JISC

Aims and objectives

The overall aim of this project is to develop the materials, skills and procedures to support effective use of e-assessment and reporting, in particular to:

• develop FEC academic tutors as practitioners with confidence and skills in managing and facilitating e-learning in contexts of HE in FE and e-assessment utilising different teaching strategies as appropriate to the learners circumstances to:
  • provide easy access to high quality, flexible learning materials and demonstrate how e learning technologies can employed successfully in FEC colleges delivering HE
  • develop effective and responsive e-learning policies specifically the engagement of employers in the e assessment process through the development of an employer reporting system for work-based students.
  • develop a set of formative and summative e-assessment materials which are flexible to meet the needs of the work based learner and their requirement for personalised learning.
  • engage students through the use of e-learning technologies for learning and assessment allowing students to access opportunities at work and placing value on these opportunities.
  • develop a web-services based reporting system for Rolls-Royce which can be used by other employers.
  • provide opportunities for Academics and Employers to share knowledge about the student/employer in relation to the student’s work situation.
  • consider the technological and cultural issues in a practical manner and manage the engagement and use of innovative e-learning technologies from the stand point of the employer and develop solutions to practical issues that arise (e.g. security)

Project methodology

The project will be based on a cohort of engineering students who are employed by Rolls Royce and who are studying at Derby College. The online platform will in the first instance be Moodle and the assessment materials will be developed from existing assessments using a range of online tools including internal Moodle modules. There are three distinct stages to the development work

• Stage 1 Requirements Gathering, Staff Development and Production of Trial Assessments Identifying learner and employer needs and a range of appropriate e-assessment and reporting tools
• Stage 2 Implementation of Trial Assessments and Reporting Methodology and Evaluation Developing and implementing e-assessment materials which can be contextualized by learners so that they can use evidence from within the workplace, this will also involve examining and supporting the training needs of local delivery staff. Developing and implementing an effective web-service based reporting system that meets the needs of Rolls Royce
• Stage 3 Roll Out. Refinement of the model based on the Stage 2 evaluation Rollout to a larger cohort, further employers and an associate college. These to be agreed based on market needs and learner uptake which vary considerably from year to year.

Anticipated impact

Whilst online learning technologies are now commonly available within Further Education institutions, the uptake by teaching staff and the opportunities to address learner and employer needs via the technology have not as yet become mainstream. The project will provide the Further and Higher Education community with further understanding of how the technology can meet these objectives and how they might be implemented. The project will build capacity, knowledge and skills in the use of e-learning within the academic learning community and the wider community of employers and learners. It will also provide informed feedback on development of e-assessment, employer reporting, and culture change.

Lead institution

• Derby College 

Project partners

• Rolls Royce