Blending the Foundation Degrees EYS and SIP Improving Employability Julie Hughes, Catherine Lamond, Jenny Worsley,

The story so far – thoughtful fusion (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008) EYS and SIP cohorts at Wolverhampton – Walsall site – 60; SIP at City of Wolverhampton College – 28; EYS at TCAT – 25; All are in the process of blending.... dependent upon context; Starting from where staff are and mentoring.

Blended Model Whole group, individual and small group blogs Harnessed the reflection of students on their professional changes Guidance and linking theory to practice Critical Incidents Feedback from peers and tutors

Blogging for beginners at UoW – 60 students Whole group from induction - ‘shared’ tutoring, shared blogs across routes – multiple blogs – individual, reflective practice and whole groupindividualreflective practicewhole group The importance of modelling e-portfolio-based learning – personalised, social and community directed. Emergence of powerful peer learning, problem-solving and enquiry-based learning.problem-solving

Improving Employability What the students say: I can reflect more in my own approach to teaching…This has enabled me to challenge views from management which may differ from my own, whereas before, sometimes I went along thinking I had to do things because that’s the way they were done

Improving Employability What the students say (contd.): Reflecting on my practice has become a significant part of my role as a practitioner since I began my FD and I am much more aware of the importance of developing my own skills and knowledge when working with children

Improving Employability What the students say (contd.): By encouraging the staff with whom I work to reflect on their practice, we are able to discuss our ideas and improve the outcomes for future sessions

What have we learnt? That one size does not fit all and that blending should be contextual and situational; That peer learning, support and mentoring is key for staff and students; That blending is an ongoing reflective and reflexive activity best seen as a dialogue; That this is fun!

Conclusion What the students felt: Qualitative data shows that students feel more valued and knowledgeable in their workplace They are more willing to challenge existing practices They demonstrate improved confidence and improved communication skills They undertake more complex roles in their settings

Conclusion How was this achieved?: Engaging students in online discussion from the start promoted their skills of reflection Feedback from peers and from tutors encouraged this reflection Guidance in online tasks supported the development of higher order thinking skills Linking theory to practice emerged from blending modules and helped students to make connections in their learning