In the next episode of our award winners podcast miniseries, Sophia Speakman interviews Miko Pescott and Savi Bains from Activate Learning, alongside Jonathan Hofgartner from Jisc, discussing Activate Learning's award-winning approach to digital technology in further education.

This episode, hosted by Sophia Speakman, celebrates award winners for their innovative use of digital technology and sharing standout practices from tertiary education exploring Activate Learning's approach to supporting adult learners through remote education.

In this episode, Savi and Miko discuss Activate Learning’s unique learning philosophy which moves away from focusing solely on the traditional methods of teaching. Miko shares with us the emotion and motivation in the online and remote learning process that is needed to change the nature of the teacher role in an online setting to one that is coaching focused to sustain learner motivation.

The team addresses student challenges such as device access, personal commitments, the pandemic and financial constraints with practical solutions to ensure inclusivity.

Jonathan Hofgartner, the lead assessor for the Jisc Beacon Awards, emphasises how Activate's strategy aligns with criteria like innovation, impact, and sustainability.

Finally, Savi and Miko share the critical role that feedback has in driving learner success. By providing timely feedback within 48 hours, even on evenings and weekends, Activate Learning keeps adult learners engaged and motivated to complete assignments. This commitment to rapid feedback, combined with a coaching-focused teaching model, distinguishes Activate Learning's approach and contributes to its success.

Show notes

·       Find out more about Activate Learning and their award-winning learning philosophy.

·       Download our framework for digital transformation.

·      Find out more about the Association of Colleges Beacon Awards.

·      Read our member story sharing Activate Learning’s journey.

·       Subscribe to our Headlines newsletter, which has all the latest edtech news, guidance and events tailored to you.

·       Get in touch with us at podcast@jisc.ac.uk if you’d like to come on the show or know someone who might suit the series.

Please note, this episode of the podcast was originally recorded in September 2023, so please bear that in mind when dates and times are mentioned.

This is the fourth in a series of podcasts focused on further education and skills (FE), hosted by Andrew McFadyen and Louisa Stamatelopoulos. Throughout this series Andrew and Louisa are joined by experts from further education colleges to shine a light on how they support digital development through the use of Jisc tools, such as the digital elevation tool, building digital capability service and digital experience insights surveys.

In this episode Andrew and Louisa are joined by Kerry Heathcote, vice principal of curriculum and quality at College of West Anglia.

The discussion begins with a look ay College of West Anglia’s digital elevation strategy and the six elements that comprise the curriculum design and development and learner experience.

Kerry talks about how Jisc’s digital experience insights survey, through student and learner feedback, allows the college to benchmark themselves and really focus on the student voice, leadership, governance and culture.

Next, Kerry shares advice for teachers on using digital technologies in their teaching by keeping the learner at the heart of the experience.

Lastly, Kerry looks to the future and how the role of the FE teacher may change over time.

Show notes

• Subscribe to Headlines - our newsletter which has all the latest edtech news, guidance and events tailored to you
• Get in touch with us at podcast@jisc.ac.uk if you’d like to come on the show or know someone who might suit the series