SHAPING EXCELLENCE A LEARNER CENTERED APPROACH
PRESENTED BY: GMIoT and partners
12th December 2024
AGENDA
• Welcome and introductions
• The IoT Student – why does it matter?
• What does excellence look like?
• Learner Journey : Workshop Taster
• Making it work for you - Clarifying the vision and mission: Jane Nickisson, Reaseheath College
• Making it work for you – identifying and sharing best practice Employer led curriculum design: Linda Dean Blackpool & Fylde College
• Learner Experience – Statement of intent
• Developing Quality Standards
• GMIoT project Toolkit
• Plenary and Thanks
GMIOT STUDENT@ COLLEGE A
• How would a learner know that they were a GMIoT student?
• Why does it matter?
WHY IT MATTERS
WHAT DID WE SAY WE WOULD DO?
• Contract requires us to deliver the programmes and activities as described in applications part 1 & 2
• Institutes of Technology mission
• Provides purpose for continuing engagement by our partners
• ‘Right thing to do’
•Work closely with local and national employers
•Access state-of-the-art, industry-standard equipment and technologies
•Gain qualifications and training that have been developed with respected industry partners
•Learn from expert teaching staff with a wealth of industry experience
•Benefit from highly supported courses and apprenticeships
•Learn a host of employability skills while boosting their technical knowledge
•Be confident that the skills gained meet the needs of industry
GMIOT STARTING POINT
• Shared vision
• Learner centred approach
• Common course and experience attributes
• Student sense of identity
• Goal of enhancing enjoyment and employability
• An ethos of continuous improvement
GMIOT EXPECTATIONS
• Courses are expected to be reviewed every 12 months by employers to ensure that the curriculum is aligned to industry needs
• There needs to be a minimum of 1 assessment per year that is an employer project / scenario based
• Sufficient skill based / practical learning timetabled
• Employer engagement activity to take place within the first 2 weeks of the year e.g. Guest Speaker
• Minimum number of other visits/trips to be attended
• Support / transition learning in place
• Support for key employability skills, with 2024/25’s theme being sustainability
• Promotion of student activities and events through all courses & institutions e.g. Student Conference to be promoted and attended
• Student Case Study referrals to be made for interview/filming to promote the IoT and the course
GMIOT CENTRAL STUDENT COURSE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME
GMIoT Student Conference
Breakout Session
one
WHAT DOES EXCELLENCE LOOK
LIKE IN HIGHER TECHNICAL (AND TECHNICAL)
EDUCATION AND HOW CAN THE IOT ADD VALUE TO THE LEARNER EXPERIENCE?
GMIOT STUDENT @ COLLEGE A Student Experience & Quality Framework
• What makes an IoT student Experience distinctive?
• Is it possible to create a universal entitlement?
• What would support continuous improvement and achievement of a distinctive student experience?
PARTNERS
• Gatsby – funded the research element
• Lancashire & Cumbria IoT
• Cheshire and Warrington IoT
• Yorkshire & Humberside IoT – withdrew due to internal changes
• Birmingham & Solihull IoT – late join Methodology
• Student Experience workshops
• Individual discussions
• Review of student and employer case studies
STEP 1: LEARNER JOURNEY WORKSHOPS
Prior to application – Raising aspirations, changing perceptions, initial advice and guidanceinformation and activity
Enrolment and application – support, advice and guidance, pre-enrolment activity, flexibility (late arrival?)
Welcome and induction – sense of belonging, transition into higher level learning, diagnostic and support for behaviour for learning (digital and face to face)
On programme – Curriculum Design –designing for excellence, coherent course and wider programme
On programme – Innovative Assessment –design and implementation
ALS – integrated and specific throughout the learner journey
Positive Outcomes – Good job, lifelong learning
BREAK OUT SESSION TWO : WORKSHOP TASTER
What does excellence look like, for a student?
Clarifying our vision and mission
Jane Nickisson Dean of Higher Education Reaseheath College and University Centre
Background
Workshop objectives
Workshop objectives
Workshop outcomes and next steps
Workshop objectives
Lancashire and Cumbria IOT
Commenced delivery September 2023
Year 1 activity 950 learners in the cohort
Focus: Digital: Health: Engineering
Evidence Base
We ensure businesses get the talent they need to thrive, we also support individuals with their careers, whether they are starting out or moving on.
“
Our Learner Offer
Moving Forward
LEARNER ENTITLEMENT OR LEARNER EXPERIENCE – STATEMENT OF INTENT
No ‘One Size Fits All’
The geographical, cultural diversity and social context in which the IoT is located, and the wider education and skills agenda in the region.
Positive aspects in the diversity and inclusive nature of students on L4/L5 courses and programmes – what these students bring to the sector.
The sector and subject area and the cultural, social, and professional/academic context, particularly the expectations and cultural context of the workplace and the professions the course/programme aligns to
And the programme type whether long course, short course or apprenticeship
The risk of inconsistency and CMA or Ofsted / OfS procedures
LEARNER EXPERIENCE – STATEMENT OF INTENT
• Well-designed, ambitious and enjoyable courses and programmes and accredited higher technical qualifications that are valued by employers and prepare you well to progress into higher-level “good” jobs and/or higher-level learning
Clear information advice and guidance, prior to entry to your course or programme, through a range of information and activities. To help you to consider and plan your own learning journey into and through higher technical education, whatever your starting point and aspirations
A learning experience that improves and develops the wider professional and personal skills you need for higher level job roles and lifelong higher-level learning
Support for you to overcome any barriers which might get in the way of your learning, with flexible personalised options that enable you to balance learning with work and wider responsibilities
LEARNER EXPERIENCE – STATEMENT OF INTENT
Multiple opportunities, throughout your course or programme, to work with a range of employers, including those in your locality to enable you to develop the professional, high-level technical and wider skills needed to be successful in your chosen career pathway
High quality digitally enabled environments, with cutting edge industry standard equipment, that enables you to gain hands-on experience and technical skills to support you to progress directly into industry
Teachers and support staff who are skilled education professionals with high level and relevant industry knowledge in their sector/subject area who can support you to develop your own professional practice, industry knowledge and higher-level skills
Opportunity for you to reflect on and give feedback on your learning experience to help us to ensure we deliver high quality courses/programmes that are of high value to you and others
Support to progress your own career pathway to higher level jobs and/or
COMFORT BREAK
Time to re-read the Student Experience Statement of Intent over a cup of tea
15 minutes
SHARING OF VIEWS
Use the Chat facility to air your views:
• Would a learner Experience statement of intent be a useful tool for your IoT?
• How could a Learner Experience statement be used?
• Is the proposed version broad enough to embrace your entire provision but specific enough to be worthwhile?
• What would you change?
• What do you like about it?
• Is there something missing?
• Has it a use on a national basis?
• What else?
QUALITY STANDARDS A FRAMEWORK FOR
FROM
EXEMPLAR TO GROWING GOOD PRACTICE
Luke Harrison
University of Salford
Curriculum Lead for L4/L5
Portfolio
“In GMIoT strategic engagement with employers is now also directly impacting on the experience of students. For example, at the University of Salford the chair of the Industry Advisory Board Chair (Director of a large digital media company) facilitated and supported the co-design and codelivery of a new HN in Social Media Content Creation, providing a member of staff to work with tutors to co-design,
PROJECT OUTCOMES :TOOLKIT
• Student Experience Project report
The project report includes many examples and ideas of practice that has / is proving successful in enhancing the student experience and the quality of courses and delivery
• Learner Experience Statement of Intent
Provides an aspirational goal that IoTs may wish to translate into a set of minimum requirements for the provider to deliver
• Quality Framework & Self-Assessment Review Tool
The quality framework together with the Excel spreadsheet assessment tool enables self-assessment of quality and promotes continuous improvement
• Student Experience Workshop Resources
PowerPoint, guidance for the deliverer, recording templates etc . This workshop was found to be highly effective in terms of bringing people together to really focus on what an IoT sets out to deliver and reach a common understanding and vision for the unique student experience
NEXT STEPS GMIOT
Create more opportunities for teachers, support staff, course and senior leaders to reflect on thematic challenges, share best practice and develop applied learning pedagogical practice (dual professionalism), in the design and delivery of higher technical education.
Develop a more robust series of mechanisms to determine student reaction to an enhanced student experience and use feedback to build on the marketing and outreach approaches that appear to be most effective.
Seek to determine the matrices for Higher Technical Education determining the data sets required to more clearly define who are and where are the current and potential students for this educational pathway, to understand progression and destinations and to monitor the impact of IoT activity, including the impact of a distinctive enhanced student experience, on student recruitment and success
Develop a strategic approach to build employer demand for Higher Technical Educated individuals that provides line of sight to work and increases the volume of higher apprenticeships and number of roles specifically advertised and recruited at level 4/5.
NEXT STEPS
• Has this workshop encouraged you to re-visit your IoT mission and the student experience
• Are you likely to use the workshop materials
• Are you interested in working together to continue sharing practice and new ideas
• Do you think the IoT network could or should adopt a common statement of intent for the student experience
