 Hello, and thank you for joining us and watching the short preview of the blended learning essentials course for vocational education and training My name is Maron Deepwell. I'm the chief executive of the Association for Learning Technology But I'm here today representing the consortium that put together the course and delivers this course this year Now I'm going to show you a preview of the course tell you a little bit what the course is about how you can participate And what we hope you will get out of the course Now as I mentioned, I'm here representing a consortium Who has delivered this course? That's far too a lot of people, but we'll start with giving you a bit of an overview of who this course is for so We are aiming this course at anyone who is working in further education, skills, training, vocational education, workplace Learning, lifelong learning or adult education and this course is freely delivered online on a future-learn platform And is designed to help you understand the benefits of blended learning and how to make more effective use of technology to support your learners We are running this course preview to give you a chance to connect and sign up for the next run of the course So there's two parts to the course The first one is called blended learning essentials getting started and the next run starts on the 4th of July And also blended learning essentials embedding practice part two of the course starts on the 3rd of October If you're joining the session live, you can ask questions on Twitter or also on the YouTube page using the hashtags FLBLE1 or FLBLE2 At the end of the video we're going to repeat this information So hopefully it will spark your interest and you'll sign up and join the course Now as I mentioned, the consortium I represent leads and funds this course It's funded by the UFI Charitable Trust And is delivered by a consortium led by Diana Laurelard and Neil Morris from the UCL Institute of Education and the University of Leeds respectively But we also have a lot of other partners As mentioned, I'm from the Association for Learning Technology and a number of colleges and other associations are also involved in delivering the course One of the things that makes a real difference with this course is that all of the content and case studies, all of the videos were filmed and produced with and at providers who work across the sector So that it's specifically for your context that you're working in and delivering learning in Now first up before we go and have a look at the actual course and how to participate I'm going to give you a short overview of the contents of the course As I mentioned, it has two parts, part one getting started and part two embedding practice The course aims for part one are to use a range of effective blended learning practices and pedagogies to improve your learners experience and detainment Second, to understand how many free and affordable technologies now available can enhance teaching and learning And finally, to approach new technologies with confidence, designing a pedagogic approach to make the best use of these tools And indeed, as you will find when you participate in the course, most of the tools and technologies that we're looking at and we're showing you how to use are openly available Now part two of the course looks at embedding practice So the course aims here are to integrate new technology into courses and learning and training opportunities To propose ways in which new technologies can help to address the key challenges in the vocational education and training sector Looking at technology as a solution Something that is a problem in itself And finally, to develop your own skills further and to contribute to the sector's community knowledge of the optimal blended learning Now to go a little bit into more depth into part one getting started You can see on the screen an overview of the five weeks And for each week, there is a specific topic and a number of activities It's a very interactive course At the end of the video, we're going to look at how you're going to be able to participate But I just want to highlight a few of the topics for the different weeks So week one really starts at the beginning Posing the question, why should we focus on blended learning? Week two, we're looking at preparing for blended learning So that's where we look at some of the principles of blended learning Assessing one's readiness to get started And looking at case studies of effective blended learning in practice In week three, so that's the middle of the first part of the course We're getting to grips with systems, tools and resources Whether that's a virtual learning environment, a VLE or online tools or open educational resources They're all covered in week three Week four focuses on designing blended learning We're looking at the design process, including assessment and feedback And also flipping the learning in the classroom Finally, week five, the last week of this part of the course We're thinking about teaching for your learner's futures Really focusing on developing learner's digital literacy And improving access to learning But also providing flexibility and inclusion Part two of the course then looks at embedding this practice more deeply Again, each week has a separate topic, a number of activities And as well, lots of things to get involved in So week one, we're looking at learning from experience Technology doesn't always go right, particularly not first time So we're looking at lessons we can learn from our experiences Building new activities to test with learners, provide feedback And improving learning outcomes In week two, we're asking the question What can technology do for the most difficult challenges? That's reaching more learners more flexibly Looking at delivery across an institution, whether that's training, college or adult learning We're thinking about supporting independent learning And reducing the costs of innovation Finally, in week three, we're looking into the future And planning for a challenging future So that involves matching your innovation to the needs of your organisation Supporting your colleagues in increasing their use of blended learning And working collaboratively to keep improving I also want to talk a little bit about why we as a consortium think Blended learning essential is important And on the screen now, you can see a few statements, inspiration So if you're looking at introducing this course as a way to provide free and flexible CPD Within your organisation or for yourself You might find inspiration here You might also be able to share the screen with your line managers Or other senior management within your organisation But for example, one of the lead educators, Diana Laurelard Says that it could be a real boost for innovation in the sector Because the course supports teachers and trainers in learning together About blended learning as they experience it themselves One of the other lead educators, Neil Morris Says that this project and the freely available open courses Are hugely important for teachers and trainers To help them make most effective use of digital technologies To improve their learner's success And the trust who funds all these courses Wants to catalyze change in the vocational world And engaging the professionals who deliver the teaching Is a fundamental step in achieving this And we hope that you will find that these courses play a role In helping you, for example, with challenges like This technology, which plays a role in the area-based reviews But also reviewing where your institution is And what the organisation is in terms of digital literacy Increasingly essential for teachers, trainers, managers, directors and governors But also supporting colleagues and yourself Developing the kinds of skills that you need to deliver effective blended learning Now over 30,000 individuals have registered for these courses And here is a preview of what they look like When you actually sign up and get into it So these are some screenshots of videos That are part of the course one week in embedding practice And you can see that both learners and teachers From across different parts of the sector Have contributed to these videos that were all shot In these kinds of authentic As well as a range of videos There's also a lot of activities to go along with it This is an example of an activity Or going beyond reflection to data And that's an activity where you consider the use of data And helping us design effective blended learning As well as a lot of videos, there's a lot of other types of resources Including a lot of reading material, a wiki, a grocery And also ways like quizzes and tests To help you test how much you've understood of any given topic So this is an example question of a quiz Where you can then get feedback on what the correct answer is And why from one of our lead educators And there's a range of other types of activities If this is the first time that you are participating In an online course, don't worry There's a lot of guidance out there and on the website And within the course on how to participate But you'll also be able to really expand your horizons In terms of reading materials and finding resources Very practical tools that you can use straight away In your learning context Each week, as you can see on the screen now Has a very clear structure And you'll be able to watch welcome videos That guide you through the week, read summaries But also importantly, comments and discussion With other participants And as I mentioned before, all of the case studies were filmed By teachers and trainers across the sector In the context that they're delivering the blended learning in So for example, this particular video shows How you can use digital technology to change teaching learning And this is an example, including learners That gives you a very hands-on idea Of how one particular practitioner translates that into practice There's also a number of tools like this one For example, Padlet that we're using throughout the course Not just to demonstrate how you can use it in learning But also for you to actually engage in the course And a lot of these tools are openly available and free to use So you can get started to experiment straight away The course can be a really helpful, safe space In which to experiment, try out different things And not have to worry what happens when things go wrong You can also share some feedback with colleagues Or other course participants who've tried to use the same tool Now, you might also want to know Not just what the course is about, but what it's like to participate So the next part of the session is going to look at How you participate in the course To begin with, you will be able to sign up for the course online On the Future Learn website And the course will then appear under an area on the website Called My Courses You can complete a profile and interact with other participants As much as you want And we recommend that the time commitment for this course Is about four hours per week But it is flexible and the course content remains live After the course ends I think what we found with the participants That have already completed previous runs of the course Is that some weeks you might have more time to devote To the course than on others And that the course content remains available to you Even after the week is passed Means that you can catch up or go back to things And look up things at any point after the course ends There's also a lot of resources to help you Get to grips with learning online yourself It is definitely a challenge to learn about How to deliver blended learning online If you're not a very confident online learner Or indeed if this is the first open online course That you're experiencing So there is help materials on the Future Learn website And also within the course Helping you prepare to learn Giving you tips on how to listen and reflect Assimilating what you learn And then putting it into your practice context Ideas about making notes For example summarizing key points Forming your ideas and questions And also importantly How to communicate with others on the course Whether that's about sharing your understanding Or questions Also participating in some of the live Q&A sessions There are a range of resources available on the course They're very easy to access and easy to understand That includes videos, audio and articles You can review these items on your own time And follow up by short quizzes To help cement your knowledge The discussion with other participants is a key part And a very unique feature of this course Together practitioners from across different job roles From across the sector to all help talk about the same topics And it's a great way also to build your own learning network We mentioned the quizzes They're not scored and you have unlimited attempts to complete them So you'll get some hints and feedback along the way And there's also tests and assignments At the end of the session We're going to look at some of the pathways to accreditation If you're interested in getting formal accreditation for the course But one element of the course that I haven't touched on thus far Is the digital champions So these courses are supported by dedicated digital champions Who are practitioners from across the sector And they help you connect teaching and learning professionals Who understand the practical everyday challenges Of using blended learning in your particular context Currently have about 50, 70 digital champions Who are actively involved in running the courses And they participate in the course as participants They help facilitate discussion They also help answer any questions that you may have Point you to resources you may have not discovered And they also share on a more informal basis Than the course content can Their own experiences, own tips for tools And any hints that they might have come across that might find useful And they're a really key part of keeping this course As interactive as possible Now I mentioned there are a number of pathways to accreditation And I think one of the challenges given this course Is for such a broad audience Is to provide meaningful pathways to accreditation For every participant So the approach that we have taken as a consortium Is to provide different type of pathways For different types of accreditation options First and available to all participants Are future loan statements of participation These can be purchased via the future loan websites At the end of the course And there are a new standalone way of getting credit For having taken part in completing in the course You can also get pathways to accreditation Via professional bodies So the association that I represent is one of those But also the Society for Education and Training For example we have mapped this course To accreditation frameworks including the ALT C-mold framework And QTLS framework And also there's paths to accreditation for further study So whether that's why one of our partner organizations Like the UCL Institute for Education Or the University of Leeds There is a number of different options available And not to forget the course is also CPD certified So within the course information And on the course home pages You'll be able to see how many hours of CPD Are accredited for each part of the course And completing the course And how that relates to your CPD requirement We hope very much that this will give you a range Of options to go on And use this course as a building block For future accreditation options But also if you just want to dip in and out And use the course as it really fits within your context Make it more flexible, maybe be very active in one week And just audit or have a look at some of the others This course is really here to fit around your requirements And meet your needs And whether those involve formal accreditation or not The course should still be able to meet your requirements Now we're nearly at the end of our session And I hope you've enjoyed this little preview of the course And now it's time to sign up We hope you join us and a growing community Of 30,000 registered participants As I mentioned in the beginning Part 1 starts on the 4th of July So time to register now And if you have any questions Or would like to join into the conversation now You can do that via the YouTube comments Or on Twitter Using the hashtag at FLBLE1 If you want to sign up for the whole run of the course Part 2 is already open for registration And will start on the 3rd of October Both courses together bring you all the course content That we've just had a preview of But as I mentioned it's a flexible course You can dip in and out, you can sign up for both And then review content of the course When you need to even after the course has ended On behalf of my colleagues Across the consortium of partners Who have designed and are delivering these courses I'd like to thank you for joining us For this session today