1. Providing Inspection Services for Department of Education Department for Employment and Learning Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Evaluation of the Priority Skill at Level 3 in Construction and the Built Environment December 2010

2. EVIDENCE BASE  91 Lessons  Discussions with  College Senior Management Teams,  Curricular Team Leaders  Course Teams  Students  Employers  Meetings with Key Stakeholders including Sectoral Bodies

3. OVERALL FINDINGS Overall Effectiveness of the Priority Skill of Construction and the Built Environment across the sector  Very good one college  Good in two colleges  Satisfactory in three colleges

4. PROVISION TO MEET NEEDS OF LEARNERS AND LOCAL ECONOMY  Full-Time Provision  All the colleges have students enrolled on the full-time national diploma in construction in each of their main campuses.  Enrolments on national diploma have fallen from 2007 to 2009 by 21%. But…  Part-Time Provision Four colleges provide the part-time national certificate in construction and in civil engineering. Pockets of good practice in the provision of innovative up- skilling, and bridging programmes to higher education for craft operatives But… Example of Best Practice  Gender Gap Females continue to be under-represented on level 3 construction programmes. Lack of a well-defined strategy to address the issue

5. Leadership & Management  The overall quality of the leadership and management is variable;  Very good in one college  Good in one college  Satisfactory in four colleges  Main Features of very good leadership and management  well-defined management structure.  responsive to the needs of industry.  embraces cross college strategies.  Main Features of satisfactory leadership and management  limited opportunities for course teams to meet and collaborate.  lack of consistency across campuses in the quality of the provision.  Gaps in provision and lack of development of innovative programmes that meet the needs of the industry.

6.  Quality of the self-evaluation reports and improvement planning processes are variable  weaknesses in the provision are not always recorded  do not accurately reflect the programmes performance levels  Most of the lecturers are well-qualified, enthusiastic and work hard to support the students.  Four of the colleges deploy their staff efficiently and effectively, however, in two, conflicting priorities result in full-time lecturers deployed across too wide a range of provision Leadership & Management

7. Quality of Provision for Learning  Quality of the Curriculum  The overall quality of provision for learning varies from very good to satisfactory;  very good in one college  good in one college  satisfactory in four colleges  Insufficient collaboration and sharing of good practice across campuses;  Inconsistent teaching and learning practices;  Provision of additional qualifications to enhance the employability skills of full-time students varies significantly.

8.  Quality of Teaching and Learning  The quality of the teaching and learning was good or better in the majority of the lessons observed;  32% were outstanding to very good;  36% were good; and  remaining 32% of the lessons, were satisfactory or inadequate.  Main Features of very good or better lessons  well-planned;  incorporate activities that engage the students;  Includes effective formative and summary assessment of the learning;  activities enable the students to develop their understanding; and  there is a high level of challenge and pace. Examples of Best Practice Quality of Provision for Learning

9.  Quality of Teaching and Learning  Main Features of satisfactory or inadequate lessons  planning is poor and as a result pace is slow  limited interaction and overly tutor led  limited range of teaching approaches employed  use of limited question and answer strategies  disengagement from the teaching and learning Quality of Provision for Learning

10.  Assessment  In almost all courses assignments are returned promptly to the students.  Assessments schedules are in place but in most cases are not communicated effectively to the students at the start of the year. Quality of Provision for Learning

11.  Care, Guidance and Support  The pre-entry advice and guidance to students at the point of entry to their course is variable  In almost all the colleges CEIAG sessions are not formalised; and  the range of work-related learning experiences such as work-placements, site visits and guest speakers are under-developed in the most of the colleges. Example of Best Practice

12.  Care, Guidance and Support  The quality of the arrangements for pastoral care and learner support ranges from very good to good across the colleges, but are mostly good.  Two of the colleges used an electronic individual learning plan (e-ILP) to provide a good structure for the progress review sessions.  In best practice, a lecturer has developed a bespoke tracking sheet that is very effective Example of Best Practice Quality of Provision for Learning

13. Achievements and Standards  The achievements and standards of the students’ work across the colleges ranges from very good to satisfactory but are mainly good.  Retention rates for full-time national diploma courses over the last three years vary from satisfactory at (73%) to poor at (29%).  The retention rates for part-time national certificate courses over the last three years are higher than those for the national diploma; they range from excellent (94%) to poor (52%).  All the colleges are developing retention strategies. In one college, very good pre-entry guidance has led to improved retention. Example of Best Practice

14.  Achievement rates for full-time national diploma courses over the last three years vary from modest (69%) to poor (24%). The retention rate experienced by all the colleges is a major factor in the overall achievement rates.  The achievement rates for part-time national certificate courses over the last three years are higher than those for the national diploma; they range from good (80%) to poor (52%). Achievements and Standards

15. Actions Required to bring about Improvement 1. develop a consistent strategy across the further education sector to improve the quality of teaching and learning; 2. review and monitor retention rates on full-time courses and implement effective improvement strategies; 3. develop and implement strategies to provide opportunities for staff to work together collaboratively across the campuses, to plan and design a coherent and integrated curriculum, promote collegiality and share best practice;

16. 4. design and promote the part-time national certificate programmes to increase student enrolments; 5. further develop innovative up-skilling programmes for students who are already in employment; and 6. develop further lecturers’ pedagogic skills in the use of ILT and interactive whiteboards. Actions Required to bring about Improvement

17. One college has worked with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the relevant sector skills council, industry and other stakeholders to develop a new and innovative programme, the ConstructionSkills NVQ Level 3 in Heritage Skills Stone Masonry. The programme addresses the skills gap in the master craft of stone masonry. Best Practice: Innovative Programmes BACK

18. In one lesson the lecturer video recorded a site visit to an eco-village designed as a sustainable development. The lecturer played the video in class and used very good question and answer techniques to effectively draw out information about the students’ site visit experience. The lecturer effectively reinforced and developed the students’ knowledge and understanding of renewable energy sources and sustainable development gleaned from the site visit experience. Best Practice: Use of site visit to enhance theory

19. Best Practice: Interactive Teaching BACK In an outstanding lesson observed, a lecturer used a quiz to revisit previous learning. Based on ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ the quiz challenged the students to debate the topic using logical thinking. All the students engaged fully in the discussion and demonstrated respect for each other through effective team working

20. The students use the very good practice observed on a recent site visit to present their experiences to their peers, tutor and an industry guest. The industry guest is used effectively to involve the students in the discussions, provide feedback on their presentations and to speak to the students about his role on site in liaising with sub- contractors particularly in relation to health safety and welfare issues, which exposes the students to industry practice. Best Practice: Effective use of site visit. BACK

21. Best Practice: Effective use of on-line grade profile tracking sheets In one college, the course-coordinator has developed an online reporting tool which enables the students to track their progress. Students and tutors use the information very effectively to, set learning goals, manage learning and to make informed career decisions. BACK

22. Best Practice: Improving Retention Rates In a best practice example in one college, very good pre-entry guidance is provided on one campus comprising of a rigorous interview followed by a period of reflection before a final interview. This strategy has proved highly effective in ensuring that the students are enrolled on the correct course, reducing early drop out from the programme and improving retention BACK