Delivering online learning: NATECLA's response to FELTAG
What is FELTAG?
The Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (FELTAG) was set up in January 2013 by Matthew Hancock, Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise in BIS, as a sector group to make practical recommendations aimed at ensuring the effective use of digital technology in learning, teaching and assessment in Further Education and Skills.
The aim of the Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (FELTAG) was to identify obstacles preventing further education providers taking full advantage of technology. The group’s recommendations were designed to remove these obstacles, and encourage FE providers towards the digital future expected by learners and employers.
Following extensive consultation across the sector, the FELTAG report '
Paths Forward to a Digital Future for Education and Skills' was published in March 2014. Amongst other suggestions, the report put forward a 10% online delivery target for all FE provision.
The government responded to the FELTAG report in June 2014.
The SFA's
response to the FELTAG recommendations was set out last week (22 October 2014).
NATECLA's response to SFA FELTAG updates:
We welcome the SFA response to the 10% wholly online component of courses which was recommended in the FELTAG report. This response clarifies that there is flexibility for providers rather than insisting that all courses offer a minimum of 10% online delivery from September 2015.
Understandably, many ESOL providers had concerns that a 10% ‘wholly online’ component may not be appropriate, particularly for beginner ESOL learners, and also feel that online learning for its own sake may not add to the learning experience for all learners. NATECLA therefore also welcomes current research by the NRDC relating to the effectiveness of online learning and NIACE work on the BYOD model. For many learners at lower levels and with little experience of IT a ‘face-to-face’ introduction to online learning with tutor support is likely to be more appropriate as a way to introduce learner skills and autonomy over a period of time.
We are aware of many practitioners in a variety of settings who already make excellent use of a range of online tools with learners both inside and outside the formal learning environment. We intend to highlight examples of this in our publications and CPD events over the coming year. However, with increasing pressure on many providers to reduce guided learning hours for some ESOL courses we feel strongly that online delivery methods should be used to add value to what is offered to learners rather than to reduce class contact time.
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