JISC

The project has now completed. The final report is available from the bottom of the page.

Since 2005, The Sheffield College (TSC) has been exploring with Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) the development of a fully online taught Foundation Degree in eCommunications. This would provide progression opportunities for hundreds of learners who have already studied English and Communications in a fully online taught environment at TSC since 2001 and who have the potential to study at degree level. These are some of the most hard to reach adult learners in the UK. They are mainly shift-workers, people with disabilities, single parents and / or parents with small children, carers, people with mental health issues; they are all people who failed to achieve at school and are unable to attend traditional college provision for a variety of reasons.

The project is concerned with the exploration and implementation of the technologies that will enrich and personalise the learning experience and also enhance the work based learning experience for students. Many students will be shift-workers who need to access work experience in their work place; a significant number will be home bound and work experience must be found via the internet for them. The utilisation of the technologies to provide online careers guidance and home based employment opportunities on the internet will also be explored.

Aims and objectives

The overall aim of the project is to develop the technical infrastructure for the development and delivery of a foundation degree in eCommunications that supports flexibility, diversity and employment opportunities and vocational guidance. Technology will be a means to deliver this online course to any adult who can benefit from it at any point in their life in a form and time that is appropriate to their situation.

Objectives will be to:

• use technology to offer work-based learning, including online work-based learning that qualifies and prepares students for real job opportunities and/ or enables them to progress to a third, final year of study to complete a BA degree at SHU if they wish
• evaluate the effectiveness of technology in assisting and enriching the process of delivering online learning
• evaluate the students’ experience of the first year of this online foundation degree
• disseminate project findings within the JISC community and more widely. This would include offering the online foundation degree as a model for use or further development
• introduce new technologies for e-assessment and communication. A range of the following will be incorporated into the course:
  
  • TSC’s content management system, hosted by 'mysheffcol'
  • an open source forum, used for course communication.
  • an open source hosted wiki solution, forum for external communication.
  • a wiki, to replace the traditional course handbook
  • a wiki and a blog for work based learning

  Project methodology

  There would be four phases to the proposed project:

  1. Completion of a detailed project plan that maps the relationship between what is taught and the technologies used for communication in a range of social, educational and  vocational situations.. Establishment of project management. (Mar to Apr 2007)
  2. Course content to be placed onto TSC's intranet; appropriate technological solutions will be adopted and integrated with content in preparation for a January 2008 course start. (Apr to Dec 2007)
  3. The effectiveness of the technology integrated into the course and used to deliver the course will be the subject of the pilot year. Jan 2008 to Dec 2008
  4. Completion of the course and project evaluation (both formative and summative). Completion of final report and dissemination. (by Mar 2009)

Anticipated impact

We intend to create an infrastructure for the delivery of a foundation degree in e Communications that supports flexibility and diversity. Technologies will be selected for their potential to enhance social interaction, collaboration, to provide opportunities for the inclusion of multi media, to support work based learning opportunities and provide vocational guidance. Many of the learners will be on the margins of education and employment. Their tutors will become more confident in their ability to push e Learning boundaries in managing and facilitating e Learning in a new and more advanced context. The results and outcomes therefore have relevance to the wider JISC communities, tutors and employers.

Lead institution

• The Sheffield College

Project partners

• Sheffield Hallam University