DN Colleges Group

Latest from DN Colleges Group 2022

This year we are launching a new Essential Digital Skills programme on our bespoke Skills Boost platform.

Latest from DN Colleges Group March 2021

This year DN Colleges have been focusing on remote learning. As part of this the Academic Services Team has been supporting FE staff and students using Microsoft Teams and Office 365 and supporting our HE staff and students using Office 365 and Canvas. To support this we have been reinforcing good practice regarding accessibility and e-safety.

Latest from DN Colleges Group November 2018

Below are some of the latest digital initiatives that the Academic Services and LET’s teams have been running across the group recently.

Don’t Know Your Padlet From Your Plickers? Everything you need to know but are afraid to ask… A new cross-Group initiative is underway to help us get our heads around some of the latest digital tools and technologies. The LET’s team, supported by the Academic Services Team, are running regular drop-in training slots for all staff, allowing us to explore these tools and understand where they could enhance our processes or experiences. With a weekly theme, multiple sessions will run across both campuses, so there will be plenty of options for you to attend at a time that works best for you. An initial ten-week programme will cover a range of Google tools, as well as Padlet, Plickers, Kahoot, Quizlet and Splice. This is a great opportunity to keep up to date with all things digitech. Information on times and locations will available at each site.
LET’s Do Lunch Bring your butties to North Lindsey College on the first Wednesday of each month for a lunch time session to share ideas and best practice around how technology can support teaching, learning and assessment. You can also get support and problemsolving advice. If you’re based at Doncaster, join us for Digital Dinner Time on the same day to hear what others are up to and find support for any digital issues you have.
Making the Switch: My SOLE Moves to G Suite With clear goals to improve student take-up of modules and to increase completion rates, the team responsible for Doncaster College’s online tutorial programme, My SOLE, recently seized the opportunity to switch to a cloud-based platform, moving the entire tutorial programme to G Suite. Motivated to improve the way learners engage with their tutorial programmes, the Academic Services Team looked at all the options available. The team recognised that using a cloud-based service would match the digital habits of students in other areas of their lives. Providing this essential resource in a user-friendly platform that works across a wide variety of devices would meet student needs and support independent working. An added bonus is that it helps students to develop digital skills that will prove useful for future employment and life experiences. One of the biggest challenges has been the large number of students needing to access the modules. Complex solutions have been put in place to ensure everyone has the right access when they need it. Learners can now access core modules from a computer or mobile device, and they receive electronic certificates when each module is passed, building evidence of progress and achievement. When compulsory modules have been completed, students progress to noncompulsory subjects covering cultural topics, study support, academic writing, financial knowhow, referencing, 21st century skills, maths and English skills. Sarah Crossland, Academic Services Manager, highlights some additional key benefits of this transition, “This was a huge task and well worth it for our students. We now also have really skilled superusers in the Academic Services Team, with tremendous expertise in G Suite. This really helps in areas like content creation - we have local control of the content of modules, so we can make sure content is kept up to date and adapted to our specific needs.”
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Video Case Study

“Google Apps for Education” Project

Interim Director of Information Services, Colin Addy and Sarah Crossland, Academic Services Manager are undertaking an evidenced-based research project, this year, to determine the effectiveness of Google Apps for Education in various settings across various Levels (E1 to 7). The research project will also feed into the Association of College’s Scholarship Project National Scholarship Framework.

The Centre for Digital Pedagogies

The Centre for Digital Pedagogies was founded in January 2015 with the aim of engendering a culture of sharing and inquiry with respect to both research and praxis in all aspects of digital pedagogies. Involving both business support and academic colleagues across the organisation, its mission is to ensure that teaching, learning and assessment is underpinned by pedagogical, technological and content knowledge, equipping both staff and students with the critical digital literacies required to succeed in technologically rich environments. The Centre is currently supporting all members in attaining Google Certified Educator Level 1.

Digital Pedagogies Conference 3rd July 2015

Building on the work done at the Centre on using digital tools both thoughtfully and critically, the first Digital Pedagogies Conference was held in Summer 2015 at University Centre Doncaster.

The conference aimed to bring together practitioners from all aspects of education – primary through to higher – to share and collaborate in the rapidly growing field of digital learning; as well as encouraging debate and sharing critical scholarship, innovative practice and creative pedagogy irrespective of discipline.

The conference had over 200 delegates in attendance, with over 50 speakers covering a wide array of topic relating to digital pedagogy from using technology in unusual surroundings to new technologies trialed in the classroom.

Further details regarding the conference can be found on our website: www.digitalpedagogies.com

Current Projects and Learning Initiatives

  • Ongoing developments in online and blended provision including conferencing software and video annotation with Videonot.es.
  • Use of self-reflection applications to enhance teaching and coaching behaviours
  • Use of physical sensors, motion tracking and 3D digital mapping in the creative arts.
  • Use of augmented reality in anatomy for sports and for supporting those with special educational needs.
  • Multimedia assessment integration with Planet eStream
  • Tracking learning in study skills modules with digital badges

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