#ALTC Blog

Thomas Pocklington Trust’s (TPT) latest ‘Give Me Access to College; report reveals that blind and partially sighted students continue to face significant barriers in accessing specialist vision impairment (VI) support in post 16 education. Despite efforts to reform education for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Further Education (FE) continues to be overlooked, and unacceptable gaps remain limiting opportunities for young people with a VI.

This report revisits our earlier findings, ‘Give Me Access to College’ and highlights the urgent need for targeted reforms. We call on the Government to ensure that blind and partially sighted young people are included in the SEND improvement agenda, with consistent support, training, and access to a full range of post 16 pathways.

We request your support and encourage you to take action by sending a letter to your MP, you can help encourage positive change for blind and partially sighted young people. It’s quick, simple and it can lead to real change.

Read our full report here, and send the letter to your MP

You can also read our LinkedIn blog  written by Krupali Parshotam, sharing her experiences of college as a blind and partially sighted person.

If you would like to learn more about our work, then sign up for our Education Newsletter. Or if you would like a more in-depth conversation, contact us at educationpolicy@pocklington.org.uk

As we do every year, we are collecting links to blog posts and resources for and about the conference. If you’d like to add yours, please share it on social media with #OER25 or email enquiries@alt.ac.uk.

We also encourage you to share your conference feedback.

• Blog: OER25 – Stepping back and speaking truth to power, Lorna Campbell
• Blog: From OER25 to Reclaim Open 25, Maren Deepwell
• Howard Scott’s powerful open access paper from his session, “Sumud as Connected Learning: Towards a Collective Digital Commons in Palestine”. Shared by Kate Malloy
•  Resources from workshop, ‘Fighting the good fight – go rogue or go home’. Shared by Kate Malloy
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Join us at this year’s ALT Annual Conference in Glasgow, taking place on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October, will explore the following theme: ‘Stronger Foundations, Broader Horizons’. 
In a time marked by uncertainty, complexity, and rapid digital change, purposeful action matters more than ever. ALTC25 will provide a space to reflect on how robust digital foundations can empower more expansive, inclusive, and imaginative possibilities for education. We hope to see you there.

For this month’s blog profile, we are excited to introduce the chair of the revived ALT Wales/Cymru member group, Elizabeth Jones. She shares the group’s plans and focus for the coming year, providing insights into what members can look forward to from this dynamic and forward-thinking group.

How has being a member of ALT impacted your career?

In lots of ways, big and small. For example, just being on the ALT Jisc mailing list is a regular source of information, ideas, and news from across the sector. I’ve also been able to attend the ALT Conference a few times, which was truly amazing when I was new to the sector and got to see the range of work being done by colleagues at other institutions and get feedback on my own work. Most significantly I think was getting my CMALT. Once that was on my CV, I felt so much more confident applying for roles as it evidenced my experience really strongly. 

What do you find exciting about working with learning technology?

I love that it’s such a dynamic field, there’s always more to learn about. 

What inspired you to get involved with the ALT Wales/Cymru member group? How can other members get involved? 

I was inspired by a chat with a colleague from another Welsh HE institution when we were both at a conference. Our universities use different VLEs and other tools but we faced so many of the same issues. We wanted a forum where we could discuss them and wondered what had become of the old ALT Wales/Cymru/Cymru group. I contacted ALT to ask about it and coincidentally they were about to put out an open call for people interested in restarting it. The rest, as they say, is history! 

If you’re interested in joining the group and to keep up to date with the news and events, subscribe to the ALT-Wales mailing list. Our first coffee and chat meeting will be on Thursday 3 July, 10 – 11 AM, where we will be exploring AI and Welsh language.

What are the key plans and initiatives that ALT Wales/Cymru will focus on this year?
This year, we’re focusing on getting the word out that we’re back and then finding out what issues and themes are important to our members. We want the group to support members working in Wales/Cymru as we’re often governed by different regulations and educational frameworks than colleagues in England. Obviously the Welsh Language is a big one! How various tools work in a bilingual environment and what we need to do to ensure compliance and promote the use of Welsh. 

Can you share a memorable moment or achievement during your time as an ALT Member?
Presenting at ALT for the first time many years ago. I was so nervous to present at such a big conference but everyone was super supportive and interested in what we were saying. I now love encouraging new members of my team to do the same and being able to offer them that opportunity is one of my favourite things. 

What was the last thing you read or watched?

I’ve just finished the new series of Severance. I thoroughly recommend it. 

If you were on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would take?

As many books as I can carry! 

We hope you enjoyed hearing from the chair of the ALT Wales/Cymru member group, Elizabeth Jones. If she has inspired you to get involved with ALT Wales/Cymru, join the group and keep up to date with the news and events, subscribe to the ALT-Wales/Cymru mailing list. If you would like to get involved in the organisation of the Group and its activities, let us know by expressing an interest.

Future profiles will feature colleagues involved with Special Interest and Members Groups, CMALT holders, ALT Members, Trustees, assessors, apprentices and ALT staff. If you are a current member of ALT and would be interested in featuring in an upcoming post or want to recommend someone members would be interested in hearing from, please contact us at blog@alt.ac.uk.

Can you talk briefly about your journey, from starting the Access to Higher Education Diploma to writing The Access to Higher Education Handbook?

I started the Access to HE Diploma when I was in my 20s after four failed attempts at university! After I finished, I went back to university (again!) and (finally!) completed an undergraduate degree – this time in Biochemistry. Fast forward a little and I was given an opportunity to return to the FE college where I’d studied my Access to HE Diploma and become a lecturer on the very same programme – I leapt at the chance! Although I enjoyed teaching, I was keen to explore new projects and decided to set up my own independent Access to HE provision. Throughout my experience as a student, lecturer and provider, I realised that there was something missing – a core resource that guided learners through the fundamentals of the Access to HE Diploma which was written with the adult learner at the front and centre. I reflected on how much a resource like that would have helped me, so I began to draft a plan and used it as a framework to create The Access to Higher Education Handbook!

In your view, why is the Access to Higher Education Diploma so important?

The Access to HE Diploma is so important because without it, so many people might never get the opportunities it can present – myself included. There is no other route for adult learners to progress into higher education that is structured, funded, and delivered in this way. With the Access to HE Diploma, adults can study a nationally recognised and accredited Level 3 programme across as little as one year, that can meet entry criteria for a range of hundreds, if not thousands, of HE programmes across the UK – including apprenticeships! Importantly, the cost of the Access to HE Diploma is often covered by the Advanced Learner Loan which means that if eligible, Access to HE learners will have their fees waivered should they go on to complete an undergraduate degree level programme. This means that for many students, they can facilitate this important step in their journey without any financial burden which is hugely important. 

How did your experience as an Access to HE student influence your writing?

I went into my Access to HE Diploma with the right attitude, a half decent set of academic skills, and the commitment to doing as well as I could, yet there were many aspects of the programme that I struggled with. My tutors were brilliant, but when studying full time, the course goes by very quickly. Plus, I found it challenging at times as I was working nights then going to college in the day and it’s fair to say that sometimes I was present in body but not in mind as I just wanted to be home and having a sleep!! It might sound a bit silly, but after going from a 10 hour night shift straight into a full day college, sometimes even the most basic of questions were popping up such as “where do I find the assessment criteria again…?” and whilst I recognised that it was just sheer tiredness, I felt silly taking up the tutors time by asking. I thought then, if there was a resource that could consolidate those core features (and of course, plenty more!) that students could refer to any time of day to fit around their commitments, where the information can be a reminder for all those key components of the programme whilst also supporting skill development, then that would be really helpful.

How did the feedback you received from AVAs, providers and QAA, who have been supportive of the book, help shape its content and direction?

Firstly, I want to acknowledge how appreciative I am that QAA and AVAs have shown support for this book. I’d say the biggest influence on the book has been from the AVAs and has been having them educate me on the nuances of how they manage Access to HE Diplomas which, although standardised to a point via the QAA regulation, differs slightly between them all in the day-to-day running of things. It was important to get as many of those unique elements in to ensure that as many learners as possible might benefit from the book’s content. 

How can instructors use The Access to Higher Education Handbook to support their teaching?

By consolidating all the core information into one place, I hope that the book serves to answer a lot of the common questions that are asked by Access to HE students such as “yes, but what does it look like to get a Distinction?” and “but what overall grade will I get at the end of this though?!”! The book includes lots of activities, tasks, case studies, templates, questions and checklists for students to help practice their skills too, and I hope these elements support teaching by reducing the time needed to spend searching for or creating resources. Further, the book references recent changes that QAA have made (i.e., the introduction of grading standards) so I also hope that this book can help practitioners navigate this change in some way too. Lastly, I hope that this book can support those who perhaps are unfamiliar with Access to HE and help them to fully understand the nuances of such an elegantly complex qualification.

How does The Access to Higher Education Handbook support students?

The way in which this book has been written means that it is suitable for learners who are thinking about studying Access to HE, those who are already enrolled on Access to HE, and actually, those who are studying any other Level 3 qualification! Primarily though, this book is a guide for students progressing through their Access to HE Diploma from day one, and is written to be a helping hand through writing assignments, navigating key academic skills, planning for what learners want their next steps into HE to look like, as well as how to get there. The book offers opportunities to engage in skill development using the activities and tasks, it gives learners a place to write and reflect about their experience, and it provides information to help them understand the course too. The book is written as part text book and part journal – I would love for students to scribble all over it, highlight it, make it unique, and make it into something meaningful to them! Whilst of course targeted towards students of Access to HE as its primary audience, Chapters 3-8 all explore standalone study skills such as referencing, writing, and digital skills which non-Access to HE learners might also find useful too. The book is dip-in-dip-out so you aren’t required to read it cover to cover to get the most out of it either making it a perfect companion! 

What do you hope this book will achieve? What do you hope students take from the book?

All I hope for this book, is that people find it helps them. I hope that students find this book has the answers to their most basic questions about Access to HE, whilst empowering them to navigate their Diploma with confidence. I hope that Access to HE practitioners find this book supportive, and that it helps to lighten the load a little. I also hope that those in HE who perhaps aren’t as confident in their knowledge about Access to HE find this an educational resource too. If this book can support even just one learner to achieve their potential on their Access to HE Diploma, and in turn get them one step closer to achieving their career ambitions, then this book will have been a roaring success for me! Though of course it would be nice to help more than one!

To give us a taste of the practical advice in The Access to Higher Education Handbook, what are your top tips for students starting their Access to HE Diploma this autumn?

Firstly, don’t overestimate the time you have for the course (particularly if you’re studying over just one year because it will pass by very quickly!) and don’t underestimate how long it will take to complete your assignments to the best standard you can. My top tip for navigating this is to make a realistic timetable for the year. Get a calendar or a diary and block out how many hours you are expected to study each week and when/if you are expected to be present for any lessons that you might have (as well as any travel time to get there/back). Then, go back through put in the assignment deadlines throughout the year, then factor in any non-study commitments such as work, holidays or special occasions where you might not be studying and write in those too. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, factor in contingency time. Don’t fill up every hour of the day with unrealistic expectations of what you think you could/should do – plan in free time so if something crops up, you have wiggle-room in your timetable to fit those unexpected events in. You will see very quickly, particularly those of you at a provider that follows a term-time pattern, that you might not have as many hours in the week as you might think but taking this bird-eye-view approach to the academic year and making a realistic plan will ensure you are aware and able to manage your time as effectively as possible. And remember, if you are struggling with getting things done, be sure to talk to your tutor (or a member of a pastoral support team if you have access to one) and they will be able to support you. 

Check out the recently published The Access to Higher Education Handbook by Zoë Chapman. 

Free inspection copies of the book are available for FE teaching staff and Access Validating Agency providers.

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.

by Katie Stripe, Imperial College London.

This post is the fifth of a series based on the Animated Inclusive Personae (AIP) project. The posts so far have covered generating images, the language we use, representation of disability, and the deployment of these characters in specific outputs. One question that has come up numerous times when speaking about this project is about how these characters are created, where the stories come from, and how much input others have. It is a difficult question to answer because there is no defined process on how to create these characters. There are structural components, defined by the project, which give a level of uniformity to the output. These are based on UX design principles like those found on the Adobe Blog: Putting Personas to Work in UX Design. However as each persona, or set of personae, is made in collaboration with, and to meet the specific needs of, a certain department or project,it is necessary that the way they are developed will change, and the people that provide input will differ. Despite the varying circumstances, it is possible to split these into broad categories, as with previous posts I will describe these different scenarios using the personae characters.

The original characters that sparked this project were developed for an online, not-for-credit, self-enrolment course for postgraduate students. These original characters had a very simple role in the course which was to provide cohort specific examples. Christina (drawn by Ksenia) was one of the first characters to be created.

Christina Jai
Preferred name: Chris
Details: 24, from Medway, UK
Imperial Course: MSc Genes, Drugs and Stem Cells
Optional Modules: Attributes and Aspirations
Previous Education: BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, 1st
Tags: Home, PGT, FoM, LGBTQ+

She was developed as a user experience personae to help us identify the needs and motivations of those who would be taking the Attributes and Aspirations (AA) short course. This design session surfaced three archetypal students that we needed to cater for when designing our course. In a normal user design process, we would have used this as a resource on which to build out content. Instead, we decided to integrate these students into the course as pseudo peers, as a narrative instrument, and as a way of providing exemplar content. We created a fourth personae at this stage to make a deliberate effort at gender balance and this is what sparked the journey into Inclusive Personae.

As part of the AA course, we developed exemplar CVs for our students and were able to give them certain characteristics like religion, mental health problems, or in Chris’s case involvement in an LGBTQ+ society. Her main role as a character was to present exemplar content. However the subtle inclusion of her links to the LGBTQ+ community were enough to give the character some diversity and to show the community that we had considered them. The majority of her story, however, was around her career planning and this information we gained from subject experts in the careers service. Staff have a much broader knowledge of students’ motivations and frustrations from years of working with different cohorts. This makes them an extremely valuable human data source.

The second example of these personae is one which addresses common issues for a certain cohort of students. For example, Karl (drawn by Kate).

Karl Hassan
Details: 22 from Belfast, with Syrian parents
Imperial Course: BSc Biological Sciences
Optional Modules: Imperial Award
Job: Bike courier
Tags: Home, UG, Muslim

He was developed to help share information on issues specific to Muslim students. Much like the characters in post three who all share aspects of disability were created with the institution’s Disability Advisory Service, Karl was developed with our student service desk and student finance teams to help share information on the challenges that Muslim students face particularly around finance and student loans.

This story, again, comes from a human database of knowledge around what questions students ask around different situations and scenarios. The information that has been delivered through this persona however is not personal. Like the teaching content above it will get sense checked and validated by student groups, usually paid consultants, but the content is information that is readily available on the college webpages or on the wider web. The reason for presenting information in this way through the personae is twofold: Like Chris it shows underrepresented groups that we have thought of you and we want to cater for you. The additional layer here is that we also want to share information with the wider community (staff and students) which may help with cultural understanding, for example elements of Muslim law that restrict borrowing.

These two types of personae are simple to create and need limited input from the communities that they represent as their main function is simply to exist. As a creator, and as someone who cares about wide ranging visibility across the whole project this is comfortable and relatively safe, from an individual perspective. To this point, working with colleagues who are experts in their fields, we have reached a good place: Highlighting information or communities in a general way can often be done with minimal risk of causing offence and without necessarily requiring direct representation.

However, we can do more. We can tell more stories. But that is when it gets difficult, morally, and ethically, to do it well and to do it safely. To tell more personal stories we need to go to those communities and ask for the stories and that can be a burden on those people. We do not have all the answers on how to do this but we have some ideas, and some plans for the future. That is stage three, and characters like Karl, and the three students with disabilities will be part of that. We have ambition, and some colleagues in the student union who want to help us tell those stories so phase three, maybe, will be Flo (drawn by Mingke).

Jake Flockett
Preferred name: Flo
Details: 18 years old from London, UK
Imperial Course: MEng Mechanical Engineering
Optional Modules: Attributes and Aspirations
Clubs and Societies: Mech Eng Soc
Job: Part-time shift manager at his local Co-Op
Tags: Home, UG, full-time, FiF, commuter

I hope that we will be able to explore some stories about the difficulties faced by first in family students like Flo when it comes to institutional belonging and why they need to work alongside studying. These are important stories to tell, they combine the representation given by Chris, the element of cultural understanding that is seen with Karl, and the real, personal stories that we can tell without asking our students to take on too much of that emotional load. I don’t know how, or if it will work, but I am prepared to try in a way which makes sure our students, particularly those we want to represent, are safe, supported, and ultimately feel like they belong.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

The M25 Spring meeting 2025 took place online on Monday 24 March 2025.

The agenda was open to contributions from the learning technology community resulting in a diverse agenda that covered a mix of tools, projects, reflections and ideas.

Project Managing as Educational Technologists

First up, Miranda Melcher, Matthew Green and Daniel Johnson-Mathison, from City St Georges, University of London, presented on her team’s support of an online and asynchronous MSc in Computer Science where students can enrol in the programme at any time. You can imagine the logistical challenges this creates. Miranda explained the importance of collaboration, constant communication, keeping checklists, and automated assessment to pulling this off. It was great to hear about the programme, which sounded both innovative and complex, and the coordination behind it. 

‘Fail we may. Sail we must’ Reflections on navigating social media use in higher education

Alex Spiers from Kings College London, spoke next, sharing his thoughts on the history of social media and what to do now given the recent tumultuous history of Twitter (X!). His message was that though things may be difficult; we must push on. Alex explored several alternatives to Twitter, such as Mastodon and Threads, but noted they typically have less users or limited interactions. Alex suggested that Bluesky was the most promising of the options, and although its numbers are small, this might mean that it can be more easily shaped to promote productive discourse. This was a moving personal and reflective talk and hopefully inspires us all to try to create ongoing and new social media communities. 

 Exploring the Microsoft Teams Webinar Tool in Higher Education: Is this one small step for an educator or one giant leap for education?

Next up, Manasa Panikkamparambil Manomohanan from London South Bank University (LSBU) presented on her project to move LSBU from MS Teams to MS Teams webinar. She outlined how LSBU previously relied on manually setting up Microsoft Teams for student classes, but this led to issues with a lack of registration data and reminders, and staff not receiving join links. Manasa outlined her role in supporting the move to Microsoft Teams Webinars to solve these issues.

LSBU has also automated the creation of these webinars saving time and energy. Manasa explained that when integrating technologies, we should always ask ourselves are we taking small steps or giant leaps? Whilst the shift from MS Teams to MS Teams Webinar sounds small, it’s clear that it has led to some significant benefits for staff and students. It always important to look out for these opportunities.

Pros and Cons to customising your VLE look and feel for online learning.

Finally, Annora Eyt-Dessus from King’s College London spoke on how universities often want to customise the look, feel and functionality of their Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support fully online students whilst maintaining an internal VLE for blended learning students. Customising the same VLE for these two sets of users with different needs can take many approaches, and Annora outlined two examples she had worked on.

The first approach taken at Bayes Business School was to build a custom Moodle theme which was then activated for users in specific courses. The theme was designed in house but developed by a third-party contractor as a child-theme of the public Moodle Snap theme. Whilst being positively received by users, there were challenges with maintaining the theme, transferring content between the external and internal VLEs, central support, contract tendering and costs to upgrade.

The second approach, taken at Kings College London, was to develop a design system in CSS and Javascript, which is added to a course manually through a hidden course block on Moodle. The design system is developed in house and informed by KCL’s UX team research. Whilst this approach can customise less than a theme, Annora explained that it is easier to maintain, and ensures the customisation can be managed and informed in house. In future, KCL wants to improve the speed and robustness of this approach and possibly create a plugin for the customisation.

You can watch the recording of the meeting to learn more.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 17 July 2025, 2-5pm in person at Chancellors Hall, Senate House. The theme is Making Digital Life Better for International students in London. See you there!rnational students in London. See you there!

By Constance (Connie) Henry, Essential Skills Practitioner, Gower College Swansea

What is TechTober?:

TechTober is a free, month-long event that brings together educators and digital practitioners from Further Education (FE), Higher Education (HE), and Work-Based Learning (WBL). They make time in their schedules to share their favourite tools, ideas, and strategies for technology enhanced learning. 

This event was created and brought to fruition by Kirsty Ingelson from Kirklees College, to really create a community of sharing with one another instead of competing or gate keeping great tools and ideas. 

“ TechTober started with a simple idea: lots of us are doing great things, but we don’t always share them.”

Kirsty Ingelson

As soon as she mentioned the idea to me, I was on board as it was such an amazing idea!  I got about making a digital advertising book to showcase the event. Anyone who knows me, knows how often I use these multimedia books! (Side note- I’m doing a webinar about HeyZine Multimedia books on the 17th June with Amplify FE – click here to register and come along! If you are reading this after this after the live session you can catch up on the  Amplify FE YouTube Channel  and catch other great webinars!) It was a great way to showcase the involvement of everyone and advertise the event. I love the whole feel of TechTober, where people are genuinely happy to work together, supporting each other navigating the murky, ever-changing world of education! 

“I love people come together to help others, it ran so well with people taking bits of responsibility naturally, use their talents and strengths to pull off the event- I pull it together, but it doesn’t work without people agreeing to do sessions, helping market, and sharing their knowledge time and effort to do something for someone else- that continues to blow me away.”

Kirsty Ingelson

The sessions that run throughout October are a huge collective of webinars to help improve classroom engagement, streamline marking, planning, and communication, along with useful tools for educators. In this blog, we look back at last year’s TechTober, share the link to our recordings and resource book, and give a sneak peek at what’s coming up in 2025!

Looking back: What made TechTober 2024 so special

Last October, we launched TechTober as a way of highlighting, sharing, and celebrating great digital practice across the education sector. What started as a simple idea grew into a vibrant, month-long digital event that brought together contributors and attendees from FE, HE, and WBL settings across the UK.

“TechTober gives people a platform they might not usually get and helps build a community focused on embedding EdTech in a way that genuinely improves teaching, learning, and assessment. It doesn’t need to be a bolt-on we can do this better, together.”

Kirsty Ingelson

The aim was simple: to create an open, inclusive space where colleagues could freely share tools, tips and tricks that help them not only in the classroom, but also in streamlining processes, saving time, and improving outcomes. Whether it was making lesson planning more efficient, reducing workload around marking, or simplifying how we communicate with learners, TechTober showed that digital doesn’t have to be complicated to make a big impact!

Weekdays through October, we hosted live sessions, either early morning, lunchtime or after work, giving flexibility to those who wanted to join. These webinars spotlighted examples of digital tools being used to tackle real challenges. From interactive whiteboards to collaborative documents, accessible design to automated feedback systems and from AI tips to resource creations it was a feast of practical ideas.

What really stood out was the collaborative spirit of the event. Educators were generous with their time and expertise, creating a ripple effect where attendees not only gained inspiration but also felt empowered to try new approaches in their own settings.

Bringing the sectors together

One of the most powerful aspects of TechTober was the blending of voices from across the sectors. We had sharing of creative ways to use tools like Padlet, Multimedia books and Quizziz, showing how immersive experiences can support learning with BodySwaps and Immersive rooms, and ways to utilise AI effectively in in the classroom, creating resources, using with learners and supporting accessibility. It really had a great mix of topics and something for everyone.

This mix of perspectives was intentional and important. Too often, we work in silos. TechTober broke that down. By bringing together educators with different experiences but who shared goals, we were able to spark new conversations and highlight common challenges. Whether you’re in a college classroom, delivering remotely to a workplace, or supporting learners in a university lecture hall, the threads of digital innovation, inclusion, and efficiency link us all.

Recordings, summaries and connections – All in one place

If you missed any of the live sessions, or want to revisit your favourites, you can find everything in our TechTober 2024 Webinar Recordings Book

 This digital collection includes:

• Recordings of sessions
• Resource links
• Summaries of sessions
• LinkedIn profiles from our contributors 
• Information on current projects to get in touch
• Ideas for how to take the next step in your own setting

It’s freely available and we encourage you to share it widely within your networks.

What we’ve learnt

While the sessions themselves were brilliant, we also gained valuable insight from the event overall. Here are just a few of the key takeaways:

• Digital doesn’t mean complicated – Sometimes the smallest tools make the biggest difference. Several contributors shared how a single app or shortcut had transformed a time-consuming task into something manageable.
• We all benefit from sharing – People appreciated the honesty of the presenters, many shared any struggles they had with tools and what worked. That realness helped others feel more confident to give things a try.
• Collaboration is key – Bringing people together across institutions and sectors generated ideas that simply wouldn’t have emerged in isolation.
• The appetite for this kind of space is huge – Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many saying they’d never attended anything quite like it: informal, practical, and full of ideas they could use straight away.

Looking Ahead: TechTober 2025

The great news? TechTober will be back in 2025!

We’re already working on plans to make this year’s event even better, with more opportunities to contribute, connect, and collaborate.

We’ll be bringing in fresh themes based on last year’s feedback, including:

• Digital tools for learner engagement
• Supporting wellbeing through technology
• Using AI responsibly and effectively
• Simple solutions to reduce marking and admin overload
• Creating accessible, inclusive learning spaces

Once again, we’ll be drawing on the strengths of FE, HE, and WBL colleagues to lead the way.

We have announced our call for contributors on LinkedIn so if you have a tool, idea, or digital success story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re confident in presenting or would prefer to submit a recorded piece, there’s a space for everyone at TechTober.

Get Involved

Please fill out the TechTober Application Form for the chance to be involved. We’re aiming to cover a broad range of topics, so while we welcome all applications, there may be some overlap in the tools or themes suggested. If that’s the case and we’re unable to offer everyone a slot, we’ll be in touch to explore whether there’s an alternative session you could lead. Deadline for contributors is the 30th of June. 

Explore the TechTober Book and share it with your colleagues, we want to be able to share information, ideas and wins with everyone, they may not even be in education but can still benefit from the recordings!

Keep up with updates – follow us on LinkedIn:

• Kirsty Ingelson https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-ingleson-250bb3133/ 
• Constance Henry https://www.linkedin.com/in/constance-h-26277b209/  

TechTober was designed to be a space where people could come together, learn from each other, and walk away with something practical. Thanks to your energy, creativity, and willingness to share, it’s grown into something much more!

We can’t wait to see what TechTober 2025 brings!

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.

By the Digital Assessment SIG

 A summary of the Digital Assessment SIG Webinar that was held online on 25 March 2025.

1. Dr. Seda Battiliani from University of Edinburgh discussing “Designing Inclusive Digital Assessments with Scenario-Based Learning.” 

2. Professor Samantha Pugh from University of Leeds – Enabling Competency-based and Programmatic Assessment using Digital Platforms 

3. Ben Atkinson from University of Nottingham speaking on “Facilitating Student Choice in Assessment Task in Moodle with the School of Psychology” 

Dr. Seda Battiliani: Designing inclusive digital Assessments with Scenario-Based Learning

Dr Seda Battiliani from the University of Edinburgh presented about how they revamped a course which was expected to grow from 45 students to 400 students. The course initially had an essay based assessment but the growing number of students and the need for the course to promote collaboration, needed changes in the assessment methods. From an initial assessment idea that was to get students to interact with AI chat bots, they developed it to include particular AI personas that students needed to interact with, to come up with solution(s) to set problem tasks.

The personas were created in Storyline and designed by Seda using the Edinburgh Language Model (ELM). Seda explains how she came up with and improved on the prompts to create various specific and expert personas and how she used the constraints of the learning activities and the help of AI to hone them. She also notes how interacting with AI in the persona creation helped her, including, encouraging her to consider aspects she previously didn’t think about and also the speed in which she could test out various scenarios in a practical and reasonable pace.

She explains practical steps taken to develop a prototype for this assessment.

She concluded that she used AIs ability to help analyze large amounts of information, run tests, troubleshoot, and compare scenarios but stressed that the starting point for using AI in assessments should be grounded in pedagogical expertise.

Enabling Competency-based and Programmatic Assessment using Digital Platforms

Professor Samantha Pugh from Leeds university spoke of how they completely revamped their physics programme during an institution wide curriculum refinement. Her session describes how they successfully transformed their method of assessment as part of this initiative.

The previous assessment included low stakes coursework and high stakes exams.  With these, students who appeared to be doing well throughout the year would do very poorly in the final exam. She pointed out also that students could still pass the course having serious gaps in their knowledge because of the set pass mark of 40%.

The new approach focuses on threshold-based assessment, which they called “vitals” (Verifiable Indicators of Threshold Abilities and Learning). They made it possible for each vital to be assessed multiple times throughout the course. This made it possible for students to achieve all vitals at least once to pass. Students who meet all vitals are guaranteed the set pass mark of 40%. Grading assessments at the end of the year allow for differentiation after the pass mark.

They implemented the quizzes using Mobius, an assessment platform that supports mathematical expressions and variable-based questions, creating a large number of question variants. They also used an in house-built vitals website to track student progress. Throughout the course, as the students take their quizzes in Mobius, the vitals website shows which vitals have been passed and provides a comprehensive overview for students as well as tutors.

Samantha touched on some of the challenges they had with the new method which were related to module size not being compatible with program-level design, also redefining how resitting this method of assessment works with the student record systems. But they were able to overcome these with clever workarounds and very supportive colleagues.

In conclusion she mentioned that the changes ensured that all students can meet all learning outcomes, it removed high stakes assessments and provided more opportunities for success. She said the technology enabled students to pace their learning and continue attempting assessments until they succeed.

Facilitating Student Choice in Assessment Task in Moodle with the School of Psychology

Ben Atkinson described how he worked with colleagues to introduce a new activity type to Moodle at the University of Nottingham called Group Choice. This activity facilitates student engagement in their choice of assessment topic. It was used in pilot form in the School of Psychology in Autumn 2024-25. In the pilot, some flexibility was already available with a range of questions which allowed students to align the assessment with their personal individual learning style. 

However, the problem was how to deliver choice effectively inside Moodle whilst minimising manual intervention.

The solution developed not only addressed this problem through a streamlined combination of group choice and release conditions, but reduced the administrative burden on staff, and at the same time improved their ability to monitor extenuating circumstances. 

An additional benefit of the process is that automated marking groups are created to aid academic colleagues in their marking and feedback for large cohorts in Moodle and Turnitin assignments. 

Ben outlined how the activity has many versatile applications within teaching and learning, but essentially at its core, it provides the ability for students to enrol themselves into a group or groups which have previously been set up on the module. 

Ben described how, through the combined use of group choice and release conditions, powerful automated processes were achieved, dramatically improving the student experience while at the same time reducing the administrative overhead for the teaching team. 

Finally, he outlined how the method could be used in other contexts, for example by creating groups for sub-topics within the module, so that students could opt-in to a specific pathway.  Moodle’s conditional release functionality combined with the Group Choice activity could be used to ensure that certain topics within a Moodle module are only visible to relevant groups. In this way, whole sections of content could be made available only to students who had opted-in to the relevant topic via the Group Choice activity, a level of personalisation that could benefit students without staff needing to manually intervene.

For this month’s blog profile, we’re excited to feature Zoe Tierney, winner of the ALT Award for Use of Technology in Vocational Education, in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust in 2024. Zoe shares her inspiring journey, highlighting her achievements and insights that led to her winning an ALT Award. By sharing her experiences, Zoe sheds light on the significance of the ALT Awards in adopting progress and acknowledging the visionaries driving change.

What do you find exciting about working with learning technology?

What excites me most about working with learning technology is how it can create meaningful, even emotional, learning experiences, particularly when the technology goes beyond screens and software. The CRDL (pronounced ‘cradle’) is a perfect example of this. It brings together innovation, human connection, and therapeutic engagement in a way I hadn’t seen before. Technology like this allows us to reimagine what learning looks and feels like, especially in areas like healthcare, where empathy and communication are just as important as knowledge and technical skill.

What inspired you to enter the ALT Awards 2024? 

We entered the ALT Awards to share our journey with the CRDL and celebrate how something so unique was having a significant impact in the classroom—and more importantly, in real-life care environments. The CRDL allowed learners in healthcare to experience and understand dementia care in a deeply human way, enhancing their empathy, confidence, and emotional intelligence. But it also sparked curiosity across other curriculum areas—sparking interest in creative arts, SEND provision, and pastoral support. We felt this cross-disciplinary potential, combined with its emotional and educational impact, made the story worth sharing.

What would be your best advice for someone considering entering the ALT Awards 2025, particularly from within further education like yourself? 

My advice would be: don’t underestimate the value of what you’re doing just because it’s different or specific to FE. The ALT Awards aren’t just about large-scale systems; they celebrate innovation that makes a difference. If you’re using technology in a way that connects with learners, improves practice, or starts new conversations—write it up. Let your context be your strength and don’t wait for perfection—impact happens in many forms.

Can you share any tips on how to effectively communicate and evidence the impact of your work in an ALT Award submission?

Tell a clear story. Start with the ‘why’—what gap were you trying to fill or what challenge were you addressing? With the CRDL, we focused on the lack of emotionally immersive learning in dementia education. We then demonstrated the difference it made, not just through anecdotal feedback, but also by showing how it influenced learner confidence, tutor delivery, and wider curriculum development. Use quotes, pictures, lesson observations, or reflections from learners—they bring the story to life and demonstrate real-world outcomes.

How has winning the ALT Award impacted your career or professional journey?

Winning the ALT Award has brought wider recognition to the work we’re doing—not just for me personally, but for the team and college as a whole. It’s validated our belief that digital innovation isn’t just about devices or platforms—it’s about thoughtful implementation. The award has opened doors for new partnerships and encouraged others across the college to think creatively about how specialist tools like the CRDL could be adapted into their own teaching practice. For me, it’s reinforced the importance of continuing to lead and advocate for purposeful digital change.

What’s the best prize or award you’ve ever won, whether in your personal life or professional career?

Professionally, the ALT Award definitely tops the list, it was a moment that acknowledged not just a single project but the demonstration of commitment to improving digital learning in FE. Personally, I’d say any moment where a learner or colleague has thanked me for helping them see things differently – that’s always been the most meaningful reward.

If you were on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would take?

A solar-powered journal and audio recorder. I’d want a way to reflect, create, and record stories, because even on a deserted island, learning and connection still matter.

We hope you enjoyed hearing from the chair of the ALT Award winners from 2024, Zoe Tierney. You can learn more about her journey to winning the prestigious award in her blog post: My Journey with the CRDL and Winning the Ufi VocTech Award. If she has inspired you to enter this year’s Awards, make sure to submit by 14 July 2025. Learn more about the Awards and how to enter here. Future profiles will feature colleagues involved with Special Interest and Members Groups, CMALT holders, ALT Members, Trustees, assessors, apprentices and ALT staff. If you are a current member of ALT and would be interested in featuring in an upcoming post or want to recommend someone members would be interested in hearing from, please contact us at blog@alt.ac.uk.

By Jane Secker, Associate Professor in Educational Development and co-chair of the ALT Copyright and Online Learning SIG

This post is written by Jane Secker, Associate Professor in Educational Development and co-chair of the ALT Copyright and Online Learning SIG. Jane reflects on the work of the CoOL SIG over the past 4 years and how their group aims to help build more confidence in copyright matters in the learning technology community.

The ALT CoOL SIG was created around 4 years ago, largely on the back of the Copyright and Online Learning webinar series that Chris Morrison and I started during the Covid-19 pandemic. The webinars were an attempt to support the community during a difficult time where institutions had pivoted to online learning and were grappling with many challenges. As copyright was our area of expertise, we hoped that we might share our knowledge to at least help reassure people that with all the scary stuff going on, copyright shouldn’t be a barrier to education continuing. After nearly a year of running the webinars, ALT suggested we set up a special interest group and the CoOL SIG was born.

Our group acts as a community of practice to share knowledge about copyright. Much of the copyright expertise lies in the library community, so we are an open group and delighted to have learning technologists and librarians as members, as well as copyright specialists. we have been really pleased to see the ongoing interest in attending our webinars – last Friday we ran our 77th webinar! And this was the 5th edition of a series of webinars we’ve done called ‘Becoming a Copyright Specialist’ where people in our field share their stories about why they got interested in copyright and insights from their work. It was great to be joined by Christine Daoutis, UCL, Irene Barranco-Gracia (Imperial) and my colleague Kathryn Drumm (City St George’s) who is an educational technologist and also Secretary of the CoOL SIG. Kathryn’s talk may be of particular interest to learning technologists as she explained how she doesn’t view herself as a copyright specialist, but has enough knowledge to support academic colleagues and also embed some copyright literacy into the training she offers.  We record all our webinars, so if you’ve ever missed one you can catch up on the ALT YouTube channel and last Friday’s was no exception and is available online.

Beyond the webinars, the CoOL SIG committee meet 4 times a year online and have a wide range of interests, with sub-groups looking at topics such as Copyright and Accessibility and also copyright education. However, the other event the group supports, is the Icepops conference. While this conference was founded by Chris and I in 2017, we do try and make our work sustainable and we now have support from the CILIP Information Literacy Group and ALT to enable this one day event to take place at as low a cost as possible. We find online meetings and webinars are fine, but copyright folks love to get together and share their passion, and also have a bit of a party too! This year Icepops 2025 will be taking place at the University of Manchester John Rylands Research Institute and Library from 9-10 September in what we call a ‘Pocket Edition’ format. This means, it’s a half day event, but if you want to extend your stay we have an evening social and tours.

Our keynote speaker will be Monica Westin, Associate Director, Content and Discovery, Library and Cultural Services at Manchester Metropolitan University. Monica has held roles at Google and the Internet Archive and we know she will provide some fascinating insights into the interesting times we are living through. We will also be joined by Mat Bancroft, Curator at the British Pop Archive, John Rylands Research Institute and Library.

The call for papers is now open until Monday 9th June and the conference theme is “Copyright, safe spaces and sanctuary” with the following sub-themes:

·         Reflection, empathy and emotion

·         Long term thinking and planning for the future

·         Building and supporting communities

·         Supporting and nurturing others

·         Finding joy in your work

We are always keen to have new members involved in the CoOL SIG, and you can sign up for mailing list and receive our the regular newsletter that our Comms team put together. We share topical ‘copyright news’ and it ensures you never miss a webinar! I really enjoy being the co-chair of this group and over the past 5 years I’ve really enjoyed seeing how a copyright community of practice works in practice. There is always more to do, and I’m looking forward to presenting some findings from recent research that Chris and I conducted with Amanda Wakaruk, on ‘Copyright Anxiety’ and how it impacts on higher education. That’s the topic of our next webinar scheduled for the 13th June at 3pm. I hope to see you there.

By Maria Toro-Troconis, University of Cambridge

Every time you ask ChatGPT a question or generate an AI image, you’re tapping into powerful servers that burn energy, consume water, and leave a real-world carbon footprint. While Generative AI tools can feel instant, seamless and free, they come at a hidden environmental cost. In this post, I’ll discuss how we can use these tools more responsibly, without trading convenience for climate damage.

Climate change and digital transformation are among the most influential forces shaping our era. How we navigate and integrate these evolving trends will be critical in determining the course of humanity’s future throughout the 21st century and beyond (GPAI, 2021; Masterson, 2024).

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has rapidly transformed how we interact with machines, particularly through natural language processing (NLP). From chatbots and automated writing assistants to creative tools and research companions, GenAI is increasingly embedded in our daily digital lives. These tools, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and DeepSeek, are powered by large language models (LLMs) that generate human-like responses based on prompts we give them. 

How these systems understand us depends on their ability to process natural language, breaking down our words into manageable, computationally understandable pieces called tokens. The ease with which we can now generate responses using GenAI contradicts the immense computational and environmental power behind each interaction.

How do AI models process our prompts?

The way AI models process our prompts has an impact on the environment.  When you type a question into a LLM like ChatGPT, it does not read your message word-for-word in the way humans do. Instead, it breaks down your input into tokens: small fragments of text, typically chunks of 3 – 4 characters or individual words. For instance, the sentence “Think before you prompt” may be split into six tokens. Each token processed consumes computational resources, requiring both energy and water for the massive data centres that power these models. 

It’s not just a technical detail, it’s a sustainability concern.

The environmental footprint of a prompt

According to the World Economic Forum (2024), AI can help us tackle climate change: it can predict the weather, track icebergs and identify pollution. It can also improve agricultural output and reduce its environmental impact. However, engaging with LLMs carries an environmental footprint that needs ethical regulation and greener tech to prevent risks and inequalities (UNU EHS, 2024).  

Let’s break down the environmental cost of an interaction with a GenAI LLM:

• According to the research conducted by Luccioni, et al., (2024), a single generated AI image can use as much energy as half a smartphone charge.
• Charging the average smartphone phone requires 0.022 kWh of energy (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2024), which means that the most efficient text generation model uses as much energy as 9% of a full smartphone charge for 1,000 inferences (prompts and answers). 
• Training a single large AI model can generate a carbon footprint comparable to the total emissions produced by five cars throughout their entire lifespan (Walther, 2024). 
• The energy used to train OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model could directly evaporate 700,000 litres of clean water (Luccioni, et al., 2024).
• AI demand is projected to account for 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters of water withdrawal in 2027 which accounts for half of the total annual water withdrawal of the United Kingdom (Li, et al., 2023).
• AI depends on continuously operating large data centres which consume vast amounts of energy around the clock. These facilities are estimated to account for between 2.5% and 3.7% of global annual carbon emissions (Cho, 2023).

GenAI also increases the need for resource-heavy hardware like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) or Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). Producing these components requires rare-earth metals, whose extraction often causes environmental harm and high emissions, adding to AI’s overall ecological impact (Walther, 2024).

It’s not just about AI efficiency anymore—it’s about digital sustainability. And the more iterative or unclear your prompts, the more resources are used (CoDesignS AI Framework, 2024).

Comparing Leading LLMs: Environmental impact

Let’s have a closer look at the environmental impact of some of the leading LLMs.

As presented in Table 1 below, environmental impact is strongly influenced by the LLM’s token input capacities and efficiency. Models with large token limits, such as Gemini 1.5 Pro and GPT-4o, require significant computational power, leading to higher energy consumption. In contrast, DeepSeek V3 claims to be more environmentally sustainable, using only about one-tenth of the computational resources compared to similar models, although this is yet to be independently verified (Calma, 2025). Claude 3.7’s environmental performance remains unclear due to limited transparency. Overall, while handling larger contexts improves capabilities, it also increases environmental costs unless offset by greater model efficiency.

Table 1: Environmental impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) (CoDesignS ESD AI Coach, 2024)

Every additional prompt adds more tokens to the pile—more energy, more water, more emissions. It’s tempting to view interactions with LLMs as “free,” but behind the scenes, there is a high cost.

Less is more: Why every prompt matters

This brings us to a pivotal mindset shift: less is more. Instead of multiple iterations and retries, the goal should be to get the best response in fewer interactions. Every refined, thoughtful prompt saves resources and time.

Prompt engineering is the skill of crafting clear, effective inputs to get the desired outputs from GenAI models. It’s like learning to ask the right question in the right way. The better the prompt, the better (and faster) the answer.

Prompt engineering is an essential tool in reducing GenAI’s environmental footprint (CoDesignS AI Framework, 2024). It reduces trial and error, minimises redundant queries, and shortens conversation length. Not only does this save money and computing time, but it directly reduces electricity and water usage.

But how do we create better prompts? This is where a framework like ROCKS comes into play.

Optimise your interactions: Introducing the ROCKS method

Developed as part of the open access CoDesignS AI Framework (2024), ROCKS is a practical, easy-to-remember method to help us optimise our interactions with GenAI systems. 

Figure 2

As presented in Figure 2, ROCKS stands for:

Role: Identify your role.
Objective: State your objective.
Community: Specify your audience
Key: Describe the tone or style, and any related parameters.
Shape: Note the desired format of the output.

An example of a prompt using the ROCKS method

For example, instead of writing:

“Can you help me make my lecture more interactive?”

Use the ROCKS structure for greater clarity and focus, leading to fewer follow-up questions and lower energy consumption:

Role: I am a lecturer in Pathology teaching Year 2 MBBS students.  

Objective: I aim to make my lecture on the Pathology of the Head more interactive, dynamic, and enjoyable to better engage students during the session.  

Community: The lecture will be delivered in-person to around 300 Year 2 MBBS students in a large lecture theatre setting. 

Key/Tone: The tone should be engaging, energetic, and inclusive, encouraging active participation and maintaining attention across a large group.  

Shape: I would like suggestions for practical, easy-to-implement methods using PowerPoint and Kahoot, focusing on live interaction, quizzes, and gamified learning elements that are scalable for a large cohort.

Using the ROCKS method, you can craft more precise and purposeful prompts that not only improve the quality of AI responses but also contribute to more efficient and sustainable GenAI use.

Conclusion: Prompt with Purpose

GenAI is transforming how we think and work, but every interaction draws on the planet’s finite resources. By learning to prompt carefully and with purpose, we can reduce wasteful iterations, improve response quality and minimise the environmental impact of our digital habits. Tools like the ROCKS method empower us to be not just efficient, but ethical. As educators, learners and professionals, we have a responsibility to pair innovation with sustainability. The next time you engage with an AI, pause to refine your prompt; not just for a better answer, but for a better future.

Think before you prompt—because better inputs create better outputs for us and a better future for the planet (CoDesignS ESD AI Coach, 2024).

REFERENCES

Calma, J. (2025) ‘AI is ‘an energy hog,’ but DeepSeek could change that’. The Verge. January. Available at:

https://www.theverge.com/climate-change/603622/deepseek-ai-environment-energy-climate?utm_source=chatgpt.com last accessed: 7 March 2025

CoDesignS ESD AI Coach (2025). Available at: https://codesignsesd.org/codesigns-ai-coach/ last accessed: 7 March 2025

CoDesignS AI Framework (2024). Available at: https://aldesd.org/7574-2/ last accessed: 7 March 2025

Cho, R. (2023). AI’s Growing Carbon Footprint. June. Columbia Climate School Newsletter. Available at:

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/06/09/ais-growing-carbon-footprint/ last accessed: 7 March 2025

GPAI – The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (2021). ‘Climate Change and AI – Recommendations for Government action’. Available at: https://www.gpai.ai/projects/climate-change-and-ai.pdf last accessed: 7 March 2025

Li, P., Yang, I., M., Ren, S. (2023) ‘Making AI Less “Thirsty”: Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models’ https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2304.03271 

Luccioni, S., Jernite, Y., Strubell, E. (2024). Power Hungry Processing: Watts Driving the Cost of AI Deployment? In Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 85–99. https://doi.org/10.1145/3630106.3658542

Masterson, V. (2024). ‘9 ways AI is helping tackle climate change’. Blog post. February. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/02/ai-combat-climate-change/ last accessed: 7 March 2025

UNU EHS (2024). ‘5 Insights into AI as a Double-Edged Sword in Climate Action’. Blog post. June. Available at: https://unu.edu/ehs/series/5-insights-ai-double-edged-sword-climate-action last accessed: 7 March 2025

US Environmental Protection Agency. 2024. Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies Calculator – Calculations and References. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gases-equivalencies-calculator-calculations-and-references last accessed: 7 March 2025

Walther, C. (2024). ‘Generative AI’s Impact On Climate Change: Benefits And Costs’. Blog post. November. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/corneliawalther/2024/11/12/generative-ais-impact-on-climate-change-benefits-and-costs/ last accessed: 7 March 2025

Maria Toro-Troconis, PhD (she/her) is a Blended Learning Specialist at the University of Cambridge. Maria is also the Founder and Director of the Association for Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development (ALDESD). She has led digital education transformation programmes for UNICEF, UNESCO, and UNDP and was recognised as one of the top international education influencers of 2021 (Edruptors). Her interests lie in the field of education for sustainable development and digital learning innovations.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here www.alt.ac.uk/membership

By Daisy Ward, Virtual Learning Coordinator, Parkinson’s UK

Education in the charity sector was brand new to me when I took up my role at Parkinson’s UK last year. It’s an area that may also be unfamiliar to many readers of this blog. 

Starting a new role often means hitting the ground running—especially during a period of change. That was certainly true when I became the newest member of the charity’s Education team.

Context

A blend of long-standing team members as well as newcomers like myself, the team had been energised by new leadership articulating a clear vision to revamp our education offer and grow our reputation within the sector. This made it the perfect moment—not just for me, but for the whole team—to pause, reflect, and take stock of what our curriculum comprises, identify the key professional roles within health and social care that we cater to, and extract insights that could inform our curriculum planning and future development. 

With that in mind, I developed three practical tools designed to support both individual courses and the broader curriculum. These tools have already proven useful, and we expect they’ll continue to guide our work well into the future. 

The Tools #1: Curriculum chart

One of my early initiatives was to create a visual representation of our online courses, which came to be known as the ‘curriculum chart’ or ‘curriculum diagram’. Each block within the diagram represents a piece of learning: examples being training videos publicly available on the charity’s website, a 1-hour introductory webinar on Parkinson’s for health and social care staff, and a number of self-directed e-learning courses hosted on our Moodle platform. 

Parkinson’s UK curriculum chart, 2024

You’ll notice that the blocks are colour-coded, with colours representing specific roles within our broader audience of health and social care professionals. Meanwhile each row on the chart corresponds to a level of learning, from Level 0 (‘taster’ level) through Level 3 (advanced). 

Why this chart matters

Creating this chart has already delivered several key benefits:

• It brings together the complexity of our diverse education offer into a single, visually engaging page.
• It provides a shared reference point, enabling more focused and meaningful conversations within our team.
• It supports clearer communication with colleagues across the organisation about what we offer.
• It highlights gaps in our current curriculum, helping us make more informed decisions about future development.

One possible next step is to create an alternative version of this chart which, rather than capturing what we already have, depicts what we would like our curriculum to look like in the future. 

#2: Topic index

While the curriculum chart is a useful visual overview of our education provision, it does not indicate what topics are covered within each piece of learning. For that purpose, I set about compiling an index of course topics. 

The index is organised by alphabetised topics related to the overarching theme of Parkinson’s, and further broken down by levels of learning. As an example, the section on Medication types includes a short summary of how this topic is covered in courses at Introductory, Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels (where applicable). 

A preview of the index of course topics created for and by the Parkinson’s UK education team.

At the time of writing, the index has grown to a substantial 60 pages—which may sound like a lot (and it is!). However, thanks to clear formatting and extensive use of hyperlinks, the document remains easy to navigate and user-friendly 

We’ve already seen—and anticipate continuing to see—several key benefits from using this index:

• It allows us to track how topics are addressed across different learning levels, helping us build on existing content and maintain continuity.
• It supports consistency of provision across our diverse audiences.
• It identifies gaps in topic coverage.

#3: Student workload estimator

In the e-learning space, I have noticed an apparent lack of rigour when it comes to estimating course duration. I expected that there would be more tools available for working out an approximate duration of a piece of e-learning, or at least a stronger consensus around how to do that, besides relying on user testing. 

Seeking a more reliable method on which to base our course duration estimates, and in the absence of any readily available tools that fit our purposes, I set out to create what has become known as the ‘student workload estimator’. Built using formulas and data validation in Google Sheets, this tool can be applied to any e-learning course that primarily includes text and videos—just like ours.

The tool relies on three key inputs to estimate course duration:

• Total course word count
• Total video playback time 
• Course level – each one of three levels is linked to a value representing words per minute, based on available data about average reading speeds. 

Student Workload Estimator: Front End

Student workload estimator tool in Google Sheets.

At the back end (on a sheet labelled Formula), there are optional modifiers to account for additional time spent: e.g. video replay (setting this number to 2 would allow for learners watching videos twice).

Using this tool offers several key benefits:

• A solid basis for informing learners of anticipated engagement (important for our audience of time-poor healthcare professionals).
• Common language for curriculum planning: It establishes a consistent vocabulary for discussing curriculum and planning within our team.
• Improved course design.

Conclusion

In summary, the three tools outlined in this article have brought significant benefits in two key areas:

• Improved communication: They’ve enhanced how we discuss our curriculum—within the team, across the wider organisation, and with our target audience.
• Streamlined curriculum management: They’ve supported more effective planning, development, and management of our curriculum. 

Organisations in comparable situations to ourselves may find value in drawing inspiration from these tools.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

By the Association for Learning Technology

Last week, we were pleased to host our first CMALT Week, from 28 April to 2 May 2025. A week packed with interactive sessions, webinars, and activities to help you along your CMALT journey. As we reflect on the week’s events, we invite you to explore the voices and resources from CMALT Week 2025 and share your feedback. 

A look back at CMALT Week 2025

• Blog Profile Series: A CMALT Journey – Insights from Emily Armstrong 
• BlueSky Q&A Padlet 

You may also find the following CMALT resources helpful: 

• CMALT in FE webinar from 2024 
• #altc Blog: Why being a CMALT Assessor is great for your development
• #altc Blog: How I transformed from CMALT to Senior CMALT in less than 2 years
• CMALT Support

Don’t forget to use your discount

Anyone who attended a CMALT Week event qualifies for a 20% discount on CMALT registration. Delegates must use their discount code to register via the ALT website by Thursday, 31 July 2025. The discount code will be emailed to all delegates who completed the contact form and entitles users to 20% off of new CMALT registrations (all pathways), or 20% off of the cost of upgrading to Senior CMALT for current CMALT holders. Full T&C’s can be found here. 

Share your feedback 

We hope you enjoyed CMALT Week 2025 and found it valuable. Your feedback is essential in shaping future events, helping us refine and improve the experience. Please take a moment to share your thoughts using this form: go.alt.ac.uk/CMALT-Week-Feedback. Every response helps us understand what worked well and what we can enhance next time.

Thank you to those who have already taken the time to share feedback on this week’s activities.  

Stay connected and engaged by following the conversation on social media using #CMALT. Be the first to know about CMALT updates, new events, and additional resources to support your journey. Register for future CMALT events here.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

By Karen Lesley Billingsley and Dr Gillian Peiser School of Education, Liverpool John Moores University: Corresponding author: K.L.Billingsley@2019.ljmu.ac.uk

This blog post shares key findings from my doctoral research examining how online Communities of Practice support professional development in the Further Education sector. 

The Research Context

As the FE sector faces ongoing resource constraints and growing digital demands, traditional professional development models are increasingly insufficient (Broad, 2015). My mixed-methods study investigated PDNorth, an online Community of Practice (CoP) serving English, Maths and ESOL practitioners, through surveys (n=20) and interviews (n=7). The research examined how digital environments support different forms of collaborative learning and scholarly activity using Boyer (1990) scholarship framework and Wenger (1998) CoP theory.

Technology-Enhanced Professional Community: Key Benefits Digital Accessibility Transformed Collaboration

The technological infrastructure removed geographical barriers that typically limit professional exchange. One participant explained: “I couldn’t have met people from Manchester… But they were only one click away.” This digital connectivity facilitated cross-institutional networking previously impossible in traditional CPD formats. A survey participant highlighted how PDNorth’s digital nature allowed her to engage despite geographical constraints: “I remember someone was in their car. Someone was in the staff room. I was mostly at home with my son in the background.”

Virtual Environments Fostered Psychological Safety

Perhaps counter-intuitively, the online medium created safe spaces for authentic professional vulnerability. “There’s been quite a few of us that have been tearful in those spaces, but then by the end of it, you know, we’ve all kind of felt like I’m so glad that we came and that’s happened,” shared one participant, describing emotional support received in digital spaces. This aligns with Abedini, Abedin and Zowghi (2021) findings on the importance of emotional support in online communities. Another participant noted how the online environment fostered trust: “It is a very safe space where you can just be honest about things.” Recent empirical research by Chen (2022) provides evidence that CoPs effectively support professional learning when underpinned by emotional connectedness and trust. Her findings demonstrate that creating safe places for discussion and reflection was essential for engagement in professional development activities. This aligns with our observations of how PDNorth’s digital environment supported the psychological safety participants valued. 

Asynchronous Participation Supported Flexibility

The platform’s blend of synchronous events and asynchronous resources accommodated practitioners’ complex schedules. One member described scheduling flexibility as crucial: “I booked time off to be able to pick up my daughter around that time. So, I remember most of them taking place like 4.30pm. For me it was excellent.” The technological infrastructure supported varied forms of engagement, with participants reporting high value from reading newsletters, watching recorded sessions, and participating in live events to fit their busy schedules.

Digital Tools Enabled Identity Development

The online space fostered professional development and identity transformation. One participant described the digital environment as “really, really comfortable. So welcoming, very warm, very friendly. Straight right from the off… supportive and friendly, warm, open and collaborative.” This supports Wenger’s (1998) conception of CoPs as spaces for identity development. Another participant credited online discussions with helping her become “confident in my instinct,” explaining “we came to realise that teaching was something natural and learners are letting you know what’s working and what’s not working.”

Technology-Related Challenges and Limitations Digital Divides in Participation

The data revealed technology engagement disparities. Younger participants (30-45) reported significantly higher scores for online discussions (p=.039), finding community publications informative (p=.024), and comfort with online events (p=.032) compared to older colleagues. These statistics highlight potential digital comfort disparities that could create imbalanced participation, aligning with Lantz-Andersson, Lundin and Selwyn (2018) observations about varying levels of involvement in online teacher communities.

Platform-to-Practice Implementation Gap

Survey data revealed a telling paradox: while participants unanimously valued collaborative learning (M=5.00), implementing these insights into classroom practice proved significantly more challenging (M=3.50). This implementation gap represents perhaps the most crucial challenge for online CoPs. One participant explained: “we couldn’t have done this without the sub circle meetings online and reading circle… without all my questions would have just been left unanswered.” This implementation challenge reflects broader issues identified by Lloyd and Jones (2018) regarding translating collaborative learning into practice.

Technology Access and Time Barriers

While reducing some constraints, the online format introduced others. Time limitations emerged as a significant barrier in survey responses (Mean=3.00), indicating members still struggled to balance participation with workload demands. Interview data revealed challenges with technology confidence, particularly among newer members unfamiliar with digital collaboration tools.

Learning Technology Implications and Recommendations

For learning technologists and educational leaders implementing online CoPs, my research suggests:

1. Design for diverse digital comfort levels – Create multiple engagement pathways that accommodate varying technology proficiency and preferences. Interview data showed members benefited from options ranging from passive reading to active discussion.
2. Structure digital-to-practice bridges – Develop explicit mechanisms for translating online learning into classroom implementation. One successful method in PDNorth was “constellations” where members collaboratively explored how “they could help their organisation with ideas to improve on areas where they struggled.”
3. Balance synchronous and asynchronous modalities – PDNorth’s success came partly from combining live events with archived resources. One participant noted: “I’m using PDNorth to be able to look at the research… whether it’s been in a newsletter, so I can look through things.”
4. Foster digital community facilitation – Interview participants praised PDNorth’s framework as “very well framed… We all focused on the results or the solutions,” highlighting the importance of skilled digital facilitation.
5. Implement complementary supports – Survey data revealed that even with strong online engagement, practitioners needed institutional backing to implement new approaches, supporting Tummons (2022) findings about institutional constraints in FE settings.

Conclusion: Technology-Enhanced Communities as Transformative Spaces

The research demonstrates that online CoPs offer unique advantages when thoughtfully implemented, but their success depends on institutional support structures that bridge the gap between digital inspiration and classroom implementation. As the FE sector continues to face resource constraints, strategically designed online communities may represent one of the most sustainable approaches to meaningful professional development. Digital platforms offer distinctive advantages for connecting isolated practitioners, fostering resilience through shared challenges, and facilitating identity development beyond institutional constraints O’Leary and Wood (2019).

However, realising this potential requires balancing digital connectivity with implementation supports, addressing participation inequities, and creating mechanisms that bridge online learning and classroom practice. By approaching online professional communities with both enthusiasm and critical awareness, we can harness learning technologies to transform professional development in ways that meaningfully impact teaching and learning.

References

Abedini, A., Abedin, B. and Zowghi, D. (2021) Adult learning in online communities of practice: A systematic review. British journal of educational technology, 52 (4), 1663-1694.

Boyer, E.L. (1990) Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. United States: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Broad, J.H. (2015) So Many Worlds, So Much To Do: Identifying Barriers To Engagement with Continued Professional Development for Teachers in the Further Education and Training Sector. London Review of Education, 13 (1), 16.

Chen, J.I.-H. (2022)  Working and Learning Together: The Lived Experiences of Further Education Teachers Engaging with Joint Practice Development as a Model of Collaborative Enquiry for Professional Learningthesis, University of Sunderland.

Lantz-Andersson, A., Lundin, M. and Selwyn, N. (2018) Twenty years of online teacher communities: A systematic review of formally-organized and informally-developed professional learning groups. Teaching and Teacher Education, 75, 302-315.

Lloyd, C. and Jones, S. (2018) Researching the Sector From Within: the Experience of Establishing a Research Group within an FE College. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 23 (1), 75-93.

O’Leary, M. and Wood, P. (2019) Reimagining teaching excellence: why collaboration, rather than competition, holds the key to improving teaching and learning in higher education. Educational review (Birmingham), 71 (1), 122-139.

Tummons, J. (2022) Exploring Communities of Practice in Further and Adult Education: Apprenticeship, Expertise and Belonging. New York: Routledge.

Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identify. Cambridge: University Press.

Writer’s Bio

Karen Lesley Billingsley is Head of Quality at an FE college in the North of England. Her research focuses on professional development in the Further Education sector. This blog is based on findings from her EdD thesis “An investigation of effective teachers’ professional development within the Further Education Sector and the emerging role of virtual Communities of Practice as a vehicle for teachers’ Continuous Professional Development.”

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.

For this month’s blog profile, in celebration of CMALT Week 2025, we are excited to introduce Emily Armstrong, a passionate CMALT Assessor. We asked Emily a series of questions to gather her invaluable insights and experiences, aiming to provide guidance and inspiration for those embarking on their CMALT journey.

How has having a certified ALT membership impacted your career?

During my career, I’ve moved from being a Chartered Librarian to a Learning Technologist as jobs in libraries became more scarce. CMALT and my MSc in Technology-Enhanced Learning enabled me to build my skills and knowledge so as to be able to make this move.

What do you find exciting about working with learning technology?

I love problem solving and being able to help find a solution or fix something – the helpdesk side is my favourite part of my role. 

How did you first learn about CMALT? 

I first learned about CMALT when my role at Hull College expanded to cover eLearning as well as libraries and I was looking for a way to accredit my skills in this area.

What made you decide to become a CMALT Assessor? Why might other individuals consider it too? 

I first became a CMALT assessor when I worked in Further Education as I was aware there were only a few assessors with that background. However, I kept doing it because it is just really interesting! Anyone should consider doing a bit of assessing if they have the time as it is a fascinating way to see the different roles that make up the learning technologist community and to be inspired by the knowledge and ideas of a whole range of people.

What skills or attributes do you think are essential for success in learning technology today?

I feel the skills I learned in libraries continue to serve me well as a Learning Technologist – friendliness, responsiveness, teamwork, listening and asking the right questions as well as, of course, the more technical skills of trying out new technologies and possibly most important of all, not being afraid to break something…

Who has been the most influential person in your professional journey?

It is hard to pick a single person. A blog by James Gray from JISC made me realise that the issue with getting staff to try something new was not lack of time but lack of prioritisation. This later fed into my own MSc Research on digital competence vs digital confidence.

In terms of a person, my great friend Val Maybury at Hull College was probably the most influential as together I think we came up with the most influential tools I continue to use in my career – using a coaching approach to digital training, ‘Small Change Big Difference’ (bitesize drop-in training) and departmental digital champions.

What was the last thing you read or watched?

I am currently watching ‘Drive to Survive’ in preparation for the new Formula One season and reading a book by Stuart Maconie about the welfare state.

If you were on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would take?

Assuming I am not allowed to take my boyfriend (I think the rule is normally an inanimate object and he is not quite that!) – then I would go for my knitting needles as that is my favourite form of relaxation and a large quantity of wool (if I am lucky, it is a deserted Scottish island with sheep…).

We hope you enjoyed hearing from one of our CMALT Assessors. If Emily Armstrong has inspired you to start your professional development journey, explore registering as a CMALT candidate or register your interest to be a CMALT Assessor. Future profiles will feature colleagues involved with Special Interest and Members Groups, CMALT holders, ALT Members, Trustees, assessors, apprentices and ALT staff. If you are a current member of ALT and would be interested in featuring in an upcoming post or want to recommend someone members would be interested in hearing from, please contact us at blog@alt.ac.uk.

By Louisa Stamatelopoulos

How do we ensure digital capability is embedded in the professional development of teachers — not as an add-on, but as a core part of their journey? This question continues to shape the work we do and has led to the creation of a digital skills mapping aligned with the Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills).

The need for digitally confident educators isn’t new, but the pace of change has accelerated. Whether it’s using assistive technology to support learners with SEND, engaging students through interactive tools, or navigating AI in education, digital literacy is now a professional necessity. And yet, we’re still not consistently embedding this into how we train our teachers.

If digital skills are only introduced as CPD later down the line, we miss a valuable opportunity to shape digital practice from the very beginning.

Where the idea began

In my role at Jisc I work closely with further education colleges on digital capability, I’ve spent a lot of time supporting senior leaders who are striving to build digital confidence across their teams — and navigating the challenges that come with it.

The launch of the new Diploma in Teaching last year got me thinking: how can we better support new teachers to build the digital confidence their learners now expect?

The framework behind the mapping

The resource we’ve developed bridges three influential frameworks:

• The Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) qualification framework, which sets out the expectations for professional practice.
• The Digital Teaching Professional Framework from the Education and Training Foundation, which breaks down digital competencies across different levels;
• The Jisc Building Digital Capability Framework, which provides a structured model for digital confidence across multiple roles in education.

By aligning these, the mapping offers a practical, flexible tool that QTLA managers, mentors, and teacher educators can use to embed digital skills into training programmes, mentoring sessions, or curriculum planning.

As we know, every college and training provider is different, so we’ve designed this framework to be adaptable. It can be used as a complete guide or as a starting point for specific focus areas — for example, using digital tools for inclusive practice or encouraging reflective digital development.

Created through collaboration

Creating this resource was a collaborative effort in many ways. We listened to QTLA managers, teachers, and digital leads who generously shared their challenges and insights. A special thanks to Adam Leeson from SMB Group for acting as a critical friend — his input, as someone already delivering part of this qualification, was invaluable. Many were already doing brilliant things in pockets — the goal of this document is to give structure to that good practice and make it easier to replicate, scale, and adapt.

Looking ahead

Ultimately, we hope this resource supports a shift in mindset — where digital capability is seen not as a bolt-on, but as part of what it means to be an effective, inclusive, and adaptable educator. If we build that into the foundation of teacher training, we set up our educators — and their learners — for greater success.

Call to action:

Digital capability isn’t a bolt-on — it’s core to effective teaching today. That’s why we’ve created a new mapping resource aligning the Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) with the Jisc discovery tool and ETF digital frameworks. Whether you’re a QTLA manager, mentor, or teacher educator, this practical tool will help you embed digital skills into training from the start — shaping confident, inclusive educators for the future.

Start building digital confidence where it matters most — at the beginning.

Explore the QTLA mapping document

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.

Written by the Digital Sustainability SIG

About the Digital Sustainability SIG

The Digital Sustainability SIG is an open and inclusive network fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among educational institutions committed to taking meaningful sustainability focused action. We aim to empower colleagues by providing a space for cross-institutional conversations, learning, and collaborations. Our focus encompasses sustainable digital practices and pedagogy, and the intersection of equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) with sustainability

About us

Kathleen Calder has 20 years of experience working in the design, development and project management of learning and teaching content and technology at the Open University. Areas of specialism include sustainability, analytics and evaluation, assessment, production systems, student experience and staff development. She is a member of the Open University’s (OU) Sustainability Coordination Group and established the OU Learning Design team’s sustainability working group, connecting with university-wide sustainability initiatives. She mentors for the OU’s APPLAUD AdvanceHE fellowship scheme and the OU Women’s Development Network. Prior to working in HE, Kathleen worked in systems development, nature conservation and environmental biotechnology. She’s interested in the sustainability impact of technology and what that might mean for the role of educators in terms of decision making, impact and influence, knowledge, student experience and EDIA.

Paul Astles, SFHEA. Learning Designer at the Open University. Drawing on sector specific research and scholarship he works with academic teams through a learning design process which enables module material to be developed and delivered using an evidence based approach. Prior to joining the Open University Paul became a qualified teacher and maintains a membership with SET. He worked predominantly with a focus on students with special educational needs at FE level as a programme coordinator. Paul has a particular interest in sustainability and is a member of the Green Gown Award ‘Highly Commended’ OU Learning Design sustainability working group. Recently, Paul has co-written a peer reviewed chapter (soon to be published by Springer in the summer of 2025) detailing the contribution of the work of the learning design group and how they support the embedding of sustainability in the curriculum. A vital part of this work is strong engagement with and use of student voice in the development of resources to support colleagues. Paul is a climate ambassador and works with his local primary school to support their sustainability journey. In parallel to his work with sustainability he also has a keen interest in promoting the ethical use of AI, supporting colleagues to consider how AI might intersect with assessment strategy and develop thinking around authentic assessment for students.

Why the Digital Sustainability SIG?

Awareness of sustainability considerations is gaining momentum in the sector. Digital sustainability is an area that is systemically complex with many stakeholders, so what skills do we need to help us navigate that? In our roles as designers, educators, producers and advisors how do we ensure our digital impact is sustainable and meets the needs of students? What’s the best way to develop sustainability skills and informed use of technologies, ensuring policies for data handling and retention are achievable, streamlining practices to avoid duplication and choosing the best tool and format for the purpose? Finding opportunities to partner with other institutional strategies is another way to achieve impact, looking for overlap with other institutional goals, quality assurance, utilising OERs and developing sustainable resources. Digital sustainability is a skill that we need to develop in ourselves and support our colleagues and students with. There are steps that we can take as individuals, in teams and at institutional level while helping each other to do that.

We were keen to put this group together to help support colleagues in the sector with these challenges and opportunities so were excited to have been invited to launch the SIG at ALTC 2024 in Manchester. You may have met Kathleen there as she launched the SIG in person while Paul was promoting the SIG via the ALT radio channel. He was a guest on a segment hosted by Mark Childs that played out ‘on the way home’.

Our SIG’s remit is to:

• Enable ALT members to support each other with the wide and interconnected impact of our choices and recommendations in the context of the 3 pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic.
• Provide a space to share good practice, success stories and resources to support raising awareness about sustainability in learning technologies, learning design and delivery.
• Promote cross-institutional learning and collaboration in this evolving area.
• Use the knowledge and expertise of members to identify strategic solutions to issues and challenges.

Since our launch, the Digital Sustainability SIG Officers have been working hard to plan areas of focus for the next 12 months. We’ve developed a mission statement building on the goals outlined in our remit to provide a vision for our values and focus of SIG activities. We’re now actively planning the development of webinars and other communications including our LinkedIn page where we hope to connect with colleagues across the sector to build a strong community of practice and develop partnerships.

If you’re reading this and would like to put forward ideas for future sharing or events please reach out to us using the information in the ‘Join Digital Sustainability SIG’ section below.

Join the Digital Sustainability SIG

Connect with us on LinkedIn.

Join the group and subscribe to the ALT-DigitalSustainabilitySIG mailing list.

If you would like to get involved in the organisation of the Group and its activities, let us know by expressing an interest.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here: www.alt.ac.uk/membership

Written by ALT

In honour of ‘Women in Tech Day 2025,’ we celebrate the remarkable achievements of women within the ALT community. This global movement, on 4 April, recognises the contributions of women in the tech industry and inspires future generations to break barriers and innovate. Today, we celebrate all women in technology, especially the incredible women who are part of the ALT community, whose dedication and achievements drive progress and inclusivity in learning technology. While there are countless stories of inspiration to share, this blog highlights the outstanding accomplishments of four exceptional women within our community.

Dr. Julie Voce – Honorary Life Member

Dr. Julie Voce, was awarded Honorary Life Membership by ALT in 2024. With over 20 years of experience, Julie has made profound contributions to the sector through her leadership, research, and active participation in organisations like UCISA and Jisc. Her work has influenced key initiatives, including the UCISA TEL surveys and the ALT Member Groups handbook. Julie’s dedication to collaboration and innovation has left an indelible mark on the learning technology community, earning her admiration and respect from peers. Her willingness to mentor and uplift others exemplifies her commitment to fostering growth in the sector.

Jess Humphreys – ELESIG Chair

Jess Humphreys, the newly appointed Chair of ELESIG, is a passionate advocate for technology enhanced learning. As the Director of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA) and an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Jess has spearheaded transformative initiatives, including the Learning Design Consultancy Unit and the Designing Together project.Her work places a strong emphasis on the importance of the student voice in shaping digital education. Recently recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Jess’s leadership within ELESIG highlights her dedication to advancing research and practice in learners’ experiences with technology, making her a beacon of inspiration in the field. Learn more about Jess in a recent ELESIG blog post. 

Nithya Ramadoss – Certified Member (CMALT) 

Nithya Ramadoss is a Digital Education Specialist with a strong background in Media and Communications and journalism in India. Her journey into UK higher education has been defined by a commitment to digital learning and pedagogy, culminating in her successful attainment of CMALT accreditation in July 2024. She specialises in digital assessment, exploring innovative ways to make evaluation more inclusive, authentic, and pedagogically aligned. She has extensive experience with Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), particularly Canvas, and has led staff training, workshops, and guidance initiatives to help academic and administrative staff integrate technology confidently into their teaching practices.

Laura Milne – 2024 Individual Award Winner

Laura Milne, Head of Digital Education at the University of Chester, was awarded with the ALT Individual Award in 2024 for her outstanding contributions to digital education. Since joining the university in 2023, Laura has spearheaded initiatives to enhance the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), improve accessibility, and integrate generative AI responsibly. Her collaborative approach, involving students as partners, has fostered a sense of community and innovation. Laura’s work has not only transformed digital education at her institution but also set a benchmark for excellence across the sector.

These extraordinary women exemplify the spirit of ‘Women in Tech Day’, showcasing the power of dedication, innovation, and collaboration. Their achievements inspire us all to continue striving for a more inclusive and equitable industry. Learn more about this global celebration here.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here: www.alt.ac.uk/membership

By Amy Giles, Centre for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Following my presentation at #ALTC24, I wanted to share an update on our progress with Blackboard Ally.

Back in September, I attended and presented at #ALTC24 for the first time. If you attended the talk, you’ll remember how the University of South Wales (USW) Digital Education team had been using the Blackboard Ally accessibility checker to enhance accessible and personalised digital learning. 

Just last week, it dawned on me that it was time to run the institution report for 2024/25, as I have done for the past two years – covering the period from 1 March to 1 March each year.

If you’ve decided to promote and use Blackboard Ally with your colleagues and students, I hope it has been well-received and well-used. This past year (March 2024–25), we’ve seen an increase once again in student usage, which is encouraging – hoorah!

From 2023/24, students downloaded a total of 65,723 alternative formats. This year (2024/25), the report shows 95,602 downloads. I’d say we’re on to a winner! What are students downloading most? Tagged PDFs, HTML, and ePub formats – each offering flexibility for accessible learning. For example, tagged PDFs support screen readers, HTML is responsive for mobile devices, and ePub works well with eReaders for offline, distraction-free study. – ideal for smartphones, tablets, and eReaders. These formats remain popular and may highlight the continuing need for greater digital accessibility on mobile devices, and even point to broader issues such as digital poverty.

Unsurprisingly, student usage peaks at the start of term, particularly in September and October.

What is surprising (and disappointing!) is that our colleagues have used the tool less over the past year. As I shared at #ALTC24, between March 2023–24, a total of 473 fixes were made to learning materials using the Ally fixing tool. This past year, however, that number dropped to 436. While not drastic, this is a decline from the increase we saw in 2022/23, when the number jumped from 95 to 473. 

With ongoing cuts and redundancies in Higher Education, which place considerable strain on staff capacity and morale, it’s understandable that accessibility efforts may take a backseat. However, this underscores the need for sustainable, integrated strategies that support accessibility without adding additional burden to already stretched teams. it’s understandable that this may not be a top priority. That said, we must not let accessible teaching and learning fall by the wayside. With the rise of AI and its growing presence in assessment, our recent “Virtual Learning with AI” webinars have been well received. However, it is important to remember that active learning tools and AI are not suitable for all learners.

So – let’s run more workshops!

These could focus on practical accessibility strategies, using tools like Blackboard Ally effectively, and designing inclusive materials. Based on recent feedback, short interactive sessions that showcase real use cases tend to resonate well with staff.

Once again, I ask myself what we can do? Have we dropped the ball?

Let’s turn awareness into action. Even small steps, like adding alternative text to images or reviewing one module’s accessibility score, can contribute meaningfully to an inclusive learning environment. I hereby challenge you to review your Blackboard Ally stats and plan your course of action. Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is coming up on 15 May, and there are plenty of small steps we can take to make online learning more inclusive. I plan to promote GAAD at USW and share details of virtual events that can help raise awareness.

There is clearly a need to bring accessibility checkers like Blackboard Ally back into the spotlight, and to support our colleagues in upskilling for digital fluency and inclusive digital education.

You can view my shared #ALTC24 presentation here: Tools to Enhance Accessible and Personalised Digital Learning

Find out more on Connected conversations: ALT Annual Conference 2024 – Day 2

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

This blog includes a summary from our online panel discussion ‘Does Intersectionality Change Things?’ hosted by the Anti-Racism in Learning Technology Special Interest Group (ARLT SIG), as part of a series on ‘antiracism in learning technology and design’. The panel explored how learning design can be anti-racist and address other diverse needs at the same time, followed by a series of questions exploring critical approaches to design for antiracism. 

Our panellists are Esther Akinlabi and Melissa Holt-Brewster addressed the following questions: 

1. To what extent do racial experiences shape our decision making process? Is it all in our heads?

2. Why is it important to go beyond diversity and inclusion to explicitly focus on antiracism in education?

3. What role does intersectionality play in designing antiracist curricula, and how can we ensure multiple identities are acknowledged?

4. What are some concrete strategies educators and instructional designers can use to embed antiracist principles into curriculum development?

How can we make antiracist learning design accessible and practical for educators who may have limited resources or institutional support?

Esther Akinlabi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, she is currently serving as the Deputy Faculty Pro Vice Chancellor (DFPVC) for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK. In her role as the DFPVC, she is the custodian of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the Faculty and also serves as the Deputy Chair of the Northumbria University Gender Steering Committee. In her most recent role, she served as the Director of the African Union Commission – Pan African University for Life and Earth Sciences Institute (PAULESI), Ibadan, Nigeria. Prior to joining PAULESI, she had a decade of meritorious service at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa. At UJ, she served as the Head of Department of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science and as the Vice Dean for Teaching and Learning of the Faculty. She has filed four patents, edited four books, published seven books, and authored/co-authored many peer reviewed publications.

Esther discusses the importance of anti-racist learning design and intersectionality. Anti-racist learning design aims to challenge and dismantle racism by centring diverse perspectives, promoting critical thinking, and fostering equitable practices in teaching and learning. Drawing from her experiences with the decolonization of knowledge movement in South Africa, Esther emphasises the need for continuous awareness and stakeholder involvement in creating inclusive educational standards.

Melissa Holt-Brewster is a seasoned Organisational Development practitioner. She has over 20 years’ experience of working across Local Authorities and the NHS, where most recently she engaged in anti-racism work on a personal and organisational level, supporting the organisation to deliver on a public commitment to becoming an anti-racist organisation. She is a skilled consultant, facilitator, coach, coach supervisor and workplace mediator. She brings energy, empathy, passion for workplace equalities and practical experience of supporting and developing teams in complex services. She currently works as a Senior Teaching Fellow at Liverpool John Moores University and is the Programme Manager for the NHS Leadership Academy ‘Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’ Healthcare Leadership Masters programme. She is also studying for a Doctorate in Business Administration- Thesis topic Anti-Racism, Allyship and Psychological Safety in the NHS.

Melissa shared her background in organizational development and her involvement in anti-racism projects, highlighting the importance of learners feeling that they belong and matter. Melissa provided practical strategies and reassurance in the process of unlearning and challenging perfectionism in anti-racist learning design. She also stresses the need for educators to invest in themselves and be aware of their own beliefs, mindsets, and biases.

The discussion covers various strategies for embedding anti-racist principles into curriculum development, such as using case studies, creating different assessment pathways, and diversifying course content. Both Esther and Melissa emphasize the importance of intersectionality and the need to acknowledge multiple identities through student voice and stakeholder engagement. They also discuss the challenges of making anti-racist learning design accessible and practical for educators with limited resources or institutional support, highlighting the importance of personal investment and continuous awareness-raising efforts.

This summary is only a snapshot of a great session, and we strongly encourage you to watch the recording!

ALT ARLTSIG: Does intersectionality change things?