1. Work-based Learning (WBL)
What is the Work-based Learning
Maturity Toolkit?
Maturity Toolkit
A toolkit to help institutions, faculties, Supporting the HE/FE sectors in enhancing employer provision
schools, departments and programme
teams to: Adopting approaches used in the Higher
Education Academy/JISC national e-
learning
Assess current performance in work- benchmarking programme and distilling
based learning. lessons learnt from a number of JISC
Identify a vision for WBL and the enablers programmes
and barriers for reaching it. (e.g. LLL-WFD, BCE, curriculum
design/delivery, e-portfolio)
Recommend future actions
Plan their change management. How the toolkit can be used (the methodology):
Why is it needed? • Decide upon focus (e.g. whole institution, faculty or
programme)
Increasing numbers of students are opting
to learn in the work-place - WBL is Planning • Identify and co-opt stakeholders.
therefore becoming more strategically • Identify initiatives to align with.
important. • Agree the timescale and project plan.
Good practice in pedagogic models, use of
ICT, partnership working and how best Commitment • Meeting/workshop with all stakeholders to explain
for institutions to “prepare for work- process and build commitment.
&
based learning” is slowly emerging but • Select relevant criteria from the toolkit & customise
not widespread. Customisation as appropriate.
How can institutions benefit from using
the Toolkit? Evidence • Identify evidence needed to decide on “level of
maturity” for each criterion.
Institutions can identify: Collection &
• Identify methods for gathering evidence.
synthesis
Appropriate organisational and business • Collect evidence.
approaches toward WBL, including how • Synthesis evidence and produce a ‘usable’ report.
best to measure impact, costs and
benefits. • Review evidence report in “levelling” workshop.
Levelling
How to enhance learning, teaching & Workshop • Assess your current performance against
assessment with WBL pedagogies and criteria/level statements.
use of blended learning techniques. • Ensure that all stakeholders agree on:
o Vision & enablers/barriers for reaching this vision.
How to update organisational processes
o Recommendations for change.
and systems e.g. QA-QE and support Actions
processes.
Workshop •
Convene workshop with group who are identified
to take forward the changes.
How to provide a quality experience for
• Develop action plan – and define measures of
staff and students e.g. through training
success
and support services. The Maturity Toolkit comprises criteria and level statements of
• Identify institutional structures, systems &
What does the toolkit comprise? performance under seven champions which can take forward the changes.
key categories:
Criteria and level statements of “mature” (1) Institutional readiness
performance. (2) Faculty/school/department readiness Working
Self-assessment guidelines. (3) Programme design in CAMEL
(4) Programme delivery and assessment Cohorts
A recommended methodology for using (5) Partnership engagement
the toolkit.
(6) The learner experience
A range of support resources. (7) Effective, usable, accessible technologies
Who are the development Partners? This is a Benefits Realisation project funded by the JISC LLL-WFD
programme.
Universities of Bradford, Westminster and
UWIC. Further info: http://www.tinyurl.com/wbl-toolkit
Discussions: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2182