Designing learning and assessment in a digital age

Ulster University has used analytics to bring forward the timescale for re-approval of programmes which fall below the institutional or sector average. An example is benchmarking programme outcomes against the sector average for student employment.

The process may be prompted by analytics but it is still a positive one. Staff are encouraged to view any early re-approval and revalidation as a design opportunity that will bring improvements for themselves and their students.

“A new design is likely to bring about better results so it makes sense to concentrate on programmes identified by analysing this kind of data.”
Paul Bartholomew, pro-vice chancellor (education), Ulster University

A dashboard application at Salford City College illustrates at a glance how staff are supporting their students with digital learning. This data enables the college to suggest more cost-effective ways of delivering the curriculum.

One of the college’s seven strategic aims is to develop a quality and performance management system that measures the impact of digital learning, provides data that can feed into individual learning plans and enables early intervention when students are at risk.

The college is also considering setting key performance indicators for staff to inform the college’s continuing professional development programme (CPD). Achievement rates from a badge system for digital capabilities is already collated and published for staff in the college’s VLE, Canvas.

“The college is still on a journey towards a fully digital approach to learning and teaching, but the potential is there. We have at least made a start by showing staff how analytics can make a difference to the way they work.”
Deborah Millar, formerly director for digital learning and information technology services, Salford City College

University of Huddersfield staff are asked to bring average marks from their assignments along to staff development workshops. This helps reveal patterns such as ‘assignment bunching’ when too many assignments are set in the same time period. Interrogating the data has also shown that marks achieved at the end of the year can be 10% lower than at other times.

The university’s work on analytics was aided by a project in 2013 which explored use of assessment data to improve student performance. Its recommendation was that assessment analytics play an important part in learning and teaching, but students need support in interpreting data about their performance.

“Assessment and feedback is a highly emotive and therefore a sensitive issue for students…. Simply providing the data in the form of a dashboard is unlikely to be effective unless students are offered training in its interpretation and accessible strategies to act upon it.”
Evaluating the Benefits of Electronic Management (EBEAM) project report (pdf), University of Huddersfield

Working in partnership with students to evaluate and enhance the student experience is at the heart of the University of Lincoln’s philosophy. Partnership initiatives at the university include work shadowing between students and the executive team, student representation on interview panels and appointing engagement champions. 

The student engagement team also research into the impact of digital learning to better understand what kind of approach works best. Inspired by our report What makes a successful online learner? Jasper Shotts recorded the digital habits of successful learners to develop tips for the next cohort. These activities yield data that is used to create more effective course designs in the future.

“Student digital expectations may be quite different to those of teachers so I want to do a survey on what apps students are using. There are lots of barriers to students being informed consumers in higher education and working with student representatives is a very useful way to find out what these are.”
Jasper Shotts, principal lecturer, University of Lincoln

Our Digital student project explored a wide range of students’ expectations and experiences with digital technology, including the experiences of online learners, traditional campus-based and work-based learners. Twelve learners interviewed shared their experiences on video. Jade, a trainee accountant, was one of them.

“Blended learning really helped me because I could do the work at my own pace. I could get through the course at a really quick pace which helped me because I was working at the same time as doing the course.”
Jade, a level 3 AAT (Association of Accountant Technicians) student, Bradford College

Watch the video where Jade shares her experience.

As well as making learning more effective, Scott Hayden’s embedded use of social media on the college’s creative media courses helps students become digital professionals long before they go on to employment or higher education.

“My students go on to university and apprenticeships and paid work with the skills employers want - creativity, collaboration, communication, building up a digital reputation.”
Scott Hayden, digital innovation specialist, Basingstoke College of Technology

Watch the video case study to find out more.

Edinburgh College of Art, an early adopter of the employability agenda, has embedded opportunities for its students to develop career-ready skills and graduate attributes in three ways: through assessed learning outcomes, the design of learning activities and a student-centric approach to curriculum design.

For example, by the third year of a four-year honours degree, students define and lead their own thematic project within an external real-world context. For some, this could mean a placement or study abroad. In the final year, students propose and direct their whole year of study under supervision, an approach to curriculum design that provides seamless acquisition of workplace skills and attributes. 

Read the Edinburgh College of Art case study in full (pdf).

While completing work placements, students of sports and exercise at Abertay University develop a range of additional skills and capabilities at the same time as improving their understanding of the curriculum by working on reflective e-portfolio-based tasks.

The assessment framework emphasises for students the importance of these e-portfolio elements – for example, 50% of the credits awarded on the second year placement module are for the webfolios students assemble while out on placement.

With such a weighting applied, students place value on assignments that enhance their employability by enabling them to develop the reflective and professional capabilities employers are looking for.

“It is only by integrating [e-portfolio] use in the curriculum and supporting that with 50% credit in the modules in which it is used that we made a difference to students’ capabilities as reflective professionals.”
Andrea Cameron, dean of school of social and health sciences, Abertay University

Read the Abertay University case study in full (pdf).

In the course of one year, Manchester Metropolitan University, a multi-campus university, implemented a new curriculum framework that changed the size of undergraduate modules and set limits on the number of learning outcomes and assessments.

This resulted in the need for every undergraduate module to be rewritten, reviewed, approved and set up in supporting systems and processes. At the same time, new web and mobile technologies were introduced to ensure that all students received maximum benefit from the changed curriculum.

“The ambitious scope and timescale for the project required unprecedented innovation, excellent project management, support from the highest level, and the wholehearted engagement of almost every member of MMU.”
Mark Stubbs, professor and head of learning and research technologies, Manchester Metropolitan University

Read the Manchester Metropolitan University report in full (pdf).

Forth Valley College became the first regional college in Scotland when Falkirk College merged with Clackmannan College in 2005. With campuses in Alloa, Stirling and Falkirk, its catchment extends across a broad area of central Scotland.

To ensure quality across all its provision, the college has implemented a four-year plan across all campuses which focuses on one common theme – making learning work – and  has embedded its learning and teaching goals into all quality assurance processes, from appraisal to continuing professional development (CPD).

“This mission has permeated the organisation like writing in a stick of rock. Everyone knows we are here ‘to make learning work.’”
Ken Thomson, principal and chief executive, Forth Valley College

Read the Forth Valley College case study in full (pdf).

The University of Strathclyde found that an online process for gathering curriculum information creates a single, accurate source of data that can enhance quality and approval processes. The introduction of the university’s centralised C-CAP system has also improved institutional responsiveness in a rapidly changing global market place.

“C-CAP is the first step in a move from a bureaucratically onerous design and approval process to one that is more efficient, effective and better placed to be responsive to the needs of stakeholders.”
George MacGregor, institutional repository co-ordinator, University of Strathclyde

Staffordshire University’s new digital strategy aims to transform the institution into a 'connected university'. Under its influence, the culture is changing: embedded use of digital for online teaching and learning is becoming the norm, all academic staff have been issued with Surface Pro laptops and classrooms have been refurbished to better support digital learning and teaching. The new strategy has also turned the spotlight on designing whole courses rather than individual modules.

“It is clear that the new structure and strategy will embed technology in a much more strategic way.”
Sue Lee, e-learning manager, Staffordshire University

The move to the new Waterside campus has become the catalyst for a new strategic vision for learning and teaching based on active blended learning (ABL) at the University of Northampton.

ABL involves student-centred, participative learning experiences in which blended learning and student-led activities outside the classroom are as much the norm as classroom-based activities.

“ABL is our new normal. A module that makes effective use of ABL is a ‘Waterside ready’ module. ABL is not something we do in addition to our regular teaching duties: it is our standard approach to learning and teaching.”
Professor Alejandro Armellini, dean of learning and teaching, University of Northampton

Senior managers at SWC recognised the benefit to the college of offering education and training beyond the home region, and so began a strategic drive to extend the college’s provision through distance learning. 

SWC is now on course to achieve a proportion of online delivery and assessment on all face-to-face courses. In 2016, 34 hours out of a total of 600 guided learning hours for each learner was delivered online and approximately 60 % of all vocational courses had some form of online assessment.

“Teaching staff, external verifiers and students all benefit from being able to learn and be assessed off site. Tracking student performance is automated, enabling staff to monitor and respond to at-risk students.”
Ciara Duffy, virtual services manager, South West College

Read the SWC case study in full (pdf).

In 2014, Portsmouth College launched its personal learning strategy. The timetable was radically changed and all full-time 16-18 year-old students were provided with iPad Minis to make use of the increased independent learning hours.

Combined with redesigned learning spaces and high density wifi across the campus, this stratagem has given everyone at Portsmouth College the same opportunities for anytime, anywhere learning. The college has since seen a 27% increase in student numbers.

“Rather than keeping technology on the periphery of teaching and learning, we decided to go digital to the core.”
Simon Barrable, deputy principal, Portsmouth College

Read the Portsmouth College case study in full (pdf).

Glasgow Caledonian University links its approach to curriculum design to a clear set of principles which are defined in the university’s strategy for learning 2015-2020. The eight curriculum design principles are embedded across all programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

“[Our] strategy for learning has been developed through a consultative process with staff, students, college partners and employers and is informed by international and national developments and effective practice in learning, teaching and assessment.”
Glasgow Caledonian University strategy for learning 2015-2020

Read the Glasgow Caledonian University strategy in full.

Sheffield Hallam University has developed a number of ‘design lenses’ for topics to consider when designing good learning and teaching practice. The lenses have been captured on a series of cards for use in learning design activities.

View the resources below:

• Authentic Learning Lens (pdf)
• Creativity Critical Thinking Lens (pdf)
• Inclusive Curriculum Lens (pdf)
• Learner Engagement Lens (pdf)
• Active-Lectures-Lens (pdf)
• Embedding Employability Lens (pdf)
• Assessment and Feedback Lens (pdf)

Activate Learning is an education and training group based in Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The Group places a high value on its philosophy for learning which is designed to help staff understand better what will work for them and their students. A robust, up-to-date digital environment is seen as an important means of putting the philosophy into action.

“Helping our students learn and achieve their best is at the heart of everything we do. We have developed a unique learning philosophy focused on brain, emotions and motivation to empower our learners on their journey to success.”
Activate Learning

Read the Activate Learning case study in full (pdf).

Active learning requires students to participate in their learning rather than being passive recipients of others’ knowledge, as occurs in traditional lectures or taught classes.

The advent of technology has done much to promote active learning by getting students to do a greater range of things (research, practice, discuss, present, self-assess, publish online) and by encouraging reflection about what they have done (e-portfolios, blogs, online debate or chat).

Find out more

Read University College London’s toolkit for active learning (pdf).

This model of learning is also based around the belief that learning should be active, practical and challenging rather than theoretical and passive. And as before, digital tools can play a significant role by enabling ‘close-to-real’ learning experiences in disciplines as diverse as automotive engineering and medicine.

With the focus firmly on curricula that are responsive to the needs of the labour market, authentic learning based on simulation software, virtual worlds and gaming technologies and interactive role play in online learning environments will play an increasingly important role in the future.

Find out more

Read our case study on the University of Greenwich's virtual law clinic (pdf) and our case study on S&B Autos Automotive Academy, Bristol (pdf).

Blended learning is a combination of face-to-face activities and digital tools and resources designed to deliver the best possible learning experience.

The use of learning tools can occur before, during or after a face-to-face session and support a variety of pedagogic purposes. The blended component, for example, might aim to extend the time students spend on task, develop their information literacy skills, stimulate their interest before a class, or enable them to work at their own pace afterwards.

The term suggests careful and deliberate integration of online and face-to-face activities.

More general terms used to describe the use of technology in learning include 'technology-enhanced learning', ‘e-learning’ and ‘ILT’ (information learning technology).

Find out more

• Embedding blended learning in further education and skills
• Developing blended learning content approaches
• FutureLearn: blended learning essentials courses: getting started, embedding practice and developing digital skills

Watch the Ufi Charitable Trust video on how blended learning can help your students.

Flipped learning reverses the traditional sequence of delivery by a teacher followed by reinforcement activities for students. It is sometimes called 'upside down pedagogy' or 'just in time' teaching.

In a flipped approach, students engage with selected resources – usually learning content or quizzes on the VLE – before joining a virtual or face-to-face session during which they deepen their understanding of the topic.

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is based on the investigation of questions, scenarios or problems. Teachers as facilitators help students identify issues to research to develop their knowledge and problem-solving ability. Inquiry-based learning, as a result, may contain elements of problem-based learning.

Inquiry-based learning can also form part of research-led or problem-based learning. Both approaches to learning design allow students to further their understanding of their discipline by undertaking relevant challenges and/or carrying out research of their own.

Inquiry-based and problem-based learning both entail students selecting the research methodologies and digital tools that best suit their purpose. It goes without saying that students learning this way will need a range of digital capabilities (see section on digital capability and employability).

Find out more

Watch the video where students from the University of Sheffield discuss what inquiry-based learning means to them.

Online learning has long been associated with distance learning – now largely a technology-supported mode of learning which enables students to study for qualifications without attending classes.

More and more colleges and universities have used online learning to broaden their customer base and reduce their fixed costs. And increasingly, today’s time-poor and economically challenged students have been attracted by the flexibility of online distance learning.

This mode of delivery can also enable an institution to maintain choice for students by offering low-enrolment courses or modules online.

However, the ubiquity of access students have to the internet can mask how fundamentally different an experience a wholly online model of learning can be. Both students and staff need support and training to gain the most from this mode of learning.

In general, it is best to be led by pedagogic purpose rather than the availability and appeal of particular technologies when deciding which approach to learning to adopt – see the section on principles.

Nonetheless, partial or wholly online learning increases learner responsibility and control. Students learning online develop habits of self-regulation and digital skills that support their lifelong learning.

Supporting guides

What makes a successful online learner (pdf)

Research-led learning places students in the role of researchers to enable them to experience how knowledge is developed and applied in their discipline.

Research-led students work in partnership with their lecturers to construct new forms of knowledge and to deepen their understanding.

This enables students even at undergraduate level to become immersed in the practices of their discipline. 

Find out more

Watch how University College London’s ‘connected curriculum’ asks students to participate in research and make connections between disciplines and with each other.

Team-based learning is a specific approach that can involve flipped learning and elements of inquiry/problem-based learning.

Students work in the same group over a period of time to collectively develop their understanding of core concepts and to solve problems. As in flipped learning, students engage with learning materials in advance of face-to-face sessions.

Multiple-choice questions used at the start of each session then test the knowledge of both the individual and the team. Tutors can give students immediate feedback in a type of formative assessment having assessed their readiness to move on.

Working in teams in this way helps tutors assess individuals’ progress but also enables students to develop a range of transferable skills.

Find out more

Watch how the University of Bradford’s School of Pharmacy redesigned its entire curriculum to take a team-based approach.

Work-based learning bridges the gap between formal education and training and employment by enabling students to achieve learning outcomes that are not normally possible in educational contexts. These include the acquisition of workplace skills and practices that advance their progress towards a chosen career. Work-based learning can also encompass apprenticeships (see apprenticeships section). 

Depending on the qualification and the nature of the workplace, the institution’s role will vary from providing mentorship and tutorial functions to having full responsibility for students on work placements as part of a course. Thus a work-based learning model will necessarily entail close partnership working with employers over learning outcomes, course content and assessment.

Hartpury College is a land-based college with some 4000 students and 500 staff. The college has a mission to embed digital learning across the whole of its provision.

Under a newly devised ‘Take 20’ model, individuals or small groups of staff can book a 20-minute slot with the blended learning team to obtain personalised guidance on the right pedagogy and digital tools for their needs.

To help staff understand better how digital fits into good classroom-based teaching and learning, Hartpury has also helped produce a SCORM-compliant online training package for staff: Planning for Quality Online Learning.

"Digital learning should not replace classroom-based practice but be an extension of it, enabling learners to move seamlessly in and out of digital and classroom environments." Andy Beddoe, blended learning manager, Hartpury College

The FELTAG report (pdf) challenged the further education and skills sector to achieve a 10% wholly online component in all programmes starting from September 2015.

The Heart of Worcestershire College’s Scheduled Online Learning and Assessment (SOLA) approach means the college met the FELTAG target in 2016 and is approaching 20% in a number of key areas. The SOLA model, which has been applied to all level 2 and 3 full-time programmes of study, is bringing cost benefits to the college as well as learning gains for students.

“This model has had a positive impact within the college allowing efficiency savings of over £200k per year. Success rates in the college have improved by over 11% since blended learning was first implemented.”
Peter Kilcoyne, director of ILT, Heart of Worcestershire College

Read the Heart of Worcestershire case study in full (pdf).

Believing that one of the most important roles for a college or university is preparing students for the workplace, Grimsby Institute has invested in virtual reality technology to bring a lifelike dimension to learning on a range of post-16 courses.

Membership of Jisc has helped the Institute find the right way to improve student engagement and boost attainment through a targeted selection of learning technologies. This has been followed up by guidance and support giving students and staff the confidence and digital skills to take full advantage of new technology.

Watch how Grimsby Institute embed new technologies.

The University of Northampton has created a framework of attributes its graduates should expect to achieve as a result of their studies. In 2013, the university was recognised by Ashoka UK as a ‘Changemaker Campus’—a designation that reflects its commitment to catalysing positive social change through:

• Change: doing the right things
• Self-direction: in the right way
• Collaboration: with the right people
• Positive work ethic, integrity and values: for the right reasons

The model is supported by a toolkit with practical guidance on applying the framework at different levels of learning.

Hartlepool College promotes the icould free-to-use careers website on social media to open up a dialogue with students about transitioning from learning into work.

With over 1000 video interviews available on the website, students not only gain an insight into different professions and jobs, they also discover what skills, qualifications and attributes they need to acquire while on course – and are able to assess their own attributes in relation to featured careers.

The website integrates up-to-date labour market information (LMI) from LMI for all into each video. The data sets include the likely employment or unemployment rates, pay, hours, skills and qualifications needed.

“I like the way that the videos I have watched show the narrative and complex aspects of life and career. It helps to illustrate the need for career management skills.”
Higher education adviser

In 2015, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) invested in 13 collaborative pilot projects with the aim of developing knowledge about and capacity for measuring learning gain – the distance travelled by students on degree programmes. Over 70 universities and colleges, reflecting student and sector diversity, are involved.

Understanding how to measure learning gain can help universities and colleges evaluate the effect of different teaching practices, and enable them to design learning more effectively.

“Learning gain is broadly defined as the improvement in knowledge, skills, work-readiness and personal development made by students during their time spent in higher education.”
HEFCE

At Staffordshire University, academic staff are encouraged to focus design activities on courses rather than modules. Whereas previously there were no regular meetings between course teams, a new ‘connected university’ strategy is establishing a whole-team approach to learning design.

At the same time, there has been a drive to embed technology fully into learning and teaching across the university. All academic staff have been issued with Surface Pro tablets and classroom refurbishment has contributed to a culture of digital-as-norm for teaching and learning.

The change has been supported by staff development for course leaders based on a combination of the Carpe Diem and CAIeRO approaches. Both use face-to-face workshops to facilitate dialogue and collaboration between team members.

“Nothing is really better than the opportunity to try things out in small face-to-face groups.”
Sue Lee, e-learning manager, Staffordshire University

With an established background in task-based learning, the childhood studies department at the Isle of Wight College was the natural choice for piloting Office365 Education with its 120 full-time learners and 300+ part-time learners.

Courses had previously been redesigned to give students 54 hours of timetabled independent study over the year running in parallel with face-to-face classes. Once learning objectives and targets are established in class, online weekly learning plans identify the activities students are to complete in their independent learning hours.

Redesigning the curriculum was supported by whole-department CPD sessions run over one year in conjunction with IT support to help staff take up the challenge created by independent, blended learning, including steps to ensure students ‘stay safe’ while learning online. Their experience has since inspired other departments to follow suit. 

“You have to be prepared to support [staff] fully as they make changes and play to their strengths. But now, there are no learning programmes in the college that do not have a digital presence.”
Lynne Christopher, deputy principal, The Isle of Wight College

Read the Isle of Wight case study in full (pdf).

Glasgow Caledonian University endeavours to design a FAIR (flexible, accessible, inclusive and real/relevant) curriculum that takes into account the educational, social and cultural background of all students.

The initiative aims to ensure that learning and teaching approaches are student centred, encourage and promote inclusivity, use a variation of materials, and offer opportunities for different approaches within the course of study.

Lecturers and tutors are required to be mindful of the impact that their design and delivery decisions have on all students, since they may respond differently depending on their previous experiences. And to promote its FAIR mission, the university runs regular FAIR curriculum workshops for academic staff and graduate teaching assistants.

University College London (UCL) has trialled its ABC workshop successfully with a range of programmes in different universities across the UK and Europe.

The format engages curriculum staff in fast-paced, face-to face design sessions in which they plan or rethink what they currently do with their students. Delegates capture their current practice by plotting activities on a graph before creating a new storyboard of learning activities, both online and offline, for that module.

The new sequence is built up on the storyboard using types of learning activity based on Professor Diana Laurillard’s Conversational Framework.

Towards the close of the 90-minute session, each module team presents its storyboard to other teams to create a unique, programme-level view of the student learning experience.

“The aim is to work rapidly in a streamlined way to produce well-designed courses aligned to institutional mandates but also based on sound educational principles.”
Clive Young, digital education advisory team leader and Nataša Perović, digital education adviser, University College London

Hartpury College, a land-based college in Gloucestershire, runs an annual audit of Moodle courses to monitor what kind of interactive learning opportunities have been made available to students, and how each resource has been used.

Each department then uses the data to review the impact of its contribution to digital learning. For this purpose, the college has a template defining the minimum expectations for a course page on Moodle.

While this has only been applied to the college’s further education courses, plans are in hand to extend this initiative to higher education courses. However, the blended learning manager, Andy Beddoe, believes that digital learning will only succeed if teachers first understand the pedagogy.

“Good teaching improves outcomes, not technology. The important thing is not using the technology but using it in an effective way.”
Andy Beddoe, blended learning manager, Hartpury College

Our approach to partnerships in digital procurement has enabled a whole world of valuable and hitherto little seen digital resources to be opened up to students.

As an example, Dr Raphael Hallett at the University of Leeds has included digitised texts from the Medical Heritage Library on 19th century medicine in a module on studying in a digital age. The beautifully designed infographics and online taxonomies of these resources creates a highly visual environment in which students can find their own route to knowledge while developing their skills as digital researchers.

“Jisc's partnership with the Medical Heritage Library showcases a true 'meeting of minds' between archival ambition and digital expertise. The project's digitisation of 19th-century medical collections reveals not only the intrinsic value of opening access to tremendously rich historical sources, but responds adroitly to modern practices of online research and reading.”
Raphael Hallett, director, Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence

Dundee and Angus College shows how innovative technology can add an extra dimension to timetabled learning.

The choice of tools in the college’s Learning Lab ranges from virtual and augmented reality, 3-D printing and 3-D capture to programmable cars, Minecraft, gesture control and video capture tools, Xbox gaming and drones.

Access to the Lab can be on a drop-in basis or as part of a special interest group. However, teachers also include a visit to the facility as part of a sequence of classroom activities for subjects ranging from numeracy and human biology to construction and surveying.

“Our Pro-bots (programmable cars) have been used in core skills and computing to engage learners in problem solving and logical skills whilst providing innovative ways in which to deliver and develop numeracy and basic programming skills.”
Joy Howat, team leader for learning technologies, Dundee and Angus College

Read the Dundee and Angus College case study in full (pdf).

Adopting Apple technology with its associated App Store and iBooks on all full-time courses for 16-18 year olds has transformed lessons at Portsmouth College.

Technology as the norm in teaching and learning has stimulated new approaches, provided greater pace and variety during lessons and at the same time boosted teachers’ technical know-how and students’ independent learning and employability skills.

As well as opening up engaging, interactive opportunities for learning in and beyond the classroom, staff have been able to provide one-to-one support, assessment and feedback alongside their teaching role in the classroom.

“Digital has made this kind of sophisticated yet personalised learning experience a reality for us.”
Simon Barrable, deputy principal, Portsmouth College

Read the Portsmouth College case study in full (pdf).

PROCAT, a specialist engineering college, has set a strategic target to create engaging, effective learning experiences for all its students on courses ranging from level 2 to degree level apprenticeships.

Making full use of digital technologies has been driven by student expectations of the way they will learn while at college and on work placement. Research with students showed the extent of ownership of mobile devices in the younger age groups, resulting in a change of thinking about the infrastructure the college provides.

“It was clear to us after this that depending on the VLE and desktop computers was no longer adequate. The digital scene changes and you have to adapt... The days of always doing what you have always done are no longer acceptable, either to learners or employers.”
Neil Bates, formerly principal and chief executive, PROCAT

Read the Prospects College case study in full (pdf).

City of Glasgow College has developed its own e-portfolio to help stonemasonry apprentices demonstrate their skills for employers. Prior to the e-portfolio initiative, apprentices could not capture or store evidence of their accomplishments in an electronic record of achievement despite the hands-on nature of their work. As a result, there was little opportunity for apprentices to appreciate the continuous nature of their learning, or to show their achievements to others.

The new approach has brought about significant improvements in the department’s assessment processes and given a boost to student employability.

Changes to the apprenticeship model since this case study was written do not prevent apprentices from developing e-portfolios to document stages in their learning. Doing so may help them prepare more effectively for their end-point assessment.

Read the City of Glasgow College case study in full (pdf).

The school of animal, rural and environmental sciences (ARES) at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) integrates scaffolded reflective tasks in e-portfolios with work placements and taught classes to create a work-integrated curriculum for horticulture degree students.

The school’s commitment to enhancing its graduate outcomes is evident in the development of the employability framework underpinning these degree courses.

Senior lecturer, David Jukes, aims to adapt the framework to other courses offered by the school, ranging from BSc. (Hons.) degree in food science and technology to a higher level apprenticeship in food science.

Listen to David outlining the school’s employability framework.

Read the Nottingham Trent University exemplar in full (pdf).

The Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project in 2010 proposed that learning and assessment designs should enable students to take responsibility for their own learning.

Doing so develops students’ capacity to make evaluative judgements about the quality and impact of their own work, resulting in learning that is ‘deeper, more sustainable and satisfying’.

Our short video explains how the REAP principles, now widely recognised across the UK and worldwide, have impacted on practice at Strathclyde. The related PEER project developed these ideas further to show the importance of peer evaluation in enhancing learning.

Find out more about the PEER project.

For the University of Greenwich, getting assessment right is a key target. Use of TESTA, a Higher Education Academy-funded project to enhance assessment is now compulsory and built in to the quality assurance framework.

Based on the conceptual work of the University of Hertfordshire’s ESCAPE project, Map My Assessment reveals the distribution of assessments on courses and programmes. This helps staff ‘design out’ assignment bunching and in turn helps students better manage their time. It also exposes the variety of formats set, and the relationship between formative and summative assessments.

Built into the student information system, assessment maps are visible to both students and personal tutors to improve the transparency of information on assessment and to provide clear guidance to students.

"There is an issue of 'assessment by stealth' that we are trying to address. Using TESTA it is increasingly difficult for programme teams to hide assessments. What we want to do is report on assessment 'in truth' to help students better manage their time."
Simon Walker, head of educational development, University of Greenwich

Experience at Blackburn College shows that even traditional assessment practices can be enhanced with technology. The college’s university centre found that timed examinations were often required by professional bodies and universities so they developed a VLE-based exam for students on an education studies degree programme.

Questions are posted on the VLE one week before the due date, students have that week to complete their answer and upload it. The exam is still timed – seven days is the deadline – and tests a wide range of skills. It also tests staff as they have to be able to write questions requiring a response that can only be made through personal research, such as reflective comment and case studies.

"The VLE based exam is a different experience for students. The technology enables them to take the exam anywhere, and the content is not reliant on memory alone. Technology changes the where, the how, and the what."
Peter Shukie, education studies course leader, University Centre, Blackburn College

GCSE English resit students at Loughborough College learn difficult vocabulary by testing themselves on their mobile devices with the language learning app, Memrise.

Competing with each other to earn badges for each test motivates students to tackle less appealing aspects of the curriculum. This assessment-for-learning approach also helps staff track individuals’ progress so they can provide more support to those who need it.

Students have responded well to this games-based approach to learning, and it is now established across the department. Accessible anytime and anywhere, with the option of working offline if necessary, many learners are motivated to work independently.

“We bring up the stats at the start of each lesson to see who has completed a particular quiz and been badged, and who hasn’t. Then I give them 10 minutes on their phones to improve their score. After that, we get on with the class.”
Tracey Maitland, teaching and learning lead for English, Loughborough College

Read the Loughborough College case study in full (pdf).

The design of a new degree in paramedic science at Sheffield Hallam University has prompted fresh thinking about how the course is to be assessed.

Experience had shown that meeting the learning outcomes of individual modules did not necessarily mean students felt entirely equipped for their new role. In response, the course team devised a self-assessment tool so that students can measure their own progress against programme-level outcomes.

Now in action, the tool reveals how students feel they are achieving on the course, and thus where additional support may be needed. It has also helped the course team identify where the curriculum needs to be strengthened.  

“It was not immediately apparent to us to what extent students felt confident in their ability to meet the overarching programme-level outcomes. We needed to develop a system to track the students’ progress towards meeting the higher-level outcomes throughout their three-year programme.”
Andrew Kirke, senior lecturer in paramedic science, Sheffield Hallam University

Read the Sheffield Hallam University exemplar in full (pdf).

In 2015, Harlow College supplied iPads on loan to all staff and full-time students. To demonstrate their commitment to this strategy for enhancing learning and teaching, senior managers attend staff development sessions to learn alongside staff how to make best use of the tool for digital learning. If any staff member does not engage further, a bespoke session is delivered to the whole department. This gives support to individuals without allocating blame.

“Support should not be about making someone feel uncomfortable or punishing them if they are anxious about adopting something new. It’s about taking positive steps towards change.”
Kelly Edwards, director of professional development and quality improvement, Harlow College

Read the Harlow College case study in full (pdf).

Edinburgh Napier University’s 3Es framework takes a stepped approach to embedding technology in learning, teaching and assessment that is applicable across all disciplines and levels of study.

The three stages are:

• Enhance: technology is used in simple and effective ways to support students and increase their activity and self-responsibility
• Extend: use of technology facilitates key aspects of students' individual and collaborative learning and assessment by increasing their choice and control
• Empower: use of technology is highly developed and requires higher-order individual and collaborative learning that reflects how knowledge is created and used in a professional environment

“As students transition along the 3E continuum, the tutor is relinquishing more control and responsibility to their learners. While this brings benefits, it can take adjusting to and requires the tutor to be comfortable with assuming a facilitating role or, for some kinds of activities, a co-learning role (eg student-led seminars).”
Edinburgh Napier University

Northern Regional College's digital strategy has focused on increasing usage of the digital learning environment and preparing the ground for electronic management of assessment. As not all staff had the necessary skills to meet these objectives, Helen Dixon, NRC’s head of digital learning, has pioneered a micro-learning approach to staff development.

This has meant creating a web of short, interconnected resources organised under topics rather than a linear course containing information an individual might not need. Bite-sized and flexible, these small ‘chunks of digital know-how’ can be shared readily via social media.

“Staff can pick and mix what they feel comfortable with. In choosing what topics and activities they do, they feel in control over the pace and pathway of their learning. Face-to-face sessions can then be offered for the less confident.”
Helen Dixon, head of digital learning, Northern Regional College

See Helen Dixon's presentation: making the most of microlearning: ideas and insights, taken from our Connect More event in Northern Ireland in June 2017.

The University of Lincoln recruits and trains student volunteers to act as consultants to teaching staff. Student consultants, as they are known, observe and give feedback on an aspect of teaching or assessment practice outside their own course of study to provide an impartial perspective.

Volunteers are recruited from across the university so that they are in a position to compare the teaching they observe with teaching in other disciplines. International students add a further dimension by providing insights from higher education elsewhere in the world.

Pooling this body of experience enables students to develop a framework they can use when making judgements about the quality of teaching in another discipline. Their feedback also helps staff understand better how students respond to different approaches to learning.

“Working with a student consultant gives you the opportunity to access fresh insights into the student experience. By involving students from outside your course, programme or school, you can get new information you might not get from other sources.”
Jasper Shotts, principal lecturer, University of Lincoln

Read more about the University of Lincoln student consultants project.

A student fellowship scheme at the University of Winchester started by our Fastech project has flourished as a result of partnership working between the university and the student union.

The scheme recruits and trains students to work on educational development projects. Those passing a rigorous selection process receive guidance to prepare them for their role as educational researchers before working under the supervision of academic staff.

By bringing together students, academic and professional staff to work on important new projects, the university has been able to understand and respond faster to the needs and concerns of students. For their part, students gain invaluable skills and experience which stand them in good stead when they enter the workplace.

“The opportunity to devise and control our own research project (with supervision) was one of the most rewarding things we have ever done.”
Student fellow, University of Winchester

Read the University of Winchester case study in full (pdf).

The Digital Voice Xperts (DVX) scheme at Epping Forest College involves students in improving the digital capabilities of their peers and teachers by creating presentations, web pages and videos on good online practice.

The DVX scheme grew from experience built up from an earlier learner-staff e-mentoring initiative at the college. While e-mentoring still continues, students have taken up a fresh challenge – that of ensuring their peers and staff have the skills to live, work and learn successfully and responsibly in a digital world.

“The roles of students and staff have changed. Information is out there and the teacher is now a facilitator and questioner. The role of student is also changing.”
Vikki Liogier, formerly head of digital literacy, voice and innovation, Epping Forest College

Read the Epping Forest College case study in full (pdf).

East Kent College has made it a priority to provide the same seamless access to its IT infrastructure on all its sites. Recent mergers mean that that it is important to ensure all users have the same consistent, reliable access to learning resources and essential data.

This is particularly vital for the college’s level 1 and 2 students on the college’s Progression Curriculum – a flexible, credit-based programme for learners at risk of falling out of education, employment or training. ProMonitor, an integrated student monitoring and support system, enables tutors to tracks these students’ progress on any of the college’s sites.

Another milestone for the college has been the installation of wifi on all campuses. With wifi access everywhere, the entire college becomes a learning space.

“Digital had already provided us with the means; we just had to make it happen by creating a more flexible curriculum structure.”
Graham Razey, principal, East Kent College

Read the East Kent College case study in full (pdf).

UCL has created a resource to help staff identify which digital tools match the learning activities in Professor Diana Laurillard’s conversational framework: acquisition, collaboration, discussion, investigation, practice and production.

Concentric circles on the map show which tools are institutionally owned and supported, which are recommended but hosted elsewhere with a degree of support offered by the university, and which are recognised as helpful but are not supported.

The resource is used in conjunction with the university’s ABC workshops to extend awareness of the diversity of ways staff can build digital into their learning designs.

“As you can see, the world is your oyster in terms of technologies.”
Mira Vogel, digital education adviser, UCL

Read the post in full on the UCL wiki.

Between 2015 and 2016, the childhood studies department at The Isle of Wight College reconfigured its allocated rooms into the Learning Zone, a suite of teaching rooms and informal learning areas which opened to students in September 2016.

Observation of students studying with their own devices showed that different types of spaces are needed to support independent learning. As a result, the department designed a multi-purpose informal space adjacent to a small number of classrooms comprising a comfy seating area for group learning, a noisy zone for discussion and a quiet zone for assignment production.

“We watched how and where learners arranged themselves when using their laptops and tablets. There was often a tendency to sit together… around a low table, particularly at the start of an assignment. When an assignment was due, they looked for a quieter area so they weren’t distracted. Their behaviour was the driver behind the design of the Learning Zone.” 
Jo Lutas, head of childhood studies, the Isle of Wight College

Read the Isle of Wight case study in full (pdf).

The Oculus at the University of Warwick is a newly developed, central teaching space with facilities bookable by all faculties.

Research by the university found the teaching and learning experience could be enhanced by having multi-faculty buildings which support sharing of knowledge and encourage socialising between students from different academic subjects.

The building houses two high-tech lecture theatres, 12 teaching spaces, social learning and networking areas, a café and outdoor terraces to enable students to discuss and share aspects of their formal learning. To support digital learning, all furniture is equipped with three-pin plugs and USB ports with wifi available throughout.

View a 360◦ video of the Oculus.