Category: Quality assurance

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Delivery and assessment of the curriculum Design, development and approval of programmes Enabling student development and achievement Political, social and economic drivers influencing educational policy and strategy. Quality assurance Student experience Systematic Review

Work-based learning in technical and vocational education

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Blog Authors: Tony Adams, Fiona Balloch, David Cullen, Ian Hamilton, John McVeigh, Walter Patterson, Jan Robertson, Joe Wilson, Tracey Howe

City of Glasgow College provides over 2000 courses across a diverse range of technical, business, and professional curriculum areas. Our unique Industry Academy model channels our curriculum and staff expertise, along with external industry partner collaboration, to match the needs of students with the needs of employers. As a result, our students graduate with industry-relevant skills and highly valuable qualifications sought after by industry. We were therefore interested in a recently published systematic review of Application Of Work-Based Learning Model In Technical And Vocational Education (TVET).

Here’s what they did

The authors searched five databases: Scopus, PsycINFO, Springer, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect using search terms “Work-Based Learning” “Conceptual Model of WBL” “WBL in TVET” and “Implementation of WBL in TVET”. They included and reviewed 16 research based articles published from 2000 to 2018.

Here’s what they found

  • The extent of the implementation of WBL in TVET in tertiary institutions including universities is low.
  • Emphasis was given to aspects such as Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) leaving other aspects unexploited. cooperative work experience, job shadowing, youth apprenticeship programme, internships etc.
  • Factors affecting the implementation of WBL in TVET included curriculum defects, poor policy framework, inadequate trained manpower to supervise the proper implementation and lack of WBL learning implementation framework in institution of learning.

The author/s concluded

WBL is beneficial to students and attainment of the goal of TVET, however, the several obstacles to the proper implementation of the WBL contradicts the effectiveness of the WBL in TVET ……… However, there is no high quality evidence with which to provide robust answers to questions about the effectiveness of WBL.

Our Journal Club’s views

Who are the authors of the paper and where do they work?The authors work at Department of Technical and Engineering Education, School of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru and Department of Electrical and Electronic Technology Education, SOSE (Technical), Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi, Kano, Nigeria.

What do we know about the journal? Education, Sustainability and Society (ESS) is a peer-reviewed, open access trans- and interdisciplinary e-journal. Volume 1 was published in 2018.

What about the methodology used? The authors state that this was a systematic review. However, there were no definitions of the population of interest other than ‘schools’ and ‘workplace’. They did not offer the definition of ‘work based learning’ that they used to include papers. Neither did they define any specific measurable outcomes they were interested in. It is unclear whether papers were independently reviewed and how disagreements were resolved.

The analysis section was weak giving no information on how themes were established or whether they were indeed defined a priori by the authors. No indication is given on whether quality appraisal took place. The findings are descriptive and lack detailed critique.

The discussion is a summary and is not reflective and does not draw upon the extensive wider literature. Instead it focuses on issues relating to the authors own contexts.

The authors could have benefiting from using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Our conclusions are – that this evidence has a high risk of bias.

Implications for our practice

This paper evoked much discussion around this topic. There is literature from North America and Europe and UNESC and the World Bank on this area, examples include [Joe to add].

In terms of our own practice we should be cognisant of National – and for World Skills – International occupational standards and we considered whether our staff are up to date and aware of the latest versions and integrate these into curriculum design, delivery and evaluation. This could be facilitated by the engagement of members from industry professional organisations at all phases in the curriculum cycle. Our Industry Academy model would provide an obvious platform for this.

We discussed the validation cycle for rapidly moving areas such as computing [other examples] which are currently 5 years. Should we be looking a faster cycles such as 18 months? This could be addressed within the refresh of our student experience strategy. Other organisations have considered graduate skills and given the dramatic change since the Covid-19 pandemic we also need to consider skills FOR and AT work.

Other areas discussed included the College’s role as a Civic Anchor and how we could benefit the wider community for example linking with Volunteer Scotland.

Next steps

  • Review the integration of new staff from industry into education
  • Review staff expertise and identify opportunities for updating skills
  • Redefine Industry Academies and their operationalisation
  • Deliver new opportunities for professional practice deriving from work placements –  building on staff internal capacities.
  • Anticipate demand for Active Blended Learning and Active  Distance Learning  programmes in preparation for and during work as part of an ongoing engagement with Industry and Commerce.
  • Finalise the ‘Appointment of visiting and honorary staff’ scheme
  • Engage externals in our governance process e.g. Faculty Boards
  • Engage externals in all aspects of the curriculum process
  • Address some of these issues within the refresh of our student experience strategy.

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What do you think?

References

Keywords: systematic review, technical, vocational, work-based, education, learning

Our Blog Posts are written by staff at City of Glasgow College to inform and inspire our practice. We meet together at the Journal Club to consider the latest evidence to provide insights on hot topics related to learning and teaching, quality assurance and subject needs. It forms part of our activity for General Teaching Council Scotland registration and Professional Standards for lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges demonstrating that we are a self-critical staff community.

Categories
Enabling student development and achievement Lecturers competencies qualitative Quality assurance quantitative

Lecturers Competence in Teaching and Learning

cartoon of teacher

Blog Authors: David Cullen, Jan Robertson, John McVeigh, Tracey Howe

Image: Freepik (https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik) / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

The UK quality Code for Higher Education states that ‘staff have an appropriate level of competence for teaching and supporting learning.’ College Faculty of Nautical and STEM provides a full range of marine operations courses from mandatory training for Merchant Navy Officers to a range of short courses. Therefore we were interested in this recent paper The Analysis of Lecturers Competence in Teaching and Learning Process of Cadets At Makassar Marine Polytechnic.

Here’s what they did

The study aimed to determine the competence of lecturers in the learning process of cadets at Makassar Marine Polytechnic (PIP Makassar). The research method used was a survey method to describe the existing conditions using a questionnaire of nautical, technical and management cadets. The 4 competency aspects studied were:

  • Pedagogic, such as the right methods and media used to create a good learning environment whilst providing guidance and motivation to cadets.
  • Lecturer personality, in providing a good example, duty and authority in front of cadets and still be polite when speaking as well as neatness of dress.
  • Professionalism, in managing the class and delivering training.
  • Social, in communicating and interacting with parents/ guardians of cadets as well as establishing a rapport with peers.

To study identified the main problem of the study to be the competence of lecturers in the teaching and learning process of cadets at PIP Makassar. The research method used was a survey method to describe the existing conditions using a questionnaire as a data collection instrument. The focus of research on a sample totalling 96 consisting of nautical, technical and management cadets.

The population of the study was made up of 135 Cadets of which 65 were majoring in nautical, 55 technical and 15 in management. The number of samples with an error rate of 5% from each population gave 96 cadets. The author collected data via questionnaire, interview and a document review. This data was analysed using a quantitative descriptive analysis in the Frequency Distribution Formula:

P = f/n x 100 Where P = Procedure, f = frequency of respondent’s answers, n = number of respondents

A scale was then used to measure the competence of lecturers.

Here’s what they found

  • Through the analysis of the responses, the author reported that the four aspects of competencies of lecturers measured were good or very good.
  • Through interviewing 3 cadets, one from each of the majors identified, lecturers were able to understand students as individuals.
  • Lecturers were also deemed to have paid special attention to the biological, intellectual and psychological differences of their students in order to better understand them.

The author/s concluded

That the lecturers of PIP Makassar had met the required national education competency standards.

Our Journal Club’s views

Who are the authors of the paper and where do they work?

At the time of publication Endang Lestari worked in the Nautical Department of Politeknik Ilmu Pelayaran Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. As the author was a lecturer in the department, the objectivity and independence were challenged, and a potential conflict of interest was raised regarding the anonymity of the questionnaires where the cadets are the respondents to a lecturer.

What do we know about the journal?

The journal of Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, volume 75. 1st International Conference on Materials Engineering and Management – Management Section (ICMEMm 2018). This paper was a conference paper submission and it is unclear whether it had been peer reviewed.

The literature review section was not linked to the aim of the study and had no critical evaluation of the literature that contributed to the paper.

What about the methodology used?

The paper was more of a practitioner article rather than an academic study – “this is what we did and this is we found”, with no further discourse made. We thought that the rationale for the study was not clearly stated.

The absence of the content of the questionnaire allowed us to speculate on the number of questions asked, the weighting, the number of responses and the format of the questions, whether simplistically framed in order to give the conclusion wanted rather than discovered.

There was no breakdown of the respondents’ data available such as gender, age, questions answered or subject majoring in.

This evidence was very limited with no general recommendations for further study. There were no ethical considerations reported of the sample population or of the interviewees (cadets and staff in the institute) and this introduced a high risk of bias. The body of this paper was poorly presented, with poor syntax, poor reporting and of a poor structure and style that is sandwiched between the abstract and the conclusion.

No strengths, weaknesses, self-critique or recommendations were forthcoming in the subsequent analysis for the responses.

Our conclusions are – that this evidence has a high risk of bias.

Implications for our practice

A topical piece that unfortunately promised more than it delivered. It highlighted the importance of social rapport with students as a competence and led discussion to the process of recruiting lecturers. Student rapport is not guaranteed with a candidate that has the required academic and industry experience. In fact, how lecturers’ interpersonal skills contribute to the team could be more of a measure of social competence.

Next steps

There is the potential for the College to conduct a similar study, learning from the inadequacies of this study and then conduct a compare and contrast critical evaluation. The focus of future study could investigate the academic and vocational competencies required in delivering vocational courses with the demands of GTCS registration and the Professional Standards for Lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges.

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Joe to get a relevant external commentator

What do you think?

References

Keywords: competencies, professionalism, lecturer, cadets, learning process, questionnaire

Our Blog Posts are written by staff at City of Glasgow College to inform and inspire our practice. We meet together at the Journal Club to consider the latest evidence to provide insights on hot topics related to learning and teaching, quality assurance and subject needs. It forms part of our activity for General Teaching Council Scotland registration and Professional Standards for lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges demonstrating that we are a self-critical staff community.

Categories
Quality assurance review

What is quality assurance and why do we need it?

Blog Authors: Tony Adams, Fiona Balloch, Lynn Brown, Tom Duff, Tracey Howe, John McVeigh, Joe Mulholland, Penny Robertson, Lisa Shields, Derek Timpany, Joe Wilson.

There have been a number of recent conversations across our College about Quality Assurance (QA). What is it? Why do we need it? To help us consider these questions and aid our conversations going forward we took a look at the literature.  

In 2015 Tricia Ryan from the Laureate International Universities network published a review of the literature of quality assurance in higher education in Higher Learning Research Communications an open access journal. 

Here’s what they did. The author reviewed a series of papers relating to quality assurance in global higher education. It provides an overview of accreditation as a mechanism to ensure quality in higher education, examines models of Quality Assurance, and explores the concept of quality (including definitions of quality and quality assurance).  In addition, this paper provides a review of research on the effectiveness of quality assurance practices, with a particular focus on student involvement with quality assurance. 

Here’s what they found

  • there is no agreement as to a QA definition or a QA model. 
  • accreditation structures are decentralized and complex at both the regional and international level. 
  • concerns of faculty members and other stakeholders, such as students, about the QA process 

The author/s concluded

  • There is a need for a common framework for a quality assurance model; however, there is no agreement as to a QA definition or a QA model.  
  • Given that students are at the centre of higher education, and invest time and money in the system, involving them could improve QA processes 

Our Journal Club’s views

Who are the authors of the paper and where do they work? At the time of publication Tricia Ryan worked, Director, Quality and Performance Improvement, Academic Quality and Accreditation, The Laureate International Universities network. This network comprises over 25 higher education institutions and more than 875,000 students, primarily focused in Latin America. Our view is that this author has validity. 

What do we know about the journal? The Journal Higher Learning Research Communications is a peer reviewed journal founded in 2011 by four Laureate International Universities® network institutions: Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), Universidad Andrés Bello (Chile), Universidad Europea de Madrid (Spain), and Walden University (USA). It is an open access journal. Our view is that this is a reputable journal. 

What about the methodology used? This is a narrative literature review. The aim of the review is stated as “to examine the literature surrounding quality assurance in global higher education. However, the author does not state any specific question/s. There are no details on why or how the included papers were selected. Nor are there any details on whether any quality appraisal of each paper was undertaken. There is only one author and so only one opinion. Although the aim was to consider global higher education the majority of papers focus on the US. All included papers included appeared to be in English Language. The included papers are however relatively recent compared to the publication date. 

Our conclusions are – that this evidence has a potential high risk of bias.

Implications for our practice

Do we have a shared vision for quality and if so, what is it?  Quality is quite a nebulous concept, one that almost defies analysis and definition. One instinctively knows or feels if one has experienced a quality product or service but putting the finger on what exactly made that an experience of quality can be difficult to evaluate….do we need to? 

Within education there are different stakeholders who wish to see that quality is attained. From a macro level, one could view this from society itself, as within educational institutions the student is exposed to the values, mores and norms of that particular nation state, so this would by default be a component of the quality of the education.  The providers of that education wish to deliver a service of quality, both in terms of the process and of course the outcome, in terms of results. This is likely to be determined and influenced by an external body and financial sanctions, with the expectation and demand of ever-increasing numbers of students successfully achieving, and at higher levels. This expectation in turn could negatively impact of the overall quality of the service provided, the value of the qualification obtained and the reputation of the awarding institution. At the ‘coal face’, teachers or lecturers teach for many reasons, but one would suggest that they all wish to be ‘good’ teachers, inspirational and motivating, not only from their own perspective but most certainly in their students’ eyes, so will strive to provide ’quality’ teaching…. but how is this defined? 

Ultimately, it could be suggested that is in the student, the person being taught who can determine the quality of the teaching and the educational experience as a whole. We can all think of exceptional teachers in our lives and can recognise quality teaching…so it may be, that this group is the one who trumps the others in terms of determining quality…and perhaps this is where we should go in order to try to establish a working definition of the concept.  It may be that what is uncovered by such an approach will differ or reflect the concept of quality education from the other relevant stakeholders. Perhaps asking the students might help to establish a baseline to define what is high quality teaching and education…. if we feel the need to capture its essence. 

What internal mechanisms do we have in place for Quality Assurance? This includes but is not limited to;  

  • In course questionnaires such as student satisfaction, learning and teaching questionnaire 
  • Students representation – Board of Management, faculty boards, CIAMS, academic board and student academic experience committee, student services committee, learning and teaching committee 
  • Guidance sessions  
  • Myvoice.  

We think in terms of the paper City of Glasgow College are probably ahead of HE globally, however, the paper was potential for high bias and was published in 2015. 

What external mechanisms do we have in place for Quality Assurance?  We have SQA External Verification, Education Scotland, University partners, Professional bodies who; 

  • Talk to staff and students 
  • Verify assessments 
  • Award qualifications 

In terms of the material discussed in the paper we are perhaps ahead of international model.   

Our challenge is the feedback loop – do we take action on what learners say and what we are analysing the projects. We have different models in College dependent on the mode of student. 

Other topics We them moved into wider ranging conversation about what constitutes quality of learner experience and how we add value and attract learners in an increasingly competitive market place.  How should we react to Amazon Colleges etc and new competition?  What gives us a good reputation? is it quality, how do we define this?  How do we add value? 

  • Education is a social experience, how can we engage learners in fundraising, social responsibility, social learning, broader experiences  
  • Education is not just about getting a certificate  
  • Why did you choose us … we need to do more …where is blended learning and flexible offers.  

How do we quality assure online and blended learning? This was thought to be important and something we will consider at our next meeting. 

Next steps

We agreed that as a group we would draft a paper on College quality systems

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City of Glasgow College’s Quality Management Systems   

Information relating to quality can be found on Connected on the Quality Management Systems section. Other information includes; 

References

Keywords: Quality, assurance, verification, education 

What do you think?

Our Blog Posts are written by staff at City of Glasgow College to inform and inspire our practice. We meet together at the Journal Club to consider the latest evidence to provide insights on hot topics related to learning and teaching, quality assurance and subject needs. It forms part of our activity for General Teaching Council Scotland registration and Professional Standards for lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges demonstrating that we are a self-critical staff community.

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