bringing learning to life: evaluation of everyday skills in maths...

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BringingLearningtoLife:EvaluationofEverydaySkillsinmathsandEnglish 23rdOctober2019Dr.RobertFarrowOpenEducationResearchHubInstituteofEducationalTechnologyTheOpenUniversity,UKWaltonHallMiltonKeynesMK76AArob.farrow@open.ac.ukSuggestedcitation:Farrow,R.(2019).BringingLearningtoLife:EvaluationofEverydaySkillsinmathsandEnglish.OpenEducationResearchHub.TheOpenUniversity(UK).CC-BY4.0http://oro.open.ac.uk/67478/

BringingLearningtoLife:EvaluationofEverydaySkillsbyRobertFarrowislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0InternationalLicense.

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TableofContentsEXECUTIVESUMMARY.............................................................................................................................4I.SURVEY1(JAN-MAR2019).................................................................................................................71.SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................................................................71.1Rationale&Method...............................................................................................................................................71.2DataCollection.........................................................................................................................................................8

2.DEMOGRAPHICS.................................................................................................................................................................102.1LearnerDemographics.....................................................................................................................................102.2LearnerProfiles....................................................................................................................................................122.3StaffDemographics............................................................................................................................................152.4StaffProfiles...........................................................................................................................................................16

3.LEARNERCONFIDENCE....................................................................................................................................................193.1ConfidencewithEnglish..................................................................................................................................203.2Confidencewithmathematics.....................................................................................................................203.3ConfidencewithLearningSkills..................................................................................................................20

4.TECHNOLOGYUSE.............................................................................................................................................................214.1ConfidencewithTechnology.........................................................................................................................214.2AccesstoTechnology........................................................................................................................................21

5.BARRIERSTOLEARNING.................................................................................................................................................226.LEARNINGPREFERENCE.................................................................................................................................................247.ANTICIPATEDIMPACT.....................................................................................................................................................277.1CommentsbyLearners....................................................................................................................................28

8.STAFFPERCEPTION..........................................................................................................................................................308.1PerceptionofLearnerMotivation..............................................................................................................308.2PerceptionofTechnologyUse......................................................................................................................318.3PerceptionofChallengesFacedbyLearners........................................................................................318.4PotentialStrategies............................................................................................................................................348.5ChallengesfacedbyStaff.................................................................................................................................368.6ChallengesfacedbyEducationalInstitutions.......................................................................................388.7OrganisationalStrategy....................................................................................................................................388.8Improvingstrategy.............................................................................................................................................39

9.LESSONSLEARNEDFROMSURVEY1............................................................................................................................39II.OPENLEARNANALYTICS(JAN-AUG2019)..................................................................................4110.SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................................................................4110.1OpenLearninBringingLearningtoLife...............................................................................................4110.2Method&Limitations.....................................................................................................................................42

11.NUMBEROFLEARNERS,ACCESSPATTERNSANDENROLMENTS......................................................................4312.COMPARISONWITHOTHERBADGEDCOURSESONOPENLEARN........................................................................4712.1AllBadgedOpenCourses..............................................................................................................................4712.2Benchmark:“ManagingMyMoney…”....................................................................................................48

III.SURVEY2(JUN-JUL2019).............................................................................................................4913.SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................................................................4913.1Rationale&Method.........................................................................................................................................5013.2DataCollection...................................................................................................................................................50

14.LEARNERDEMOGRAPHICS...........................................................................................................................................5015.LEARNERPROFILES.......................................................................................................................................................5315.1EmploymentStatus&FamilyCommitments.....................................................................................5315.2ExistingQualifications...................................................................................................................................55

16.LEARNERCONFIDENCE.................................................................................................................................................5616.1ConfidencewithEnglish...............................................................................................................................56

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16.2Confidencewithmathematics..................................................................................................................5716.3ConfidencewithLearningSkills...............................................................................................................57

17.TECHNOLOGYUSE..........................................................................................................................................................5817.1ConfidencewithTechnology......................................................................................................................5817.2AccesstoTechnology.....................................................................................................................................5917.3TechnologyuseinEverydaySkills..........................................................................................................59

18.MOTIVATIONSANDBARRIERS....................................................................................................................................6018.1Motivations..........................................................................................................................................................6018.2BarrierstoLearning........................................................................................................................................61

19.USEOFEVERYDAYSKILLSBYCOLLEGELEARNERS...............................................................................................6519.1BedfordCollege.................................................................................................................................................6619.2MiddlesbroughCollege..................................................................................................................................6719.3WestHertsCollege...........................................................................................................................................68

20.EVALUATIONOFEVERYDAYSKILLS..........................................................................................................................7120.1Coursesstudied.................................................................................................................................................7120.2CoursePathways&Retention...................................................................................................................7120.3LearningExperience.......................................................................................................................................7220.4Impact.....................................................................................................................................................................74

IV.DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................................................7621.1KEYFINDINGS...............................................................................................................................................................76MeetingDemand..........................................................................................................................................................76IdentifyingChallenges..............................................................................................................................................77AConfidenceParadox?.............................................................................................................................................78DriversofCompletion...............................................................................................................................................78SupportingLearners..................................................................................................................................................79

21.2CONSTRAINTS...............................................................................................................................................................8121.3SUGGESTIONSFORFURTHERWORK........................................................................................................................82

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ExecutiveSummaryThisreportdescribesandanalysessurveydataresponses,webanalyticsandotherdatarelatingtotheBringingLearningtoLifeproject.BringingLearningtoLifewasfundedbytheDepartmentforEducation’sFlexibleLearningFundtoofferfunctionalskillscoursesinEnglishandmathematicsthroughtheOpenLearnonlinelearningplatform.OpenLearnisTheOpenUniversity(UK)repositoryforopenlylicensedlearningmaterialsthatsupportsflexibledeliveryofstructuredcontent.TheBedfordCollegeGroup,MiddlesbroughCollegeandWestHertsCollegeworkedwithTheOpenUniversitytodeveloptheonlinecoursesandoffervalidationoflearningthroughqualifications.Thegoalsoftheevaluationstudywereto:

§ EstablishbaselinedataaboutlearnersinBringingLearningtoLife§ Describelevelsofconfidenceandkeychallenges§ Identifyopportunitiesforflexible,openandonlinedeliveryoffoundational

courses§ Developanunderstandingofhowlearnersandeducatorsunderstandtheissues§ Comparebetweenfurthereducationcollegeandnon-formalflexiblelearning

contextsInthefirstroundofresearchactivity,learnersandstaffatthethreefurthereducationcollegesweresurveyed.Threeinstitutions(BedfordCollegeGroup;MiddlesbroughCollege;WestHerts.College)provideddataandasmallnumberofnon-formallearnersalsocompletedthesurvey.Theinstrumentfocusedonthechallengesfacedbylearners;theapproachestheythinkwouldfacilitatelearning;andthepotentialforonlineandflexibledeliveryofeducationalmaterials.ThisdatawascollectedbeforebeginningtouseBringingLearningtoLifematerials;oratthebeginningofthecourse.TheseactivitiesarereportedinSectionI.EverydayEnglishandEverydayMathswerethecourseswereinitiallyoffered,witheachrepresentingabout48hoursofstudy.Level2coursesbecameavailablelaterinthepresentation.ThecoursestogetherwerebrandedasEverydaySkillsinmathsandEnglish.1Coursecontentwasmadeavailableonanopenlicencetofacilitaterepurposingandreuseofthecoursecontent.DuringthepresentationofthecoursematerialsforEnglishandmathematicsontheOpenLearnrepository,analyticdataabouttheiractivityandperformancewascollected.ThisdataisinterpretedinSectionII.ComparedwithothercoursesonOpenLearn,EverydaySkillsattractedahigherrateofenrolmentbutalowerrateofcompletion,possiblyreflectingtheinterestandexperiencesoftheintendedaudience.ItwasfoundthatEnglishcoursesattractmoreinterestbutmathematicscoursesaremorelikelytobecompletedandabadgeawarded.OpenLearnanalyticsalsoprovideevidenceofre-useoftheEverydaySkillscoursesbyinstitutionsandlearnersnotassociatedwiththe

1Thecoursesmaybeaccessedfromhttps://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/education/everyday-skills-maths-and-english

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project(includingfromoutsidetheUK).Thereisevidenceoffurtheruseoftheopenresourcesintheprivatesectorandintheclassroom.Afinalphaseofevaluationactivitytookplacewithasecondsurveyinvolvinglearnershadcompletedtheircourse(orwithdrawn).ThissurveycombinedsomeofthemeasuresusedthefirstsurveyforconfidenceandperceivedbarriersbutalsoincludedsomequestionsdesignedtoevaluatethematerialsusedonOpenLearn.TheresultsofthissurveycanbefoundinSectionIII.ThekeyfindingsforthosewhohadstudiedanEverydaySkillscoursewereasfollows:

• Learnersrespondedhighlypositivelytoboththecoursematerialsandtheirflexibleandopendelivery.

• 78.7%ofthosewhotookanEverydaySkillscoursewouldrecommendittoothers• Similarly,71%reportedthattakingthecoursemadethemwanttostudymore• Morethanhalfthesample(51.3%)felttheyhadseenimprovedperformanceat

workorintheirstudiesasresultoftakingEverydaySkills.43.5%felttheynowhadimprovedemploymentprospects.

• Improvedjob/careerprospectsareanimportantmotivationformany,butnotall• Financialconcernswereseenasthegreatestbarriertolearning,followedbylack

ofconfidence,work-lifebalanceandtimemanagement• Disabilitywasseenastheleastseriousbarrier(includingbydisabledlearners)• TherewerehigherlevelofinterestintheEnglishcoursesbuttheMathscourses

attractedlearnerswhoweremorelikelytogoontocompletethecourseandbeawardedabadge

• Notknowingwheretobeginorlackingstudyskillswereseenasbarriersbymorethanhalfthesample

DatagatheredaboutthelearnersonEverydaySkillsrevealthattheyhavediverseexperiencesandexpectations.Survey2showedthatmorethanhalfarealreadyinworkwhileathirdareclaimingsomeformofbenefit.Morethanathirdindicatedadesiretogoontoformalhighereducation,buttheselearnersoftenhavenoqualifications(orareunsurehowtonavigateapathwaytowardstheirgoal).Supportingtheselearnersinfindingtheirpathwaytoskillsandeducation–especiallywhentheyhavetakenasteptowardsformallearning–iscrucial.Workinginconjunctionwithcollegepartnershasbeenextremelyeffectiveforestablishingasharedapproachandbodyofknowledge.BringingLearningtoLifehasshownthatthereismuchpotentialtofurtherengageadultlearnersthoroughflexible,opendelivery.PartI(sections1-9)presentsandoffersinterpretationofresultsfromthefirstphaseoftheevaluation(Q1,2019).PartII(sections10-12)describespatternsofwebactivityobservedwithlearnersontheEverydaySkillscourses(Q1-Q6,2019).PartIII(sections13-20)reportsontheresultsfromthefinalphaseofevaluation(Q2-3,2019).Inthefinalparttherefollowsadiscussionandinterpretationofresultsasawholealongwithrecommendationsforfurtheractivityinthisarea.

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I.Survey1(Jan-Mar2019)1.SummaryTheevaluationprogrammebeganwithasurveyofbothlearnersandstaffassociatedwiththecollegesinvolvedwiththeproject.Thekeyfindingsfromthisphaseofactivitywereasfollows:

§ Improvedemploymentprospects,professionaldevelopmentandjob/studyperformancewereseenasthemostimportantorlikelyimpactsofmeetingcurrentlearninggoals.

§ Learnersreportedthatthemostsignificantfactorsintermsofimpactonlearningwereworklifebalance;financialconcernsandtimemanagement.Morecommon(butlowerimpact)challengeswerecaringorfamilycommitment;lackofconfidence;andnotknowingwheretobegin

§ Staffperceivethemostseriouschallengesfortheirstudentstoclusteraroundlackofconfidence,work/lifebalance,lackofstudyskills,andfearoffailure.AccesstotechnologyandInternetwerethoughtleastsignificant.

§ Themajorityofthelearnerswhoansweredthesurveyareinwork§ Mostarenotstudyingformallyatthemoment,butamajority(36%)expressed

aninterestinstudyingtowardsaqualification.Many(27%)areenrolledinparttimestudy.Only2.9%saidtheywereinfulltimestudy.13%arenon-formalself-directedlearners.8%wereinterestedinstudybutnottowardsaqualification.

§ OnthewholelearnersexpressedhighconfidenceintheirabilitieswiththeEnglishlanguage.

§ Generally,therespondentsexpressedahighdegreeofconfidencewiththeirabilitytousemathematics,butwithlessconfidenceexpressedaroundmathematicalsymbolsandformula.

§ Thereisevidencetosuggestthatformalqualificationsystemsarenotwellunderstoodbymanylearnersatentrylevel.

§ LearnerscommonlyhaveaccesstotheInternetandoftenhaveasmartphoneorotherpersonaldevice.However,itshouldbenotedthatthosewholackaccessoftenlackaccessacrosstherangeoftechnologies:around10%ofthecohortappearnottohaveregularorconsistentaccesstotheInternetandrelatedtechnologies.

1.1Rationale&MethodThesurveyinstrumentwasdesignedtocollectdatafromlearnersintheearlierphasesoftheirengagementwiththeEnglishandMathscontentmadeavailablethroughOpenLearn.Thedraftsurveywaspilotedwiththeprojectteamandrefinedbeforedistribution.ThesurveyquestionswereapprovedbyTheOpenUniversityHumanResearchEthicsCommittee(HREC/2008/Farrow:BringingLearningtoLife).

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TheJISCOnlineSurveysplatformwasusedtodistributethesurveyandcollectresponses.Thereweretwosurveys.Bothcategorieswereintendedtobeflexibleandinclusive.

§ “Learner”survey–forthoseinvolved(orpotentiallyinvolved)informalorinformallearningfromtheperspectiveofthelearner

§ “Staff”survey–forthoseinvolvedinformallearningfromtheperspectiveoftheeducatororserviceprovider

Inthisreportresultsarepresentedforthecohortswhotookpartindifferentelements.Itshouldbenotedthatthismeansthatresponsesfromlearnersandstaffdonotnecessarilycorrespondtothesameinstitution.Similarly,thereweretworoundsofsurveyswhichcorrespondapproximatelytoapre-andpost-interventionstudy,butthesamplesarenotthesame.Sincenopersonaldatawasheldonparticipants,acodewordsystemwasusedtoidentifypeoplewhotookpartinbothphasesofevaluation.Thequestionsaskedwereoftenthematicallythesamebutrephrasedforthedifferentaudiences.Thelanguagewashonedtowardssimpleexpressiontoencourageengagement.Typically,questionswereeithermultiplechoicefordemographicinformationandinformationaboutlearning;Likertscalesforcollectingattitudinaldata;andfreetextfieldsforcollectingqualitativedata.Therewere20questionsinthelearnersurveyand24questionsinthestaffsurvey.Thestaffsurveycontainedmoreopen-endedquestionstoencouragericherqualitativedata.LinkstothesurveysweredistributedbyprojectpartnerstocollegeaudiencesthroughemailandsharedonrelevantFacebookpages.Somecollectorswereultimatelyunused.Allcollegescontributeddataforlearners.Thougharangeofcollectorsweremadeavailabletoisolateparticularlearnerpopulationsintheanalysis,themajorityoflearnerdatacamefromthreecollectors(oneforeachcollege).Thedatawasexportedfromthesurveyplatformforcompilation,cleaningandanalysisinExcel.7learnersurveyswereincompleteorotherwiseunusable.1.2DataCollectionSurveydatawascollectedbetween9thJanuaryand15thMarch2019throughtheJISCOnlineSurveysplatform.Thetablebelowsummarisesresponsesforthe“Learners”surveybycollector.Table1.LearnerSurveyCollectors(Survey1)

Stakeholder Collector Description ResponsesBedfordCollegeGroup)

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/learner-survey-jan-2019-bedford-1

AccesstoHE 1


LearningCentreTresham

82


InterestedNewLearnersTresham

1

9


InterestedNewLearnersBedford

5


n.d.

MiddlesbroughCollege

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/learner-survey-jan-2019-middlesbrough-1

19+AdultProvision

n.d.


19+Infills n.d.


PotentialNewStudents

48


n.d.


n.d.

WestHerts.College

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/learner-survey-jan-2019-west-herts-1

26

Non-formalLearners

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/bringing-learning-to-life-learner-survey-facebook-1

BedfordandTresham

5


Middlesbrough 2


WestHerts 0


TheOpenUniversity

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TotalLearners 174Asmallernumberofresponseswasreceivedfromstaff(asmightbeexpected).Thistablesummarisesthedatacollectedforstaff.Table2.StaffSurveyCollectors(Survey1)

Stakeholder Collector Description ResponsesBedfordCollege

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/staff-survey-jan-2019-bedford-1

English&MathsTutorsTRESHAM

8


English&MathsTutorsBEDFORD

6


StudentRecruitmentTeam

4

MiddlesbroughCollege

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/staff-survey-jan-2019-middlesbrough-1 PrimaryStaff

n.d

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/staff-survey-jan-2019-middlesbrough-2 SupportStaff

n.d

WestHerts.College

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/staff-survey-jan-2019-west-herts-1

5

Employers/TradeUnions

https://openuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/bringing-learning-to-life-employer-survey-1

n.d

TotalStaff 23

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2.DemographicsThissectiondescribesthepopulationswhotookpartinSurvey1.2.1LearnerDemographicsAgeTheageoflearnersfollowsastandarddistributionwiththemostcommonresponsebeing35-44years.Table3.AgeofLearners(Survey1)

Age Responses %12-17years 1 0.6%18-24years 18 10.3%25-34years 39 22.4%35-44years 46 26.4%45-54years 37 21.3%55-64years 26 14.9%65-74years 7 4.0%75+years 0 0.0%

Figure1.DistributionofLearnerAges(Survey1,n=174)

GenderMostlearnerswhorespondedtothesurveywerefemale,asshowninTable4.

0.6%

10.3%

22.4%

26.4%

21.3%

14.9%

4.0%

0.0%0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

12-17 years 18-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65-74 years 75+ years

LearnerAge

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Table4.LearnerGender(Survey1,n=174)

Gender Responses %Male 39 22.4%Female 133 76.4%Trans 1 0.6%Other 1 0.6%EthnicityAlmostthreequarters(77.3%)responsescamefrompeoplewhoidentifyasWhiteorWhiteBritish.Theremaining20%comprisedarangeofethnicities.Table5.LearnerEthnicity(Survey1,n=171)

EthicGroup(UKCensusCategories) %English/Welsh/Scottish/NorthernIrish/British 59.3%AnyotherWhitebackground 18.0%African 5.2%Indian 2.9%WhiteandAsian 1.7%Pakistani 1.7%AnyotherBlack/African/Caribbeanbackground 1.7%Other 1.7%Irish 1.2%Caribbean 1.2%Anyotherethnicgroup 1.2%GypsyorIrishTraveller 0.6%WhiteandBlackAfrican 0.6%Bangladeshi 0.6%Chinese 0.6%AnyotherAsianbackground 0.6%WhiteandBlackCaribbean 0.0%Arab 0.0%Mixed/Multipleethnicbackground 0.0%n.d. 1.2%Disability14learners(8%ofsample)declaredsomeformofdisabilitythataffectstheirabilitytoworkorstudy.(Thiscomparesto19%ofworkingageadultshttps://www.scope.org.uk/media/disability-facts-figures).

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Table6.DisabilitiesdeclaredbyLearners(Survey1,n=14)

Disability %Learningdisability 35.7%Mentaldisability 21.4%Physicalormotordisability 21.4%Other 14.3%Developmentaldisability 7.1%Nolearnersdeclaredavisual,hearingorneurocognitivedisability.Conditionsreportedunder“other”werediabetesandemphysema.2.2LearnerProfilesEmploymentStatusTable7.LearnerEmploymentStatus(Survey1,n=172)

Status %Full-timeemployment 48.8%Part-timeemployment 25.0%Seekingemployment 14.5%Notseekingemployment 11.6%

100.0%Justunderthreequartersofthesample(73.8%)arecurrentlyinwork(eitherfull-orpart-time).ExistingQualificationsDatawascollectedonpre-existingqualificationsaccordingtotheInternationalStandardClassificationofEducation(ISCED,2011).

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Figure2.LearnerPriorQualification(Survey1,n=172)

TheimmediatelystrikingfeatureoftheseresponsesisthatthevastmajorityreportedhavingGCSEorequivalentqualifications.TherewerefewerresponsesforLevels4/5;thiscouldreflectlowerfamiliaritywithqualificationsattheselevelsintheUKsystem.Inthecomments,someofthepeoplewhoanswered“Other”saidtheyhadaCSE,anoverseasorNVQ/BTEClevelqualification.ThereareperhapsasurprisinglylargenumberoflearnersinterestedinbasicMathsandEnglishwhoreportedalreadyhavingadegreeorpostgraduatedegree.48ofthe172whorespondedsaidthattheyalreadyhadadegreeorpostgraduatequalification.InmanycasesthisislikelytobedowntoaprofessionalwhohasrelocatedtotheUKwhoisinterestedinimprovingtheirEnglish(andthisissupportedanecdotallybytheexperiencesofFurtherEducationcollegesinvolvedinthestudy).However,comparingthisdatawithTable5thattheremayalsobesomelearnerswhohavemisinterpretedthequestionorthequalificationsranking:thenumberwhodeclaredentrylevelqualificationswasthesameasthenumberwhodeclaredaMaster’sdegreeorequivalent.LearningGoalsRespondentswereaskedabouttheirlearningstatusandaspirations.Mostarenotstudyingformallyatthemoment,butamajority(36%)expressedaninterestinstudyingtowardsaqualification.Many(27%)areenrolledinparttimestudy.Only2.9%saidtheywereinfulltimestudy.13%arenon-formalself-directedlearners.8%wereinterestedinstudybutnottowardsaqualification.Sevenpeopleinformaleducation(FT/PT)didnotknowwhethertheywereworkingtowardsaqualification,andonesaidthattheywerenotworkingtowardsaqualification.Conversely,fourpeoplewhoarenotinformalstudysaidtheywereworkingtowardsaqualification.Twopeopleintrainingschemesdidnotknowwhether

2110

2332

37

2721

015

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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Entry level (e.g. GCSEs below Grade G)Level 1 (e.g. GCSEs Grade D-G)

Level 2 (e.g. GCSEs Grade A*-C)Level 3 (e.g. A Levels, BTEC Extended…

Level 4 (e.g. Year 1 Foundation Degree, HNC)Level 5 (e.g. Year 2 Foundation Degree, HND)

Level 6 (e.g. Honours Degree)Level 7 (e.g. Masters Degree)

Level 8 (e.g. Doctorate)Not known

Other

LearnerPriorQualification(s)

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itledtoformalqualification.Ofthesevenpeoplewhosaidtheyhadnointerestinstudying,twosaidtheywerenonethelessworkingtowardsaqualification.Similarly,34ofthe63whoexpressedaninterestinformalqualificationssaidtheyeitherwereworkingtowardsaqualificationor“didn’tknow”.Theoverallimpressionisthatsystemsofformalqualificationarenotwellunderstoodbymanyrespondents.

Figure3.FormalStudyStatus(Survey1,n=170)

LearnerMotivationTable8.LearnerMotivation(Survey1,n=170)

LearnerMotivation f %Improvemyjoborcareerprospects 90 52.9%Qualifyforaparticularjob 14 8.2%PromotionCase 0 0.0%Furtherstudy(Tertiary) 26 15.3%

Interestorhobby 7 4.1%

Enjoymentoflearning 8 4.7%

Senseofpride/achievement18 10.6%

Other 7 4.1%

5

47

11

22

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10

20

30

40

50

60

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I am

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FormalStudyStatus

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Improvedemploymentprospectswerethemostreportedreasonforstudy,withpreparationfortertiaryeducationthesecondmostpopular.Thereseemedlittleinterestinimprovingacurrentpositionthroughpromotion.Reasonsgivenfor“Other”:

§ togivemykidseverything§ althoughIownanduseacomputerandI-pad,Ionlyperformbasictasksandwould

liketofeelmoreconfidentinusingalltheotheradvancesofcomputertechnology.§ Alloftheaboveequally!§ Wantaqualificationinmaths.§ Ineedtokeepupwithmodernwaysofcommunicating§ Iwanttobemorecomputerliterateandconfidentusingit

2.3StaffDemographicsAgeTable9.StaffAge(Survey1,n=23)

12-17years 0 0.0%18-24years 2 9.5%25-34years 3 14.3%35-44years 5 23.8%45-54years 5 23.8%55-64years 5 23.8%65-74years 1 4.8%75+years 0 0.0%

21 100.0%Staffdatasuggeststheyaretypicallyolderthanlearners–thoughthesampleissmall.

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Gender

Figure4.StaffGender(Survey1,n=23)

Staffansweringthesurveywerepredominantlyfemale.EthnicityAllofthe23staffrespondingtothesurveyidentifiedasnativewhiteBritish(“English/Welsh/Scottish/NorthernIrish/British”).Thiscompareswith59%ofthelearnerpopulationsdescribedinTable5.Disability3outof23respondentstothestaffsurveyidentifiedashavingadisabilitythataffectstheirworkorstudy.(Tworeportedaphysicalormotordisabilityandonereportedanendocrinaldisorder.)2.4StaffProfilesTable10.StaffRoles(Survey1,n=17)

Role FrequencyIAG/CareersAdvisor 4LibraryServices 1Manager/Administrator 1Educator/Teacher/Tutor 17

82.6%

17.4%

StaffResponsesbyGenderFemale Male

17

Thesurveywasmostlyansweredbyeducators.Thoughsomeotherrolesarerepresentedwedonothaveenoughdatatogeneraliseaboutpatternsbasedonjobrole.YearsofExperience

Figure5.StaffExperience(Survey1,n=23)

Weseethattherewereasignificantnumberofstaffwithhighlevelsofexperiencethatansweredthesurvey.Ratherthanastandarddistributionweseeclusteringofresponsesforlessthanfiveyearsormorethan16years.ThismayreflectrecruitmentpatternsforFEstaff.EmploymentStatusTable11.StaffEmploymentStatus(Survey1,n=23)

Asexpected,allrespondentsreportedbeingemployed.Mostareemployedfull-time.

5

3

1

3 32

5

10

1

2

3

4

5

6

1-2years 3-5years 6-10years 11-15years

16-20years

21-25years

26years+ n.d.

YearsofExperience(Staff)

Full-timeemployment 17 73.9%Part-timeemployment 6 26.1%

23 100.0%

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Qualifications

Figure6.StaffQualifications(Survey1,n=23)

Manystaffarehighlyqualified,withevidenceofongoingprofessionaldevelopment.Thesuggestionfromthisdataisthatformoststaffhavenotobtainedaqualificationsubsequenttotheirmainorhighestqualification.(NBmanyarehighlyexperienced.)Itwasmorelikelythattheywouldworktowardsaprofessionalqualificationthanadegree,thoughagainthesampleistoosmalltosupportgeneralisedconclusion.“Other”referredheretoateachingqualification.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

No qualific

ations

Entry

leve

l (e.g.

GCSEs b

elow Grade G)

Level 1

(e.g.

GCSEs G

rade D-G

)

Level 2

(e.g.

GCSEs G

rade A*-C)

Level 3

(e.g.

A Leve

ls, BTEC

Extended

Diploma)

Level 4

(e.g.

Year

1 Foundati

on Degree, H

NC)

Level 5

(e.g.

Year

2 Foundati

on Degree, H

ND)

Level 6

(e.g.

Honours Degre

e)

Level 7

(e.g.

Mast

ers Degre

e)

Level 8

(e.g.

Doctorat

e)

Not known

Other

StaffQualifications

Highest Qualfication Most Recent / Working Toward

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SubjectandLevel

Figure7.SubjectsupportedbyStaff(Survey1,n=23)

Tworespondentsareresponsibleforsupportinginlearninginarangeofsubjects(includingEngineering,ManufacturingandConstruction,InformationandCommunicationTechnologies,NaturalSciences,Statistics,mathematics,Services(includingSecurity,Transport).Theyareincludedhereontherightofthechartas‘STEMCluster’.OneoftheseresponsesisfromaLibrarianwhoisperhapsaspecialistworkingacrossseveralsubjects. 3.LearnerConfidenceLikertscaleswereusedtoassessattitudesoflearnerstowardstheirownabilitiesandstrengths/weaknessesasalearner.Eachscalewasonapointof1(lowestconfidence)and10(highestconfidence).Thetablesbelowsummariseaveragevaluesreported.AnyofthesecouldbeanalysedforcomparingFEcolleges.

0

1

2

3

4

5

Arts

& H

uman

ities

(inc

ludi

ngLa

ngua

ges,

Hist

ory)

,Ser

vice

s(in

cludi

ng S

ecur

ity, T

rans

port

)

Busin

ess,

Adm

inist

ratio

n &

Law

,Edu

catio

n,He

alth

and

Wel

fare

,Oth

er

Educ

atio

n

Engi

neer

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Man

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gan

d Co

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n

Gene

ric p

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amm

es a

ndqu

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ns (b

asic

liter

acy,

num

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nal

deve

lopm

ent)

Info

rmat

ion

and

Com

mun

icat

ion

Tech

nolo

gies

Natu

ral S

cienc

es, S

tatis

tics,

Mat

hem

atic

s

STEM

Clu

ster

SubjectsSupported

20

3.1ConfidencewithEnglishTable12.LearnerConfidence(English)(Survey1,n=167)

Reading Speaking Understanding Writing8.3 8.1 8.1 7.6

Scoresaremarkedonscaleof1(leastconfident)to10(mostconfident).OnthewholelearnerswerehighlyconfidentintheirabilitieswiththeEnglishlanguage.Somelearnersscoredthemselveslowlyacrosstheboard.(Inonecasethiswasattributedtodyslexia.)Incomments,somelearnersexpressedlessconfidencewithwritingthanwithotherelementswhichmightexplaintheloweraveragescore.3.2ConfidencewithmathematicsTable13.LearnerConfidence(mathematics)(Survey1,n=168)

ConfidenceAddition&subtraction 8.2Multiplication&division 7.5Understandinginformationabouttemperature,weightsandmeasures 7.1

Doublecheckingsomeoneelse'scalculations 7Understandingmathematicalinformationandsymbols 6.9

Workingwithmeasurementslikeheight,weight,lengthandwidth 6.9

Convertingunits(e.g.currencyexchange) 6.8Usingmathstosolvereal-worldproblems 6.7Usingmathematicalformulas/algebra 5.7Generally,therespondentsexpressedahighdegreeofconfidencewiththeirabilitytousemathematics,butwithlessconfidenceexpressedaroundmathematicalsymbolsandformula.3.3ConfidencewithLearningSkillsTable14.LearnerConfidence(Survey1,n=165)

ConfidenceAbilitytolearnnewskills 8.1Respondtonewchallenges 8.1Self-management 8Solvenewproblems 7.9Professionaldevelopment 7.8Dealwithsocialsituationsorchallengingbehaviour 7.7

Usingtechnology 7.7Academicstudy 7.6

21

Onthewholelearnersexpressedahighlevelofconfidenceintheirownabilitytoengageinbehavioursassociatedwithlearninganddevelopment.Academicstudywasthelowestrankedconfidencemeasure.Thiscouldbeinterpretedtosuggestthatlearnersdonotseeacademicstudyassupportedbylearningnewskills(whenthisisnotinfactthecase).Asimilarpointcouldbemadeabouttechnologyusealthoughitshouldbenotedthattherangeofresponseshereisquitenarrow.4.TechnologyUse4.1ConfidencewithTechnologyTable15.LearnerTechnologyConfidence(Survey1,n=165)

ConfidenceDesktopcomputer 8.6Internetconnection 8.5Laptopcomputer 8.5Smartphone 8.5Wirelessnetworking 8.4Tabletcomputer 8.3Socialmedia 8Respondentsweregenerallyconfidentwithusingtechnology,withhighscoresacrosstherangeofdevicesthatcouldbeusedforlearning.Socialmediawasthetechnologyaspectwherelearnersshowedleastconfidence,perhapsreflectingconcernsaboutprivacyandsharing.Learnersratedtheirconfidenceforusingspecifictechnologieshigherthanfortechnologyuseingeneral(see5.3)4.2AccesstoTechnologyTable16.Learneraccesstotechnologies(Survey1)

Ihaveaccessfrequently

Ihaveaccess,butnotallthe

time

Ihaveverylimitedaccess Ihavenoaccess

InternetConnection 85.9% 5.3% 6.5% 2.4% n=170

LaptopComputer 71.0% 13.0% 9.9% 6.2% n=162

DesktopComputer 61.9% 16.3% 3.1% 18.8% n=160

SocialMedia 74.7% 9.6% 4.8% 10.8% n=166Smartphone 87.8% 1.2% 2.4% 8.5% n=164TabletComputer 62.2% 14.0% 4.9% 18.9% n=164WirelessNetwork 80.8% 10.2% 1.8% 7.2% n=167

22

Only2.4%oflearnerssaidtheyhadnoInternetaccess.LearnerscommonlyhavefrequentaccesstotheInternetandoftenhaveasmartphoneorotherpersonaldevice.However,itshouldbenotedthatthosewholackaccessoftenlackaccessacrosstherangeoftechnologies:approximately10%ofthelearnercohortappearnottohaveregularorconsistentaccesstotheInternetandrelatedtechnologies.Furthermore,sincethesurveywascompletedelectronicallythereisarguablyariskofomittingthosewhodon’tusedigitaltechnologies.

5.BarrierstoLearningLearnerswereinvitedtoprovidecategoricaldataaboutwhattheyperceiveasthemainbarriersorchallengesthataffecttheirlearning.A5-pointLikertscalewasusedtorecordsentiment.TheirresponsesarepresentedinTable16.Table17.LearnerPerceptionofBarrierstoLearning(Survey1)

Notanissueforme

Somerelevance

Itcausesme

problems

Significantissues

Majorbarrierto

mylearning

Accesstotechnology 138 11 8 2 2 n=161

AccesstoInternet 157 6 3 2 2 n=170

Caringorfamilycommitments 73 43 20 10 14 n=160

Disability 146 5 5 3 2 n=161

Fearoffailure 89 28 21 12 8 n=158

FinancialConcerns 60 34 28 23 15 n=160

Lackofconfidence 84 27 30 9 11 n=161

Lackofstudyskills 96 19 27 8 8 n=158

23

Lackoftechnologyskills 106 12 25 8 6 n=157

Language&communicationskills

113 20 20 3 5 n=161

Notknowingwheretobegin 78 28 38 11 4 n=159

Pressurefromothers 116 19 14 5 2 n=156

Socialinteractions 123 14 14 6 1 n=158

Timemanagement 66 39 33 12 10 n=160

Work/lifebalance 55 42 30 17 18 n=162

Themostsignificantfactorshereintermsofimpactare:

§ Worklifebalance(weighted332)2§ Financialconcerns(319)§ Timemanagement(275)

Morecommon(butperhapslowerimpact)challenges:

§ Caringorfamilycommitment(256)§ Lackofconfidence(235)§ Notknowingwheretobegin(234)

Oneinterestingaspectofthisdataisthediscrepancybetweenconfidenceinownstudyskillsexpressedin“LearnerConfidence”section.Learnersseemtohaveconfidenceintheirownabilitytolearnandstudy,butalsostatethatlackofconfidenceisanissue.Thismayreflectadegreeofbeliefinselfandabilitythatistemperedbyexternalfactors(financial,caring,time,etc.).

2Weightingprocess:disregardleftmostcolumnandthenmultiplyvalue2Xfor“Somerelevance”;3Xfor“Itcausesmeproblems”;4Xfor“Significantissues”;5Xfor“Majorbarriertomylearning”toprovidetotalforvariable.

24

AccesstoInternetisnotgenerallyseenasanissue;thisisconsistentwithwhatisreportedelsewhere(6.2).6.LearningPreferenceLearnerswereaskedtoperformasimilarcategorisationwithrespecttolearningapproachesandtheirperceptionofwhethertheyasalearnerwouldbenefit.Thesevariablesfocusedonflexible,openandtechnology-enhancedapproaches.AfivepointLikertscalewasusedtocapturesentiment.Table18.LearnerPerceptionofPotentialApproaches(Survey1)

Wouldnotbenefitme

Unlikelytobenefitme

Noopinion

Likelytobenefitme

Highlylikelytobenefitme

Accessinglearningresourcesonline 6 4 9 75 65 n=159

Accessinglearningresourcesforfree 5 2 5 48 79 n=139

Accessinglearningresources'anywhere,anytime'

5 5 7 48 66 n=131

Beingabletolearnatmyownpace 4 4 4 56 96 n=164

Closesupportfromotherlearners 11 8 37 63 41 n=160

Closesupportfromtutors/teachers 4 1 16 71 66 n=158

25

Learningthattakesaccountofmyparticularneeds

12 2 21 65 59 n=159

Lesstextandmoreaudio/visualresources 14 15 51 46 38 n=164

Managingmyownlearning 9 9 28 65 47 n=158

Usingassistivetechnologies(e.g.screenreaders,hearingdevices,memoryaids,etc.)

46 18 30 31 35 n=160

Onthewhole,weobservehighlevelsofenthusiasmforflexibleandsupporteduseofonlinelearningresources.Figure8presentsthesevaluesinorderofperceivedrelevance.

26

Figure8.LearnerPerceptionofPotentialApproaches(Survey1)

Therewasmostenthusiasm(leftsideofgraph)forlearningatone’sownpaceandaccessingresourcesforfree.Takeninconjunctionwithdataaboutlearnerconfidenceitcouldbethatpeoplefeeltheycouldsucceedwithmoretimeratherthanmoreclosesupportfromstafforpeers.Therewasleastpreferenceforusingassistivetechnologies,thoughthisisperhapstobeexpectedsincetheseareusedinresponsetoaspecificneed.Therewasmostuncertaintyaroundpeer-supportedlearningandpreferencefortext/audio-visualresources.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

Bein

g ab

le to

lear

n at

my

own

pace

Acce

ssin

g le

arni

ngre

sour

ces f

or fr

ee

Acce

ssin

g le

arni

ngre

sour

ces '

anyw

here

,an

ytim

e'

Clos

e su

ppor

t fro

mtu

tors

/tea

cher

s

Acce

ssin

g le

arni

ngre

sour

ces o

nlin

e

Lear

ning

that

take

sac

coun

t of m

y pa

rtic

ular

need

s

Man

agin

g m

y ow

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arni

ng

Clos

e su

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t fro

m o

ther

lear

ners

Less

text

and

mor

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dio/

visu

al re

sour

ces

Usin

g as

sistiv

ete

chno

logi

es (e

.g. s

cree

nre

ader

s, he

arin

g de

vice

s,…

LearningPreference

Would not benefit me Unlikely to benefit me No opinion

Likely to benefit me Highly likely to benefit me

27

7.AnticipatedImpactLearnerswereaskedtothinkabouttheimpactontheirlifeiftheywereabletomeettheirlearninggoals.Whichaspectsoftheirlifedotheythinkwouldchange?Table19.AnticipatedImpactofAchievingLearningGoals(Learners,Survey1)

Significantlyworse

Alittlebitworse

Alittlebitbetter

Significantlybetter

Nochange

Culturalbenefits 1 1 73 24 59 n=158

Socialinteractions 0 0 59 39 67 n=165

Beingamoreroundedperson

2 0 38 58 68 n=166

Beinghappierormorecontented

1 0 32 53 77 n=163

Enablefurtherlearningorstudy

1 0 21 54 85 n=161

Confidence 0 0 20 57 89 n=166

Performanceinjob/study 0 0 23 48 93 n=164

Professionaldevelopment 0 0 17 49 94 n=160

Employmentprospects 0 0 22 46 97 n=165

28

Table20.AnticipatedImpactofAchievingLearningGoals(Learners,Survey1)

Improvedemploymentprospects,professionaldevelopmentandjob/studyperformancewereseenasthemostimportantorlikelyimpactsofmeetingcurrentlearninggoals.Culturalandsocialbenefitswereseenaslesslikelyorimportant,though,onthewhole.7.1CommentsbyLearnersLearnercommentsarepresentedhere,organisedbythethemesofattitudestowardslearning;professionaldevelopment;andchallengesfaced.Attitudetowardslearning

§ IfindthatopenlearningisthebestwayformetolearnandIdon'thavetoworryabouttherestrictionsofmydisability.

§ Anyonecansitandlearnskillsbutthesedon’tbringresilienceandtheabilitytocarryouttheseskillsinreallife-thiscausessomeissuesasIbelievethepointinlearningistoshareknowledgeandsometimesitishardtodothiswithhiddendisabilities.

§ Tobeabletoachieveallmodulesandachievesuccessthrewunderstandingallthatiamgiventodoasifindallveryuplifting.Iliketheideaofmovingwiththetimes.Ialsoliketheteachingstaff.

§ Therecouldbemorefreeonlinecourses,whichcouldhelpmetostudymoreandachievemore.§ IamhappyinmylifeifIlearnbettercomputer

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Culturalbenefits

Socialinteractions




Confidence

Performanceinjob/study

Professionaldevelopment

Employmentprospects

Anticipatedimpactofachievinglearninggoals

Significantly worse A little bit worse No change A little bit better Significantly better

29

Commentsreceivedaboutlearninghighlightthatdisabledlearnersoftenseeopenonlinelearningasaroutetolearningwithadisability.Thereisalsothesuggestionthatopportunitiestolearncanhaveadeepemotionalimpact.

ProfessionalDevelopment

§ Iamlearningtobeamotivatorformychildren,getprofessionalqualificationandgetabetterjobtogivebacktomycommunity.challengesIamfacingnowisfamilycommitmentandfinance.

§ IwouldliketolearnmoreaboutAccountantjobsandIT.§ Iwouldliketohavemoretimetostudy.AsIworkparttime.Mainlynightshifts.I

hopeIcanstudyonmyowntimeifit’spossible.§ IcametotheUKin2011andjoinedBiddenhamSchoolattheendofyear9.After

completingmyGCSEsinyear11,IstayedforBiddenhamsixthformtodoaretakeyear,improvingmyEnglish.ThenIwenttoJamia_Al_KaraminRetfordtostudyaDiplomainIslamicSciences,whichIwillcompleteinJuly2018.ThiscoursewastaughtandtestedintheEnglishlanguage.currentlyI'mastudentatBedfordcollageandI'mdoingpreaccesscourseinhealthprofession.mygaolistopassmymathsandenglishthisyeartogotolevel3accesscourseinEarlyyearsteaching

§ IwanttolearnEnglish§ iwishtobeassistedwithajobplacementafterstudyingbecausemostfirm\job

vacanciesusuallyaskforsomepreviousexperience.whichidonothave,sothisismybiggestworry.

§ LackofBPSapprovedpostgraduatecoursespresentedparttimeovermorethantwoyears.OUcoursenotrecognised.SalarydropneededtoundertaketaughtDoctorate(afterpostgraduate).Agediscriminationbylocaluniversitytoover40s.

Commentsreceivedaroundthethemeofprofessionaldevelopmentreflectthewiderangeofexperiencesoftheselearners.Recognitionoflearningisakeyelementhere:forlearningundertakentowardsthisaimtobeeffectiveitshouldalignandbevalidatedinwaysthataremutuallyrecognised.ChallengesFaced

§ I’mquiteworriedIwon’tbecleverenoughforthiscourse§ IhaveafewproblemsinabsorbingtheinformationIreadandrememberingit§ Qualificationsmakingmeover-qualifiedforjobs,ornotprovidingtheexperienceI

wouldneedtoenteranewprofession.§ IfeelIhaveaphobiatomaths.Iwanttoovercomethis.§ justfamilycommitment.myhusbandworksverylonghours.§ AftersomesevereCrisistenyearsagothatinterruptedlearningwithyou.Sofar

notoneofyoucanhelpmepickitupagain.§ currentlyIhavenooneathandtohelpifIgetstuckonmylaptop,somycomputer

skillstayslimited§ Needmoretimeandresources§ Ibelongtoacreativewritingclassandwouldliketobeabletoproducemywork

onthecomputerbutittakesmesolong!§ IfeelasIamgettingolderthatmymemoryisnotsogreatandthatinformationis

changing/developingatsucharateit'shardtokeepup!

30

Challengesidentifiedbylearnersechocommonpatternsseeninotherlearners.Timeandresourcesarecrucialforalllearners,butforadultlearnerstherecanalsobeconsiderableanxietyandconfidenceissues.Onlinelearningenvironmentsalsobringtheirownchallenges,particularlyforthosewhoarelessconfident.8.StaffPerceptionManyofthesurveyquestionedusedfor“staff”(thosewhosupportlearning)werebasedonthoseaskedtolearners.Thisallowsustodescribepossibledifferencesinhowlearningchallengesareperceived.8.1PerceptionofLearnerMotivationStaff(n=23)wereaskedaboutthemotivationoftheirlearners.Improvedjoborcareerprospectswereseenasthepredominantmotivation.3Table21.StaffPerceptionofLearnerMotivation(Survey1,n=23)

Reasonsgivenunder“Other”:

§ Requiredforfundingofmainqualification,thereforenotalwaysmotivated§ TheyhavetostudyEnglishiftheyhavenotachievedahighergradepassforGCSE§ Compulsory

3Thenumberofmeasurementsisgreaterthan23becausemultiplecategoriescouldbeselected.

0

5

10

15

20

25

Improve

job or c

areer p

rospects

Furth

er study

A sense of p

ride/ac

hievement…

Enjoym

ent o

f learn

ing

Qualify

for a part

icular

job

Furth

er study

Supportin

g an in

terest or h

obbyOther

LearnerMotivation(StaffPerspective)

31

8.2PerceptionofTechnologyUse

Table22.StaffPerceptionofLearnerTechnologyUse(Survey1)

Frequentaccess

Accessible,butnotallthetime Limitedaccess Noaccess

InternetConnection 81.8% 13.6% 4.5% 0.0% n=22

LaptopComputer 21.1% 47.4% 15.8% 15.8% n=19DesktopComputer 10.0% 45.0% 35.0% 10.0% n=20

SocialMedia 45.0% 25.0% 15.0% 15.0% n=20

Smartphone 63.6% 9.1% 9.1% 18.2% n=22

TabletComputer 5.3% 36.8% 15.8% 42.1% n=19

WirelessNetwork 71.4% 23.8% 4.8% 0.0% n=21Stafftendedtobelievethatlearnershadlowerlevelsofaccesstodigitalandnetworkedtechnologies.Thismayreflectthefactthattheydealwithawidernumberoflearnersthanthosewhocompletedthesurvey(whichwasdistributedelectronically).8.3PerceptionofChallengesFacedbyLearnersTable23.StaffPerceptionofLearnerChallenges(Survey1)

NotanissueforlearnersIsupport

ItcausesthelearnersIsupportsomeproblems

SomerelevanceforthelearnersIsupport

SignificantissuesforthelearnersIsupport

MajorbarrierforthelearnersIsupport

Lackofconfidence

4.8% 19.0% 4.8% 33.3% 38.1% n=21

Work/lifebalance

13.6% 13.6% 31.8% 9.1% 31.8% n=22

Lackofstudyskills

0.0% 13.0% 30.4% 26.1% 30.4% n=23

Fearoffailure 5.0% 15.0% 35.0% 20.0% 30.0% n=21

Timemanagement

4.5% 13.6% 27.3% 31.8% 22.7% n=22

Notknowingwheretobegin

5.0% 15.0% 45.0% 20.0% 15.0% n=20

32


4.5% 23.8% 52.4% 14.3% 9.5% n=22

Financialconcerns

13.6% 18.2% 50.0% 9.1% 9.1% n=22

Socialinteractions

21.1% 31.6% 26.3% 15.8% 5.3% n=19

Lackoftechnologyskills

20.0% 25.0% 40.0% 10.0% 5.0% n=20

Pressurefromothers

25.0% 10.0% 35.0% 25.0% 5.0% n=20

Caringorfamilycommitments

4.8% 23.8% 42.9% 23.8% 4.8% n=21

Disability 19.0% 27.3% 36.4% 9.1% 4.5% n=21

Accesstotechnology

55.0% 15.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% n=20

AccesstoInternet

70.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0% 0.0% n=20

Figure9presentsthisdataaccordingtotheperceivedseverityofthechallenge.

33

Figure9.StaffPerceptionofLearnerChallenges(Survey1)

Staffperceivethemostseriouschallengesfortheirstudentstoclusteraroundlackofconfidence,work/lifebalance,lackofstudyskills,andfearoffailure.AccesstotechnologyandInternetwerethoughtleastsignificant.Itisinterestingtonotethat,despitethehighconfidencescoresrecordedforEnglish(5.1),mathematics(5.2)andlearningskills(5.3)fromlearners,staffthoughtlackofconfidencewasthemostseriousbarrier.Commentsreceivedfromthosewhosupportlearningaboutthechallengesfacedgroupedbythemearelistedbelow.Themainthemestoemergewerework/lifebalance;motivation;lifestyle;andskills&confidence.Work/LifeBalance

§ Timetofitinstudiesalongsidework/familycommitments.§ Ifeelthatalotofstudentsenrolledincollegearenotherebecausetheywanttobe

butbecausetheyhavetobe.Iseemanyofthemlackmotivation/havenointerestinwhattheyarestudying.Havingtochooseauniversitycourseattheageof18isalotofpressure,andIbelievethatnotallofthestudentsthatsubmitapplicationsarepassionateaboutwhattheystudy.Ithinkpressurenotonlycomesfromeducationalinstitutionsbutalsoparents.

§ Earningaliving,studyingandfamilycommitments.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Lackofconfidence

Work/lifebalance

Lackofstudyskills

Fearoffailure

Timemanagement



Financialconcerns

Socialinteractions


Pressurefromothers


Disability

Accesstotechnology

AccesstoInternet

StaffPerceptionofLearnerChallenges

NotanissueforlearnersIsupport ItcausesthelearnersIsupportsomeproblems

SomerelevanceforthelearnersIsupport SignificantissuesforthelearnersIsupport

MajorbarrierforthelearnersIsupport

34

Motivation

§ They'rede-motivatedasthey'vefailedbefore,maybeseveraltimes§ WorkingwithAdultsinFEisadifficultgroupasthemotivatorsaresodiverse,

everyoneisstudyingforadifferentreason.Majorchangesincircumstanceshappenregularlysocanhaveamassiveimpactonthegroupsasawhole

§ Theyarereluctantstudentsformathematicsinthemainastheyarere-takingexaminations.

§ Behaviour,motivationandability.Lifestyle

§ Moststudentswhenaskingaboutthiscoursewillaskiftheyareunabletocompletecollegecoursesduetolifestyle

§ Arealmixofchallengesbothlearningdifficultiesandexternalfactors.Someareyoungcareers,somehavefinancialdifficulties,manyparentsarenotengagedintheireducation,healthissues,addictions,massivesocialandbehaviouralissues.

Skills&Confidence

§ Manylackconfidenceandthe"habit"ofstudying.Therearealsosignificantissuesaroundchildcareformany.

§ Themajorityofmystudentshaveaformoflearningdifficultyordisabilityandtheyarebeingmadetocompletequalificationsthatareabovetheirabilityinordertomeetrequirementsofthegovernmentresultinginaseverelackofmotivationandselfbeliefhavingfailedthesaidqualificationsnumeroustimespreviously.

§ Havingfailedoncetheylackconfidenceandselfbelief§ Becausetheyhavetostudyasubjecttheyhavealreadyfailedatschooltheylack

skills,confidenceandmotivationtoprogressasmuchastheycouldorshould.Attendanceisoftenpoorasarebehaviourandengagement.

§ Notbeenineducationforalongtimesolackofconfidence,embarrassment.§ SomelearnersdonothaveEnglishastheirfirstlanguagewhichmakesitdifficult

forthem.§ Negativeexperiencesfromschoolmeanthatwespendfirsttermchangingmind-

sets.8.4PotentialStrategiesTable24.PerceptionofPotentialLearningStrategies(Staff,Survey1)

WouldnotbenefitthelearnersIsupport

UnlikelytobenefitthelearnersIsupport

Noopinion

LikelytobenefitthelearnersIsupport

HighlylikelytobenefitthelearnersIsupport

35

Accessinglearningresourcesonline

4.8% 14.3% 4.8% 42.9% 33.30% n=21

Accessinglearningresourcesforfree

4.8% 14.3% 0.0% 38.1% 42.90% n=21

Accessinglearningresources'anywhere,anytime'

0.0% 9.5% 0.0% 57.1% 33.30% n=21

Beingabletolearnatownpace

4.8% 4.8% 19.0% 28.6% 42.90% n=21

Closesupportfromotherlearners

0.0% 9.1% 9.1% 59.1% 22.70% n=22

Closesupportfromtutors/teachers

4.5% 0.0% 0.0% 31.8% 63.60% n=22

Learningthattakesaccountofparticularneeds

4.5% 4.5% 0.0% 36.4% 54.50% n=22

Lesstextandmoreaudio/visualresources

0.0% 0.0% 4.8% 57.1% 38.10% n=21

Managingone’sownlearning 0.0% 13.6% 27.3% 40.9% 18.20% n=22

36

Usingassistivetechnologies(e.g.screenreaders,hearingdevices,memoryaids,etc.)

4.5% 13.6% 4.5% 50.0% 27.30% n=22

Figure10presentsthisdataaccordingtotheperceivedusefulnessoftheintervention.Staffweremorelikelytoassertthatclosesupportwouldbehighlybeneficialtolearnersthanlearnersthemselves.Theywerealsomorelikelytobescepticalaboutthevalueofself-managedlearning,orlearningatone’sownpace.Onthewhole,however,collegestaffwerehighlypositiveaboutthelikelihoodofaparticularapproachtobeofbenefittotheirlearners.

Figure10.PerceptionofPotentialLearningStrategies(Staff,Survey1)

8.5ChallengesfacedbyStaffStaffwereprovidedwithafree-textfieldtoexplainthechallengestheyfaceintheirrole.Thesecommentsarepresentedhere,organisedbytheme.Theimpressiongivenisthat

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Closesupportfrom

tutors/teachers

Learningthattakes

accountofparticular

needs

Accessinglearning

resourcesforfree

Beingabletolearnat

ownpace

Lesstextandmore

audio/visualresources

Accessinglearning

resourcesonline

Accessinglearning

resources'anywhere,

anytime'

Usingassistive

technologies(e.g.

screenreaders,…

Closesupportfrom

otherlearners

Managingmyown

learning

Staffperceptionoflearningapproaches

Would not benefit the learners I support Unlikely to benefit the learners I support

No opinion Likely to benefit the learners I support

Highly likely to benefit the learners I support

37

resourcingisseenastheprimaryissueaffectingtheirrole,andthisoftenaffectstheirabilitytoengagelearners–whichisseenascrucial.Resourcing

§ Thebiggestchallengeformerelatingtotechnologyisinstitutionalbudgeting.Wehavetousenextgentechnologybutthecollegeisn'twillingtoinvestasthetechnologyisoutdatedassoonasinstalled.

§ Istruggletoknowhowtoengagestudentsstudyingatalldifferentlevelsintheresourceswehavewithoutthesupportoftheteachingstaff.

§ Timemanagementnothavingappropriatetimetoplanlessons,providefeedbackandallotherresponsibilitiesconnectedtomyrole.Planninglessonsappearstobeasecondthoughtwhenitshouldbethemostimportant.

§ Classsizesof35often.§ LackofITforallstudentsineveryclassroom.§ Timeconstraints§ Temporarystaff-notajobthatyoucanlearnquickly.Staffshortages.§ Unevenwork-lifebalance-lotsofmarkingrequired.

Discipline

§ Studentshavingadisregardforcollegepolicies.Managingstudentbehaviourinthelibrary.

§ Disciplineduetosmartphonebullyingbythosewithofthosewithoutbydistractingfocus.

§ Colleaguesnotunderstandingthelevelofassistancerequiredbythelearnersandthelearnersbeingdeemedas"lazy".Alsothevocationaldepartmentsnotdiscipliningstudentsadequatelywhichaffectsstudentswhowanttolearn.

§ Attendanceofstudentsinlessons

Skills&Confidence

§ Learnershavetakentheexammanytimesbeforetheygettocollege,haveverynegativeattitudeandextremelylowconfidence.TaughtentireGCSEprogram(2yearswork)in30weekswith2x1.5hrsessions.Manylearnersarrivenotabletosubtract,multiplyanddividesotimeconstraintsarehuge.Classesarenotstreamedsolearnerswhomissedby1markareinwithlearnerswhohavescrapedalevel1functionalskills.

Engagement

§ Settinganappropriatepaceforlearningforthedifferentlearners'needs.Toensurecoveralltopicsinthenecessarydepthinthetimegiven.

§ Motivatinglearnerstostudyasubjecttheydidnotchoosetostudyandhavenotstudiedsuccessfullyinthepast

§ Notknowinghowthecoursewillberun§ Tryingtogetstudentstoengage.Attendance§ Esolstudents,Studentsnotattendingregularlybecauseofothercommitments,low

confidenceinthestudents

38

§ Ihaveadifferentcohorteveryweekforaoneweekblock.Sometimesthisisnotconducivetolearning

§ StudentsdislikeMathsandEnglishsofinditachore.§ Poormanagement§ Learnersarekeentosucceedbutmoststruggletofindthetimetocommittotheir

studies.Contacttimeisalsoverylimited.

8.6ChallengesfacedbyEducationalInstitutionsStaffwerealsoaskedtodescribewhattheyseeasthemainchallengesfacedbytheirorganisation.Thesecommentssurfacedsimilarthemesaroundlackofresourcesandaperceptionthatpoorleadershipandmanagementrepresentachallengefortheirinstitutions.(Itshouldbenotedthatthesurveydidnotaskaboutwhattheirinstitutiondoeswellasthefocuswasonidentifyingbarriers.)Comments

§ Lackoffundstoappropriatelysupportlearnersegsmallgroups,technologyinallclassrooms,

§ Lackofadequateresourcestoaidstudents§ Theyseesmartphonesasnecessary,whichtheyarenot.§ Resultsfocusedlearning.Budgetconstraints.§ Fundingcuts.§ Financialoverheads.§ cost/funding§ FundingofFE§ Mergerwithanothercollege.§ NotknowinghowthecoursewillberunNotallstudentshaveInternetaccess§ Lackofteachersastheyconstantlyunderminethosethattheyhave.Funding§ Poormanagement§ Fundingandmeetingretentiontargets§ Funding,limitedportableICT

8.7OrganisationalStrategyStaffwereaskedtodescribethestrategicapproachoftheirinstitution.Mostresponseshereidentifiedtensionsintheperceptionofinstitutionalstrategies.Comments

§ Putlearnersfirstaslongasitdoesn'tcostusanything§ Attheheartlearnerledbutinrealityitisdictatedbyfunding,numbersanddata.§ Tooreliantonacustomerfocusinsteadofheedingteachers.§ Togetasmanylearnersenrolledformaximumfunding.§ Shapinglearningtogether.§ Variedtomeetindividualsneeds§ Inclusivebutinconsistent§ Flexibleforindividualstudentneeds§ Allequalandtobeincluded

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§ Detachedfromreality§ Fairlytraditionalclassroombased

8.8ImprovingstrategyFinally,staffwereaskedhowtheythinkthattheirinstitutioncouldimprovetheofferitmakestoitslearners.Thesesuggestionsincludedinvestinginstaffandtechnologyresources;providingbettersupporttostaff;improvingdiscipline;andofferingmorepersonalisedlearning.Comments

§ Investmentintechnologyandassistiveaides§ Findawaytoimprovecommunicationsbetweendifferentdepartments§ Smallerclasseswhichareappropriatelymixed.Timetoplanlessonswhichtruly

areindividualized.§ Provideincreasedadditionalsupport.Stoprequiringpeopletodomultiplejobsto

givestaffthetimetofocusonthelearners.§ Strictbehaviourenforcementinlinewithwhattheywillfindintheworkplace.§ Streamlinegroups,offermore1:1orsmallgroupsupport.Reduceclasssizes.Offer

2yearGCSEprogram.Providemorelearningsupportforinclass.§ ITineveryclassroom.Morefulltimestaffratherthanhourlypaid.§ Givemoretimefortuitionandlowerfees§ Smallerclasses,moreflexibilityindelivery§ Moreinformaldropinsessionswithpersonalachievementtutors.§ Providelaptopsforthoseunabletoaccesstheinternet§ Bettersupportofteachers,sothatwecangetonwithourjobswithoutbeing

questioned.§ Havemoreresourcesavailabletothemathome§ coursetosuitthelearner,ratherthanlearnerstosuitthecourse.(rightstudent,

rightlevel,rightcourse)§ Betougheronthosethatdon'tworkashard,asitfrustratesthosethatdo.§ Openthevarioussitesatawidervarietyoftimes.

9.LessonsLearnedfromSurvey1Survey1wasplannedandconductedwhiletheEverydaySkillscourseswereunderdevelopmentandintheearlyphasesoflaunch.FromaresearchperspectiveanumberoflessonswerelearnedfromtheactivitieswhichtookplacetosupportSurvey1.

• Somestudentsrequiredextrasupportincompletingsurveysbecausetheyneededhelpusingacomputer.Thiswasn’treallytakenaccountofintheplanning.Itmightbeagoodideatoofferapaperversionintheevaluationsurveys.

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• Theuseofacodetoavoidcollectingrespondentpersonaldataseemstohaveworkedquitewell.

• Onecollectorpercollegepersurveyisprobablysufficientastherearen’tenoughresponsestojustifyseparatecollectors(e.g.fordifferentsubjectsorclasses).

• LearnersmaynotfullyunderstandISCEDclassificationlevels,ormaymisunderstandtheirownformalstudyclassification.Alternately,highlyeducatedpeoplefromoverseasmightbetakingcoursestoimproveEnglishwithaskewingeffectonthedata.

TheseinsightswereaccommodatedintothedesignandprocessforSurvey2.

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II.OpenLearnAnalytics(Jan-Aug2019)10.SummaryThissectiondescribesandinterpretsdatafromthewebanalyticsproducedbytheEverydaySkillscourses.ThekeyinsightsderivedfromOpenLearnanalyticswereasfollows:

• AsignificantproportionofthosewhovisitEverydaySkillscanbeexpectedtoenrolforstudy

• ComparedwithotherOpenLearncourses,EverydaySkillscoursesattractedahigherrateofenrolmentbutalowerrateofcompletion.ThismayreflectthehighlevelsofinterestandinexperiencewithformalstudyamongtheaudienceforEverydaySkills.

• Englishattractsmoreinterest,butMathslearnersweremorelikelytocompleteandbeawardedabadge

• Thereisevidencethatthecoursematerialswerebeingusedintheprivatesector,inUKcollegesnotdirectlyassociatedwiththeproject

• Thereweresignificantnumbersoflearnerswhowerenotconnectedwiththecollegestakingplaceintheproject

• UrbancentreswerethebiggestsourcesofvisitorsfromtheUK• ThecoursesalsoattractedvisitorsfromoutsidetheUK

10.1OpenLearninBringingLearningtoLifeOpenLearnisafreerepositoryandlearningmanagementsystemprovidedbyTheOpenUniversity(UK).DuringBringingLearningtoLifecoursematerialsforEnglishandmathematicswerehostedandaccessedthroughtheOpenLearnplatformbyavarietyofformalandnon-formallearners.TheEnglishmodulewasnamed“EverydaySkillsinEnglish”andthemathematicsmodule“EverydaySkillsinmaths”.Analyticinformationwhichdescribespatternsofactivityforthoseaccessingthecoursematerialsarepresentedinthissection.4InitiallyonlyLevel1courseswerereleasedaspartofEverydaySkills,butLevel2coursesbecameavailablemid-waythroughpresentation.Eachcoursecomprised48hoursofelearning.

4OpenLearnanalyticsdataprovidedbySueMannandBenWoodoftheOpenMediaandInformalLearningunitatTheOpenUniversity,UK.

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InJune2019aseriesofadditionalcourseswithvocationalfocuswerereleased.Thesecomprised:

• EverydayMathsforConstructionandEngineering1• EverydayMathsforConstructionandEngineering2• EverydayMathsforHealthandSocialCareandEducationSupport1• EverydayMathsforHealthandSocialCareandEducationSupport2• EverydayEnglishforConstructionandEngineering1• EverydayEnglishforConstructionandEngineering2• EverydayEnglishforHealthandSocialCareandEducationSupport1• EverydayEnglishforHealthandSocialCareandEducationSupport2

10.2Method&LimitationsDatawasextracteddirectlyfromtheOpenLearnplatformusingAdobeAnalyticsatregularintervalsoverthecourseoftheprojectaspartofaregularreportingcycle.ThedatareportedbelowpertainstotheperiodJan-Jul2019.Whiletheseanalyticsprovidecertaininsightsintotheaccessandusepatternsoflearners,therearesomelimitationsthatshouldbenoted.Forinstance,itisnotcurrentlypossibletocross-referencesurveyresponsesandlearneranalytics.Theanalyticsprovidenoinsightsintothedemographicsorstudyapproachesofdifferentlearners.Itwasnotpossibletodistinguishcollegelearnersfromotherlearnersusingtheplatform.Asaconsequence,analyticsgiveusonlya“bigpicture”accountofwhatishappeningacrosscoursepresentationsasawholeratherthandescribingindividuallearningpathwaysorexperiences.However,thesepatternsprovideevidenceofengagementandcanbecomparedwithsimilarcoursepresentations.

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11.NumberofLearners,AccessPatternsandEnrolmentsFromJanuary2019(Month1)thenumberoflearnersaccessingmaterialsforEssentialEnglishandEssentialMathswererecordedalongwiththenumberofenrolmentsforthatcourse.ThisinformationispresentedinFigure11.

Figure11.EverydaySkillsonOpenLearn:visitsandenrolments(cumulative)

Weobserveafairlyconsistentpatternofenrolmentsrelativetositevisits,atarateofbetween15%and30%.Thesteadygrowthofinterestandenrolmentssuggeststhattheresourcesarebeingaccessedandusedbyawiderbasethanthecollegesdirectlyinvolvedwiththeproject.Weseeasimilarpattern(Figure12)withthenumberofbadgesearnedoverthesameperiod,confirmingthataconsistentproportionofthosewhovisitthesiteenrollandthengoontocompletethecourse.

1,527

299

2,993

562

4,789

934

6,935

1,360

8,973

1,648

9,358

1,862

16,538

3,149

2,410

433

5,857

1,117

9,310

1,799

12,289

2,236

14,185

2,605

15,351

3,069

22,665

4,339

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000

unique browser visits to course

enrolments


enrolments


enrolments


enrolments


enrolments


enrolments


enrolments

M1

M2

M3

M4

M5

M6

M7

EverydaySkillsonOpenLearn:visitsandenrolments

Everyday English Everyday Maths

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Figure12.EverydaySkills:BadgesAwarded(cumulative)

Together,Figs.11&12showthatthereisahigherlevelofinterestintheEnglishcoursesbuttheMathscoursesattractslearnerswhoaremorelikelytogoontocompletethecourseandbeawardedabadge.Itshouldbenotedthatforthecollegesinvolvedintheprojectwouldbeexpectedtoencouragelearnerstoregisterintheearlierphaseofthepresentationofthecourses.Theenrolmentsandbadgesawardedinthelaterpartarelikelytobefromnon-formallearnersoutsidetheprojectorbit,suggestingthatpromotionwaseffective.Evidenceforthiscanbeseenintheanalytics.ByJuly2019,15%ofallsitereferralswerecomingfromreed.co.uk,arecruitmentagencywhichoffersarangeofservicestojobseekersincludingtrainingandcareeradvice.TheyprovidedalinktotheEverydaySkillscoursesandareviewsystemthatallowsuserstoprovidefeedback.Table24presentsdataaboutsitereferralsasawhole.

23

60

112

145

171

207

380

12

45

76

96

123

148

284

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

M1

M2

M3

M4

M5

M6

M7

EverydaySkills:BadgesAwarded

Everyday English Everyday Maths

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Table25.ReferralstoEverydaySkills(31stJuly2019)

ReferringDomain Description Visits %typed/bookmarked Typedintobrowser

orbookmarkedpreviously

15,555 45.9%

google.com GoogleSearch 9,103 26.9%reed.co.uk Reed 5,435 16.1%google.co.uk GoogleSearch 2,806 8.3%facebook.com Facebook 2,325 6.9%westherts.ac.uk WestHertsCollege 1,853 5.5%bing.com BingSearch 1,006 3.0%com.google GoogleAndroid

Search656 1.9%

bradfordcollege.ac.uk BradfordCollege 596 1.8%mboro.ac.uk Middlesbrough

College584 1.7%

youtube.com YouTube 344 1.0%yahoo.com Yahoo!Search 331 1.0%bbc.co.uk BBC 310 0.9%bedford.ac.uk BedfordCollege 287 0.8%tresham.ac.uk TreshamCollege

(BedfordCollegeGroup)

261 0.8%

ounews.co OpenUniversityNews

221 0.7%

boston.ac.uk BostonCollege 131 0.4%sharepoint.com SharePoint

collaborationplatform

109 0.3%

vk.com VKSocialMedia(Russia)

109 0.3%

t.co Twitter 102 0.3%ccsw.ac.uk CheshireCollege-

South&West84 0.2%

live.com MicrosoftOutlook 83 0.2%

msn.com MicrosoftWebPortal

75 0.2%

google.com.au GoogleSearchAustralia

67 0.2%

google.co.in GoogleSearchIndia 64 0.2%Mostofthetraffictothecoursescamethroughsearchenginereferralfromavarietyofcountriesandplatforms.Alsorepresentedarethecollegesinvolvedintheproject(BedfordCollegeGroup;MiddlesbroughCollege;WestHertsCollege)aswellasothereducationalinstitutions(BostonCollege;BradfordCollege)evidentlyusingorrecommendingthecoursematerials.(ItshouldbenotedthatcollegeswerealsofreetoinstallaversionofthecourseswithintheirownLearningManagementSystems,sothenumberofreferralsneednotcorrelatewithuse.)WealsohavesomeevidencethatthematerialswerebeingdiscoveredandaccessedfromlearnersoutsidetheUK.Only76.7%ofvisitorswerebasedintheUK.Theothercountrieswiththehighestnumberof

46

referralsweretheUSA(3.1%),India(2.7%),Australia(0.8%)andRussianFederation(0.8%).ThebreakdownofvisitorsfromUKcountrieswasasfollows:

Figure13.UKVisitorstoEverydaySkillsbyCountry(n=23,766)

ThispatternisexpectedbecauseofthelocationoftheprojectandtheinstitutionscollaboratingaspartofBringingLearningtoLife.ThereweresignificantnumberofvisitorsfromScotlandandWales.(TheOpenUniversityinWalesisdevelopingversionsoftheEverydaySkillscoursesforWelshcolleges.)AlthoughthemajorityofhitscamefromEngland,therewasmoregeographicalcoveragewithinEnglandthanmightbeexpected.Whiletherewereclearclustersofvisitorsfromthelocationsassociatedwiththecolleges–predominantlyBedfordshire,Yorkshire,Hertfordshire–mostvisitorscamefromelsewhere,asthefollowingtableshows.Table26.UKVisitorsbyCity

Rank UKCity Frequency %1 London 996 4.2%2 Birmingham 922 3.9%3 Manchester 692 2.9%4 Southwark 639 2.7%5 Watford 600 2.5%6 Nottingham 492 2.1%7 Islington 473 2.0%8 Bedford 457 1.9%9 Bradford 444 1.9%10 MiltonKeynes 441 1.9%

89.3%

5.8%

4.1% 0.8%

%ofvisitors(UKonly)

England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland

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ThetoppositionsofthebiggestUKcitiessuggeststhatdemandforbasicEnglishandMathscoursesmaybedistributedevenlybypopulation(orthaturbancentresmayhaveincreaseddemandfortheseservicesonaccountoftheirpopulations).Themostvisitorscamefromurbancentreswithnoinstitutionallinktotheproject.Thisalsosuggeststhatprojectmarketingandpromotiontoageneralaudiencehasbeeneffective.12.ComparisonwithotherbadgedcoursesonOpenLearn12.1AllBadgedOpenCoursesLearnerswhovisitthewebsitearearound25%morelikelytoenrolontheEverydaySkillscoursesthantheaverageofall“badgedopencourses”orBOCs.5However,thecompletionrateisconsiderablylower(4%)fortheEnglishcoursethanforBOCsasawhole.Table27.ComparingEverydayMaths/EnglishwithotherOpenLearnBOCs

uniquebrowservisitstocourse enrolments %enrolling badgesearned %completion

allbadgedcourses(Jan2019)

1,114,792 161,814 15% 21,383 13%

EverydayMaths 4789 934 20% 112 12%

EverydayEnglish 9310 1,799 19% 76 4%

ThishigherlevelofinterestatthestartofaprogrammeofstudycouldbeinterpretedasconsistentwiththehighlevelsofconfidenceexpressedbylearnersinSurvey1.OveralltherewasmoreinterestinEverydayEnglishthanEverydayMathsbutlearnersontheMathscourseweremorelikelytocompleteand/orbeawardedabadge.ThelowercompletionrateforEverydayEnglishcouldbereflectiveofalowerlevelofinterestinreceivinginformalrecognitionoflearningthroughdigitalbadging.ItshouldalsoberememberedthatthelearnerstakingEverydaySkillscoursesareofteninexperiencedlearnersandthiscaneasilyresultinalowerrateofcompletionthanseeninotherbadgedcoursesonOpenLearn. 5BadgedOpenCourses(BOCs)areOpenLearncoursesthatawardafreeStatementofParticipationoncompletionandanOU-brandeddigitalbadge.Theycontainrichmedia,robustonlineassessmentsandareusually24hourslong.Theirpopularityandhighimpact(click-throughs)meanthattheyformabusiness-as-usualactivityforOpenLearninsupportoftheoutreachoftheplatformandincreasingly,asameanstomotivateandrewardOUstudentsforinductionandparticipatinginadditionalcareerdevelopmentactivities.http://intranet6.open.ac.uk/learning-teaching-innovation/main/badged-open-courses

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12.2Benchmark:“ManagingMyMoney…”AusefulpointofcomparisonmaybemadewiththeManagingmymoneyforyoungadultsbadgedcourseonOpenLearn–whichalsohasinexperiencedadultlearnersasacoreaudience.Similarly,learnersmaynothavefoundthecoursethemselves,butwereencouraged/persuadedbyschools,colleges,andparentstovisitthecoursethroughahigh-profilepromotioncampaign.Thiscoursereceivedalotofpublicity,hencethelargenumberscomingtothewebsite,buttherehasnotbeenacorrespondinghighnumberofenrolmentsandbadgesearned.Managingmymoney…thereforeprovidesahelpfulbenchmark.Table25comparesstatisticsforthefirstthreemonthsofManagingmymoney…andEverydaySkills.ItshowsthatvisitorstotheEverydaySkillscoursesweremorelikelytoenrolasaresultoftheirvisitbytheendofmonth3comparedwithManagingmymoney….Table28.Comparisonwith"ManagingmyMoney..."

Course Month1 Month2 Month3

uniquebrowservisits

Enrolments

badgesearned

uniquebrowservisits

E nrolments

badgesearned

uniquebrowservisits

Enrolments

badgesearned

Managingmymoneyforyoungadults

12,106 766 20 13,776 898 25 15,889 1,047 33

EverydayMaths

1,527 299 23 2,993 562 60 4,789 934 112

EverydayEnglish

2,410 433 12 5,857 1,117 45 9,310 1,799 76

Comparingtheconversionratesofthesecourses(theproportionofuniquebrowservisitscomparedwithenrolment)weseethattheEverydaySkillsexperiencedaveryhighlevelofinterestwhichtranslatedtoregistration.Thiscouldbetakentomeanthatthereisgenuinedemandforthesecoursesandthepromotionactivitiesconductedbytheprojectwereeffective.However,therateofbadgesearnedwasalsomuchhigherintheEverydaySkillscourseswhichindicatesthatmanywereabletomaintaininterestthroughdeliveryandassessment.

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III.Survey2(Jun-Jul2019)13.SummaryWhileanalyticdatarepresentstheactionsofalllearnersonEverydaySkillstherearelimitstowhatdatapatternscantellus.Asecondroundofsurveyactivitywasusedtogenerateamoredetailedaccountoflearnerexperiences.ThesecondroundofsurveyactivitytookplaceinJuneandJuly2019.ThesurveysincludedrepeatversionsofsomequestionsfromSurvey1inadditiontoevaluationquestionsroutinelyaskedinOpenLearnevaluations.ThefocuswasontheimpactoftheEverydaySkillscoursesandtheexperienceofonlineandflexibledelivery.Keyfindingsfromthisphasewere:

• EvaluationoftheEverydaySkillscourseswasoverwhelminglypositive:asignificantmajoritywouldrecommendthecoursetoothers;saiditmadethemwanttolearn;andfeltthatthequalityofmaterialswasappropriate

• ThehighestrateofattritionamongthoseansweringthissurveywasseenforEnglish(Level1)where54%ofthosewhoattempteditdidnotcomplete(bycontrast,almosttwothirds(63.6%)ofthosewhoattemptedMaths(Level1)completedit)

• Wherepeopledidnotcompletethecourse,itwastypicallybecauseoftimeandworkloadissues(thoughsomethoughtthecoursestooeasyordifficult)

• TheimpactofEverydaySkillsonlearnerswasmeasuredintermsofimprovedconfidence,improvedperformanceinjob/study,professionaldevelopmentandpersonalfulfilment.

• MostEverydaySkillslearners(53.5%)areinworkwitharoundaquarter(27.1%)notseekingwork.

• Justundertwothirds(65.3%)areclaimingnobenefits• Manyadultlearnersreporteitherhavingnoqualificationsornotknowingwhat

theirqualificationsare.• Aroundathird(36.8%)indicateadesiretogoontoformalhighereducation• Thoughnotmatchedsamples,confidencescoresrelatingtoEnglish,Mathsand

studyingskillswerelower• It’scommonforlearnersinthisaudiencetoratethemselveseitherconsistently

highorlowintermsofself-confidence• Improvingjoborcareerprospectsareanimportantmotivationformany,but

lesssothaninSurvey1.• Financialconcernswereseenasthegreatestbarriertolearning,followedbylack

ofconfidence,work-lifebalanceandtimemanagement• Disabilitywasseenastheleastseriousbarrier(includingbydisabledlearners)• Notknowingwheretobeginorlackingstudyskillswereseenasbarriersby

morethanhalfthesample.

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13.1Rationale&MethodItwasfoundfromSurvey1thattherewaslittlepointinhavinglotsofseparatecollectorsfordifferentclasses,potentiallyinterestedgroups,andsoon.Inaddition,becauseofthewaythatthelinktothesurveywassharedbyemailinglearnersregisteredforthecoursesdirectly,itwasnotpossibletousearangeofcollectors.Consequently,thereweresomeadditionalfilterquestionsaddedtothesurveytocompensateforonlyhavingonecollector.Forinstance,therewerefiltersdesignedtoidentifylearnersfromanyofthecollegesinvolvedwiththeproject.Allquestionswereoptional.ForSurvey2thefocuswasonevaluatingtheOpenLearnmaterials,theirdelivery,useandimpact.SeveralquestionsweretakenfromthequestionnairethatisroutinelyusedinevaluationofOpenLearncoursestoprovidepossiblepointsoftriangulationorcomparison.Severalquestionswerealsore-usedfromSurvey1inordertoalignwiththesamevariables,andtomeasureanypossibleupliftinconfidenceandmotivationasaresultoftakingthecourses.6Inaddition,someadditionaldemographicquestionswereaddedtosupportthenationalevaluationoftheFlexibleLearningFundconductedbyKantarPublic.Staffwerenotsurveyedaspartofthesecondroundofevaluation.Thiswasmainlyduetothedesiretofocuson(particularlynon-formal)learners,butalsoreflectedthelowerresponserateofthestaffsurvey.Impactstatementsfromthecollegesinvolvedintheprojectcanbefoundinsection19.13.2DataCollectionSurvey2wassharedbyemaillinkwithlearnersontheOpenLearnplatformwhohadregisteredforatleastoneofthefourEverydaySkillscourses(English1;English2;Maths1;Maths2).Datacollectionbeganon17thJune2019andthecollectorwasclosedon31stJuly2019.ThiswastimedtoencourageresponsesfromthosewhohadcompletedtheEverydaySkillscourses.TheJISCOnlineSurveysplatformwasagainusedtocollectthedata.Therewere131recordedresponses.Twoofthesewereblank/unusable,givingasampleofN=129.

14.LearnerDemographicsAge

6ItshouldbenotedthatthepopulationswhoparticipatedinSurvey1andSurvey2werenotmatched,andanygeneralizableclaimsabouttheimpactofthecoursematerialsonlearnersshouldbecarefullyqualified.However,learnerswhousedthesameparticipationcodeforSurvey1andSurvey2canbeassumedtobepartofaconsistentcohort.

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Table29.Agedistribution(Survey2,n=129)

Age Responses %12-17years 3 2.3%18-24years 9 7%25-34years 18 14.1%35-44years 25 19.5%45-54years 32 25%55-64years 24 18.8%65-74years 13 10.2%75+years 4 3.1%

Figure14.DistributionofLearnerAges(Survey2,n=128)

WeobservehereaverysimilarpatterntothatseeninSurvey1(Figure1).ThereisaclearstandarddeviationalthoughcomparedwithSurvey1therewererelativelymoreolderlearners.GenderTable30.Gender(Survey2,n=127)

Gender Responses %Male 43 33.9%Female 84 66.1%Trans 0 0%Other 0 0%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

12-17 years 18-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65-74 years 75+ years

LearnerAge

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TheproportionofmalelearnerswasslightlyhigherinSurvey2.(InSurvey1,76%responded‘Female’.)EthnicityTable31.ResponsesbyEthnicity(Survey2,n=120)

Ethnicity Responses %English/Welsh/Scottish/NorthernIrish/British

73 56.6%

AnyotherWhitebackground

21 16.3%

Indian 6 4.7%African 6 4.7%AnyotherAsianbackground

4 3.1%

Anyotherethnicgroup 4 3.1%Other 4 3.1%Caribbean 2 1.6%Mixed/MultipleEthicBackground

2 1.6%

Irish 1 0.8%WhiteandBlackCaribbean 1 0.8%WhiteandBlackAfrican 1 0.8%WhiteandAsian 1 0.8%Pakistani 1 0.8%Chinese 1 0.8%AnyotherBlack/African/CaribbeanBackground

1 0.8%

TheseresultsarehighlysimilartothosefromSurvey1(Table5)withaclearmajorityofWhiteBritishandotherWhiteethnicityalongsideadiverserangeofotherethnicitiesmakingup20-30%ofthesample.Disability25outof129respondentsreportedhavingadisabilitythataffectstheirabilitytoworkorstudy.

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Table32.DisabilitiesdeclaredbyLearners(Survey2,n-25)

Disability %Learningdisability 27.6%Physicalormotordisability 24.1%Mentaldisability 20.7%Other 20.7%Neuro-cognitivedisability 13.8%Hearingdisability 10.3%Visualdisability 6.9%Developmentaldisability 3.4%Conditionsreportedunder‘Other’includedmotorneuronedisease,dyslexia,and“illness”.ThiswasamorediverserangeofdisabilitiesthanreportedinSurvey1,andtheproportionofthesamplewhoreportedhavingadisabilitywasalsomuchhigher.Thisisnoteasilyexplainedbyasignificantdifferenceinagebetweenthetwosamples,andmayreflecttheusebydisabledlearnersofplatformslikeOpenLearn.15.LearnerProfilesSurvey2askedthesamequestionsaboutlearnersandtheirmainoccupation(s)asSurvey1.15.1EmploymentStatus&FamilyCommitmentsTable33.LearnerEmploymentStatus(Survey2,n=129)

Status %Full-timeemployment 30.2%Part-timeemployment(16-30hours/week) 17.1%Part-timeemployment(1-15hours/week) 6.2%Seekingemployment 19.4%Notseekingemployment 27.1%Thepart-timecategorywassplitintotwoforthissurveyasawayofaccommodatingarequestfromthenationalevaluators.Thedatasuggeststhatmostofthoseworkingparttimeareworkingmorethan16hoursandsomemaybeclosetofull-timehours.AmuchhigherproportionofthissamplereportedthattheyarenotcurrentlyseekingworkcomparedwithSurvey1(11.6%).Thiscouldreflectthehigherproportionofdisabledand/orolderlearnersinthissample.However,therewasalsoaslightlyhigherproportionofthosewhoreportedactivelyseekingwork.AsmallerproportionofthosewhoansweredSurvey2wereinfulltimework.ForSurvey1,73%wereinfull-timeorpart-timework(seeTable7).

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Anadditionalquestionaskedaboutanystatesupportthelearnermightbeinrecipienceof.Itasked:“Atthetimeyoubeganyourstudies,wereyouclaiminganyofthefollowingbenefitsortaxcredits?Selectallthatapply.”Table34.Benefit/TaxCreditStatus(Survey2,n=124)

Status f %Nobenefits 79 65.3%UniversalCredit 14 11.6%Other 12 9.9%Don’tknow 8 6.6%WorkingTaxCredit 6 5%Employment&SupportAllowance

5 4.1%

JobSeekersAllowance 0 0.0%Approximately1/5thofthesampleanswered‘Other’or‘Don’tknow’.Someofthismayreflectconfusionwiththesystemofbenefitsoffered.Answersgivenunder‘Other’includedPIP,incomesupport,housingbenefit,pensionand‘nocomment’.Approximately2/3rdofthesampleisinworkandnotclaimingbenefitsofanykind.NotethatinTable31,53.5%saidthattheywereineitherfull-timeorpart-timework.Takentogetherthismaysuggestthattherearesomelearnerswhoareneitherworkingnorclaimingbenefits.27.3%(n=35)reportedhavingachildunder16wholiveswiththemintheirhousehold.Conversely,72.7%(n=93)reportedthattheydidnotlivewithachild.Respondentswerealsoaskedwhethertheyhadadditionalcaringresponsibilitiesforanimmediatefamilymemberorcloserelative.12.5%(n=16)reportedthattheydidwhiletheremaining87.5%(n=112)saidthattheydidnot.

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15.2ExistingQualifications

Figure15.LearnerPriorQualification(Survey2,n=127)

ThepatternwasquitesimilartoSurvey1,withsomepostgraduatequalificationsandmosthavingaGCSE(orequivalent).Themaindifferenceobservedisthegreaternumberofpeoplereportingthattheyeitherhadnoqualificationsordidnotknowwhattheirqualificationswere.Aroundathirdofthesample(34.6%)reportedhavingapriorqualificationatdegreelevelorabove(Levels4-8).Figure16showsthesituationofEverydaySkillslearnerswithrespecttoformalstudy.

Figure16.FormalStudyStatus(Survey2,n=125)

210

1117

133

1917

82

16

0 5 10 15 20 25

Not knownLevel 8 (e.g. Doctorate)

Level 7 (e.g. Masters Degree)Level 6 (e.g. Honours Degree)

Level 5 (e.g. Year 2 Foundation Degree, HND)Level 4 (e.g. Year 1 Foundation Degree, HNC)

Level 3 (e.g. A Levels, BTEC Extended Diploma)Level 2 (e.g. GCSEs Grade A*-C)Level 1 (e.g. GCSEs Grade D-G)

Entry level (e.g. GCSEs below Grade G)No qualifications

LearnerPriorQualifications

7

25

4

31

46

11

105

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Formal Study Status

56

Justoverathirdoftheresponses(36.8%)indicateadesiretogoontoformalstudy–thiswasthemostpopularresponse.Therewereproportionatelyfewerpart-timestudentsandmoreinformallearnerscomparedwithSurvey1(seeFig.3).Onlyasmallnumber(n=12)expressednointerestinformalstudy.16.LearnerConfidenceLikertscaleswereagainusedtoobtainameasurementoflearnerconfidencewithdifferentaspectsofthecoursesandlearningingeneral.16.1ConfidencewithEnglishTable35.LearnerConfidence(English)(Survey2,n=128)

Reading Speaking Understanding Writing8.0 7.4 8.0 7.0

Scoresareagainrankedonascalewhere1indicatesleastconfidenceand10greatestconfidence.ThepatternobservedissimilartoSurvey1withparticipantsshowingtheleastconfidenceaboutwriting,thoughtherearetwosignificantdifferences.Firstly,averagescoresoverallarelower(withtheexceptionofUnderstanding)bybetween0.3and0.7points.Secondly,thereseemedtobelessconfidencewithspeakinginSurvey2.Thismightpartlybeexplainedbytheonlinenatureoftheselearners.WhileweneedtobecarefulaboutgeneralizingbetweenthetwosamplegroupsforSurvey1andSurvey2,itisnoteworthythatthosewhohadtakentheEverydaySkillscoursetendedtoreportlessconfidencewithEnglishthanthosewhohadonlyjustbeguntousethematerials.Asnotedin§3.1,peopletendedtobequiteconfident.Itcouldbethatlearningmoreaboutwhatisrequiredforformalstudyhasthesomewhatperverseeffectofreducingconfidence(orperhapsidentifyingoverconfidence)thoughmoredatawouldbeneededtosubstantiatethisadequately.

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16.2ConfidencewithmathematicsTable36.LearnerConfidence(mathematics)(Survey2,n=128)

ConfidenceAddition&subtraction 8.0Multiplication&division 7.6Understandinginformationliketemperature,size,volume,weight

7.4

Understandinginformationliketemperature,size,volume,weight

7.4

Usingmathstosolvereal-worldproblems 7.1Understandingmathematicalinformationandsymbols

7.0

Convertingunits(e.g.currencyexchange) 7.0Workingwithmeasurementslikeheight,width,length

7.0

Doublecheckingsomeoneelse'scalculations 6.9Usingmathematicalformulas/algebra 5.8ScoresherewerequitesimilartothosefromSurvey1,withlessconfidenceassociatedwithmoreabstractmathematicaloperationsandcheckingtheworkofothers.Itshouldbenotedthatpeopletendedtoexpressasimilarlevelofconfidenceacrossalltasks.Forinstance,iftheyscoredthemselveshighlyontasksrelatingtoEnglishtheywerealsolikelytoscorethemselveshighlyforaMathstask.Therewerequiteafewexampleswhererespondentsratedthemselvesa“10”acrosstheboard,forinstance.Obviously,thishasaninflationaryeffectonaveragescores,thougharound80%ofpeopletendedtoratethemselvesan8orhigherformostthings.Asnotedin§3.2,thishighlevelofconfidencemightbesurprisingconsideringthesearelearnersfrombasicfunctionalcourses.AlthoughthesamplesfromSurvey1andSurvey2aredifferent,wemightexpecttoseesomeimprovementinconfidenceoncethecourseshavebeentaken.Ifanything,weseeslightlylowermeasurements.Thiscouldbetakentosuggestthatinexperiencedlearnersbecomelessconfidentwhenexposedtocoursematerialsthatchallengetheminsomeway.However,weshouldalsobearinmindthattheEverydaySkillscoursesarequiteshort:only48hoursofplannedactivityeach.16.3ConfidencewithLearningSkillsTable37.LearnerConfidence(Survey2,n=129)

ConfidenceAbilitytolearnnewskills 7.8Respondtonewchallenges 7.5Self-management 7.5Usingtechnology 7.5Solvenewproblems 7.3Professionaldevelopment 7.2Dealwithsocialsituationsorchallengingbehaviour 7.1Academicstudy 7.1

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TherankinghereisthesameasinTable14withtheexceptionthatthoseusingtheOpenLearnplatformexpressedaproportionatelyhigherconfidenceintechnologyuse.However,participantsinSurvey2tendedtoexpresslessconfidencebyupto0.6points.Academicstudywasonceagainthelowestmeasurement,thoughthistimejoinedbydifficultywithsocialsituationsorchallengingbehaviour.Again,thereweresomelearnerswhoratedtheirownskillsveryhighlywithhighscoresacrosstheboardandsomewholackconfidenceinallareas.Itwasraretoseesomeoneofferanassessmentoftheirownskillswhichassignedverydifferentscorestodifferentelements.17.TechnologyUse17.1ConfidencewithTechnologyTable38.LearnerTechnologyConfidence(Survey2,n=124)

ConfidenceInternetconnection 8.3Desktopcomputer 8.1Tabletcomputer 7.9Laptopcomputer 7.9Smartphone 7.7Wirelessnetwork 7.7Socialmedia 7.2WeseeaquitesimilarrankingtothedatainSurvey1,thoughthesescorestendedtobeconsistentlylowerby0.3-0.8.Itwasonceagainquitecommonforresponsestoreflecteitherahigherorlowerlevelofconfidenceacrosseverything.Socialmediawasagaintheareawithleastconfidenceexpressed.

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17.2AccesstoTechnologyTable39.Learneraccesstotechnology(Survey2)

Ihaveaccessfrequently

Ihaveaccess,butnotallthe

time

Ihaveverylimitedaccess

Ihavenoaccess

Internetconnection

82.2% 8.5% 6.2% 3.1% n=129

Laptopcomputer

62.2% 15.7% 9.4% 12.6% n=127

Desktopcomputer

55.6% 14.3% 9.5% 20.6% n=126

Socialmedia 68% 16.4% 7% 8.6% n=126Smartphone 77.5% 6.2% 4.7% 11.6% n=129Tabletcomputer

53.9% 14.8% 7.8% 23.4% n=128

Wirelessnetwork

68.5% 11.8% 7.9% 11.8% n=127

17.3TechnologyuseinEverydaySkillsInSurvey1wefoundthataround10%ofrespondentsdidnothaveregularaccesstotheInternet.SinceSurvey2wasdistributedonlinewehadevenlesschanceofhearingfromexcludedormarginalizedlearners.Survey2–answeredfromtheperspectiveofhavingcompletedsomepartofEverydaySkills–askedwhichtechnologieswereusedinthecourseofstudies.

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Table40.TechnologyUse(Survey2,n=123)

GiventhatthepresentationofmaterialsonOpenLearnisonline,wemighthaveexpectedahigherproportionoflearnerswithInternetaccess.(Somemayhaveinterpretedthisasanethernetconnectioncomparedwiththe‘wirelessnetwork’option.)Justoverhalfoflearnersusedalaptoptoconnect,makingitthemostpopulardevice,withasimilarnumberofbothdesktopandsmartphoneusers.Morethanathirdofuserslearnwiththeirsmartphone,highlightingtheimportanceofpresentingmaterialsthatcanbeaccessedinthisway.18.MotivationsandBarriers18.1MotivationsLearnerswereinvitedtosharetheirprimarymotivationforstudying.Mostreportedthattheywerestudyingtoimprovecareerprospects,thoughtherewereseveralanswerswithasimilarrating.Morethanathirdsaidthattheywerelearningforpersonalenjoymentorasenseofachievement.Onefifthareinterestedinformalhighereducation.

74.8%

53.7%

35.8%

8.9%

34.1%

23.6%

39.8%

0.0%

50.0%

100.0%

Internetconnection

Laptopcomputer

Desktopcomputer

Social media Smartphone Tabletcomputer

Wirelessnetwork

TechnologiesusedinEverydaySkills

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Figure17.LearnerMotivation(Survey2,n=128)

ThereisawiderrangeherethanwesawintheanswersforSurvey1,whichwerepredominantlycareerfocused(especiallyinthecaseofstaffperceptions–seeTables8&21).It’spossiblethataftertakingEverydaySkillslearnershaveawidersenseofpossibilityandmoreself-confidence,butmoredatawouldbeneededtosubstantiatethis.Responsesreceivedunder“Other”:

• Itisarequirementforapprenticeshipprogrammes.Ileftschool35yearsagoandhavemanagedfinewithmymathswhichIlearntatschoolsoIamnothappytohavetodoamathstestafterallthistime.

• Iwanttoimprovemyselfesteemandconfidence• Ireferpeoplefordevelopmenttothiscourse

18.2BarrierstoLearningTable41describeslearnerperceptionsofthebarrierstotheirownlearning.Table41.Learnerperceptionsofbarrierstolearning(Survey2)

Notanissueforme

Somerelevance

Itcausesmeproblems

Significantissues

Majorbarriertomylearning

Accesstotechnology

94 19 5 3 2 n=123

AccesstoInternet

104 8 4 4 2 n=122

0.0%

2.3%

2.3%

8.6%

14.8%

21.9%

21.9%

28.1%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0%

Promotion

Supportinganinterest/hobby

Other

Qualifyforaparticularjob

Senseofachievement/pride

Furtherstudy/highereduction

Enjoyment

Improvejoborcareerprospects

Motivationsforstudying

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62 33 9 14 7 n=125

Disability 96 8 12 4 1 n=121Fearoffailure 51 36 16 8 10 n=121Financialconcerns

29 41 16 17 18 n=121

Lackofconfidence

39 42 22 16 5 n=124

Lackofstudyskills

46 42 18 10 7 n=123


76 22 9 10 4 n=121

Languageandcommunication

71 30 12 2 7 n=122


47 43 17 6 9 n=122

Pressurefromothers

87 22 8 2 2 n=121

Socialinteractions

72 29 11 4 3 n=119

Timemanagement

49 34 18 14 8 n=123

Work/lifebalance

48 35 15 13 11 n=122

Applyingthesameweightingtoreportedbarriersusedin§5,thefollowingpictureemerges:

• Financialconcernswereperceivedasthegreatestbarrierstolearning(weighted288)

• Thenextgreatestbarrierwaslackofconfidence(weighted239)followedbywork/lifebalance(222)andtimemanagement(218)

• TheleastimportantbarrierswereaccesstoInternet(weighted54),disability(73)andaccesstotechnology(75)

• Financialconcernsweremostcommonlyreportedasconstitutingthegreatestbarrier

• Disabilitywasonthewholenotconsideredtobeamajorbarriertolearning–includingbythosewhoreportedadisability

• Themostoftenreportedbarriersfocusedondevelopinganenvironmentwheretheycanlearnratherthanissueswithhavingtheappropriateskillsandconfidencetolearn.However,thereweresignificantnumbersforwhomfearoffailureand/orlackofconfidencearerealissues

• Notknowingwheretobeginorlackingtherequisitestudyingskillswasconsideredabarrieratsomeleveltomorethanhalfthesample

• Wherepeoplehavecaringcommitments,thesearelikelytohavesignificantimpact

• Internetaccesswasconsideredtheleastsignificantbarrier,thoughthisisnodoubtinfluencedbytheonlineadministrationofthesurvey

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Aspartofthisquestion,respondentswereinvitedtodescribetheirownlearning,thechallengestheyfaceandhowtheycanbestbesupported.Theirresponsesareorganisedbytheme.CommunicationandConfidence

• IwasbornandraisedinJapansoI'mnotgoodatEnglishverymuch.Iaminterestedinlearningbutthatismybarrier.

• Goodcommunication• I'mnotworriedaboutnotsucceedingasIreallyhavenothingacceptpersonal

achievementatstake.• Iwouldliketogoasfarasispossible,withnolimitationstowhatIcanachieve-Age

notwithstanding???• Ihaveonlybeenhavingagoatthefreelearningsosomeofmyanswersarenot

significant

ProfessionalDevelopmentPathways

• AdiplomainmathematicswhichgivesmetherighttoteachMaths• IhavebeenstudiedinSouthAfricaGCSEandIdidmyDiploma.Ihavenowbeen

almost15yearsinUKstaying,buttodateIhavestillnotachievedmygoal.IhadworkedforNHShospitalfor9yearsandanother2yearsincommunityasHCAand4thyearatpresentandIamstilltryingtoenrolinuniversitytodomynursingdegree.From2009didNVG2butthefundingstopped,thenagaintryingtodomyfoundationdegreeinnursingbuttheUniversitystillwantsmetohaveFunctionalSkillEntryLevel1and2EnglishandMaths.Itsbeen2yearsnowthatIenrolledwithLearnDirectonlytofinishtheLevel1and2MathsthenitwasassuredthatIwillfinishmycausebyFebruarybutitshutdown.Soitisadeadend.ItslikesayingthatIjustgotsomuchskillandexperiencethatIstillcantgetmyLevel2Englishcertificatetoenteruniversitysomanyyearsdownthedrain.IfeelverydisheartenandyetIamdoingthejobwithconfidence.

• IhaveanNVQ3incareIwouldliketogofurtherbutasIworknightsIamtoldthatIcantbeaseniorcarerIwouldhavetoworkdaysbutsometimeshelpwithgrandchildren

• Sometimesassumptionsaremadeonpriorknowledge,morepracticeandfeedbackneeded.Morespecificoffice-basedskillslikeexcel,wordetc,wouldbeextremelyuseful.

• Iamalwaysinterestedindevelopingmyskillsandhavesomelikethisthatprovidetheflexibilitytolearnaroundmyfamily.MymaininterestwasresearchandIhavereferredmanyclientsfordifferentreasonontothiscourseformanyreasonbuttheonesthatseemconsistentaretime,travelcosts,improvingEnglishwhilstinworkandnotbeingabletoaccesscollegeprovisionsduetonationality,childcareandfinance-thishasbeenagreatsuccesswiththeclientsIhavespokentoandIampleasedtoseethatthecollegeisfinallydoinganinitialassessment,howeveritisstillunclearifyoucanaccesstheexamwithouthavingalessonsatthecollegeaspeoplefinditdifficulttoaccessandthiscanbethedecidingfactorastowhypeoplearenotapproachingBedfordCollegefortheaccreditation.

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Self-directedStudy

• Idon'tknowwhatcanIreallystudy• Ifindithardtoconcentrate• Itaketoomanynotes• Lovethefactthatyoucanstudy,withfeedback,andwidenyourhorizonsinyour

owntime.• OnceIlearntheskillsrequiredtolearneffectively,I'mconfidentI'llreachmygoal.• Onoccasionbalancingabusyworklifewithstudywaschallenging.Perhapsmore

opportunitytomeetwithatutoratthelocalcollegewouldhavebeenbeneficialPlatformIssues

• Ifindsomeofthequizzesabitprescriptive.Ifyoudon'tgivetheexactanswerintheexactwordsyougettolditisincorrectevenwhenitisn't.IhavealsoencounteredacoupleofsituationswheretheanswerIselectedwasdeemedincorrectbutwhenIhadrunoutofchancesandtheanswercameuponscreenitwasonceofthoseIhadtriedtoselect!

• Ifindpunctuationabitofachallengeduringthiscourse.Alsoitwouldhavebeennicetohaveanaudioversionofthiscourse.Fullaccessonsmartphonetohearaudioscriptswouldhavebeenhelpful

• Nothavingawaytodothespeakingparts• PeertopeerassessmentsaresomethingIdislikeandIquitcourseforthis• Thereareseveralreasons,mainisIwanttolearnandbeingassessedbysomeone

ataboutsamelevelofknowledgeorlowerisjustnotacceptable.SecondmajorreasonisIdon'twanttobestreamlined.Idon'tcareifothersagreewithmeornot.Iamnotinterestedincommunicatingwithpeersatall.

• Itsisagoodcoursebutsometimesthequizdoesnotgiveuasecondchancetocorrectyourself,thesystemisfaulty

TimeandMoney

• IwouldliketolearnasmuchasIcanandusingmytimebettertodothat.MygoalwouldbetostartwithEverydaySkillsEnglishandMathsthencarryonlearningtoachiveGCSEfromthissubjectsandperhapstokeepcarryonlearninghigherlevelsasIdevelop.Unfortunatelymyworkdoesnotallowmetojointostudyatlocalcollages,theOpenUniversity'smoreflexibleonlinecoursecouldbethesolutiontothisproblem.

• IfonlyIshouldhaveapersonallaptopandhaveaccesstointernetsocancontinuethestudyathomeaswell.Financeistheproblemhere.IdidthestudyatworkthatwhereIhaveaccesstointernet.myaimistogetasmuchinformationandunderstandingoutofthelearningorstudiestoapplyinmyworkwithconfidence.challengesIgavebirththisyearandmosttimesspentmytimewithmychildsametimehousechore.

• Mayrequireextratimetocompleteprojects.

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• Timemanagementstartsworkatonefinishatninegetshomearoundtentieredweekendscanbeverychallengingsomanythingstocatch-upwiththat’smyproblem

InthisrangeofthemeswecanseeclearcorrespondencewiththeissuesbybothlearnersandcollegestaffinSurvey1.Itisnoteworthythatseveralresponsesproposesomeversionofopenonlinelearningasapotentialsolutiontotheirstudyneeds(evenifissueswereraisedaboutplatformfunctionality).However,itshouldberecognisedthatmanyofthesechallengesrelatetowidersocioeconomicconsiderations.Keyareaswherelearnersmightbebettersupportedrelatetostudyskills,confidenceandcommunication.19.UseofEverydaySkillsbycollegelearnersInordertoidentifyanylearnerstakingthesurveywhowereregisteredatoneofthecollegestakingpartintheproject,afilterquestionwasasked.86.3%ofthesampleindicatedthattheywerenot.Therewere5responsesfromBedfordCollegeGroup,2fromMiddlesbroughCollegeand7fromWestHertsCollege.Thesenumbersweresmallerthanexpected,andsupporttheinterpretationthatthesamplesfromSurvey1andSurvey2havelittleoverlap.Withasamplethissmallitwasnotpossibletodomeaningfulanalysisofthedifferencesbetweencolleges.ThosewhoindicatedthattheywereastudentatoneofthecollegeswereaskedhowtheyhadaccessedEverydaySkills.Figure18showstheirresponses.

Figure18.DeliveryofEverydaySkillstocollegelearners(Survey2,n=18)

Somecombinationofonlineandclassroominstructionwasmostcommon,withoverhalfofthe(small)sampleexperiencingthecourseinthisway.Apartfromasingle

55.6%

5.6%

38.9%

DeliveryofEverydaySkillstocollegelearners

Online only Classroom only Online & classroom

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personwhoreportedclassroominstruction,therestofthecollegelearnerswereonlineonly.Aftertheprojecthadendedbutbeforethestartofthenewacademicyear,thecollegesinvolvedintheprojectwereaskedtoprovidesomeadditionalevaluationdata.Thisdataisreportedinsections19.1-19.319.1BedfordCollege“Atthestartoftheprojecttheexpectationswerethatcollaborativeworkingwoulddevelopanewapproachtoreachingpotentialadultlearnersthroughon-linelearningopportunities;tobuildstrongworkingrelationshipswiththeothercollegesandtheOU;tolearnfromthedevelopmentsofthematerials;andtoopenupavenuesforadultlearnerstoaccesscoursesandbuildconfidence.Introducinganothersuiteoflearningoptionswhichwereuntriedandtestedrequiresattentionduringimplementation.Itwasimportanttoensurethatthecollegeunderstoodtheprojectasawhole,notjustinpocketsaroundthedepartments.Thedepartmentsandreceptionistswereallbriefedabouttheprojectsothatenquiriescouldbedirectedtotherightplace.“Thingsthatworkedwell:

• Thematerialswerereallyattractiveandinformativeaswerethebannersandimagery

• TheIAGliteraturewasinformativeandengagingforpotentiallearnerstoreadandfollowupwithaccessingtheon-linecourses

• Collaborativeworkingwasexcellentwithallpartners• UnderstandinghowtheOUdevelopsnewinnovativecoursesfrom

concepttodelivery• Manycollegedepartmentsusedthematerialsasrevisionopportunitiesfortheir

studentsandentryassessmentsforcourses• Tutorsfoundthecoursesextremelyusefulforstudentstodopracticerunsand

revisionpriortotheirfunctionalskillsexams• Adultlearningcentresfoundthematerialsgreatfortheirlearnerstobuild

confidence• Access2HEtutorsusethecoursesasawaytoassessapplicantlevelsinmaths

andEnglish• OurapprenticeshipE&Mdeliveryteamareusingitforlearnerstodipintoto

covertheirweakerareas,beingusedasarevisionresource• Wearesignpostingadultstoittoreviseoverthesummerinpreparationfor

coursesstartinginSeptember“Thingsthatworkedlesswell:

• Trackingthosewhoexpressedtheirinitialinterestinthenewcourses• Difficulttoassesshowfarindividualsgowithonlinelearning• Insufficienttimeontheprojecttofullyseetheimpactitwillhaveinthenearand

farfuture• Ittakestimefornewprovisiontobeembeddedintothelearneroffer

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“Itisimportanttorecognisethattransitionfromdistancelearningintolocalisedlearningrequiresconsiderationtoensurelearnersaresupportedthroughouttheirjourney.CollaborativeworkingbetweencollegeshelpstocreateastructureforsharinggoodpracticethoughweneedtofindwaysNeedtofindawaytosharestudentcontactdetailsbetweenOUandcollegesinordertofollowupthelearnersandbridgethegapintoFE.”

KayRodgerProjectManagerSchoolsandColleges,[email protected]“MiddlesbroughCollegehasastrongcommitmenttosupportingadultlearnerstoimprovetheirmathsandEnglishskillsanddevelopintohigherorfurthereducationandemployment.WorkingcollaborativelywithothercollegesandtheOUwasagreatopportunitytocreatearangeofonlinemathsandEnglishcoursestoencouragestudentstotaketheirfirststepsbackintoeducationandlearnattheirownpace.Startingthisproject,ourexpectationwasthattheseonlinecourseswouldprovidemorepotentialadultlearnerswithanopportunitytobreakdownthebarriersthatmayimpactontheirlearningandbuildtheirconfidencewithmathsandEnglish.“Positiveoutcomesfromtheprojectinclude:

• Excellentcollaborationandsharingofbestpracticebetweenallpartners.• Strategicmarketingplantoraisetheprofileofthecoursesandgaininterestfrom

thepublic.• InformativeandengagingIAGpackagewhichwasusefulforpotentialnew

students.• Coursesusedbymanydepartmentswithinthecollegeduringrevisionperiodsto

buildtheconfidenceofstudentstakingmathsandEnglishexams.• FeedbackfromstudentsthathadcompletedthemathsandEnglishEveryday

Skillscourseswaspositivewithmanystudentsstatingthatthecourseswereinteresting,engagingandsupportedthemtobuildtheirconfidencewithmathsandEnglish.

• HavingaccesstoinformationonstudentswithinourareathathadcompletedEverydayMathsandEnglishcoursesmayhavehelpedtoeasethetransitionbetweenonlinetocollege-basedlearning.

“Therewerenotmanyissuesidentifiedduringtheproject,butthereweresomeconcernsaboutourcapacitytosupportlearners.WewereabletosupportstudentsthatcameforwardtoenrolonacoursefollowingtheircompletionoftheOUcoursesbutmayhavemissedsomelearnersthatdidn’thavetheconfidencetoengageontheirown.“Overall,thiswasafantasticopportunitytoworkwithlikemindedorganisationstodevelopresourcesthatencourageadults,whomaynothaveengagedwitheducationforanumberofyears,tobuildtheirconfidenceandstarttheirjourneytobetterEnglishandmathsskills.”

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KateBurgessEnglishandMathsManager,[email protected]“WestHertsCollegebecameinterestedinBringingLearningtoLifeafterobservingthatadultlearnersoftenexperiencebarrierstoprogressionwiththeircareersandfurtherorhighereducationduetolackofEnglishandmathsqualifications,especiallyatlevel2.OnlinelearningenabledmotivatedlearnerstoachievequalificationsattheirownpaceandoutsideofourtimetabledclassroomdeliveryfromSeptembertoJunewhichrequiresregularweeklyattendanceatCollege.“Theexpectationswerethatthiswouldprovidearoutetoengagingwithmoreadultlearners,employers,HEinstitutions;andsupportingadultlearnersgetaplaceatuniversityandenter/achieveapprenticeships.Therewere105enrolmentsonthe4FunctionalSkillsqualifications.Someoftheselearnersweremultipleenrolments,i.e.thesamelearnereitherprogressingfromoneleveltothenextortakingmathsandEnglishqualifications.Learnerswantingtoenrolontothefundedqualificationsratherthancompleteinformallearninghadtocompleteinitialassessmentsincollegeandachieveatleast60%intheirmorein-depthdiagnosticattheleveltheywantedtotakethecourse/exam.

• 73enrolmentswereasresultofattendingmathsandEnglishassessmentsincollege.

• 32enrolmentswereasaresultoflearnersachievingtheOUbadgeandthenbookingtosittheexam.

• Anadditional82learnerscompletedassessmentsanddiagnosticsbutdidnotachievethelevelrequiredtoworktowardstheexams.TheywerereferredtotheOU’sinformallearningroute.Oftheselearners60%hadEnglishastheirsecondlanguage.AnumberwerereferredtotheCollege’sclassroom-basedESOLcoursesasonlinelearningwasnotsuitableastheirstartingpointwasEntry1,Entry2orEntry3level.

Table42.OutcomesforWestHertsCollege

Qualification Enrolments Passes Pass%EnglishLevel1 20 6 30%EnglishLevel2 24 12 50%MathsLevel1 30 11 37%MathsLevel2 31 19 61% 105 48 46%

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“Thingswefeltworkedwellincluded:• Thetranslationofthewrittenmaterialsbyourmathslevel2authorto

OpenLearnwasfirst-rate.• ThesupportandcommunicationsbyallOUstaffanddesignerswasbrilliant.• Theuseofvideosandcartoonsbroughtthematerialstolifeinanengagingway.• WeusedForSkillsInitialassessmentsanddiagnosticsandtheseworkedwellto

screenallpotentiallearnersandensuretheirskillswereattherightstartingpointforthecoursesandexams.

“Thingsthatworkedlesswell:

• SomelearnersretooktheirEnglishexamsupto4timeswithoutincreasingtheirgrade.ThemostchallengingexamwasEnglishwritingandlearnerswantedmorefeedbackontheirworksotheycouldimprove.Howevertheonlinecourseswereunabletoprovidethistailoredfeedback.

• Theendoffundingfortheprojectjustasitgotgoingwasdisappointingforeveryone.ThereisnootherrouteavailableinEnglandforadultstobeabletoachievelevel2Englishandmathsqualificationsquicklyandfreeofcharge.

• TheleadintimefromourinitialpublicityinJanuarytoavailabilityofthelevel2coursesinAprilwastoolong.Infuture,wewouldnotadvertisethelevel2coursesuntilthemonthbeforetheywerelive.

“WestHertsCollegehasbeenveryproudtobepartneredwiththeOpenUniversityandtheworkwehavedonetogethertodeveloptheonlinecoursematerials.ThisprojecthasmostdefinitelyfilledagapinthemarketforadultstoachieveEnglishandmathsFunctionalSkillsqualificationsatlevels1and2freeofcharge.Anindividualexampleofsuccessintheprojectisprovidedbelow.“WegenuinelyhopethatmorefundingwillbecomeavailablesowecanupdatethematerialsinlinewiththenewFunctionalSkillssyllabusandcontinuetoofferthistrainingsolutiontoadultlearnersespeciallyasweknowthatthedemandishigh.”LouiseThurstonAssociateDirector–EmployerEngagement,[email protected]

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InMarch2019,AngelaTaylor,anadultsocialcareworker,wasofferedbyheremployertheopportunitytostartanapprenticeshipatBirminghamCityUniversity(BCU)inSeptember2019.SheneededfunctionalskillsinMathandEnglishatlevel2,theequivalenttotheGCSEgradeCinordertobeconsideredforthecourse.Throughthescheme,shewasabletostudytheOUcoursesthroughWestHertsCollege.“IcontactedWestHertsCollegewhoexplainedtheonlinelearningwithTheOpenUniversityandthemselves.Wheretheexamswouldbesat,wouldbethequickestwaytoachievetheexamsrequiredforSeptember2019.“Ithoughtthiswasperfectformycircumstances,asIworkfulltimeandcouldnotcommittosettimeseachweek,thiswayIcouldcompletetheonlinecourseatmyownpaceandtimeallowing.IattendedWatfordCampustositacompetencytesttoseewhichlevelIcouldstudyat,fortunatelyIcouldstartatlevel2(whichwasneeded).Istartedmyonlinelearning,tohelpmyselfIcompletedlevel1andlevel2inbothmathsandEnglish,justtohelpmegetbackintotheswingoflearningagain,asithadbeenover30yearssinceIwasinformaleducation.WhenIhadcompletedthelevel2,IbookedmyexamsviaemailwithWestHertsCollege.“Thereweremanydatesanddifferentvenuestochoosefromtotryandaccommodateallstudents.Ipassedmymaths,readingEnglishandspeakingandlisteningpartsonmyfirstattempt.However,thewritingpartdidnotcomesoeasily.Finally,aftermy3rdattemptIreceivedthecongratulationsemail.Theresultsofalltheexamswereprovidedveryquickly,withintheweekfortheEnglishandwithin10daysforthemaths.IcannowstartmyUniversitydegreeatBCUinSeptember.IhaverecommendedthesecoursestofriendsandfamilymembersasIfeeltheyareinvaluableforpeoplethatwanttoprogressintheircareersanddonothavetherelevantGCSE's.”(Reproducedfromhttps://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/32995-open-university-and-colleges-extend-functionalskills-partnership-to-provide-sector-specific-versions-of-courses)

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20.EvaluationofEverydaySkillsThissectionprovidesanevaluationoftheEverydaySkillscoursesintermsof20.1CoursesstudiedTheSurvey2cohortwasaskedwhichcoursestheyhadcompleted.ThehighestcompletionratewasforEverdayMaths(1)whichcorrelateswiththeOpenLearnanalyticsshowingthatMathslearnersweremorelikelytobeawardedabadge.Table43.CompletionratesforEverydaySkills(Survey2)

Didnotstudy

Studiedbutdidnotcomplete

Completed

EverydayEnglish(1) 34.7% 35.7% 29.6% n=98EverydayEnglish(2) 53.8% 20% 26.3% n=80EverydayMaths(1) 31.2% 23.7% 45.2% n=93EverydayMaths(2) 47.7% 14% 38.4% n=86EverydayMaths(1)(Wales) 87.9% 3.4% 8.6% n=58EverydayMaths(2)(Wales) 94.6% 1.8% 3.6% n=56

LearnersontheWalespresentationweremuchmorelikelytocompleteacoursetheyattempted(thoughthesamplewasrathersmall).Therewerequiteafewgapsinthedatahere.20.2CoursePathways&RetentionTherewere11peoplewhohadcompletedlevels1and2forbothMathsandEnglish.10peoplecompletedlevels1and2forEnglishwithoutattemptingtheMathscourses.8peoplecompletedlevel1inbothMathsandEnglish(2ofwhomwentontocompletelevel2inMaths).Afurther20peoplestudiedlevel1Maths(again,12wentontocompletelevel2).Thehighestattritionratewasseenforlevel1English,where54%ofthosewhoattempteditdidnotcompletethecourse.However,ifalearnerprogressedtolevel2theirchancesofcompletinggetmuchstronger.Almosttwothirds(63.6%)ofthiscohortwhoattemptedlevel1Mathscompletedit,andonethird(34.8%)completedlevel2aswell.Onethirdofthosewhoattemptedlevel1Mathsdidnotcompletethecourse.60%ofthosewhoattemptedlevel2Mathscompletedthecourse.ThirteenpeopleindicatedthattheyhadnotstudiedEverydaySkillsatall,yettheinvitationtoparticipatewasonlysenttopeoplewhohadenrolled.Itisopentointerpretationwhetherthisconstitutesanunsuccessfulattempttotakethecourseoralackoftimetoengagewiththematerials.

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Thosewhoreportedanincompletecourseattemptwereaskedaboutthereasonswhytheymighthavestruggled.

Figure19.Reasonsfornon-completionofanEverydaySkillscourse(Survey2,n=73)

Lackoftimeandtargetedlearningwerethetwomostcitedreasons(apartfrom‘Other’).Someusersalsothoughtthematerialsweretoobasicorthesitehardtouse.Under‘Other’12saidthattheywerestilltakingthecourseandintendedtofinishit.Severalresponsesstatedthattheyhadsometimepressures,oftenrelatingtofamilyresponsibilities(suchasbereavementoranewbirth).Someuserssuggestedthatfinancialpressuresorpersonalissueshadimpactedtheirstudy.Othercommentsofinterest:

• Unabletoselectpagerequiredforexam/verificationcontent• IwantedtostartfromtheEnglish1henceIdidnotcompleteEnglish2• IforgotaboutthecourseandhowIaccessedit• Usingassupporttoclassroommaths• WithWestHertsCampusDoingLevel1and2FunctionalskillEnglish

WithrespectthecontentandimpactoftheEverydaySkillscourses,twoquestionswereasked.Thefirstre-usedsomequestionsaskedaspartofthestandardisedOpenLearncourseevaluationrubric.Thiswasintendedtomeasuresatisfactionwiththelearningexperience.ThesecondfocusesmoreontheimpactoftheEverydaySkillscoursesandre-usedcategoriesfromSurvey1(§7).20.3LearningExperienceParticipantswereinvitedtoexpressagreement/disagreementwithevaluationstatementsusinga5-pointLikertscale.Eachofthestatementsoutlinesapositive

1

2

2

4

4

4

4

5

22

25

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

The course was too advanced

I couldn't access the course materials

I didn't have a good enough internet connection

I was suffering from ill-health

I lost interest / motivation

I found the site hard to use

The course was too basic

I only studied the sections I needed to

I didn't have enough time

Other

Reasonsfornon-completion

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element,suchasrecommendingthecoursetoothers,orfindingtheworkloadmanageable.ResponsesareshownbelowinFigure20.

Figure20.EvaluationofLearningExperience(Survey22,n=122)

Positivesentiment(shownhereinlighteranddarkergreen)wasthemostcommonresponse.‘Agree’wasthemostcommonoptionchoseninallcasesexceptforwhereittiedwith‘Stronglyagree’.Wherepeopleselected‘Stronglyagree’thentendedtochoosethisoptionacrosstheboard.Conversely,mostofthe‘Stronglydisagree’scorescamefromthesamesmallgroupofpeoplewhoscoredeverythingconsistentlylow.Theselearnersdidnotleavemuchcommentarybutthereseemstobeasuggestionthatthematerialstheyencounteredwereconsideredeithertooeasyortoodifficult.Strongestagreementrelatedtorecommendingthecoursetoothers,whichisagoodindicatorofquality.OverallthesescoresconstituteanendorsementforkeyaspirationsofEverydaySkills,andsuggestthatthelevelispitchedcorrectlyformostoftheintendedaudience.Theareawheretherewasleastagreementwaskeepingupwiththeworkload.Peoplewhoselected‘Stronglydisagree’herealsoreferredtoalackoftimeintheircomments(§20.2).Thiswasalsotheareawheretherewasmostneutrality.Therewasleaststrongagreementwiththepropositionthatthecoursewasintellectuallystimulating(although67.5%agreedorstronglyagreed).

26.8%

29.5%

30.9%

31.7%

34.1%

35.5%

40.2%

40.7%

32.0%

43.9%

45.5%

43.1%

35.5%

38.5%

25.2%

27.0%

17.1%

14.6%

15.4%

21.5%

13.9%

4.9%

5.7%

5.7%

4.9%

5.7%

5.0%

5.7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Thecoursewasintellectuallystimulating

Iwasabletokeepupwiththeworkload

Thequalityoftheteachingmaterialswasgood

Overall,thequalityofthiscoursewasgood

Ienjoyedstudyingthismaterial

Thiscoursemademewanttostudymore

Iwouldrecommendthiscoursetoothers

EvaluationofEverydaySkills LearningExperience

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

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20.4ImpactFinally,respondentswereaskedabouttheimpactofEverydaySkillsontheirownlives.Thecategoriesherecorrespondedwiththoseusedin§7.Theoriginalintentionwastotrytomeasurechangesinthesecategoriesafterthecoursepresentation(s).TherewereinsufficientnumberstomakeupareliablecohortbetweenSurvey1andSurvey2,however.Nonetheless,thedatabelowprovidesaninsightintotheperceivedimpactofEverydaySkillsonlearners.

Figure21.PerceivedimpactofEverydaySkills(Survey2,n=119)

Themostcommonresponse(n=18)wasthattheirstudieshasresultedinnochangeacrosstheassociatedvariables.5reported‘Alittlebetter’impactacrossallvariables.Therewere14whofeltthattheyweresignificantlybetteracrossallvariables.Onerespondentreportedbeingsignificantlyworseforeverything.Onthewholeitwasnotcommontoreportanegativeimpact.Mostpeoplereportedamixof‘Nochange’and‘Alittlebetter’acrossthecategories.Themostpositivesentimentherewasassociatedwithfurtherlearningorstudy,where69.8%attestedtosomeimprovement.Leastpositivesentimentwasassociatedwithimprovedsocialinteractionsandculturalbenefits,whicharguablyarelonger-termexpectations.Morethanhalfthesample(51.3%)felttheyhadseenimprovedperformanceatworkorintheirstudiesasresultoftakingEverydaySkills.43.5%felttheynowhadimprovedemploymentprospects.

46.6%

43.7%

31.4%

62.9%

29.4%

53.9%

46.1%

44.8%

63.9%

36.4%

35.3%

42.1%

21.6%

43.7%

25.2%

28.7%

34.5%

20.2%

16.1%

18.5%

24.8%

14.7%

26.1%

18.3%

22.6%

19.0%

14.3%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%



Confidence

Culturalbenefits


Employmentprospects

Performanceinjob/study

Professionaldevelopment

Socialinteractions

PerceivedImpactofEverydaySkills

Significantly worse A little worse No change A little better Significantly better

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Thefinalcomments(freetext)indicatearangeofexperiencesthatillustratethedivergencesseeninthedatashowninFigure21.Thereweremanygeneralcommentswhichsuggestapositiveexperience:

• Enjoyed• IhavelearntsomuchintheEnglish1.thingsthatIwassupposetodowasdoingit

incorrectlywhenstudyingthisIknewthecorrectways.thanks.• Ihavepreviouslycompletedotherfreecoursesandreallyenjoyedthemandhave

moresetupwaitingforme• Itishelpingmelearnalotmore• Veryenjoyable.

Afewcommentshighlightedthatsomefeltthematerialwasnotpitchedattherightlevelforthem:

• Didn’tgetfarenoughforittoimpactsignificantly.• Ifeelsomeofthemathexampleswerequitebasic,andwouldbenefitfuture

learnerstohavesomemorecomplexequations,tohelpwithabetterunderstanding.AlsoIfeelitwouldofbenefitedmyselffortheexamIsatatcollege,ormaybealinktofurtherpracticepagesonareasofsubjectslearnersarestrugglingtograsp.

• Theactivitiesweretooshort,notenoughtodo.• Thematerialsusedcouldofbeenbetter

Someindicatedawishforaclearerpathwayforprogression.Inparticularthereseemstohavebeensomeissuesaroundtheexaminationthataffordsrecognitionoflearning:

• IhavecompletedjustsomefreeCPDs.IwouldliketohavethepossibilitytogetadiplomainMaths

• Ithinkitwasagoodcourse.Theonlythingthatcouldhavemaiditbetter,Wouldhavebeenmoreavailabilitytoaccesstheexam.

• Thecollegeadministrationofthiscoursewasshambolicandtotallydisorganised.• ThelearninginformationwasgoodbutonceIhadcompletedthetestIwasunable

togobacktoreviseformytestinthecollege,whichisafewweeksaftertheonlinetest.IhavehadtobuyabooksothatIcanprepareforthetest,whichdefeatsthewholepurposeofonlinelearning.

• Theexamconditionsweredreadful.IonlycompletedthecourseasIdesperatelyneededitformyprofessionaldevelopmentotherwiseIwouldn’thavebotheredwiththechaosoftryingtodealwiththecollege.AnunfortunateexperienceIwouldnotrelishtorepeat

ForthosewhoseinterestinEverydaySkillswasmoreleisurelythecoursesseemtohavereassuredthemoftheirabilitytounderstandmaterialatthislevel.

• Bothcourses,EnglishandMaths,didnotincludeanypreparationfortheformatofthein-personexamsthatstudentsmighttake.Therecouldbeaspecialoptionalsectiononthat.

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• Iknowthatforsomeonewiththeneedforthecoursewouldgainalotforpersonaldevelop,accessingtraining,employmentandsocialinteraction.Thishoweverwasn’tmymotivation

• Nothavingstudiedmathswellatschool,thiscourseconfirmedthatIcouldcopewitheverydaymaths’problems

• Thecourseshelpedtocheckbybasicunderstandinganduseofmathsandenglish

IV.DiscussionThissectionpresentsaconcisesummaryofthekeyevaluationfindings;considerstheirimplicationsinrelationtootherresearch;andproposespossibleelementsforfuturestudies.21.1KeyfindingsThecentralmessagearisingfromtheevaluationoflearninginBringingLearningtoLifeasawholeisthatlearnersrespondedhighlypositivelytoboththecoursematerialsandtheirflexibleandopendelivery.AsshowninFig.20,78.7%ofthosewhotookanEverydaySkillscoursewouldrecommendittoothers.Similarly,71%reportedthattakingthecoursemadethemwanttostudymore.Giventhatthesecoursesareaimedatadultlearnerswhomayhavebeenoutofeducationforawhile,thesenumbersarequiteimpressive.Itislikelythatiterativeimprovementofthecoursepresentationscouldraisethesenumbersfurther.ProvisionoffoundationalcoursecontentonOpenLearnhasbeenusedtoengagelearnersinbothonline,classroomandblendedscenarios(thoughmoredatawouldbeneededtomeaningfullyestablishpatternsbasedonprimaryformofaccess).DatagatheredaboutthelearnersonEverydaySkillsrevealthattheyhavediverseexperiencesandexpectations.Survey2showedthatmorethanhalfarealreadyinworkwhileathirdareclaimingsomeformofbenefit.Morethanathirdindicatedadesiretogoontoformalhighereducation,buttheselearnersoftenhavenoqualifications(orareunsurehowtonavigateapathwaytowardstheirgoal).Supportingtheselearnersinfindingtheirpathwaytoskillsandeducation–especiallywhentheyhavetakenasteptowardsformallearning–iscrucial.MeetingDemandHighlypositivecourseevaluationresultscorrelatewithusageandaccesspatternsfromOpenLearn(§§10-12).Analyticsshowthatahighproportionofthosewhovisitthesitecanbeexpectedtoenrolforthecoursewithmanygoingontocompleteandobtainrecognition(seeFig.12).Uptakeforthecourseswashigh,asevidencedin§12.2.Giventhatmanyofthetargetaudiencehavenotbeenineducationforsometime,thisisasignificantresultwhichindicatesthepotentialroleofOpenLearninsupportingfurthereducationlearnerstotransitionintolifelonglearning.Theproliferationoftheopenly

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licensedcontentandthewebtrafficcomingfromsearchenginesandlocationsnotassociatedwiththeprojectareaclearindicationofdemand.Theimpactonlearnersfromtakingthesecoursesseemshighgiventhatafteronly48hoursofe-learningtheywerelikelytoagreethattherewassomeimprovementinarangeofpotentialimpactssuchasconfidence,abilitytoengageinfuturestudy,andjobperformance.Morethanhalfthesample(51.3%)felttheyhadseenimprovedperformanceatworkorintheirstudiesasresultoftakingEverydaySkills.43.5%felttheynowhadimprovedemploymentprospects(Fig.21).§20.4showsthat69.8%ofthosewhotookanEverydaySkillscoursethoughtthemselvesmorelikelytogoontofurtherstudy.Thisisastrongendorsementofthereal-lifedifferencestudyofthiskindcanhave,andshouldbetakenasanendorsementofthequalityandrelevanceofthecoursematerials.TheopenlicenceonthecoursecontentandtheopennatureoftheOpenLearnplatformallowedthesematerialstoproliferateacrossthecountryinarelativelyshortspaceoftime,reachingawideaudience.Inconjunctiontheseelementssuggestthattheprojectasawholewasverysuccessfulinmeetingitsambitions.Thisisalsoattestedtobytheimpactstatementsreceivedfromthecollegesinvolvedintheproject(§19).Asthematerialsremainavailableonlinethisimpactislikelytogrowwellbeyondtheinitialprojectnetwork.TheintegrationoftheEverydaySkillscontentintotheOpenLearnplatformandtheadditionalvocationalpathwaysintroduced(§10.1)provideseveralroutesforlearnerstobuildontheirexperiences.IdentifyingChallengesThoughtheapproachtakentocontentdeliveryisvalidatedbythedatacollected,areaswherelearnersexperiencesometimesprofoundchallengeswererevealed.FortheSurvey1cohortthesewerework/lifebalance;lackofstudyskills;andtimemanagement.Survey2foundasimilarclusterwithlackofconfidencealsofeaturing.Collegestaffweremorelikelytoidentifylackofconfidenceand/orfearoffailureasthemostimportantbarriers.Somelearnerssaidthatthecoursecontentwasnotattherightlevelforthem(thoughthesewereaclearminority).Asiscommonwithonlinelearning,somepeoplerevealedfrustrationwithtechnicalaspectsoftheplatform.However,experienceswerediverse.Others(especiallylearnerswithadisability)foundinOpenLearnagreatopportunitytoaccesslearninginawaythatsuitedthem.Anaccessibleandeasy-to-uselearningplatformisessentialtothesuccessofaninitiativelikeBringingLearningtoLife.WhilethesearekeyfeaturesoftheOpenLearnapproach,ithastraditionallybeenaimedatthoseinterestedinhighereducation.Itmightbeworthconsideringhowtheoffermightbeadaptedforlearnersatamorefoundationallevel,orwhetherashortcourseonusingtheplatformshouldbeofferedalongsidetheEverydaySkillscourses.Severalcommentshighlightedissuesintheprocessofcollegeexaminationandfrustrationwithadministrationmoregenerally.Thismeantthattherewerelearnerswhocompletedthecourseandwantedcertificationbutwereunabletoattainit.

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Streamliningtheprocessofawardingqualificationsisavitalstepinstrengtheningtheconnectionbetweenstudyandimprovedjobprospects.ManylearnersinbothsurveysexpressedleastconfidenceinEnglishwithrespecttotheirabilitytowrite(whichcannotbeattributedtodyslexiaaccordingtothedataprovided).Giventhatwritingissofundamentaltosuccessfulstudy,itcouldbeanareaoffocusinthefuture.Alternatively,assessmentscouldberethoughtinsuchawayastomakethemlessdependentonthewrittenword.AConfidenceParadox?Learnerstendedtoexpresseitherhighorlowconfidenceintheirabilitiesasawhole.Howbesttosupportlearnersinthetransitiontoformalstudyinawaythatdoesnotunderminetheirself-confidenceiscomplicatedbysomeofthedatathatpertainstolearnerassessmentoftheirownperformance.Thoughitwasanunmatchedsample,itwasobservedthatlearnerswhohadcompletedEverydaySkillstendedtoexpresslowerself-confidence.Itwasalsonotedthatmanylearnersinbothsurveysexpressedhighconfidenceacrosstheboard.Forlearnerswhoareatafoundationallevel,theroleofself-confidenceandself-managedlearningcanbecrucial.Theexpectationistypicallythatlearnersnewtoformalstudyarelackingconfidencewhichcanthenbebuiltupthroughpedagogicalexercises.ThehopewastomeasurehigherconfidenceinthosewhohadtakenEverydaySkills.Whatwefoundinsteadisthatlearnersfrombothsurveysexpressedhighconfidence–butlowerinthosewhohadstudiedthecourse.Thoughweneedtobecarefulhere(seeLimitations)thisisafindingofinterest.ItcouldbethatadultlearnersgenuinelybelievetheyhavestrongskillsinMathsandEnglishbutactuallystudyingtheseformallyleadsthemtorealisethatthiscanbechallengingevenforanativespeakerorsomeonewhoregularlymakescalculationsintheireverydaylife.Inlightofthisitmaybeinstructivethat‘Notknowingwheretobegin’wasseenasabarriertopersonalsuccessbymorethanhalfthesample.Manyseemtohaveself-beliefbutlackasenseofhowbesttoapplythemselves.Iflearnersbeginwithanassumptionthattheycaneasilypassabasiccourseshouldtheybegiventheopportunityandthenarechallengedinthisbythematerialengagedwith,thisissomethingthatlearningdesignersshouldbeattentiveto,especiallyinanunmoderatedpresentationofthecourse.Oneoptionformanagingthisgoingforwardwouldbetoregularlycollectdataaboutlearnerconfidencethroughoutapresentationtoseehowthismightchangeinresponsetodifferentactivitiesortasks(seebelow,‘Suggestionsforfutureresearch’).DriversofCompletionHighratesofattritionareoftenobservedonopenonlinecourses.Inametanalysis,Onahetal(2014)arguedthatmanyparticipantsregardedas‘dropouts’areinfactusingmaterialsselectivelytomeettheirownidentifiedneedsratherthanfollowingthe

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prescriptionofthecoursedesigners.7Therewereafewcommentsfromlearnersthatsupportthisinterpretation,statingthattheirparticipationinthecoursewasquitecasual,orthattheysimplywantedtotestthemselves(§20.4).Theaccesspatternsandbadgesawardedoncourses(Table27)showedratesofcompletionforEnglish(4%)andMaths(12%).BothofthesewerelowerthantheaverageOpenLearnbenchmark(13%).Jordan(2015)foundthatcompletionratesforMOOCsasawholerangedbetween0.7%-52.1%withanaverageof12.6%.8ThisimpliesthattheMathspassratewasfairlytypicalforanopencoursewhiletheEnglishpassratewaslowerthanmightbeexpected.AlthoughtherewasahigherlevelofinterestinEnglish(Figs.11-12),Mathslearnersweremuchmorelikelytocompletetheirstudiesandbeawardedabadge.ThismightbeexplainedbyEnglishlearnersbeingmorecasualornon-linearintheirapproach,butitcouldalsoreflectthepresenceofabarriertointerestorengagement.However,somemorerecentdatasuggeststhatMOOCcompletionrateshavegenerallybeentrendingdownwardssince2013.Inastudyofmorethan12.67millioncourseregistrations(5.63millionlearners)Reich&Ruipérez-Valiente(2019)foundacompletionrateamongstallopenonlinelearnersontheedXplatformof3.13%for2017-2018.9Acompletionrateof4%ismoresatisfactoryagainstthisbenchmark,butfurtherdataisneededtoproperlyunderstandthedifferentfactorsdrivingsuccessacrosstheEverydaySkillscourses.SupportingLearnersFig.8showedthatlearnersaremostexcitedbytheprospectofflexiblelearningwheretheyworklargelyunsupported:therewasaclearpreferenceforworkinginthisway.Additionaltimewasconsideredmoreessentialthanextrasupport.Collegestaff,bycontrast,werelikelytoinsteadasserttheimportanceofclosesupportfromtutorsorpeers.ThecollegestaffviewthatstudentsrequireclosesupportisclosertothetraditionalmodelusedbyTheOpenUniversitytosupportitslearners.TheOpenUniversity’smodelforsupportedonlinelearningisonethathasbeenreinedoverfiftyyearsofdistanceeducationandactsasaparadigmforinstitutionsaroundtheworld.Thisapproachreflectsaveryhighlevelofsupportforlearners,andthereisawealthofevidencetosuggestthatitisaveryeffectiveapproachatdegreelevel. 7Onah,D.F.,Sinclair,J.&Boyatt,R.(2014).DropoutratesofMassiveOpenOnlineCourses:BehaviouralPatterns.6thInternationalConferenceonEducationandNewLearningTechnologies,Barcelona,Spain,7-9Jul2014.https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/dcs/people/research/csrmaj/daniel_onah_edulearn14.pdf8Jordan,K.(2015).Massiveopenonlinecoursecompletionratesrevisited:Assessment,lengthandattrition.TheInternationalReviewofResearchinOpenandDistributedLearning,16(3).https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i3.21129Reich,J.&Ruipérez-Valiente,J.A.(2019).TheMOOCpivot.Science,363(6423):130–131.

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Jones(2015)describesthe“SupportedOpenLearning”(SOL)approachthatwasdevelopedbyTheOpenUniversity(UK)forsupportingdistancelearnersatscale.10

1. DistanceorOpenLearninga. Learning‘inyourowntime’b. Reading,undertakingsetactivitiesandassignmentsc. Possiblyworkingwithothers

2. Resources

a. Printedcoursematerials,setbooks,audioandvideocassettes,CD/DVDmaterials,homeexperiments,courseandprogramwebsites(previouslybroadcastTVprograms)

3. Systematicsupporta. Acoursetutor,aregionalnetworkof13centres,centrallibraryand

technicalsupportb. Tutorialheldwithinregions,dayschoolsandonline(e.g.languages,

summerschools)Obviouslythefirsttwoaspectsareaccommodatedinopenonlinelearning,butthislevelofsystematictutorsupportcannotnecessarilybeofferedthroughafreeplatformlikeOpenLearn.However,elementscouldbeadaptedforspecificpurposesorcoursepresentations.Forexample,ifanemployerorcollegecohortwasworkingthroughmaterialstogethertheycouldoffertargetedsupportwhichwasrelevanttothecircumstances.Collegesorcollegenetworkscoulddecidetooffersystematicsupportonasharedbasis.Strikingabalancebetweenbuildingtheindependenceandconfidenceoflearnersatfoundationallevelandgivingthesupporttheyneed(butdon’tnecessarilywant)seemsessentialforeffectiveengagement.Inconclusion,TheOpenUniversityisinauniquepositiontoofferoversightandexpertiseforonlineandblendedlearninginitiatives.Workinginconjunctionwithcollegepartnersseemstohavebeenextremelyeffectiveforestablishingasharedapproachandbodyofknowledge.BringingLearningtoLifehasshownthatthereismuchpotentialtofurtherengageadultlearnersthoroughflexible,opendelivery.

10Jones,C.(2015).Openness,technologies,businessmodelsandausterity.Learning,MediaandTechnology,40:3,328-349,DOI:10.1080/17439884.2015.1051307

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21.2ConstraintsThereareseveralconstraintswhichshouldberecognisedwithrespecttotheconclusionsdrawninthisstudy.

1. Unmatchedsamples:whileSurveys1&2wereoriginallyplannedwiththeintentiontofacilitatecomparingaconsistentcohortoflearnersbeforeandaftertheirexperienceofEverydaySkills,veryfewpeoplerespondedtobothSurveys.Thismeansthatitishardtodrawanyconclusionsbycomparingdatafrombeforeandaftertheintervention(asistypicaleducationalevaluation).

2. Self-selection:participantswereundernoobligationtotakepartandthesamplewasnotadjusted.Survey2isunlikelytohaveincludedanydatafromlearnerswithoutaninternetconnection(approximately10%accordingtoSurvey1).

3. Lackoftriangulation:datapointsweregeneratedthroughSurveys1&2aswellasthroughtheOpenLearnplatformanalytics.Fromascientificperspectiveitwouldhavebeendesirabletotriangulatethesedataforindividuallearners,whichwouldprovidearichdescriptionoftheirlearningactivity.Atpresent,individuallearnersarenottrackedinthisway,notleastbecausethislevelofsurveillanceisopentocriticism.

4. Sequencing:whentheevaluationprogrammewasdesignedtheEverydaySkillscourseswerenotfinalised.Thismeantitwasnotfeasibletoevaluatespecificcoursecontentelements.

IntheoriginalprojectconceptiontherewasanticipatedgreaterinvolvementintheBringingLearningtoLifefromemployers,tradeunionsandotherprofessionalbodies.Theevaluationrubricwasdesignedwiththisinmindsothatcomparisonsmightbemadebetweenstaffineducationandstaffinothersectors.Intheendthesurveywasnotsharedwiththesegroups,whoseinvolvementwiththeprojectendedupbeingdifferentthananticipated.Thisdatamighthaveprovidedausefulpointofcontrastwiththeexpectationsoflearnersandeducators.Itwouldbeentirelypossibletore-usetheresearchtoolswithsuchgroupsinthefuture.

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21.3SuggestionsforfurtherworkBasedonthefindingsofthisreport,anumberofrecommendationsmaybemadeforfutureworkinthisarea.

1. Longertermmeasurements:onestraightforwardfollow-uptothisresearchwouldbetorepeattheevaluationannuallytomeasureanychangesinattitudestowardsthelearningmaterialsoftheperceivedimpactofEverydaySkills.

2. Widermeasurements:thisreportusesdatafromlearnersandstaff,butthe

instrumentscanbeusedwithallkindsofemployersandotherstakeholders.

3. Triangulationoflearnerdata:duringthisinitialpresentationofEverydaySkillsitwasnotpossibletotrackindividuallearnersorconnectsurveyresponsestodatafromthevirtuallearningenvironment.However,suchtriangulationispossibleandwouldgiveamoregranulardescriptionoflearnerpathways.Mostlearnersofferedacodewordwhichcouldbeusedtoconnectsurveyresponseswithoutretainingpersonalinformationonthelearner.

4. Confidencemonitoring:giventhattherewereobservedsomeinterestingpatternsofexpressedconfidence,itwouldbeinterestingtomonitorconfidencemorecloselythroughouttheactivitiesofacourse.Thiscouldbedonebytakingconfidencemeasurementsatregularintervals(e.g.afteraweeklyassignment)andidentifyingpatternsthatemerge.

5. Comparisonofonline,classroomandblendeduseofmaterials:withabiggersamplesize,meaningfulcomparisonscouldbedrawnbetweentheuseofEverydaySkillsindifferentcontextsandpedagogies.Thiscouldinvolvemoredetailedcasestudiesforcollegesusingthematerials.

bringing learning to life: evaluation of everyday skills in maths...

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