By Candela S. Baixauli
About WooclapLaunched in 2015 by Jonathan Alzetta and Sébastien Lebbe, engineers from the École
Polytechnique de Bruxelles, Wooclap emerged from a passion for education and technology.
Recognising the growing challenge teachers faced in maintaining student attention, they
developed a neuroscience-based tool designed to enhance engagement and focus. In celebration of higher education institutions that have revolutionised pedagogical methods using Wooclap, the Interactive Learning Olympics were hosted, a global competition honouring the most interactive universities and schools.
This global competition recognised the most interactive education institutions in the world, those where students regularly respond to questions posed by their teachers. The participating institutions competed in nine categories, highlighting the various ways to use interactive technologies to engage students during and after classes.
The University of Edinburgh stood out in the international competition and won the gold medal in the Versatile Champions category, rewarding teachers for their use of various interactive questions such as Find on Image, Fill-in-the-Blanks, and many others.
As Alan Hamilton, Learning Technology Advisor at the University of Edinburgh, puts it: “[Wooclap] has certainly given us a lot more question types to use. The previous tool we used didn’t have as many. We try to encourage people to use more than just multiple-choice questions.”
Increased collaboration within educational teamsOther education professionals shared their vision of pedagogical innovation where collaboration among various stakeholders in education was particularly highlighted. This includes collaboration between teachers, between learning technologists and teachers, and involving students in the creation of learning resources.
Alan Hamilton, University of Edinburgh, “We created a SharePoint page where we build and maintain information and guidance on using Wooclap with all the different question types. This includes a ‘try it yourself’ participant-paced resource, where we explain each question type and provide examples. Each presenter can experience a question as a participant and use it as a resource to familiarise themselves with more unusual questions before their event or before teaching a class.“
Read more information on the competition and the winning universities.
Turn your students into active learners, try Wooclap for free and explore their educational
options.
>> Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines.
The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.
Liesl Rowe, working at Leeds Beckett University, is the newest member of the Alt CoOL SIG. Read on to find out more about Liesl.
Where are you based?
I’ve been based in Leeds since 2021 and have worked at Leeds Beckett University for just over a year as their Senior Digital Library Advisor (Copyright). I’m responsible for answering any copyright queries; delivering training on copyright; and managing our digitisation service.
Online ChannelsMy email is l.rowe@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
I can be found at:
LinkedIn: Liesl Rowe | LinkedIn
X: @libraryxmachina
BlueSky: littlebutfierce.bsky.social
What do you like?I’m passionate about making copyright understandable and relevant to a wider audience. Students and staff at my institution often mention anxiety around ensuring they’re complying with guidelines or are unsure how it’s relevant to them. Working at a university with a thriving arts department, I think it’s crucial that they understand how to protect their own work as well as know how to respect others’ copyright. As such, I love finding cases of copyright coming to the attention of the general public and using that as a route to talk about key concepts, everything from the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons through to Mickey Mouse entering the public domain for the first time.
A bit about youI started working in libraries in 2017, starting out in an inner-city London school as their Assistant Librarian before moving into acquisitions in HE. I got my start in copyright through working closely with academics to ensure that they had all the items they required for module development and processing digitisations.
A lot of my work is trying to pre-empt colleagues’ copyright issues so we have resources in place for them to utilise. This has included a leaflet on how academics can best protect their work and two “Copyright in Three Minutes” animated videos, one aimed at staff and one aimed at students. I’ve also taken a keen interest in AI developments: I’ve been working closely with a colleague to review different ways we can make use of AI as a library team, whilst also setting out some guidance for users so they follow best practice from a copyright point of view.
Hobbies/interestAs a history graduate, it’s probably not a huge surprise that some of my hobbies have a historical angle: I’m an enthusiastic fencer and have entered a few competitions wielding the foil. Many of my weekends are spent visiting museums or stately homes. I’m also very fond of cooking. During the pandemic, I was very passionate about replicating many of my favourite restaurant dishes as a way of handling lockdown and this has grown into a passion for trying out new recipes. One of my greatest delights is to recreate dishes from history or whatever media I happen to be watching.
Theatre is one of my greatest passions in life. Despite having left the capital behind now, I do make a point of going to London a few times a year to indulge in seeing as many shows as possible, everything from Shakespeare through to the latest musicals.
By Andrew Larner, Manchester Metropolitan University
SummaryThe definition of e-learning teams has evolved since the early 2000s (Joyce and Lisewski, 2003). In my roles as an E-Learning Technologist, Technology Enhanced Learning Advisor (TELA), and Digital Education Specialist, I’ve witnessed these changes firsthand. Until the COVID-19 Pandemic the factors affecting the role had generally been internal to Higher Education.
COVID-19 lockdowns had a profound impact on Higher Education (for example, Watermeyer et al., 2021). Lockdowns required a rapid switch to emergency online teaching (Hodges, 2020) for universities across the world. Many teaching staff were suddenly overwhelmed by new technologies and teaching methods in an almost overnight switch.
This had a direct effect on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team at Manchester Metropolitan University. When the lockdowns began TELAs were required to provide more technical support where previously support had been teaching focused. However, such was the demand for support to demonstrate the use of Microsoft Teams for online delivery we struggled to show pedagogy. Staff just needed to be able to use the tools available.
Previously, I had been a face-to-face faculty contact, very visible and easily contactable on the phone or in the office. The requirement to ensure the team could cope with demand and provide redundancy if anyone was off sick meant I was now behind an IT style ticket system, working remotely and more centrally in the team to manage demand from across the university.
I studied how the pandemic affected perceptions of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering (S&E) at Manchester Metropolitan University. I asked staff in S&E what their perceptions of the TEL Team were following the pandemic. I surveyed and interviewed staff in the summer of 2023.
The findings suggested that colleagues considered technical and administrative activities were the focus of our role with Technical Selection and Learning Design scoring dismally. Using my research findings, I created a set of recommendations to change perceptions of the TEL Team’s role. These were written with specific reference to Manchester Metropolitan University’s context.
RecommendationsProactive Integration:
Clearer Communication:
Holistic Programme Development:
Training Offerings:
Rebranding One-to-One Sessions:
Online Resources:
These steps should help in redefining the role and perception of the Technology Enhanced Learning team, making them more integrated, recognised, and effective in supporting educational goals. Please share your own experiences, thoughts, feelings or suggestions on this subject in the comments! I’ll also be presenting on this topic at the ALT Conference in September. If you would like to discuss this subject further, I welcome you to join the session! You can also reach me via email at a.larner@mmu.ac.uk for any questions or further discussion.
ReferencesHodges, C. et al. (2020) ‘The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning’, p. 12.
Joyce, P. and Lisewski, B. (2003) ‘On reification: a reinterpretation of designed and emergent practice – a reply’, Research in Learning Technology, 11(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v11i2.11278.
Watermeyer, R. et al. (2021) ‘COVID-19 and digital disruption in UK universities: afflictions and affordances of emergency online migration’, Higher Education, 81(3), pp. 623–641. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00561-y.
Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership
by Katie Stripe, Imperial College London.
This post is the second of a series based on the Animated Inclusive Personae (AIP) project (Stripe and Meadows, 2024) which, at is heart, is about creating digital personae that genuinely represent the diversity of our students. This post is less of an update on the project and more an exploration of some of the issues that have arisen, primarily around language, and a request to the community for reference material, thoughts, and ideas for collaboration.
In part one of this series (Stripe, 2024), we discussed the difficulties with finding appropriate images that was the driver for the project. In response to this we are commissioning artwork from humans, which is going really well, but there is another issue of scalability and the language we use to talk about what we want from images, particularly when it comes to racial identity.
As part of the project we run a workshop on developing inclusive curricula using digital personas (Stripe and Dallison, 2024) that explores how to create an inclusive persona in which we share the stock images that are we used for the initial project.
There is a broad range of visual diversity represented but one of the most frequent comments is that they are all ‘beautiful’. They all look like models. In some ways that is inevitable, because they probably are. How else does an image get into a photo library? This is why we started the project and hired artists to create illustrations which we are in control of. However, this has raised a different set of questions, one that revolves around the language used to instruct an artist to create an illustration that represents a certain demographic.
This has wider implications than just commissioning artwork. As we discussed in the last post one of the issues with searching image banks is the way assets are tagged. The language that is used and the elements that are described in the metadata is important for searching out appropriate images but this is by no means the only place the descriptive language is used. We have not yet explored Generative AI for creating images, partly because supporting artists by commission them to create assets for is a good thing to do if you have the resources, but there is also the consideration of what exactly you would ask it to generate.
What language would you use?Finally, however the images are generated, there needs to be alt text for the assets. Which again poses the question what elements do you describe and what language do you use?
Shutter Stock has requirements for the metadata (Shutterstock, Inc., 2024) on submitted images that ask for a minimum of seven and maximum of fifty keywords and the definition of an image against a set of categories. The categories are a finite list but there is no real guidance on what should be in the keywords. Nappy.co (SHADE and Boogie Brands, 2024) is an image library for ‘beautiful photos of Black and Brown people’ which in some instances references the colour of the person’s skin in the metadata but not all. With such a diverse range of skin tones, representing broad and diverse communities, is it enough to simply say ‘Black’ when defining an image? If not, what do you say?
When tagging images, adding alt text, or using AI, the advice is almost always to be as specific as possible. When discussing race and ethnicity we are being steered away from using the term BAME (Cabinet Office, 2021), and rightly so, as the term covers so many identities that is unhelpful. However, when tagging, and hence searching, we are forced to write statements like ‘East Asian’ because, unless it was tagged with knowledge of the person in the image we do not know for sure if that image is of a Chinese person, or Japanese, or American. So, if you want to represent a Chinese American what options do you have?
Discussing with our artists (all students) what was needed in order to support them in generating images for racial identities different from their own resulted in an image trawl of different identities for research. A valid approach, and essentially what a Generative AI tool would do, but in doing that you could be forgiven for concluding that all Korean people look like K Pop stars. Consider who has their images on the internet, or in image libraries, and what metadata will be associated with them. As already discussed, image libraries provide a certain type of image, and anyone with their biographical details on the internet is likely to be famous in some way and therefore are unlikely to represent a range of ‘normal’ people from that demographic. This again brings us to the question, if you want to represent a Chinese American what options do you have?
One could ask, and legitimately so, why this is important. The ethos of this project is to represent the broad range of diversity in our student cohort, and for us that means creating images, which while they are not photorealistic, still need to be appropriate when it comes to racial diversity. We are also developing backgrounds, and stories for these characters so it is important to get an image that matches the story.
Furthermore, once these assets are produced, they need to be tagged appropriately and given relevant and descriptive alt text. The argument for describing diverse traits in alt text is clear and underpins the whole reason for the project and the need to ask these questions. ‘When we don’t describe the race of someone in an image, we push the narrative that what our society deems as the default (usually a white person), is the default.’ (Adegbite, 2022)
However, with such a sensitive subject I do not feel that we, as a society, or a group of educators and designers, have enough language to describe, safely and confidently, what we need to in order to change the way we tag images, commission artwork (from humans or AI) or provide details for assistive technology.
And we need that.
ReferencesDear Members,
I hope you are all well and have some time off planned over the summer to rest and recuperate. At ALT, we are entering our busy period as preparations ramp up for our Annual Conference and AGM. I have lots to share with you in this update.
Could you be our next Trustees?Our Trustees are a vital part of ALT. Our Trustees set ALT’s direction, are responsible for ALT’s strategy and the overall performance of the association. We have two vacancies for appointed Trustees and are seeking enthusiastic individuals to join our Board. Find out more about how to apply. Applications close on Monday 29 July at 12:00 BST (noon).
Annual Conference 2024We are really looking forward to our Annual Conference in September. We had a fantastic response, as ever, to the Call for Papers and Scott, Diane and the Conference Committee worked hard to complete the peer review of every submission. The ALTC24 draft programme is out now and we’ve announced our keynotes.
Opening the conference on Tuesday, Chris Friend will explore empowering people through technology in ‘Humane Education: Empathy in Policies, Places, and Platforms’. On Wednesday, our student panel will be ‘Imagining the Future of Education and Technology’ and sharing their thoughts on what the future could hold. Our final keynote on Thursday, will explore how our panel fosters inclusive environments and spaces by ‘Inviting Improvement through Lived Experience’.
This year sees the return of the popular ALTC Radio show hosted and organised by DJ extraordinaire Dom Pates and we introduced a new theme focused on emerging research. Our Gala Dinner will include our Awards ceremony and evening entertainment.
As I mentioned in my last report, we are trying a new venue this year. The venue is well connected by rail and air with accommodation in the vicinity or short train ride to Manchester city centre. I look forward to hearing your feedback on it. We know the timing of our Annual Conference is a challenge with children starting school or the start of term at work for many, so, we are trying out this kind of venue as we have more flexibility on the timing of the conference in future.
We know how difficult the current economic climate is and the challenge of securing funding and time to attend conferences like ours. To help our Members, we have written a blog on ‘Writing a business case to attend ALTC24‘ with tips and suggestions for writing a strong case to attend. Thank you to our Trustee Puiyin Wong for sharing the case she wrote as an example.
Annual General Meeting 2024Our Annual General Meeting will take place at our Annual Conference on Wednesday 4 September. If you are unable to attend the conference, you can register to join the AGM online. Resolutions must be received by 16:00 on Friday 26 July.
ALT AwardsWe had a fantastic response to our call for nominations this year. We introduced a new award with our partners at Ufi VocTech Trust that aims to highlight the work of educators who develop student skills in vocational subjects (education that prepares people for a skilled craft as an artisan, trade as a tradesperson, or work as a technician). Our judges had a very difficult job selecting our winners and we look forward to awarding them at our Gala Dinner in September.
This year, we reintroduced the Community Choice Award to enable our Members to have a say in who they feel deserves recognition for their work. I encourage you all to read the entries and vote for the person or team you feel is most deserving of recognition. Voting is open until Thursday 22 August 2024 (at noon). You only get one vote, make it count!
CMALT Online CourseThe CMALT Online course, tentatively titled “Your guide to Certified Membership of ALT (CMALT)” is progressing at pace. Our friends at Catalyst IT Europe have provided the cloud-based Moodle platform that will host the course. My thanks to Richard Oelmann, Joey Murison and Sam Taylor for helping us make it happen.
We have been very lucky to have the support of the team at King’s Digital to design and create the content. Having the collective learning design skills and experience of the team has been invaluable. My thanks to Michael Kay, Hazel Deacon, Elisa Vallarani and Evelyn Huang (and everyone involved that I have forgotten) for the hard work they have put in to this project.
In June, CMALT holders and assessors were invited to record videos for the course on their experiences and tips. My thanks to Anna Armstrong, Ellie Dommett, Geraldine Foley, Kiran Gawali, Tom Gurney, Antony Makrinos, David Reid Matthews, Dom Pates, Sheila Smith, Julie Voce and Puiyin Wong for giving up their time to create content to help their peers. We are very lucky at ALT to have such generous Members!
Image from a post on X by Puiyin Wong/@Puiyin. “It was fun filming [for] the upcoming…#CMALT course for @A_L_T today with Dom Pates/@dompates & Anna Armstrong/@frenchdisko. We aced it! Julie Voce/@julievoce you better watch out, ours are better than yours!”We plan to demonstrate the course at the Annual Conference in September. King’s Digital will also share the process and approaches they go through to design and create the course. I hope you’ll join us on Thursday 5 September at 13:30 for our session.
Launching new Special Interest GroupsThis year, we reopened applications for new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and received a brilliant response. We are introducing four new SIGs who will launch at the Annual Conference. We will be inviting Members to get involved as Officers of these new SIGs very shortly so watch this space!
CEO RecruitmentOur Board of Trustees have been very busy over the last few weeks interviewing candidates for our next CEO. Thanks to our recruitment consultant Jenny Hill, from Harris Hill, we had a very strong field. We will update Members on the outcome as soon as we can.
Call to get involvedWe will shortly be inviting Members to get involved in ALT, as we do every year, via our ‘call to get involved’. Participation is a core value at ALT and our Members are integral to everything we do. By getting involved in our activities, you can shape what we do. I hope to see lots of new Members get involved in what we do!
We are looking for expressions of interest for officer roles for our new Special Interest Groups (SIGs), launching in September 2024. The four new SIGs focus on: Digital Accessibilty, Digital Assessment, Independent Consultancy & Career Pathways, and Digital Sustainability. We will launch these new SIGs as part of the Annual Conference 2024.
Expressions of interest for Officer rolesNominations are invited for the following Officers:
Applications for our two Trustee vacancies close on Monday 29 July 2024 at 12:00 PM BST (noon).
The Association for Learning Technology (ALT) is the leading professional body for Learning Technology in the UK. We represent individual and organisational Members from all sectors including Further and Higher Education and industry. We provide recognition and accreditation for those with a professional interest in Learning Technology.
Accessibility is so important and can't be ignored, yet so often we see inaccessible documents and presentations being used. Integrating accessibility tools not only benefits those students and staff who really need it, but make the experience of navigating and using documents take up less cognitive load for everyone! In this session Stephen Taylor will introduce you to some quick accessibility fixers you can start applying, why you should apply them, and how they will benefit everyone.
Interested in getting further into using AI tools for online courses but not sure where to start? In this session, Leonard Houx, Director of Learning Design at Cambridge Education Group, will show ideas for using free AI tools to conceive, strategise, and deliver and analyse your online courses.
Speaker: Leonard Houx is the Director of Learning Design at Cambridge Education Group. He is a fellow of the Centre for Online and Distance Education, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Association and a former Director of the Learning Network. He has written about online learning for the Financial Times, Times Higher Ed, and Guardian.
By Ann Gravells and Gavin Lumsden
A significant transformation is underway in the realm of Further Education and Skills (FE&S) training with the introduction of the new Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) qualification. The qualification commences on 1st September 2024. This update not only aims to enhance the quality of teacher training but also aligns with contemporary educational needs and standards. The transition from the existing Diploma in Education and Training (DET) to the Diploma in Teaching (DiT) reflects a progressive shift designed to better equip teachers for the evolving landscape of further education. This article delves into the details of this new qualification, the accompanying resources, and the comprehensive guidance provided by Ann Gravells and me to ensure a smooth transition for all stakeholders.
Understanding the new Diploma in Teaching (FE&S)
The new Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) is tailored for practitioners in England who teach learners aged 14 and above across diverse contexts including colleges, prisons, private training providers, and community organisations. The qualification is available from level 5 (typically offered by further education colleges) to level 7 (often provided by higher education institutions). While the core content remains consistent across levels, the depth of study, research, and complexity of assessment activities increase with higher levels.
The DiT qualification incorporates several contemporary educational themes such as Education for Sustainability, Digital and Online Technologies, and Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge. It is meticulously aligned with the latest Learning and Skills Teacher (LST) Occupational Standards, ensuring that trainee teachers are well-prepared to meet the demands of modern educational environments.
Key changes from DET to DiT
1. Content and Curriculum:
– DET: General educational content.
– DiT: Incorporates new topics relevant to today’s educational needs, such as sustainability and digital pedagogy.
2. Standards:
– DET: Based on older teaching standards.
– DiT: Aligned with the latest LST Occupational Standards, ensuring up-to-date educational practices.
3. Mentorship:
– DET: Varied mentorship requirements.
– DiT: Mandates two mentors for trainee teachers, one for pastoral support and another for subject-specific guidance.
4. Teaching Practice:
– DET: Requires 100 logged teaching hours and 8 observations.
– DiT: Expands this to 250 hours (150 teaching practice and 100 non-teaching hours) with 10 observations, ensuring comprehensive hands-on experience
Transition guidance and checklist
To facilitate a seamless transition from DET to DiT, a detailed checklist and guidance document has been created by Ann Gravells and me. This checklist ensures that training providers, teachers, and learners are well-informed about the changes and requirements of the new qualification. Key aspects of the checklist include:
– qualification offering: confirming if current awarding organisations (AOs) offer DiT and if re-approval is necessary.
– choosing an AO: suggestions on selecting an AO if the current one does not offer DiT.
– funding and resources: information on funding options and updating resources to align with the new qualification content.
– mentorship and staff requirements: ensuring adequate training for mentors and verifying staff qualifications for teaching and assessing.
If you are a centre who would like to offer the qualification, please contact your awarding organisation, as not all are offering it.
New Book: “Achieving your Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) – Putting theory into practice for the qualification or apprenticeship”
In conjunction with the rollout of the new DiT qualification, a new book titled “Achieving your Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) – Putting theory into practice for the qualification or apprenticeship is now available for pre-order. This book promises to be an invaluable resource for both trainee teachers and educators. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, providing practical insights and strategies for effective teaching in the FE and Skills sector.
The book covers a wide range of topics essential for aspiring teachers, including course design, lesson planning, teaching, learning and assessment strategies, the development of resources and the use of technology. It also emphasises the importance of reflective practice and continuous professional development, encouraging teachers to continually improve their teaching skills and stay updated with the latest educational trends regarding their subject.
Preparing for the Future
The transition to the new Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) represents a significant step forward in teacher education. It ensures that educators are better equipped to handle the challenges of modern teaching and therefore provide high-quality education to their learners. The emphasis on sustainability, digital technologies, and robust mentorship frameworks aligns with the broader goals of enhancing educational outcomes and fostering an inclusive, future-ready education system.
Training providers, teachers, and learners are encouraged to thoroughly review the guidance and checklist to ensure they are fully prepared for the new qualification. By adhering to these guidelines, they can ensure a smooth transition and continue to provide exceptional education and training in the FE and Skills sector.
The introduction of the new Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) is a welcome change that promises to elevate the standards of teacher training, and ultimately benefit the learners who depend on skilled and knowledgeable educators. The transition from DET to DiT is set to be a positive and transformative experience for all involved.
Follow Ann Gravells and Gavin Lumsden for future resources and clear guidance, you can also find us on either www.anngravells.com or www.essentialteaching.uk
You can also join our Diploma in Teaching (FE&S) LinkedIn group for discussions and updates with like-minded educators and teachers.
>> Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines.
The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.
Voting for the ALT Community Choice Award 2024 is now open until Thursday 22 August 2024 (at noon).
We invite all Members of our ALT community to vote for their winning entry between now and the closing date. The winner of the Community Choice Award will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 4 September 2024.
Green Changemakers: A Paradigm Shift in FE
Join Lou Mycroft to find out more about what Green Changemakers are and how they are shaking things up in the West Midlands. Expect plenty of potentia, three mindset-changing pivots and maybe the occasional Golden Unicorn.
Lou Mycroft is an FE Changemaker, currently drawing on all the learning of FE’s community landscape to facilitate the Green Changemakers Programme in the West Midlands and Warwickshire.