is what you do with them.

As senior executives grapple with the size, pace and complexity of modern organisations, it’s their job to stay abreast of all the important matters and developments going on around them. To make the best decisions, executives need to be masters at acquiring, organising, and applying useful knowledge - whilst filtering out the noise.

Like products and services, management innovations have their own lifecycle: they’re new and exciting at first, but their decline is inevitable. In their prime, they may be perfectly relevant - but this can’t last as situations and environments change over time.

I love winning! It doesn’t matter what I’m playing: Words with Friends, Bejeweled, Candy Crush, or Trivia Crack. I accept invitations to games from friends and "community matches" - I’m not selective. I don’t even have to be competing against another person. I just love winning! And I’m not the only one. Millions of people engage in all forms of competition daily: sports, video games, computer games, cribbage - and the list goes on. It’s in our nature. So it makes sense to use competition in the classroom to generate engagement.

Let’s say you’ve just finished updating a New Hire curriculum and need to roll out the training content to your trainers in the field. Although the training is not completely new, there are several updates to the content, and your trainers need to be comfortable with the updates before they go into the classroom. How do you present these updates to your trainers? What’s the best way to present a "train-the-trainer" (TTT) session in this scenario? Do you even need a TTT session?