• Home

• About the resources

• Mentoring

• ILPs

• Teaching observation

• In your organisation
• Models
• Resources
• Teaching observation centres

• Bradford College
• Bridgwater College
• Bury College
• Canterbury Christ Church University
• City College Norwich
• City of Bristol College
• Cornwall College
• Nottingham Trent University
• Staffordshire University
• Truro College
• University of Derby
• University of Huddersfield and CPCET
• University of Plymouth
• University of Southampton
• University of Sunderland
• West Nottinghamshire College

• Models

• Pilot centres

 

 

University of Huddersfield - Case study

About the University of Huddersfield and the Consortium for Post-Compulsory Education and Training (CPCET)

The University of Huddersfield is the largest single provider of initial teacher training (ITT) awards for the Learning and Skills Sector (L&S), with over 2,500 trainees studying for its professional qualifications each year. Courses leading to these awards are provided through a partnership of 30 further education (FE) colleges constituted as the Consortium for PCET (CPCET). Between them, these partners undertake each year something approaching 10,000 observations of practice in learning and skills contexts.

 

These observations of trainees’ practice have always been a vital part of the courses leading to CertEd. and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) (PCET) but, because of the very nature of the process, quality assurance and enhancement of the observation process have presented particular challenges.

 

Key idea:
"New digital technology has increased the functionality, versatility and usability of video and it now offers practical possibilities for various ways of increasing the benefits to be derived from observing trainees. This potential relates to improvements in the trainees’ learning, in the assessment of their achievements and in the quality assurance processes associated with observations of their practice. This project has investigated many of the opportunities and challenges associated with exploiting this potential."

 

Because its members are dispersed across the north of England, the CPCET has always been concerned to facilitate communication, co-ordination and collaboration. We have done this through various means, in particular by investing heavily in new technologies. For example, we have pioneered the development of a cross-institutional and cross-sector development of a Managed Learning Environment. As part of this process we have developed various kinds of video-based facility and have provided the necessary equipment from central resources. The Teacher Education section of each CPCET partner now has, for example, at least one portable, Mac-based video-editing suite, and also a camera that can be controlled remotely over the web.

 

Video links have previously been used for purposes other than the observation of trainees. The pilot for the DfES provided an opportunity for systematic exploration and evaluation of how existing facilities could be used to enhance aspects of the observation process – at a time when Ofsted, the DfES and other agencies concerned with improving standards in ITT have required that more attention be given to observation of trainees’ practice.

 

Besides the national concern to enhance the observation process within ITT, two local developments increased the incentive for us to explore the potential of digital technologies:

 

1. The External Examiners’ Summary Report of 2004 added impetus by encouraging us:
   

    

   ‘to develop notions and practices of self- and peer-assessment’

 

2. Investigation of ITT tutors’ development requirements across CPCET revealed that, both initially and on a continuing basis, support of observation of teaching practice was among the most valued. (From 79 responses, and using a 1–5 scale, where 5 signified ‘very important’, the mean scores were 4.47 for initial training and 4.12 for continuing support.)

 

Aims and objectives

The pilot was designed to:

 

• explore the use of digital video in diverse learning contexts for the purpose of enhancing learning, assessment and quality assurance in the process of observing practice
• generate practical models and guides for integrating the use of such technology into the delivery of different ITT curricula.

 

The investigation particularly pursued the following applications of digital video in relation to observations:

 

• enhancing trainees' effectiveness by providing:
  
  • authentic examples of good practice
  • multi-media briefing packs for trainees and tutors with interactive preparatory exercises.
• enhancing reflection on practice by facilitating:
  
  • observing (recorded) self
  • feedback from peers
  • feedback from diverse mentors.
• assessing practice:
  
  • formal and informal
  • formative and summative.
• quality assurance processes:
  
  • training new observers
  • observing observers
  • moderating assessments of practice
  • holding a permanent record and allowing evidence to be revisited.