Work based mobile learning - Subject group meeting 12th February 2010

So, there was a subject group meeting on Friday 12th February which was the first opportunity for colleagues to hear and read in detail about the new module that I have written.

Colleagues were complimentary about the module and provided some valuable constructive criticism and concerns around practical issues e.g. using social networking sites to facilitate social discussions, the nature of employee contracts, students who are not selected to do the module, how it operates as a long thin module when other modules are short and fat - this would lead to 3 assessments in Semester 1 and 5 in Semester 2. However, generally, colleagues could see what I am trying to achieve and were in agreement that it would address needs on both students' and employers' sides which ultimately should be favourable for the student experience and their learning.

The next stage is for the module spec to be referred to FOG. It was commented just how much detail is in the module spec but there was also a recognition that it was appropriate given the new innovative nature of the module.

A colleague who I also consider as a friend was very vocal in acknowledgement that I have a tendancy to take a lot on and that my profile should be amended accordingly if the module does run in September 2010.

Very, very excited about getting the module designed in X-Stream now - the next stage is to meet with some of the learning technologists and Jill Taylor next week to (hopefully) secure the PDAs needed for the module.

I am organising a business networking event where I will invite local businesses who are interested in knowing more about the module and being involved in designing learning activities and assessment to an event in mid-March. I therefore hope to have a list of x5 employers comitted to the module and other employers who would like to be involved moving forward by April.

I have already forged some contacts through various networks and hope to widen the net as I attend the HEA work based learning conference on 16th and 17th March.

I will be attending an activity week to speak with Level 2 business students about the module and will have a sense of who is interested. I need to start thinking about how I am going to capture data for the research aspect of the module and it will be very interesting to identify why students choose to do this module...

Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself again! For now I have to focus on securing the PDAs and identifying employers who are going to commit to the module! Watch this space!