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Initiative: Swansea Metropolitan University

Page history last edited by Tony Toole 11 years, 1 month ago
Lead institution
Swansea Metropolitan University 
Name of initiative The Development of Online Distance Learning courses in Logistics and Transport using the JISC WBL Maturity Toolkit
Web-site

http://swanseametwbl.pbworks.com/

Period
May 2012 - April 2013 
Partners/cohort

1. School of Logistics and Manufacturing Engineering, SMU

2. CILT(UK)

3. 51 Army Education Centre, Guetersloh, Germany 

Contacts/contact details
Tony Toole (tony.toole@e-college.ac) and Nick Potter (nick.potter@smu.ac.uk) 
Funding
JISC Benefits Realisation programme (2012-2013) 
Identified need / issue /opportunity

A major issue for the delivery of the CILT(UK) logistics courses to the armed forces overseas by SMU is the need for periodic work based training delivery on site in bases across Europe.

 

It is proposed that the WBL Maturity Toolkit be used in the planning for an online distance learning version of the programme. This will include preparation for validation, quality assurance, delivery and assessment.

 

Swanseas Metropolitan University is new to online distance learning delivery, but aims to develop a strong portfolio, particularly for work-based learning. This project will assist in that process.

Objectives

The project objectives are to:

  • Plan and develop the online distance learning delivery of Logistics and Transport courses in collaboration with CILT(UK) and with geographically dispersed clients, particularly the armed forces;
  • Use the WBL Maturity Toolkit to ensure institutional preparedness for new and innovative methods of delivery to work based learners;
  • Assist in the formal quality assurance and validation of online distance learning as a new delivery mode for the courses; 
Brief description and what success will look like

Success will be judged by:

  • The completion of the planning, development and validation of the CILT(UK) Logistics course for online distance learning work-based delivery;
  • The response of the online distance learners to the new delivery method (only a limited measure of this will be achievable in the project period);
  • An assessment of the value of the WBL Maturity Toolkit in planning such developments. 
Areas of the toolkit used

1 Institutional readiness

1-1 WBL strategy and plans

1-8 WBL procedures and processes for programme validation

1-9 QA for WBL

1-12 Business, commercial and financial approaches

2. Faculty/school/department readiness

2-1 WBL strategy and implementation plan

2-4 Training and support for external staff and employers

3. Programme design for WBL

3-3 Development and planning for validation

3-4 Alignment with professional standards

3-8 IT Support

3-11 Learning materials and resources

6. Quality of the learner experience

6-3 Programme Design, Review and Quality Enhancement

6-4 Programme Delivery and Support

Initiatives/activities to align with (internal/external) The project will align with the broader WBL programme in Wales which is part funded by the EU in partnership with the Welsh Government. The outcomes of the project will inform plans for a broader online distance learning delivery pattern for work based learners in rural communities. 
Potential barriers/risks The main barrier will be the lack of familiarity with online distance learning for both learners and academic staff. There is significant experience in such methods available to the institution, however, that should assist in rapidly dealing with that issue. 
Key roles in your institution to engage with
  • Head of  Academic Services (responsible for academic quality systems, including programme approval and validation)
  • Head of Commercial Services (responsible for the administration of the CILT(UK) provision by SMU)

 

Project news/updates

 

Date
Project news/updates
19/09/2012  Currently,  Professor Tony Toole (Project Manager), Dr Nick Potter (Head of Academic Services at SMU) and Graham Orr (Senior Lecturer in the School of Logistics and Manufacturing Engineering at SMU), are at an advanced stage of preparing the CILT(UK) Advanced Diploma in Logistics and Transport for online distance learning delivery. This is expected to be in place for the new cohort beginning this academic year and will be the focus of the JISC DEWI Project activity at SMU. The plan is to develop a case study based on the work which will provide a rich picture of the lessons learned from the use of the WBL Maturity Toolkit in that process and the successes (or otherwise) of the initiative.
22/09/2012  The initial phase of the SMU case study development has involved an assessment of the WBL Maturity Toolkit and mapping this to the development needs of the new online distance learning course.  The outcomes of this exercise included a project planning document that identified the fact that the Tookit itself was still in development and a number of the criteria against which maturity was to be judged, were incomplete. It is expected, therefore, that the current exercise will assist in the Toolkit development, as well as guiding SMU in WBL course planning. The planning document can be viewed here.
13/11/2012  A revised version of the online distance learning proposal for the CILT Professional Diploma in Logistics was submitted to the Swansea Metropolitan Academic Policy Committee this week. It is proposed that a further trial of the delivery method be carried out before a full launch and this gives the project team an opportunity to refine the WBL support sytems by mapping it to the WBL toolkit.
22/11/2012  A work-in-progress website has been set up for the Swansea Metropolitan contribution to the Dewi project. The purpose is to bring together all the documents associated with the initiative and to structure the development and dissemination of the workpackage activities. Experience has shown that combining the emerging project documents and outcomes with communications functionality that enables interaction with the community of practice is very benefical for the project. Not only is it a one-stop-shop for any information about the project, it also remains as a project deliverable beyond the project end. The website can be seen by clicking here.
25/11/2012  The Swansea Met WBL website for the Dewi project is now complete. An assessment of the CILT Logistics programme at the university in terms of the JISC WBL Toolkit has been carried out and a summary of outcomes and conclusions presented. Some of the criteria in the toolkit are currently incomplete and sugestions for appropriate guidelines and evidence are included. This page on the WBL Toolkit website is being used to develop the final Swansea Met case study deliverable as part of the project.
11/01/2013  A paper on the work of the Dewi Project has been accepted for presentation at the 6th Annual International Conference on E-Learning in the Workplace (ICELW) in New York in June 2013 and will be published in the conference proceedings. It will focus on the work completed by Swansea Metropolitan, but will also summarise the contributions from all the other partners. The publication will add to the dissemination deliverable for the Dewi project.
   

 

Reflections

 

Lessons learnt - the process of using the toolkit
The toolkit is most useful as a checklist against which work based learning courses can be mapped and their completeness judged. To some extent it can be seen to be a two way process as new programmes bring different contexts, priorities and methods to WBL design and can inform and refine the toolkit itself. The toolkit will be most useful if seen as a design tool owned, managed and continuously improved by the whole WBL community of practice. 
Lessons learnt - relating to your project and WBL The CILT Logistics and Transport programme being used as a case study in the use of the JISC WBL Toolkit has two very specific characteristics that are likely to provide valuable information about WBL design. The first is that the programme is designed and validated by the industry lead body rather than the institution that delivers it. The second is that the online distance learning delivery method is completely new to the programme and the institution.
Impact of the project
Given the innovative nature of the delivery method, the toolkit has the potential to be central to the 'checks and balances' process that must accompany the course development and approval process. There is likely to be uncertainty and some scepticism about online distance learning and the inclusion of a systematic evaluation process will bring reassurance that all quality issues are being addressed.
How the project can be sustained and embedded
This reflection relates to sustaining and embedding of WBL design processes at Swansea Met. For the WBL Toolkit to be part of future processes, it must be shown to work and to add value. Not only that; it must be seen to be better, more efficient and more effective than other methods of achieving the same objectives. This is why it must remain as a tool that is continuously improved and welcomes constructive change.
How the toolkit can be improved To be useful the toolkit will need to be in a state of continuous improvement. This will come from constructive feedback from the community of practice and through the inclusion of new design approaches, new delivery technologies and revised pedagogic models. If seen as an organic tool that is maintained and improved for and by the WBL community then it will be used.
Other
This initiative page will be used to build the Swansea Met case study for the Dewi project. It will chart the progress of the CILT Logistics online distance learning development and the impact that the use of the WBL Toolkit has on that process. Towards the end of the project it will share the lessons learned. 

 

 

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