Congratulations to staff and students in the Division of Arts, whose C2E CDRom was Highly Commended in the Successful Use of Learning Resources category by the AOC National Beacon Awards.

The C2E was sponsored by Marks and Spencer's who offered us the funds to improve employability. We decided to produce a CD Rom for our learners.

The special thing about the C2E was that it was designed and made by our students. The students were able to work with, and utilise the expertise of employers such as St Mary's, MoD, M&S, Sky Imaging and also work with Connexions. In this ways the students understood the needs of the employers.
The students then story boarded the content and also undertook the filming, graphics, illustration, animation and development of the CD Rom. Throughout this they were mentored by a professional from Submerge.

The students who created C2E gained invaluable professional experience, as well as developing skills in team working, working to a brief, a timescale and a budget. For learners who use the C2E, it is a user friendly product which they can take away, contaning practical advice, communicated in a way which meets their learning styles.

Since its release in May 2005, C2E has been distributed to over 4,000 young people studying and living in Westminster. If you would like copies for your students, please contact Clive Lissaman in the Division of Arts.

C2E is a fantastic example of the CoVE at its best. The college and students and employers working in partnership, using the latest digital media technology.
 
The National Beacon Awards
The winners of this year's Beacon Awards were announced at the AoC Annual Conference at the ICC in Birmingham on Wednesday 16 November 2005.

The Beacon Awards Programme, launched in 1994, recognises and is designed to promote the interdependence of further education colleges and business, professional and voluntary sector organisations to their mutual advantage.

The Programme aims to:
·         recognise imaginative and innovatory teaching and learning practice in colleges
·         draw attention to provision which encourages students to confront problems and issues creatively
·         highlight the breadth and quality of education in colleges throughout the UK
·         support learning and continuous improvement through the dissemination of Award -      
          bearing practice
·         raise awareness and increase understanding of colleges' contribution to and role within the UK  
          economy

The Programme represents partnership in action by providing significant benefits for the major players involved:
·         an Award acts as a development grant to help realise the full potential of a project based in a 
          college of further education
·         an Award serves to promote the business needs and interests of the sponsor

The dissemination of the exemplary practice represented by the Award-winning projects is a major purpose of each year's Beacon Awards Programme. Project Profiles of each year's winning colleges are written up and disseminated to the sector approximately a year after their announcement.

 

Wednesday, November 30, 2005