What Skills learners say_GP_v4_Leicester

Editor's Notes

• #4: The largest numbers in IT and digital literacy, Business Administration and English and Maths (including functional skills). Courses grouped under ‘Other’ include Construction, Hospitality, Retail and Sales, Art and Pottery.
• #5: Just under three quarters of the sample claim to use their PC or laptop every day, with females slightly more likely to do so and more likely to customise tool bars and colour schemes. They are also more likely to use social media and messaging (though not directly for learning) and to upload photos to a device. Over 80% of both sexes use Google.
• #6: The card sort results for each table in the focus groups were scored from 5 (most important) to 1 (least important), with items not ranked in the prioritising exercise scored as 0. Where fewer than 5 items were prioritised, all those not included were scored as 0. Patterns are starting to emerge, with fast wifi with good connectivity and the availability of a PC, laptop or tablet at the course centre identified as the most important aspects of access to technology. “At my work there’s 2 buildings with wifi but I’m in a building that doesn’t have it, so whenever my trainer comes in or I’m trying to do an exam, it’s just a nightmare.” A multi-functional VLE also considered important by some groups, more so than simply access to digital storage. However learners were often not aware of the potential of online storage. While discussing Dropbox, Learner A commented: “I can’t see the point of that.” Learner B responded: “Say you’re at work, you have a file, you put it in Dropbox, you can open it at home.” Learner A: “Oh, wow, cool!” Learner C: “It’s very handy for sharing videos. So if I wanted to send a video to you, they’re usually too big to send as an email attachment, so I stick it in Dropbox and send you the link.” Learner A: “Oh wow, that’s useful then. I’ll get it!” At the other end of the scale, access to social media has attracted little interest, reflecting the perceived lack of connection between social media and learning and access to a digital camera was not seen as relevant to the majority of courses. This is not to say that learners were not using social media – far from it. However they were not conscious of using it to support their learning and, as with online storage, the focus group process may have raised awareness of its potential benefits.
• #7: Experience with technologies used in the workplace was considered extremely important, both by those learners with employed status and those who were unemployed and using their learning programme as a springboard to potential employment. Learner conversations during the group sessions suggested that the use of presentation software was both useful on their course and in presenting a positive online identity – see Making Good Choices below. On working with others online, one learner commented: “It’s easy to come across like you’re being really abrupt and you don’t mean to, so you’ve got to be really careful.” Another learner added: “And I think people really have to learn that.”
• #8: In spite of slight confusion surrounding the phrase ‘basic ICT skills’, confidence in using technology scored most highly in the useful skills category. “In 5 years’ time, basic IT skills will have changed, so you have to keep learning it. I can learn a lot on my own, but you need to be taught spreadsheets.” Using technology to cope with learning difficulties or disabilities was seen as important both by those who identified themselves as having specific needs and by their peers. This highlighted an ambiguity in the card sort process: whether you’re supposed to be selfish with the cards, only prioritising the things that matter to you. But learners recognised that technology to cope with learning difficulties was extremely important for students who need it. Since none of the sample was taking a programming course (the IT courses were all connected with basic ICT skills or digital literacy), it is unsurprising that there was little interest in writing computer code. Again, however, the card raised learners’ awareness of wider opportunities. On computer coding one learner said: “I don’t understand any of that, I’m not interested. But, if somebody had introduced me to it, it might have been an opportunity.”
• #9: The largest numbers in IT and digital literacy, Business Administration and English and Maths (including functional skills). Courses grouped under ‘Other’ include Construction, Hospitality, Retail and Sales, Art and Pottery.
• #10: The card sort results for each table in the focus groups were scored from 5 (most important) to 1 (least important), with items not ranked in the prioritising exercise scored as 0. Where fewer than 5 items were prioritised, all those not included were scored as 0. Patterns are starting to emerge, with fast wifi with good connectivity and the availability of a PC, laptop or tablet at the course centre identified as the most important aspects of access to technology. “At my work there’s 2 buildings with wifi but I’m in a building that doesn’t have it, so whenever my trainer comes in or I’m trying to do an exam, it’s just a nightmare.” A multi-functional VLE also considered important by some groups, more so than simply access to digital storage. However learners were often not aware of the potential of online storage. While discussing Dropbox, Learner A commented: “I can’t see the point of that.” Learner B responded: “Say you’re at work, you have a file, you put it in Dropbox, you can open it at home.” Learner A: “Oh, wow, cool!” Learner C: “It’s very handy for sharing videos. So if I wanted to send a video to you, they’re usually too big to send as an email attachment, so I stick it in Dropbox and send you the link.” Learner A: “Oh wow, that’s useful then. I’ll get it!” At the other end of the scale, access to social media has attracted little interest, reflecting the perceived lack of connection between social media and learning and access to a digital camera was not seen as relevant to the majority of courses. This is not to say that learners were not using social media – far from it. However they were not conscious of using it to support their learning and, as with online storage, the focus group process may have raised awareness of its potential benefits.
• #11: The largest numbers in IT and digital literacy, Business Administration and English and Maths (including functional skills). Courses grouped under ‘Other’ include Construction, Hospitality, Retail and Sales, Art and Pottery.
• #12: The largest numbers in IT and digital literacy, Business Administration and English and Maths (including functional skills). Courses grouped under ‘Other’ include Construction, Hospitality, Retail and Sales, Art and Pottery.
• #13: Experience with technologies used in the workplace was considered extremely important, both by those learners with employed status and those who were unemployed and using their learning programme as a springboard to potential employment. Learner conversations during the group sessions suggested that the use of presentation software was both useful on their course and in presenting a positive online identity – see Making Good Choices below. On working with others online, one learner commented: “It’s easy to come across like you’re being really abrupt and you don’t mean to, so you’ve got to be really careful.” Another learner added: “And I think people really have to learn that.”