Centre for Industrial Relations Putting Distance Learning Courses On - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Centre for Industrial Relations

Putting Distance Learning Courses On Line

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Developing CIT in distance learning

• Objectives
• To use CIT to add value

to our distance learning Certificate, Post Graduate Diploma & MA courses

• To use CIT to promote

life long learning & wider access to Keele courses

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Who are the students?

Most of the students on the Certificate, Diploma and MA courses have a practical knowledge of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management and are drawn primarily from trade unions. They come from a range of

• ccupations and industries. Some

have previous academic qualifications, others rely for entry into Keele programmes primarily

• n experience.
• 55% are women
• 45% have a first degree
• 45% have a professional

qualification

• 25% have neither of these
• 25% have their fees paid by

their trade union

• A similar number get support

from an employer

• 15% pay all fees themselves

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The issues to be addressed

• Assessment & feedback
• Distance learning presents

particular problems that CIT can help with

• Student support
• Our courses are for those

without realistic access to full- time postgraduate courses. CIT can widen participation

• Student development
• IT skills and student

networking to be supported by CIT

• Will students have access?

A survey of our students tells us that

• 82% have a home computer
• >75% have a CD-ROM at

home

• >66% have internet access at

home

• >50% have free internet access

at work

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Module support

• Module support is the core

aspect of the programme

• Tutor notes to be placed on

line & on CD-ROM

• These will form a ‘seamless’

document allowing hypertext searches within and between modules

• Readings scanned & put on

line in readable and print friendly forms, embedded as hyperlinks in the tutor notes

Part 1: EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP Section 2: Defining the Employment Relationship Section Contents:- 2.1. Introduction to Labour Law 2.2 Introduction to the Employment Relationship 2.3 Who is an Employee? Marginal Workers 2.4 The Contract of Employment Contractual Terms 2.5 The Role of Management

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Module support

• Where appropriate public domain

material available on line will be embedded as hyperlinks

• e.g Workplace Employee

Relations Survey from the DTI

• Hyperlinks to electronic journals to

replace printed / scanned material

• Where appropriate hyperlinks

within the tutor notes will provide access to PowerPoint presentations drawn from lectures given at residential periods at Keele

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Additional features

• Web based materials can be

provided for ‘catch up days’ for those missing residential periods for good cause

• Student self-help groups will be

encouraged via a discussion site or ‘chat room’

• Formative assessment will be

developed from current exercises set for completion in residential periods

• Option and other choices, room

bookings, and other administrative matters can be dealt with on line

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Where have we got to?

• Trial web design completed
• Trial design currently being

developed by staff from KUDIS

• All tutor notes converted to

PDF format

• Scanning equipment and web

authoring software purchased

• All readings scanned into

PDF format

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Progress & barriers

• Staff training planned
• Hope to pilot 3 modules in

2002/2003 session

• Successful scanning took much

longer than planned

• Scanning times decline as material

is ‘banked’

• Difficulties with technical

specification for web based material

• Now incorporating lessons from

developments on undergraduate programme