E-Learning Policy Manager This is a new post and will require the E-Learning Policy Manager to be involved in the development and implementation of e-learning policy across the organisation; working with senior academic colleagues to ensure that local strategies for e-learning are suitable and successful, and that the policy and guidance is in place to enable the effective use of technology for learning. You will be required to work across various areas of e-learning: from the use of the VLE, to open educational resources, to policy development around assessment and feedback, social media, copyright and IP as well as working alongside colleagues in the E-Learning Unit to support services with robust policy and guidance, and will work directly to QM's Head of E-Learning. E-Learning is active and healthy at QM, with the variety and volume of use increasing all the time. The post is full time for three years starting as soon as possible. The closing date for applications is Friday 12th August 2011.
Choosing the Right Growth Measure State education agencies and school districts are increasingly using measures based on student test-score growth in their systems for evaluating school and teacher performance. In many cases, these systems inform high-stakes decisions such as which schools to close and which teachers to retain. Performance metrics tied directly to student test-score growth are appealing because although schools and teachers differ dramatically in their effects on student achievement, researchers have had great difficulty linking these performance differences to characteristics that are easily observed and measured. The question of how best to measure student test-score growth for the purpose of school and teacher evaluation has fueled lively debates nationwide. We examine the appeal of these three approaches in the context of a system for evaluating schools, although the substance of our findings also applies to evaluations of teachers and districts. Student Growth Measures Choosing an Approach Conclusion
e-Learning Investment This infoKit was first published in 2004 and is currently being updated. Back in 2004 when we wrote this infoKit, we defined a VLE as – ‘A Virtual Learning Environment is a collection of integrated tools enabling the management of online learning, providing a delivery mechanism, student tracking, assessment and access to resources’. These integrated tools may be one product (eg BlackBoard, Moodle) or an integrated set of individual, perhaps open-source, tools. This definition still holds true with most education providers using a ‘product’ for example Blackboard or Moodle with Web2.0 tools being used to supplement the functionality offered by these systems, but these are often not truly integrated. Although written a few years ago, most of the advice and guidance remains sound. The infoKit aims to enable tutors to make informed decisions, based on sound educational principles, about the use of technology in their teaching and their students’ learning when using a VLE.
'Dramatic extension of Pupil Premium' may be needed to reverse entrenched inequalities While deprived pupils are more likely to reach expected attainment levels today than in the 1960s, they are still no closer to achieving the qualifications that will give them a competitive advantage in today’s labour market. Researchers have found that despite progress in closing the attainment gap, the likelihood of disadvantaged students being among the high achievers has remained “consistently low” for the past 50 years. They argue that if we are to tackle the social mobility crisis, more “drastic action” might be required, such as a “dramatic extension of the Pupil Premium”, to help disadvantaged pupils to achieve above the average. Researchers from the Institute of Education in London and the University of Surrey analysed information on the educational attainment of English children born between 1958 and 2000. The paper, Education and Intergenerational Mobility: Help or hindrance? “This has important implications.
Top 5 Disadvantages Of Cloud Computing While cloud computing and storage is a great innovation in the field of computing, However, there are certain things that you need to be cautious about too. Some may say that there are no down sides to cloud computing, but users should not depend too heavily on these services. Although you may find all you need with a particular service, you have to consider the security and portability it offers and also make contingencies should the service be terminated abruptly. Moreover, an online service is more prone to threats than your PC. Having said that, however, most would agree that with cloud computing, the good outweighs the bad. The main disadvantages are Security and Privacy, Dependency (loss of control), Cost ,Decreased flexibility ,Knowledge And Integration. 1.Security & Privacy The biggest concerns about cloud computing are security and privacy. 2.Dependency (loss of control): 3.Cost Higher costs. 4.Decreased flexibility 5.Knowledge And Integration.
Russell Group record on free school meal pupils revealed On average each Russell Group university admits just 64 of the poorest young people per year, as measured by those receiving free school meals A written Parliamentary answer from David Willetts, the universities and science minister, has revealed how many state school pupils in England “with free school meals at age 15” progressed to Russell Group institutions. The answer states that for the 24 institutions now in the Russell Group, the number of free school meal pupils “in HE by age 19” was 1,580 in 2009-10 and 1,540 in 2010-11, the most recent figures available. For 2010-11, that works out at an average of 64 for each university. For the University of Cambridge the total of free school meal pupils admitted was 25 in both years, while for the University of Oxford the total was just 15 in both years, according to Mr Willetts’ answer. The Department for Education said in 2012 that 18 per cent of 4 to 15-year-old pupils in maintained schools were registered to claim free school meals.
OFSTED Excellence Gateway Assessment is the process by which learners demonstrate their understanding of an area, usually to prescribed national standards. It may include demonstrating competence in practical areas as well as theoretical knowledge. How do your assessment practices compare with that of the most effective provision seen on inspection? The following strengths and areas for improvement have been taken from recent inspection reports across the Ofsted Learning and Skills remit. Common inspection strengths Good assessment planning Good assessment practice Good use of work-based assessment Particularly effective learner-centred assessment Particularly flexible arrangements to support assessment and learning Common inspection areas for improvement Some unsatisfactory assessment practicesSome ineffective assessmentInsufficient assessment feedback Particularly effective practice identified in inspections includes: What could you do next to improve your provision?
Narrowing the gap: Pupil Premium and CPD This blog follows my talk given at the Westminster Briefing ‘Narrowing the Gap’ event in Leeds on Thursday 27th June, 2013. I will be delivering a similar talk at the Westminster Briefing London event on Tuesday 9th July. When narrowing the attainment gap, Sutton Trust research highlights why we should be focusing on the quality of teaching: We can see that the average student makes significantly greater progress as we improve the quality of teaching, but that this effect is magnified for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, for school leaders to simply take this as grounds to be increasingly prescriptive about how their teachers should be delivering lessons would be a mistake, as research from Viviane Robinson shows us: This research clearly shows that the most important role that a school leader can play is to be a leader of teacher learning and development. But where should teachers be focusing their efforts when engaging in professional devleopment? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Cloud Learning Environments - Slideshare EEF Blog: Is Pupil Premium ‘doomed to success’? | News & Events James Richardson Senior Analyst at the EEF on the Pupil Premium; What makes a successful education policy? According to Stanford Professor, Larry Cuban, who coined the phrase “policy churn”, successful measures are the ones that lead to real change in the classroom. Ofsted’s latest report on the Pupil Premium suggests this maybe a policy that has avoided the churn bin and is making an impact improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Best practice or evidence? What should school leaders learn from this report - is it just that we need good leaders and teachers to manage interventions well, or is there more to making a success of the pupil premium? The report doesn’t have anything to say on which strategies are more effective than others so there is a temptation for school leaders to respond to by looking for quick fixes to narrow the attainment gap and copying the ‘best practice’ of top performing schools. Effective use of the Pupil Premium
Google Apps for Education UK User Group | Research Staff @ Lboro On February 15th the Google Apps for Education UK User Group will convene for the first time at Loughborough. @LboroResStaff will be there to keep an eye out for anything eyecatching from a research staff perspective, and may well tweet using #guug11 if anything interesting pops up. Research e-Resource Officer at Lboro, based in the Research Office with responsibilities in the Graduate School, and close collaboration with the e-Learning Team (Teaching Centre) and the Library.
How should schools spend the pupil premium? | Teacher Network | Guardian Professional Inclusion expert Daniel Sobel explains how targeted interventions, such as buying a bike, have helped schools spend their pupil premium effectively. Photograph: Alamy. The truth is there is no simple answer to the question of how the pupil premium should be spent. Many schools have put the funding to effective use by gaining a deep understanding of their students and developing a tailored and personalised approach. Below are some of the most creative approaches we've come across, highlighted in the Pupil Premium 2014 awards. In all these examples, a generic approach, such as setting up additional classes for those who need extra help, could have been justified to an Ofsted inspector but would not have addressed all the underlying issues affecting a student's work. Road bike for a year 7 pupil falling behind (£250) John's story: I was always late for the first lesson coming across town on the earliest possible bus. A nutritionist for a lethargic year 5 student (£120) 1. 2. 3.
Watershed School The Watershed School selects Google Apps Education Edition to manage its cutting-edge curriculum The institution Located in Boulder, Colorado, Watershed School was founded in 2004 as a cutting-edge, experiential middle and high school. Approach Finding technology solutions to support a Watershed School's unique curriculum is not an easy task. The mismatch came to a head less than 48 hours before mid-term assessments in 2006. Solution To his surprise, Pavicich built—in just under four hours—“a system that could do 90% of the assessment management the other company promised, 100% better”. Since creating the assessment management system, The Watershed School has expanded its use of Google Apps to nearly every aspect of school administration, from course registration to online homework records; they even created a school intranet. At Watershed School, where nearly all student work is now submitted digitally, no proprietary, non-Google office software is available on school computers. Results
John Dunford Consulting | Education Consultancy