Epping Forest College: Use of Xerte to enhance collaborative learning

Souad Kouachi, a Science Lecturer at Epping Forest College has utilised the Xerte Online Toolkit (XOLTK ) to create a collaborative learning environment for her students. Souad briefed her learners on how to use the Xerte Online Toolkit to develop dynamic learning objects. Her learners were soon able to create presentations containing learning objects as well as assessment activities, which they now use in the classroom with their peers to reinforce learning.

Otley College: An Online toolkit for tutorials in rural- based FE – meeting new funding needs

As part of an LSIS Regional Response Fund project, Otley College has developed an online toolkit for one-to-one tutorials, based on research undertaken with practitioners and learners. The toolkit has been developed to meet the needs of students and tutors, and attempts to fulfil the requirement for tutorials within a new straightened funding agreement.

Lowestoft College - Riding the waves of change: How mobile learning has guided learners through rough seas

Over the past six years Lowestoft College has embraced the revolution in mobile learning by welcoming Web 2.0, social media, cloud computing and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). This open attitude to new technologies has led to a marked improvement in student achievement rates, has increased staff and student satisfaction and has resulted in a variety of cost savings for senior management during the current economic downturn.

Burnley College: Engaging staff with an 'Olympic Feast' themed CPD

As part of its award winning staff development programme Burnley College has introduced an end of year ‘Feast’ of staff development activities. The Feast includes two weeks of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops for all staff designed to promote e-Learning techniques, develop innovative teaching and learning methods as well as encourage staff to develop sharing hobbies and interests while always looking to expand the learning element.

Tameside College: Triptico games and resources used to engage students

Tracey Holt introduced Triptico to her department after attending training from Sue Shercliff, ESOL Lecturer. Triptico is a resource for teachers to use in conjunction with their interactive whiteboards that currently contains around 20 different interactive resources - all of which can be easily edited, adapted and saved for later use. This quickly spread throughout the entire college. It is a fantastic free resource which promotes more interaction in the classroom between the teacher and students.

Lancaster and Morecambe College: Uses serious computer games as a teaching tool

John Latham, International Projects Co-ordinator at Lancaster and Morecambe College (LMC), got involved with the project Serious Computer Games as a Teaching Tool (SCOGATT) after using the game EnerCities with his students. The web based platform at www.scogatt.eu serves as a One Stop Toolkit for vocational teachers and trainers who want to use serious computer games (SCG) in their teaching environments but might need a helping hand. There they will be able to find a compendium of serious games, SCOGATT pilot results, teacher reports and the exemplar games, EnerCities.

Southend Adult Community College: Walk like an Egyptian - A new reflection

Southend Adult Community College hosts a regular Middle Eastern and Egyptian dance class for all ages and abilities. For a performing art such as dance, learning and self-review aids such as mirrors are essential for improving technique and attainment. The Egyptian Dance course is very popular with many students enrolled. Therefore, sessions need to take place in a large hall within the college. Through inspired innovation and improvisation, the class now have an extremely useful reflective teaching aid using cameras and projectors.

Huntingdonshire Regional College - The Teacher/Learner Switch

It is said the best ideas are often the simplest ones. At Huntingdonshire Regional College, Ken McKerral, an Advanced Practitioner in E-Learning has developed a very simple idea to engage students and improve teaching and learning. Ken has named his method "The Teacher/Learner Switch". It is a process that uses a unique colour code system, to help differentiate learning outcomes and deliver ownership of time to the students to enrich learning experience.

City College Southampton: Striving for Gold with Moodle benchmarking scheme

.How do you answer the question: “How well is your VLE being used?” City College Southampton rose to the challenge with the creation, development and implementation of a highly motivational ‘Gold, Silver and Bronze’ benchmarking system to evaluate and recognise quality of content and activity on its College Moodle system. The results are impressive.

College Ystrad Mynach Janet Certificate Service

The College previously used the old Server Certificate Service and has now progressed to using the Janet Certificate Service. It has two particular uses for server certificates: one is to guarantee its Shibboleth  erver and the other is to guarantee another single sign on document management system employed by the College. JL

Resilient internet connectivity at Myerscough College

Myerscough College, a land-based further and higher education college in the north west, is one of the approximately 160 further education colleges in England to take additional connections to Jisc’s Janet network. Ian Brown, director of IT and MIS at the college, talks to us about why they’ve taken an extra four connections.