1 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Library Learning Centres in Cambridgeshire: Learndirect delivery

2 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Cambridgeshire Library Learning Centres Learning Services Team operates 8 learning centres, which are >Accredited Learndirect centres >Accredited European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) test centres >Accredited test centres for OCR qualifications >Accredited test centres for City & Guilds qualifiacations Staff support 42 community access points

3 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Staff Training All centre tutors undertake the following City & Guilds teaching adults qualification City & Guilds supporting Skills for Life qualification Learndirect staff training – some 16 modules All have an ICT qualification to at least NVQ 2 NVQ = National Vocational Qualification

4 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 What is Learndirect? Established by government in 1999 Delivery arm of the University of Industry (UfI) Over 2000 centres across the UK 24 hour help-line and website Wide range of courses – over 750 IT and Computers Business and Management Skills for Life (literacy and numeracy)

5 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Learndirect Courses Learndirect ICT Courses >Basis complete beginners’ course >Introductory courses >Intermediate courses >Advanced/ IT professional courses Learndirect business courses >Aimed at small and medium enterprises >Also individuals >Wide range – Customer care, communication skills, personal development Learndirect corporate >Solutions for large employers

6 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Learndirect Courses Skills for Life >Literacy and numeracy courses >Aimed at improving reading and writing skills and increase peoples’ ability to get a job or move to another job >Lots of work aimed at those with young children Automotive Skills Environmental Management Language Courses

7 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Learndirect Accredited Learning Increasingly linking e-learning to recognised qualifications – National Qualfications Framework Offering courses that link to >ECDL >CLAIT >Microsoft Office User

8 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Learning Delivery Courses are mainly delivered via e-learning Can study in centre or at home Many courses subsidised or free Increasingly linked to National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) Supported by tutors in centres or online through national tutor database.

9 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Learner tracking & Monitoring All learners have an Individualised Student Record (ILR) created when first register Learner activity is recorded on a log and on Learndirect system Each learner has a personal tutor assigned to them, whom they meet every 3 weeks for a progress review Courses have start & end dates by which a learner should have completed their course

10 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Learner Outcomes All learners have outcomes or learning objectives which are set for them in a Learner Action Plan when start their learning. These are vital to prove completion and/or achievement for which extra funding is available. If a learner doesn’t complete then they have to be withdrawn.

11 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Funding Some Learndirect courses receive funding >Most of the ICT portfolio >Some Business & Management Course >All Skills for Life course Funding is for learner support >Amounts can range from £30 to over £700 per course >Depends on –number of learner support hours –Level of course – more advanced higher level of funding available

12 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Conclusions: the future of e- learning 2003 saw start of Government consultation – Towards a unified e-learning strategy E-learning’s role in achieving Department for Education & Skills (DfES) objectives Raising standards Improving quality Removing barriers to achievement Preparing for employment skills Widening participation

13 Learning Services Team Thursday 4 th September 2003 Conclusions Consultation will look at contribution which can be made by e-learning >Personalised support >Online communities >Flexible study >Individualised learning >Collaborative learning >Quality at scale Learndirect will develop along these lines