Digital confidence – yes we can!
Use of a tailored version of Jisc’s Digital Experience Insights service has shown that the digital confidence and capability of work-based learning (WBL) teaching staff has grown significantly from 37% in 2019 to 59% in 2021. In realising the benefits of blended learning and the use of technology to support a dispersed learner base, this is undoubtedly cause for congratulations. However, on the flip side, we have the challenge that over a third of teaching staff remaining uncertain and lack digital confidence. So, whilst great strides have been made, as ever, there is more to do to support colleagues and learners.
To that end, we are currently working on a number of projects to support digital professional development, summarised here.
Learning Design
Last year Estyn published Developments in remote and blended learning practice which made a series of recommendations including that Welsh Government:
- Commission professional learning for the post-16 sector, which is free to providers and helps them to develop specific expertise in remote and blended learning design, teaching, training and learning for their sector to reduce variability of quality in provision.
In response, Welsh Government tasked Jisc with developing a suite of workshops to support effective remote and blended learning design, nuanced for Further Education (FE), Work Based Learning and Adult Community Learning (ACL) practitioners, recognising the different opportunities, challenges and approaches of each sector. The workshops are designed to be delivered synchronously to allow collaboration and sharing of experiences.
Following a successful pilot phase, Jisc is now in the process of developing a suite of asynchronous resources, sequenced into bite-size chunks so that practitioners can learn flexibly and at a time that suits them. The resources will be published, in English and Welsh, on Hwb this summer.
Building digital capability
Jisc’s building digital capability (BDC) service is being offered as an inclusive service to FE and skills members in recognition of the need to accelerate growth in the digital capabilities and confidence of learning practitioners. The BDC discovery tool allows staff and students to reflect on their digital capabilities and helps them:
- Identify current strengths and areas for development. It gives staff and students a personalised report with suggested next steps and resources
- Surface local development opportunities
- Provide a picture of how staff and students feel about their digital skills with data dashboards
In Wales we have established a “grouped”, national model, so that Jisc can see the anonymised, aggregated sector data, allowing us to identify shared challenges and build appropriate solutions.
Crafted teaching: active learning
The highly interactive and accredited digital pedagogy course, crafted teaching: active learning, designed specifically to help apprenticeship providers put the excellence back into teaching, is scheduled to run from 11 May to 29 June 2022. The course is designed based on a train the trainer approach to build sustainability and pave the way for sector change in relation to teaching and learning. The course is free to attend with 2 places available for each commissioned contract holder or appropriate representative.
Digital elevation tool
Hot off the press and launched at Jisc’s Digifest 2022, the digital elevation tool (DET) has been developed to provide senior strategic leaders in FE and skills organisations with an online self-assessment tool that allows them to validate their organisation’s current position against five key themes and map their digital journey in each area of the digital elevation model. If you’d like to be an early adopter of this new service, please let us know.
What next?
Should you require further information on any of these projects, please contact your Jisc account manager who will be happy to help.
Alyson Nicholson, Head of Jisc Wales
Email: Alyson.Nicholson@Jisc.ac.uk
Jisc is funded by Welsh Government to support the WBL sector in Wales through the commissioned contract holders on a cascade basis.
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