SDELC (Staff development e-learning centre)

The Staff development e-learning centre provides information and activities to develop staff awareness and knowledge to support the integration of e-learning within your organisation. Originally designed for staff working in adult and community learning, the content is also relevant to other organisations concerned with post-16 education.

Throughout the E-Guides training programme there are references made to supporting information on SDELC. The materials are divided into relevant modules of study depending on whether you are a manager, tutor or support staff, or you can also choose your own course of study. The modules cover all key topics around e-learning staff development, including e-learning theory, applications, tools, resources, content creation, management and incorporation of e-learning, and legal issues around e-learning.

Module 1.0: Introduction to the materials.
Module 2.0: Getting to grips with e-learning.
Module 3.0: The tools of e-learning.
Module 4.0: Managing e-learning.
Module 5.0: Incorporating e-learning into your curriculum area.
Module 6.0: Leading e-learning.
Module 7.0: E-learning content – sourcing and creating.
Module 8.0: E-learning and outreach.
Module 9.0: E-learning and accessibility.
Module 10.0: Widening participation with e-learning.
Module 11.0: Further staff development training resources.
Module 12.0: Sources of funding for developing e-learning.
Module 13.0: Project management.

National Learning Network (NLN)

Funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and available free to the post-16 sector, the NLN materials represent one of the most substantial and wide-ranging collections of e-learning materials in the UK.

The NLN Materials are small, flexible 'bite-sized' episodes of learning. They are not whole courses but are designed to support a wide range of subject and topic areas. The materials adopt a range of approaches involving some knowledge acquisition, a chance to practise and absorb, and some form of assessment to check that the learning has been understood and the learning outcome(s) achieved.
Learning providers working in Adult and Community Learning, Further and Higher Education, Offender Learning and Work-based Learning can gain access to the materials. Further information on how to access the materials can be found here.

The NLN offers nearly 1,000 hours of e-learning materials across different subject areas. Furthermore, curricula mappings, lesson plans and case studies can be accessed through the NLN website.

Excellence Gateway

The Excellence Gateway, developed and hosted by the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) is the online service for post-16 learning and skills providers and the new home for Learning and Skills Web and Excalibur. Here you will find examples of good practice, self-improvement, suppliers of improvement services plus materials to support teaching and learning (which you can access through the section “browse resources”).

The Excellence Gateway consists of the following sections:

Community Learning Resource – ACLearn

The Community Learning Resource website supports the adult and community learning (ACL) sector. It provides information, advice and guidance to those working in the sector and is designed to complement the rollout of effective e-learning and related support into ACL. The site is now hosted through the Excellence Gateway.

The content of ACLearn is structured the following way:

Ferl

Ferl is a web-based information service managed by the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA). Ferl aims to support individuals and organisations within the Post-Compulsory Education sector to make effective use of ICT and e-learning. This is in accordance with the QIA's remit to encourage innovation and excellence in the learning and skills sector.

The Ferl website contains a wealth of information and materials for lecturers, teachers, facilitators, trainers, managers, ILT Champions and support staff; in fact anyone involved in Post-Compulsory Education. It aims to offer advice, guidance, and examples on the use of ILT in all aspects of the post-compulsory education sector. This includes FE colleges, sixth forms, adult and community, work force development, work-based learning and recently addressing 14 - 19 issues. The site also provides resources for use in teaching and learning, with guidance on how these could be, and have been, implemented.

What will you find on the Ferl web site?

Reviews of electronic learning materials, multi-media and web sites. These are all categorised, and where directly relating to teaching and learning, by curriculum subject area.
Case studies on the development and integration of ILT into teaching and Learning.
Lesson plans containing downloadable worksheets and sample material for teaching and learning.
Articles instructing users exactly 'How to' create teaching and learning resources for student use.
A bank of on-line tests and quizzes providing both the opportunity to submit or make use of existing on-line tests.
Details of ILT related events, across the UK, and current ILT news.
Focus areas, providing in-depth and detailed information about current, relevant topics relating to ILT and Post compulsory education.
Key sector documents and papers relating to ILT.

TechDis

TechDis aims to be the leading educational advisory service, working across the UK, in the fields of accessibility and inclusion.

The TechDis mission is to support the education sector in achieving greater accessibility and inclusion by stimulating innovation and providing expert advice and guidance on disability and technology. TechDis is a JISC-funded Advisory Service (Joint Information Systems Committee).

On the TechDis website you can find numerous resources for downloading, including the TechDis Staff Packs, Accessibility Essentials and the Toolbar and Wizards (which you can find in the Resources and References section).

The content of the TechDis site is structured in the following way:

Key Skills Support Programme

The Key Skills Support Programme (KSSP) is delivered by the LSN consortium on behalf of QIA. The KSSP website offers support and development opportunities for practitioners across the post-16 sector. Furthermore, the website provides access to e-learning resources that can be used with learners.