OpenLearn Champions Project Case

Aims ● Overview of the project. ● What are the resources? ● Who are the champions? ● How are tutors and practitioners using the resources with learners? ● Challenges and feedback 2

A core part of the OU in Wales’ Widening Access work. Helping to use informal learning as a pathway to progression. Building capacity through a ‘Train the trainers’ approach. Over 140 Champions trained so far – 1 day workshop Free resources to use with learners – another tool in their toolbox. On-going communication and support structure for champions incl. networking events. 3

4 Resources for Champions Lists of useful links to courses OpenLearn Posters – generic and bespoke Pop up banners for events A5 booklets about OpenLearn OU/BBC materials from co-productions Certificates for participants Other Freebies/ goodie bags for learners Regular OpenLearn Newsletters

The training day ● Slides /presentation ● Demonstrations ● Hands on time in an IT suite to explore the OER content ● Discussion – how can this be used in your setting? ● Information to take away and next steps A mixture of…. 5

Open Educational Resources (OER) FREE online resources (CC licence) OpenLearn / OpenLearn Cymru Over 800 courses- 10,000 hours of free learning + interactive quizzes, podcasts, video, articles FutureLearn Over 2 million learners since launch in partners around the world – over 200 courses ● Free mobile apps - and much more. 6

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8 Community Learning work

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11 Pathways to Success

15 Include: Who are the Champions? ● FE and Adult education tutors ● Librarians and library support staff ● Community Employment Advisors (Job Centre Plus) ● Trade Union Learning Reps ● Staff from voluntary and community sector ● Community development staff ● Communities First staff ● Training providers

16 How are they using the OERs? CH–Essential Skills Wales Assessor for a training company. He teaches key skills to small groups of work-based learners in the care industry from various backgrounds. Works across classroom and work-based settings. He is in contact with around 300 learners on an intermittent basis. Activities ● Referring individuals on an ad-hoc basis, especially those interested in pursuing HE. ● Recommends learners set themselves deadlines to model a formal learning arrangement. ● Is also using Pathways to Success for his own learning.

17 DO - Community Education Manager (Local Authority) Provides adult learning in community settings. Activities ● Incorporating OER into classes that show courses available, and encouraging access in the Open Access IT sessions. ● The OER Safety Online courses have been tied into face to face IT courses. ● Incorporating OER platforms into an adult skills day as one of the activities on offer. ● A tutor training session to cascade OpenLearn to a wider network is planned in a few weeks.

18 WJ – librarian Teaches beginners IT courses across the library network in his Local Authority. Activities ● Running bespoke courses around OpenLearn as a follow on to the basic IT courses. ● Often recommends the Welsh course as a good starting point for those that wish to learn the language. ● Drop-in sessions are held in the big libraries to promote OpenLearn, encourage sign-up and let users have a go. ● Front-line staff were briefed on OpenLearn at an all-staff meeting and promote it where possible. There are also links from the library website. ● Personally, enjoyed the Football Coaching course as he may coach children in future. He also completed the Ancient Egypt course, which he felt was really good.

19 MW – Family learning Trainer and mentor for Family Learning across a Local Authority area. Activities ● Joint sessions were run with the local museum on themes such as the history of the family. Content from OpenLearn was then used in a follow up classroom based session with additional signposting activities to do at home. ● Linked to an employability taster course - OpenLearn was used to explore vocational interests and find out more about roles before learners signed up to a formal course. ● On an ad-hoc basis, OpenLearn referrals are made through family learning when learners want to do something but are unsure of what. ● Developed a 2 session course around the Our Story app. Introducing parents to the app in the first session, and parents and children work together in the second to develop their story. Extending this to other groups.

20 SM – Refugee and Asylum Seeker group Development Officer for Wrexham Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Group. (The organisation has now closed.) Activities ● Signposting individuals to courses that would interest. All learners keen to improve English. ● Used as a benchmark to test readiness for college. It gave learners a taster and reassurance of their ability. ● Run a weekly OpenLearn morning to promote the resources and signpost to the library drop-in for further information. ● Team members used it for training, as it was free and accessible at any time.

21 JH – Training provider An Employability Skills Manager for a training company. The organisation’s purpose is to support individuals taking their next step into employment or further education. Activities ● Introduced OpenLearn to her team. Tutors using the resources to enhance their formal sessions. For example embedding content around Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDCG). ● Also looking around similar things with health and safety, childcare, literacy and history courses. Particularly like the videos, quizzes and other and interactive content. ● In future sees it being used with their youth cohort to give an idea of further education and how it links to occupational routes. She particularly mentioned: teaching assistants, social care and wellbeing, and improving literacy and numeracy.

22 GR –Communities First Lead Learning Officer for a Communities First Partnership. His role is both office and community based. Activities ● Discusses OpenLearn with community partners on an ad-hoc basis, making them aware of the resources as a potential option for their clients. ● He works with the Parent Adviser at Jobcentre Plus and made a referral to OpenLearn today. The client is interested in nursing and this was suggested as a taster. ● Information table at events. ● Issues around IT and broadband access as a barrier to many learners.

23 KH – Council for Voluntary Service A Development Officer offering bespoke training and support to charities and community groups. Activities ● Working with a playgroup provider who is setting up a new committee. Signposted to OpenLearn courses and is supporting through update meetings. Introduction to Book-keeping course. ● Working with a digital design company that are in the process of becoming a social enterprise. They will be working with people with mental health issues to develop skills for employment or further education. KH will be using OpenLearn with this group as a ‘step into learning’. ● Is also referring individuals to courses on an ad-hoc basis. She has recommended OpenLearn to her husband, as he is learning Welsh and has an interest in history. ● Signposting to OpenLearn in Trustees week in November. She will be developing seminars for new and potential trustees including OpenLearn content.

24 Useful contacts Contact: Open learn Project Website pages : Blog: Regular tweets with @OUfreelearning