EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Perceptions of Flexible Provision Lesley Faulconbridge Peter Tunnicliffe

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Particular focus will be on: employer engagement modes of delivery professional accreditation individual learning plans service agreements

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Group discussion How do you address these areas? 5 minutes Be prepared to share your practice

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Employer engagement Validation of programmes Influence content Contributing to assessment and periods of assessment Programme committee Shaping patterns of delivery

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Modes of delivery Evening Daytime Saturday E-learning Full time /part time Period of study Patterns of study

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Typical patterns of student participation: (Faulconbridge 2010:56)

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Student perceptions: “I would support e-learning ……I feel that a face to face lecture would still be required though. E- learning would just make the course more flexible” “Is distance learning when you’re given the module and you go away and do it? Is e-learning when you get things on-line? I really don’t know”

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES What do you think students want? E-learning Distance Learning Block weeks Summer school Alternative modes of study:

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES What do you think students want? (Faulconbridge 2010:56)

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES What do employers think students (employees) want? Unlikely Likely 5 Saturday E-learning Distance learning Summer school Block weeks (Faulconbridge 2010:54)

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Employer perceptions: Private Day Care Proprietor: “Training requires sacrifices and students need to demonstrate commitment; this might mean studying in their own time.” School Head: “Flexibility is fine but I need the TA’s in the classroom. We do give time to allow TA’s to study but we can’t allow it to affect the service that we offer. However staff do need to be allowed to progress.”

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Employer perceptions: Private Day Care Proprietor: “There are funding issues as employers need financial support to allow staff to study. Private Day care setting money is tight. Allowing staff to study does benefit the company in the long term as we then have better qualified staff. However releasing staff in the day time is not an option as we have a service to provide so flexibility is important.”

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES “Paradoxically there can be conflict between flexibility in delivery mode and providing a quality learning experience for the student, the business needs of employers and the culture of academic study patterns in the higher education sector” (Faulconbridge 2010:58)

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Individual Learning Plans Guidance and counselling Reality check Access modes successfully Making informed choices Personal contact

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Professional accreditation : TDA CWDC LLUK IfL

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Service level agreements Colleges Training agencies Local authorities CETT’s Collaborative partnerships with:

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES A final word: Teaching Assistant: “Flexibility can go too far you can’t please everyone.” First year student: “Why don’t you just tell us what you want us to do?”

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SCIENCES Reference: Faulconbridge LK 2010 “Perceptions of Flexible Learning : a comparison of the views of students and employers” MA dissertation : University of Derby