Have you heard about clickers?

FE is often equipped with more sophisticated technology than any other sector. Smart board are now being supplemented by clickers (although they may not be all that useful with small classes); the link is to a useful briefing on their use and effectiveness. It also explains what they are!

Conference papers

You can now download two papers based in part on work with the Programme, and delivered at two international conferences this summer, from the above link. Do feel free to comment via this blog.

All the best for the new academic year, both as tutors/lecturers/teachers and as students!

Useful link for (new) Module 7

For anyone interested in approaches to PCE elsewhere in the world, the US system of "Community Colleges" is well worth looking at. They vary a lot, of course, but many combine vocational and technical education with offering the first two years of a traditional four-year bachelor's degree, thereby contributing a lot to what we would call the "widening participation" agenda. They offer most courses part-time, too. This article from USA Today is a very useful introduction.

Essential Reading

Please go to my other blog (link in heading) to read about and access Coffield F (2008) Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority... London; Learning and Skills Network.

"Can't Read, Can't Write"

For those of you following up issues from these programmes, there are now some notes here.

Research paper from the Study Days

You may remember that Peter Hadfield and I, in collaboration with a US colleague, were intending to present a paper based on the Study Days at a conference in Canada last month. Unfortunately Peter could not make it, but Renee and I presented, and we have now written it up in an expanded format, linked to from the title of this post (in Acrobat format).

There was far more material in your reports and conversations than we could utilise in this paper, but we thought you might find some of the ideas interesting. Do feel free to comment, of course, via this blog or on BREO.

Threshold Concepts Symposium

The second international symposium on TCs concluded yesterday in Kingston, Ontario. The link from the heading is to some of my initial musings on my other blog. The paper to which you contributed in one way or another was in the very first slot of the conference, so I hope it contributed to setting the tone; the written version will be made available via this site in a week or two.