Presentation delivered by Graeme Brewster, City of Glasgow College at the Still Game to Learn event organised by College Development Network, 9th December, 2016.
2. Session Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will have:
•An understanding about the project drivers and
development at City of Glasgow.
•Identified factors that need to be addressed in order
to begin implementation.
•The impact of adopting the digital badge initiative.
Does this meet your expectations?
32. Focus Groups to Devise Our Behaviours
Focus Groups to Identify Interest in Digital Badges
33. Overview of Digital Badges
• Learning happens everywhere.
• Committed to recognising and rewarding both staff commitment and
contributions.
• Badges introduced to support awareness and understanding of the
behaviours and values.
• Open badges are like digital certificates.
• Badges will be achieved through a range of mechanisms.
• Badges are used by some of the largest companies in the world.
• Badges can be displayed on your email signature or social media profiles.
• Physical badges are also available.
34. Rationale for Development of ED&I Badge Criteria
• Issues of inappropriate language and behaviours.
• Need for “change agents”, or “champion” to challenge
issues.
• Supports performance in Stonewall Workplace Equality
Index (WEI) and Investors In Diversity (IID).
• Issues of equalities data declaration across Protected
Characteristics (PCs).
• Issue of relatively low completion of 3 online staff
essential ED&I training modules.
• Issue with currency of online modules.
• Issues with understanding ED&I and mainstreaming.
35. ED&I Digital Badge Criteria as Solution
To tackle these issues in a coordinated and
incentivised way:
•Complete the new ED&I Module.
•Provide equalities information.
•Pledge to be an active champion of ED&I.
36. Development of ED&I Badge and Support
• ED&I to commission module and devise content.
• ED&I to commission monitoring matters video and devise
script.
• ED&I to devise ED&I pledge (based on behaviours).
• ED&I and IT to devise digital infrastructure.
• Design to create graphical assets and supporting ED&I
packs, pull up stands and big screen adverts.
• Corporate Communications to raise awareness via Intranet
and Principals' Briefing.
• Marketing to coordinate staff and student focus groups.
• Culture committee to test ED&I module and badge process.
37. Measuring Impact
• Proportion of badge completion (33%).
• Increased declaration of equalities information (next
slide).
• Increased completion of new module completion.
• Improved Staff Survey satisfaction rates
• Independent focus groups with non/achievers.
38. Gender Reassignment
•“No Response” has decreased by 15.3%.
• The previous highest yearly change was 6.7%.
•“No Response” is now 62.1%, versus 76.8% during the 2015
report.
Sexual orientation
•“Prefer not to say” has decreased by 7.9%.
•The previous highest yearly change was 5%.
•“Prefer not to say” is now 33%, versus 41.7% during the 2015
report.
Increased Declaration in 11 months Since Launch
The module is much more than compliance focused (legal basis) but examines the business (corporate responsibilities) and social justice (moral) case for ED&I
Module contextualised for the College, not “off-the-shelf”, and referenced:
- College buildings and services
- College policy and procedures
Relevant scenarios
Takes approx 60 minutes to complete
When in slide-show click screen to show video
Staff then receive a congratulatory email.
The first 100 attended a ceremony with the Depute Principal and featured in the Principal’s Briefing.
Badge achievers receive a pack containing:
Physical badge which they are encouraged to pin on their lanyard.
Pledge card.
What the pledge means in practice leaflet.
2011-2012
Our values were devised and communicated in:
- All Managers’ meeting.
- Principal’s Briefing.
- Office and Classroom posters.
- Big screen adverts.
2014
Culture Committee held focus groups were held with staff and students to identify, develop and agree a set of “expected behaviours” for each value:
- 10% of staff involved.
- 100 students involved.
As such, there was genuine student and staff buy in
2015
How can we make the behaviours come alive and be of meaning to staff??
- Decided to again run focus groups with staff to determine buy in.
- Overwhelmingly positive response to Digital Badges and proposed criteria for ED&I Badge.
2015
We recognises that learning happens everywhere.
We are committed to ensuring that our staff are recognised for their every-day contribution and that their commitment to continuously developing both themselves and our learners is rewarded.
Badges introduced to support awareness and understanding of the behaviours and values and incentivise staff to engage with them in a meaningful way thus enhancing the culture further.
Open badges are like digital certificates that recognise and evidence your achievements.
Badges will be achieved through a range of mechanisms, based predominately on e-learning content and evidence of engagement with College policies, systems and initiatives (such as declaring equalities information and engaging in PDR processes).
Badges are used by some of the largest companies in the world, including Microsoft, Mozilla, IBM and NASA, and are growing in popularity in the education sector.
Badges can be displayed on your email signature or social media profiles to enhance your digital identity.
Physical badges are also available for those that prefer to display their achievements in a more traditional way.
We began with the ED&I badge on 18th December and the other 5 badges will be launched during 2016:
- The Individual
- Partnership
- Integrity, Honesty & Transparency.
- Excellence & Achievement
- Innovation & Enterprise
Began with ED&I badge due to:
- Business, moral and legal drivers (supports mainstreaming, Education Scotland Quality Standard and journey towards IID)
- Relevance to all staff
High visisbility of ED&I in College
ED&I Badge and its development was part of wider initiative and not just add on!!
ED&I Badge and its development was part of wider initiative and not just add on!!
Inappropriate language and behaviours
- Aware of staff using inappropriate language, expressing inappropriate behaviours across all PCs.
- This relates to freedom of attitudes and beliefs versus (restricted) freedom of expression, particularly at work.
Lack of Change Agents/Champions
- Aware of staff not challenging inappropriate language and behaviours.
- Need for “change agents”, or “champion” to challenge issues.
- Need for training and awareness to support this.
WEI/IID
- Having an ED&I champions initiative supports both quality standards (explicitly gives points for WEI).
Equalities Data Declaration
- For some PCs there is a very high proportion of prefer not to say responses (36.9% for religion or belief and 41.7% for sexual orientation at July 2015).
- For other PCs, there is a very high proportion of no response (76.8% for gender reassignment and 40.9% for caring responsibilities at July 2015).
- Staff do not understand the reasons for and benefits of declaration (business, moral, legal).
- Note: for applicants and new starts, these issues do not exist!
Low Proportion of Module Completion
- Low proportion of staff have completed all 3 online D&E modules (46% of staff completed all 3)/
- Plan to replace 3 modules with one module/
Currency of modules
- Getting tired and outdated/
- Had overlapping content/
- Were focused on compliance (legal) and not moral and business drivers/
Issues with understanding ED&I
Feedback from internal performance evaluations and staff interviews demonstrated a lack of understanding of:
- What ED&I meant.
- Reasons for and benefits of ED&I/
- Nature of and reasons for mainstreaming under Equality Act 2010.
Proportion of completion
- More than 15% staff completed badge in 4 months (with Christmas Closure and Spring Break)
Increased declaration of equalities information
TBC
Increased completion of new module completion
- More than 15% staff completed module in 4 months as opposed to 46% completing previous modules over 4 years.
Staff Survey 2015 (in May 2016)
Sections on values and behaviours:
- The College cares about my wellbeing.
- I buy into and support the College Purpose, Values and Behaviours.
Section on ED&I:
- City of Glasgow College is committed to advancing Equality, Diversity & Inclusion through planned and coordinated activity
- My needs are supported.
- I am treated fairly by Students.
- I am treated fairly by my line manager.
- I am treated fairly by my colleagues.
- Individual behaviours are consistent with behaviours you would expect from a diverse and inclusive organisation.
- I am confident in fulfilling my responsibilities in relation to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.
- I am confident in expressing/exercising my rights in relation to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.
The College does not tolerate inappropriate behaviour, bullying or harassment.
Independent focus groups
- To determine qualitative impact, focus groups are being conducted both with badge achievers and those who have chosen not to achieve the badge.
Electronic infrastructure
Student VLE and staff intranet.
Criteria for badge
Module design/company.
Video design/company.
Pledge design.
Buy In
- Senior sponsor/endorser – Exec Director People and Culture.
- SMT buy in.
Staff buy in and input to design module.
Departmental Support
- IT, ED&I, Marketing, Design, Corporate Communications working together.
How to pilot and gather feedback.
Culture Committee piloted.
Feedback accounted for and shaped content.