Presentation at Bett Show 2017, London, UK for Blended Learning Essentials course on Futurelearn funded by the Ufi Trust. See https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/blended-learning-getting-started

1. Blended Learning Essentials:
35,000 participants and counting
Bett Show London - January 2017

2. Blended Learning Essentials
If you are working in further education, skills
training, vocational education, workplace
learning, lifelong learning or adult education,
these free online courses are designed to
help you understand the benefits of blended
learning and how to make more effective
use of technology to support your learners.

3. Connect and sign up now
https://goo.gl/NVLrcg
Next run starts 1 May
#FLble2 and
@BLEcourse on
Twitter
https://goo.gl/QFk1JB
Next run starts 20 Feb
#FLble1 and
@BLEcourse on
Twitter

4. New for 2017/18
Blended Learning Essentials is expanding:
in addition to ‘Getting Started’ and
‘Embedding Practice’, two new courses
have been added: ‘Developing Digital
Skills’ and ‘Supporting Apprenticeships’.

5. How many people
signed up to date….

6. Who was on BLE1-r1 & BLE2-r1
58.2%
42.3%
23.0%
54.9%
39.0%
25.6%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Vocational Education and Training
Higher Education
School Education
Which area of Teaching and Education do you work in? Select
all that apply.
BLE1-r1 (n.825) BLE2-r1 (n.82)

7. Who was on BLE1-r1 & BLE2-r1
61.7%
32.0%
13.9%
13.0%
12.0%
4.3%
1.4%
69.6%
19.6%
19.6%
10.7%
16.1%
1.8%
0.0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Teacher or trainer in the vocational
education and training sector
Training and development professional
Manager of a vocational education or
training organisation
Other
Learning Technologist
Librarian
ICT technician
If you work in Vocational Education and Training, in which
role(s)? Select all that apply.
BLE1-r1 (n.575) BLE2-r1 (n.56)

8. Interim Findings from evaluation
• Excellent engagement: > 20,000 comments in 1st
run
• Awareness of tools and technologies increased from
46% to 90% pre to post course
• Significant increase, 25% to 48%, in ‘BL would work
for my context’
• Most significant barrier, ‘limited knowledge’, fell from
54% to 14%
• Courses exceed expectations for ~50%

9. Case Studies of Impact
• From 10 participant interviews
• Emergent themes of main impacts:
– Popular tools are Padlet, Socrative, Kahoot!,
iObserve
– Community discussion is especially useful
– Course supports local personal development agendas
– Participants report on colleagues’ engagement
– Using online course with local support is effective

10. CELTA case study
Profile:
FE College lecturer for ELT
teachers
Context and Reach
Digital Champion support
PGCE students
Tools and techniques
used
Padlet
Flipped learning
Peer assessment
TES Blendspace “I saw the flipped learning thing I just I
want have a go with that”
“we shouldn’t be reinventing the wheel
all over the country … for me it was
really quite a revelation”
“seeing what's going on in the classroom
and listening to the practitioner giving
you really practical points”

11. Corporate Training
& Development
case study
Profile: Lead, Professional
Development Programme
(UK), International Utility
Company
Context and Reach
20-30% of training moving
to digital by 2020
400 trainers
Tools and techniques
used
Padlet
Kahoot
Socrative
iObserve
“having a third party come and say, OK
this is what other teams - other
organizations or businesses - are using,
that is very useful”
“the structure of it - lends itself to the
way I like to learn things - to get
involved”

12. FE Area Lead
case study
Profile: Programme Lead
for Science & Humanities at
FE College (A Level, BTEC,
NVQ Apprenticeships)
Context and Reach
Digital Champion promoted
courses in college and to
NHS colleagues
Tools and techniques
used
Prezi
Socrative
Padlet
“the students loved that [Socrative].
They could all do it on their mobile
phones and it was great"
“Padlet gets an amazing response which
is exactly what I see happening in the
college with students"
“I knew whereabouts they were in the
programme from the fact that they
suddenly started to use different things
in the classroom, like Socrative or Prezi”

13. Post-compulsory
PGCE Lecturer
case study
Profile: Post-compulsory
PGCE Tutor for VET teachers
& trainers.
Context and Reach
BLE embedded in PGCE
100 trainee teachers visited
on placement
Tools and techniques
used
Padlet
Kahoot
Socrative
Screencasting
“I actually took some headphones and I
could see the screencast myself so I
was very impressed with how she
delivered it”
“there was definitely a big change after
the MOOC”
“a source of nuisance before, they could
now use the mobile phones in a
constructive way”

14. Ready now for CPD:
Blended Learning Essentials
courses for all staff – free, flexible
and online

15. Who leads and funds this course?
This course is funded by the Ufi Charitable
Trust http://www.ufi.co.uk/ and is delivered
on Futurelearn by a consortium led by:

16. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training
Part 1: Getting started
Course aims are:
• use a range of effective
blended learning practices and
pedagogies to improve your
learners’ experience and
attainment
• understand how the many free
and affordable technologies
now available can enhance
teaching and learning, and
• approach new technologies
with confidence, designing a
pedagogical approach to make
the best use of these tools
Part 2: Embedding
practice
Course aims are:
• integrate new technologies
into courses, and learning
and training opportunities;
• propose ways in which new
technology can help to
address key challenges in
the VET sector;
• develop your own skills
further and contribute to the
sector’s community
knowledge of the optimal
uses of blended learning.

17. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training
Part 1: Getting started

18. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training
Part 2: Embedding
practice

19. How learning on FutureLearn
works: Meet the course…

20. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training
Part 2: Embedding practice,
Week 1

21. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training

22. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training

23. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training

24. Participating in BLE
• It is anticipated that most participants will take both parts of
the course, however you are not required to take part 1 in
order to join part 2.
• Sign up at:
Part 1 - https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/blended-
learning-getting-started
Part 2 - https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/blended-
learning-embedding-practice
• Receive a confirmation email:
– Complete the online survey
– Fill out your profile
– Invite friends to join

28. What’s it like to
participate?

29. Participating in BLE
• On the start date of the course content will
appear under ‘My Courses’ when you are
logged into FutureLearn
• It’s a good idea to complete your profile and
interact with other participants as much as
possible
• The recommended time commitment is 4
hours per week for the duration of the course,
but this is flexible and course content remains
live after the course ends

30. Blended Learning Essentials for
Vocational Education and Training

31. Participating in BLE
Ways to participate:
• Videos, audio and articles – review these items in your own
time, often followed by short quizzes to help cement
knowledge.
• Discussion –talk over a topic with fellow learners, a great
way to benefit from the wider BLE community.
• Quizzes – these activities are not scored. You have unlimited
attempts to complete them, and will be given hints along the
way.
• Tests – these are scored activities which count towards your
final mark. You will be given a maximum of three attempts to
pass these tests, and you will receive a lower mark if you
pass the test on a second or third attempt.
• Assignments – BLE may include some assignments, with the
opportunity to give and receive feedback from your fellow
learners.

32. Learn with colleagues in the Vocational
Education and Training sector
This online course will be supported by a group
of dedicated Digital Champions. They will help
participants connect with teaching and training
professionals who understand the practical,
everyday challenges of using blended learning
in your sector.
This way participants will have access to
colleagues with the experience to answer
questions, to discuss ideas and share
problems.

33. Pathways to accreditation
As a course participant you have a number of ways to gain
professional recognition and accreditation for participating in the
course and as a next step in your professional development.
The different pathways include:
• FutureLearn Statement of Participation
• Accreditation via professional bodies and CPD
• Paths to accreditation via other bodies, e.g. the UCL Institute of
Education.

34. Connect and sign up now
https://goo.gl/NVLrcg
Next run starts 1 May
#FLble2 and
@BLEcourse on
Twitter
https://goo.gl/QFk1JB
Next run starts 20 Feb
#FLble1 and
@BLEcourse on
Twitter

35. Next course launch:
‘Developing Digital Skills is a new course
in the Blended Learning Essentials family
and will launch in October 2017 –
registration will open for registration in the
summer.