Virtual College for School Leadership

The Professional Qualification for Headship PQH(NI) has enabled considerable experience in supporting candidates’ learning through a blended approach, incorporating a significant online dimension, to be developed. Candidates and tutors have access to materials, asynchronous and synchronous discussions and to peer to peer email and file exchange facilities. This experience has been gained through the use of the Blackboard environment provided by C2k. A growing number of the team of RTU associates who service this programme and who are, or have been, senior figures within the service, have demonstrated a willingness to embrace this aspect of the work as an essential element of the programme. In refining and developing the programme for the next cohort of candidates it has been agreed that participation in the online communities will be a mandatory requirement. In recruiting candidates for PQH(NI) the Unit has developed a web-based online application form and has provided information on the Unit’s Web site. All candidates who require one, are loaned an Internet-ready laptop computer.

Other School Leadership College Programmes

• The RTU’s Masters in Business Administration programme, offered in association with the University of Hull, has also developed the use of Blackboard to support candidates.
• A Strategic Leadership in ICT programme has been piloted for headteachers in the primary sector and a programme for the post-primary sector will be piloted during 2004.
• A programme for the headteachers of schools with PQH(NI) candidates is being offered and is supported by an online dimension.
• As indicated in the RTU 2003 – 2004 Prospectus, all other professional development programmes are in the process of planning and piloting an appropriate level of online enhancement.
• The development of international networks of professional practice, associated with a programme of international visits/exchanges for headteachers and education award winners, have a strong focus on the educational value of ICT.

Capacity building for the wider service in the area of elearning

At the request of the ET Strategy Management Group, RTU has appointed an officer for elearning. Through this appointment the Unit has developed and had validated by the NI Open College Network, a programme of professional development for the staff of the education service support organisations. The first cohort of participants began in November 2003. It is hoped that this programme will also allow the first testing of an approach to building eportfolios which has been developed and which will be piloted in other programmes. The Unit’s Management Resource Centre (MRC) has provided online access to its growing catalogue of resources. This is available through a Unit intranet, maintained through the MRC, and through a link in the Unit’s web site.

Staff Development within RTU

All professional officers and all support staff of the Unit have had the opportunity to develop their basic ICT skills and competence through participation in the European Computer Driving Licence and Microsoft User programmes. In addition there is an ongoing programme to enhance the skills of the technical support staff through Microsoft programmes. All professional staff have had the opportunity to take part in a twelve week programme on elearning. This programme was mounted in conjunction with Framingham College, Massachusetts, evaluated through the N Ireland elearning Partnership and helped influence the design of the elearning programme developed by RTU.

RTU briefing paper: Byron Evans, ICT Advisory Officer. More details are available on www.rtuni.org

JANUARY 2004