Excellence Gateway
Published: 16 December 2009
This case study was produced by JISC Regional Support Centre for Yorkshire & Humber on behalf of the Excellence Gateway.
Sector relevance: Specialist schools/colleges
Keywords: Improving teaching and learning, improving responsiveness to learners, improving institutional effectiveness, induction, recruitment information, advice and guidance, responding to local and regional, employer induction, blended learning, using, creating and adapting e-learning materials, enrichment activities, portfolios, work-based assessment, motivating learners, achievement, job-outcome rate, success rates, curriculum development, meeting employers' needs, working with employers (health and safety), assistive technology
One learning provider has found using technology has helped with all aspects of a course – from induction and engagement to retention and assessment. The use of a range of equipment – from basic PCs to headcams and 3D software – has made a striking impact on learning. Find out how.
Established in 2002, Whitby & District Fishing Industry Training School offers training for new entrants to the fishing industry and experienced fishermen. The most successful course is the Level 2 Apprenticeship in Marine Vessel Support - Deckhand. Apprentices reside in lodgings within the local community and are placed with one of over 30 vessels the school works with.
Students coming to the School face different circumstances to other 16 year-olds beginning post-16 courses. After eight weeks training in theory and safety, they step aboard a fishing vessel and face the North Sea. It is at this point Anne Hornigold, Chief Executive, finds some students drop out of the course. Anne wanted to find a way to demonstrate to students the unique lifestyle of a career in the fishing industry at the start of the course – and before – so that, after two months of effort, students remain committed to completing the course.
Aided by the JISC Regional Support Centre for Yorkshire and Humber, the School bid for Learning Innovation Grant (LIG) 4 funding and was awarded £158,000 – the largest award in that cohort – in order to refurbish premises and purchase technology to improve the learning experience. The School expanded into another floor of the building it occupies. Two new classrooms/IT suites were created after partitioning an existing large room.
Equipment purchased included:
Installation was completed in late Spring 2009.
About LIG funding
LIG funding is provided by the Learning and Skills Council and administered by the Association of Learning Providers (ALP). LIG funding supports the innovative development and application of ICT technologies and e-learning within the work-based learning (WBL)/skills sector. Access LIG exemplars on the ALP website.
The School now has a fully equipped IT suite and additional teaching room. 3D software enables tutors to show students around a virtual vessel projected onto a large screen; the LCD TV provides a large screen to show training DVDs, as well as act as a second monitor for the tutor's computer. The students now have access to a PC and webcam, without having to share.
Induction
The technology helps the students to settle into their course.
“The technology inspires the learners. They are excited and nervous when they first arrive. They're living in a stranger's house, having left their family and friends. Then they see the 3D boat and they're inspired. It's the comfort and excitement of knowing what they're going to be doing.” Anne Hornigold, Chief Executive
“The technology inspires the learners. They are excited and nervous when they first arrive. They're living in a stranger's house, having left their family and friends. Then they see the 3D boat and they're inspired. It's the comfort and excitement of knowing what they're going to be doing.”
Anne Hornigold, Chief Executive
Retention
The 3D software gives students a better idea of what to expect of the course and the job. They can ‘walk' around the various areas of the vessel, including the bunk, galley, deck and bridge. Items are labelled and they can begin work on how and where equipped is stored and laid out – all in the classroom.
The headcams also provide evidence of working aboard the vessels. Anne plans for students to go out with the headcams to record working conditions. The technology enables the students to become more accustomed to the working environment in the time before they physically step onto the boat.
Improved the teaching and learning experience
Previously, the School had six computers. Students can now work on their own PC and pursue their own interests within the course, such as exploring meteorology. There is a need to have practical training on PCs as vessels possess sophisticated technology.
“Some of the equipment on the bridge of the vessels is like the Starship Enterprise…with a bank of computers, radar and screens.” Anne Hornigold, Chief Executive
“Some of the equipment on the bridge of the vessels is like the Starship Enterprise…with a bank of computers, radar and screens.”
There are other benefits to the various types of technology. The headcams can be used to film the netmaking process. Previously, students would watch the tutor tie the knots but find the demonstrations too quick. With the headcams, the process can be slowed down on the LCD TV and repeated until all students understand.
Assessment
Over the 12 months of the course, students produce a portfolio of work. Assessment is difficult due to the off shore nature of the training, and assessors often have to rely on verbal accounts. Students' use of headcams can provide DVD evidence of their work at sea. “It proves their proficiency,” says Anne. It also allows more flexibility, as many assessors are not employed full-time. They can view the evidence at a suitable time, rather than the School incurring extra costs to get assessors into the School to undertake assessments on specific days.
Sustainability for the School
The School now has a full training suite they can use for other courses, such as Skills for Life training, or to train other companies. A major supermarket has already expressed interest in its retail staff undertaking training on how fish are caught.
Anne says that the school is now “unique in Europe in fishing training”, with no other training company in the industry able to provide the same facilities. It is part of Anne's plan for the School to become the “flagship training centre for the industry".
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