Shaping the Digital Future of FE and Skills
Shaping the digital future of FE and skills September 2020 Contents Introduction 4 1. Digital pedagogy 6 1.1 Learning design 6 1.2 Digital content 10 1.3 Digital exclusion 12 1.4 Staff capabilities and confidence 13 1.5 Assessment 15 2. The learner experience 17 2.1 Learner wellbeing 19 2.2 Online safety 21 3. Staff experience 23 3.1 Workload and wellbeing 23 3.2 Building communities and relationships 25 4. Digital leadership and system reform 26 4.1 Leadership priorities 27 4.2 System reform 28 5. Next steps 30 Acknowledgments 33 4 Shaping the digital future of FE and skills Introduction Introduction In March 2020, colleges in the UK closed their doors and rapidly moved to wholescale remote learning and teaching. Emergency IT infrastructure and software was brought in at pace, along with fast-track digital upskilling for staff and learners. Such upheaval posed a challenge for many but most prevailed with their best endeavour. Within a matter of days, most learners could log into live-streamed lectures or later watch the recording; they could download e-books, videos or other resources; and they could submit work online. Although this kind of studying was typical during lockdown, the use of technology was often simplistic and not always as engaging, exciting or collaborative as it could be. It sufficed as a stopgap but we need a more ambitious model for the future. And at present, in the absence of readily available, affordable, accessible and engaging digital resources and assessment tools, such as immersive virtual reality, there are courses, such as engineering, construction, or hospitality and catering, which are impossible to deliver entirely online.
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