“Teaching +Technology = Impact” in the context of social inclusion

1. “Teaching +Technology = Impact”in the context of social inclusion Irina Matthews ILT Coordinator (LETS) Irina.matthews@shropshire.gov.uk 30 March 2011

2. Background: Institutional • Learning, Employment and Training Services (LETS) is part of Shropshire Council (SC) - it includes: • The branded services of County Training (CT) • Work-based learning, Foundation Learning • Employability Training • Adult and Community Learning (ACL), Family Learning • Social Care and Health Training • Employment Services • Enable

3. Background: socio-economic Implications in terms of digital inclusion: The latest ONS data suggests that 9.2m adults in the UK have never used the internet. The data suggests the key groups of non-users are: Older people–60% of over 65s have not used the internet. Socially excluded – often through unemployment, living in social housing, having low incomes or being single parents. The latest data suggest 31% of those on very low incomes are non users. Those with few or no qualifications -65% of those with no qualifications are non-users. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iahi0810.pdf The service delivers training and employability programmes across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. Shropshire is a predominantly rural and sparsely populated county with a small micro business culture. The economic geography is complex with economic flows operating towards Telford & Wrekin and the West Midlands. Telford & Wrekin is ranked in the top 30% of the most deprived districts in the West Midlands and in the top 40% most deprived nationally. There are challenges around the increasing proportion of older people (higher than national trends), lack of transport in rural areas (with resultant problems in accessing services), and a low wage economy, especially care workers and women.

4. Questions to answer Role of the ILT Co-ordinator is to apply cohesive and planned approach to the use of technology for business and educational needs. Following organisational restructuring and changes in political and economic landscapeit was important to undertake critical review of ILT Developmentstrategy and attempt to answer (among others) the following questions (in relation to using technology for teaching and learning): What do we mean by impact? Where is the evidence? How to measure the impact? How to enhance the impact?

5. What do we mean by impact? Different stakeholders – different expectations of value, interpretation of impact. • Attendance • Retention • Achievement Impact for success: Impact for teaching and learning • Removing barriers to learning • Enhancing effects of learning • Opening up opportunities for • further learning Social and personal well-being Impact for learners

6. Is there an evidence? • Until now there has been no consistent or comprehensive mechanism (within the organisation) for evaluation of effectiveness of technology for teaching and learning. It does not mean that evidence cannot be found, e.g. • MIS • Registers to check achievement • Learners/Tutors’ Comments in Records of progress and Individual learning Plans

7. Collecting evidence Student 32024 Looking good, looking great Yoga – EasyGoing Psychology – Intro Computer – First Steps Computer – Learn More Internet, email and text messaging Creating a digital photo album Digital Photography, etc Student 22928 Keeping up with children KUWC Numeracy & accreditation KUWC Literacy @ Harlescott… Alexander Technique Computer – First Steps Computer – Learn More Student: 35029 Assertiveness Meditation (Intro) New You: Stress Free You Taking Charge of your life Future You Computers - First Steps Computers - Learn More Student 4467 Public Speaking Computer Essentials Computers - Learn More Digital Photography – Learn in a day eBay – How to buy and sell Student 14333 Assertiveness Yoga – Beginners Yoga – Mixed Ability Computers – First Steps Computers - Learn More Tracking learner progression using MIS

8. Further evidence From Individual Learning Plans and Records of Progress Next step – learners will: Learners described their achievements as: Learners defined their goals as follows: “To be more confident in using a computer, improve skills or letter and report writing.” “I am hoping to be able to use computer with confidence, especially emails” “Doing things with grandchildren and understand what they are doing”. “Improve computer skills, confidence building” “Get more confidence in moving buttons and then do Twitter and Facebook”. “Rather apprehensive … how quickly things change, want to become more confident” “Using it in real life” “Communicating with other people” “Learning different ways of doing things. Increasing confidence to try things…” “Learnt many things that I was not using” “More confident” “Feeling more confident” “Fellow students and good working climate gave me confidence to develop skills” “Tried previously (web-design) but have more confidence now to re-start…” “More confidence” “ It all came together”… • Attend college course • Attend another ACL course • Get a job • Look for a part-time job • Create my own site and help friends • My own site – good design • Will help create a web site for a local society

9. What does the evidence tell us? • Teaching and technology promote social inclusion. • Teaching and technology are instrumental in closing the breach created by • digital divide. • “Technology” in this context means the summary of behaviours, actions, • perceptions associated with the development of digital skills (rather being • directly attributed to a specific type of technology/learning resource). • Evidence of the impact becomes “visible” when viewed in the wider (beyond • “classroom”) context and in the light of the organisation’s ethos.

10. Managing the impact(Lessons learnt) To manage and measure impact of technology for teaching and learning: • View impact in the a wider context: socio-economic, institutional ethos • Optimise learning environment and teaching practice • Demonstrate value – “measure what you can, when you can, as seamlessly as possible”http://www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2008/10/28/hints-and-tips-demonstrating-value/ • Adopt “joining the dots” approach = comprehensive and consistent organisation-wide approach at both strategical and operational levels integrating change management

11. Optimising learning • Adoption of critical perspective andRe-define learning in the view of increasingly ubiquitous use of technology. • It is the quality of the action or process that • defines the outcomes (QA vs. QI) • Development of “hybrid skills” for learning • professionals (technology related, knowledge and • skills development, business knowledge and • skills) • Defining the framework for assessment of the • impact • In what context was the “…” used? • What practical issue and/or pedagogic concern prompted its use? • What did youdo? • What, if anything, changed for the better as a result of its introduction? (As best as you can separate out impact on teaching; learning; performance; attitudes; and so on,.) • What issues were associated with the change? • What evidence do you have that substantiates these claims about benefits and issues? • What are the implications of this work for others?

12. Measuring impact One of the reasons why e-learning projects fail is failure to demonstrate value. http://www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2010/03/30/33-reasons-why-elearning-projects-fail/ Solution: To review data collection/collation processes with the aim of unlocking tacit knowledge that hasgone undiscovered so far by means of: • Choose the channel of discovery (MIS, learners’ feedback, registers, success • stories, employers’ feedback, social media – look beyond the obvious). • Investigate opportunity for interoperability between learning and data • management systems. • Workclosely with MIS team to explore opportunities for data analysis using • “traditional” tools (crosstab analysis, customised reports, viewing results in • aggregate) as well as more advanced technologies, e.g. Activity Streams • whereby data is collected from unrelated systems and “wrapped” within the • common context (provided by Oracle -http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17904_01/webcenter.1111/e10149/activity_stream.htm#CHDJBIIH)

13. Impact??? Is there an impact? What does impact mean? Is there supporting evidence? Can impact be measured? How to maximise the impact?

14. Just do it! And a little bit of luck … What next? Thank you.