eLearning Regions and Cities 2004 Christine Lewis

Yorkshire & Humberside South Yorkshire is a section of the Yorkshire and Humberside region, with a population of 1.27 million. Objective 1 status was granted to South Yorkshire in 1999 because the sub-region had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the measurement of wealth per person, below 75% of the European average. Of particular importance in South Yorkshire was the decline in the Coal and Steel industries. Objective 1 status resulted in a substantial investment (€1b, £700m) into the sub-region to stimulate the economy, attract inward investment and raise the standard of living of people living and working in South Yorkshire. Population of South Yorkshire - 1.27m

Vision of South Yorkshire @ leading edge of e-learning First point of reference for good practice by DfES and Europe Core pathfinder for other local authorities Lead the way in understanding the opportunities offered by e-learning and delivering vocational training A place where innovators want to work A region that has skills and flexibility to adapt and adopt new innovation in e-learning

The Objective 1 Context GDP in SY below 75% of European average e-SY.info is one of the largest projects in the South Yorkshire Objective 1 programme <€70m Funded by ERDF, ESF, LSC, YF & the four local authorities managed through effective Public-Private partnership with RM plc Engaging the lifelong learning spectrum from the age of 10 through to the world of work Training across educational sectors into the business sector As you all know Objective 1 is funding a variety of projects across South Yorkshire to regenerate the sub-region. e-SY.info is one of the largest single projects that has been funded playing a central role in developing an economic step change and fostering a learning culture at all stages in life. The project is funded by the European Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Learning and Skills Council South Yorkshire, Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of South Yorkshire: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. It is delivered through an extensive public private partnership between the funding bodies and RM plc who lead the private sector consortium This project is unique in that it engages learners from as young as 10 through secondary education, FE and into the small business sector all sharing a single virtual learning environment.

cluster network of 370 small businesses (SMEs) Process Dynamic Networks 149 organisations cluster network of 370 small businesses (SMEs) feeder primary schools SMEs High tech manufacturing SMEs Creative & Digital all secondary schools SMEs Environmental sub-regional Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) 24/7 student tracking all FE colleges SMEs Bio-sciences community access content repository Creation of dynamic network across the sub-region South Yorkshire – population of 1.27million people all with potential to engage with this learning portal. Must emphasis that the resources are targeted specifically for the regeneration of the region. E.g. return to lifelong learning, skills agenda, 14-19 agenda, small businesses. Establishing a workforce for the 21st Century. SMEs Financial Services curriculum channels SMEs 30% general Libraries, community centres, sports clubs © e-SY.info

Functionality of VLE Sharing content repository Use of authoring tools to re-use learning objects Organisation of learners into virtual groups across the sub-region On-line assessment and marking tools An intuitive system available 24/7 System must meet interoperability standards SCORM, e-GIF and IMS

VLE user home page The VLE user home page that shows areas of the resources

Pedagogy, Beneficiary, Progress, Achievement, exit, e-sy.info Delivery Site Vision for e-sy.info e-learning Development Strategy e-learning Strategy Project Site Output Plan VLE Embedding VLE Roadmap Staff Development (Cascade Model) Learner Pipeline Staff Professional Development Cascade Model Content Creation e-learning The project side is a framework for project delivery, after exit strategy and project closure the strategic pathway will have become embedded. Training Needs Analysis PDP Macromedia TNA VLE Champion Curriculum E-Mentor/ e-Tutor/ LeTTOL VLE Pedagogy, Beneficiary, Progress, Achievement, exit,

Timescales 2001 to 2002 Feasibility Study and procurement process September 2003 - 75 Phase 1 organisations upgraded, VLE launched April 2004 - 75 Phase 2 organisations upgraded April 2004 over 100 SMEs recruited – ongoing to recruit 370 SMEs September 2004 Curriculum Channels launched December 2006 project ends

Sub-regional partnership Process Sub-regional partnership Programme board Evaluation committee Contracts committee Content sub-group VLE sub-group Innovations sub-group Finance sub-group Marketing sub-group We have a comprehensive partnership structure that allows full consultation and clear governance pathways as well as practitioner representation.

Quality circle and e-SY.info evaluation Project exit strategy Virtual Learning Environment I have attempted to map our project structure to the quality framework. What is interesting is that the central investments, infrastructure, processes and services are being considered in our exit strategy, we need to make sure that we leave these resources in place in the authorities. Programme Board Committee structure Marketing and communications strategy

Embedding skills Teachers Vision Embedding skills Teachers Skills developed using e-learning tools to focus on delivery of learner-focused resources e-Learning used across curriculum e-Learning central to organisational strategic development plan Sharing of resources and best practice Development of virtual expert communities New pedagogies will emerge

Embedding skills Learners Increased confidence and motivation Vision Embedding skills Learners Increased confidence and motivation Increased achievement Peer to peer support Develop own resources - e-portfolio Learner driven access to resources for added value, testing understanding

Learning Champions – key role Process Learning Champions – key role At least one per organisation Trained as an e-mentor and e-tutor Responsible for individual needs analysis in organisation Cascade training Part of developing network of specialists Designed for sustainability

Project results Over 37,000 learners accessing e-learning Over 1,500 trainers trained Over 370 small businesses trained Over 150 organisations upgraded Learners using on-line materials Practitioners developing and sharing innovative web-based learning materials We expect over 50,000 learners will be involved in some way in the project. The trained trainers are very important to our sustainability plan.

Project outcomes: skills Vision Project outcomes: skills E-Mentor & e-Tutor: competency based, accredited qualification www, email, applications (Microsoft Office etc.) Asynchronous collaboration tools Learning management system Supporting learners needs Facilitation and moderation of group discussion Designing on-line activities including testing, assessing and evaluating learners’ performance Effective deployment of web and application based learning content ECDL and ECDL mentor, LeTTOL Developing technical and networking skills through CISCO academies These show the e-learning skills that are necessary to provide support for teachers when developing e-learning skills, this is a first step towards the emergence of a new pedagogy for e-learning.

Critical success factors Senior Management buy-in e-Learning becomes embedded into organisational development plans Learning champions Cascade training e-Learning becomes embedded across the curriculum It is very clear to us that these success factors have a critical impact on the project delivery, in particular having commitment at a senior level so that there is organisational support for the individuals involved and so that the project becomes embedded into organisational development

A Critical Success Factor for Growth: Creating the digital labour pool The e-sy.info programme is focused on: ‘Creating a world class learning region’ Ensuring the workforce is digitally literate Key transitions in lifelong learning, especially 10 though 19 Embedding ICT in KS3/4 (11-16) and vocational curriculum Employability in the knowledge economy Creating the learning habit in SMEs Widening participation through e-learning Without a comprehensive and cohesive approach to delivering a sub-regional vision we cannot create a world-class learning region Smoothing transition and joining up the many educational initiatives has helped us to optimise the impact of the project

Project Evaluation Impact of the project Process Project Evaluation Impact of the project What is happening to learners and trainers Where is it happening and who is involved How the intervention works in particular learner contexts How far embedding has progresses Issues for sustainability Specification of the evaluation focuses on the impact of the e-learning intervention to understand more fully the transformation process

Peer-reviewed research papers Oct 2004: The implementation of a sub-regional VLE Oct 2005: The impact of the SYeLP on the economic regeneration of SY Oct 2006: SYeLP- overall impact, lessons learned and issues for sustainability These papers are to share our experiences with others, offer guidance and focus on the impact on economic regeneration

By end of 2006, South Yorkshire will have: Moved from large scale implementation to full scale embedding within learning organisations Comprehensive training systems Quality assurance processes in place Adoption and adaption of e-learning across the curriculum The emergence of online pedagogy A sub-regional learning portal Comprehensive case study material Final slide – summary of project outcomes emphasising the cultural change and transformation in educational delivery across educational sectors