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For this assignment I have chosen to design an improved curriculum for a Level 3 Unit for National Diploma Travel & Tourism students. The unit, Long Haul Travel Destinations, has been delivered by another tutor for the last 4 years. I believe this unit should motivate the students to want to learn more about some of the exciting and varied Long Haul destinations around the globe, particularly those who may not have travelled to destinations outside of the UK or Europe. Currently, it is delivered in such a manner where the use of IT is not encouraged, apart from what the learner may use for research.
This is due to the fact that the current tutor lacks in confidence and experience in IT. I feel this is why the learners find it a dull unit and are often late submitting work and produce the minimum amount of work to achieve a pass in the unit. I feel there is an opportunity with this unit to create some passion in the learners to learn about and eventually have the desire to travel to far-flung destinations, that maybe they would not have been aware of prior to studying this unit.
Therefore I have redesigned the curriculum to include some exciting and innovative uses of IT, which will hopefully be inspirational for the group of learners and also improve the process of facilitating learning and marking the student work for the tutor. The Scheme of Work (Appendix 1) is designed to be delivered over 10-12 weeks, most of our units are delivered in a double session over one term.
At Level 3 the learners are not just expected to research and present facts and information on long haul destinations but are also required to look at the factors that affect customer choice, and also evaluate how destinations can capitalise on facilities and features to influence and improve future development. These optional parts of the unit, that allow us to differentiate between learners of different abilities; will allow the them to achieve merit and distinction.
This should stretch and challenge the learners and help them develop a better understanding of the types of long haul destinations available to customers and why they have become successful tourist destinations. This unit will also encourage the learner to make links between customer type, motivation to travel, travel factors and the choice of destination. The learner is also required to plan a multi-centre tour; therefore this will introduce them to some of the complex reservations websites that allow the customer or the travel agent, to plan a multi-sector tour.
Such websites allow the customer to select travel options such as airline, method and route, accommodation choices, optional extras such as tours, activities and car hire and work within a limited financial budget. Many learners, perhaps due to age or background, are not aware of the costs involved in a long haul holiday or maybe the difference between economy, business or first class travel. I have attempted to design a curriculum for learners who will, in the workplace, need to be aware of the resources and information available on the internet, and also the range of reservation websites available to travel agents and the public.
Many of the sites used by the public are the same as those used by travel agents, the main difference being when a travel agent uses a login to make a reservation it does not request payment by credit card at the end, it will simply generate an invoice to the travel agents credit account. This curriculum is designed to give the learners more confidence in using different types of web media, and a varied means of presenting their work such as podcasts, blogs and video clips.
The entire unit will be delivered via the learning channel, and in theory learners need not print out any work on paper, however paper copies are available to all learners who request them and they can be printed to meet any special needs, ie text size, paper colour to suit dyslexic students. Any work submitted, whether it be on MS Word, MS PowerPoint or Prezi. com can be accessed by the tutor and assessed online, and feedback can be returned electronically.
Each task will be clearly laid out on the learning channel, with the grading criteria, assignment learning outcomes and range, each task will also have weblinks, examples of video podcasts, and instructions on how to use software such as Prezi. com or websites such as podbean. com. The students will also have access to their grade book and feedback from the tutor on each piece of work, the students will also be given the chance to assess each others work, both the Prezi presentations and the podcasts by using the discussion section of the Learning Channel.
A copy of the assignment brief, which has been produced on the document template used by our department, and approved by Edexcel, is available in Appendix 2. When designing this curriculum I have attempted to include some innovative uses of ILT, which will widen the knowledge and confidence of the learners. This may be their first opportunity to publish their own blog or use presentation software such as Prezi. Therefore I have ried to ensure inclusivity by offering alternative methods of delivery, for example if the student is not confident producing a presentation via PowerPoint or Prezi, they can choose to produce a story board with a mixture of text and images. Those that have more creative artistic skills than IT skills will be able to show their knowledge and understanding better in this manner. Inclusivity is important, in that it will ensure that all learners are included in learning activities in the classroom, and is based on the concepts of equality and human rights.
Inclusion in the classroom respects values and needs of learners and supports diversity in the learning environment. Schools, colleges and universities in the UK are having to cater for a wider than ever range of cultural, family and ethnic backgrounds. To ensure that Inclusivity is integrated into the curriculum, the organisation and tutors within it need to ensure all learners feel valued and are treated equally. They need to adapt the curriculum to respond to the diversity of students and reduce barriers to learning by making adaptations for those learners with special educational needs or impairments.
If educational establishments can recognise and impart the message of inclusivity through their staff and learners, this will also be passed on into the community where inclusion is still an issue. There are parts of this curriculum that may create barriers to a learner with a sight impairment, however there are software programs available to help sight impaired learners such as Sensus Internet Browser which can read the text on a webpage to the internet user.
There are also Braille printers available, and Braille keypads. Some of the travel guides that learners may need access to may be available in Braille as are many of the guide books on Long Haul Destinations. When covering a range of long haul destinations you are given a perfect opportunity to introduce diversity, by looking at the different cultures, values, religious views and differences to the society we live in, here in the UK.
An important feature of the design of the curriculum is to ensure that the learner’s research should focus on the diverse cultures of different countries and depending on your mix of learners you may be able to choose those from different backgrounds or countries to share some of their knowledge and experience of different cultures. If a learner from within the group is from a different country or cultural background, they may choose to share their knowledge and awareness of their home country and culture.
This would not only improve the content of the subject matter, but also improve the inclusivity of the course. Curriculum Design or Course Design as Geoff Petty refers to it in “Teaching Today” (Petty, 2004, pg 440) breaks it down into 3 modes, class teaching where learners are learning more or less the same in the classroom, Resource based learning where each learner can work at their own pace through a series of resources, perhaps online, and thirdly Self directed learning where learners are all at different paces, and are setting their own goals.
The BTEC unit, for which I have re-designed the curriculum allows all of these modes to be incorporated, as some of it is classroom taught, especially for practical tasks and group work, there is also Resource based learning, as learners can access resources, tasks and handouts on the Learning channel in their own time or they may attempt to work ahead of the taught sessions, the self directed learning may come in when the learner is using a website autonomously for the first time; for example Expedia for booking travel arrangements or Prezi for creating an alternative presentation to PowerPoint.
Geoff Petty talks about the scheme of work and states: ” The best schemes (of work) suggest active teaching and learning strategies that require students to develop an understanding of the content, but also to make them use important skills ” (Petty, 204, p441) These strategies have been integrated into my scheme of work, by using active learning methods to present video podcasts, as the learner is using creative presentation skills, and putting them into practice, rather than just typing an assignment or using PowerPoint.
Also by introducing a variety of new websites and software programmes, the learners are developing an understanding and using important skills. What I have also tried to reflect in the scheme of work is the Blended Learning; this is where there is a variety of learning methods used. Currently there is little evidence of blended learning in its current delivery method.
The subject matter is discussed or taught in class, with the students then researching and presenting all their work on MS Word, with perhaps the odd PowerPoint thrown in for variation. The handouts are currently given to students on paper only, so if they are mislaid they may not be able to obtain another if they are not in college at the time. As mentioned earlier, I believe this is why the learners currently find it a dull unit, as there is no variation in the delivery, the resources or the assessment methods.
During my research I referred to the “Lecturer’s Toolkit” (Race, 2007) on Blended Learning and answered the questions posed in the book (pg 177-179) such as “Decide which parts of the syllabus to switch to resource based mode. ” I always feel it is useful for the learners to have a paper copy of the assignment brief and unit specification to keep in their folders, as this helps them to identify each unit, also a lengthy document such as an assignment brief can be easier to digest and browse through on paper, than viewing online.
Also the Unit specification is handy to have on paper, as the learners are often trying to meet a wide range in the learning outcomes. There would also be some simple prompt sheets available for the learner, ie how to use prezi. com, it could be a simple checklist for example “go to www. prezi. com and set up a new user account”, followed by start new project and so on. This might be easier for those who are not confident with new IT programs, than attempting to use a website for the first time with no instruction.
Also in the Lecturer’s Tool Kit the question was posed “Work out the best things to do in Lecture times” , I would ensure that the lecture time was used to pass on specialist knowledge or guidance, useful tips and resource suggestions, as opposed to allowing students to work on projects such as PowerPoint or Blogs. It is also a good opportunity for students to work in groups or pairs to share ideas, and provide feedback on their progress with current tasks.
Lastly “Consider building into the learning materials short assignments or exercises to be handed in during lecture time”, I have added various tasks to the Scheme of Work that do not form part of the assignment, so are therefore formative assessments preparing the students for the summative assessment, for example the students have been asked to complete a couple of webquests on 2 long haul destinations during lesson time, this will familiarise them with searching for resources and information using various search engines on the internet.
Also the task where the students have to produce their own map in Google Maps, could be introduced with the students creating a map of their local area or of destinations in Europe they have visited with photos added at each pinpoint from their Facebook page. This is something the students would enjoy doing and it would introduce them to the way in which Google Maps can be used in a multi media presentation. Inclusivity in FE is more of an issue than in the compulsory education sector as we also have age to consider with our learners.
If a subject is being taught to a group of learners whose IT ability is varied, this may correlate to their age. Often the younger learners can produce a piece of work in Word or PowerPoint to a better standard than some older learners as they are more confident with the software, however more mature learners who may have had more experience of reading or researching might show they have the advantage on research methods and taking the information in and digesting it better than the younger learner.
In 2003 the government issued a white paper called “The Future of Higher Education”. Part of the policy outlined in the white paper was to improve post compulsory education for people from poorer backgrounds, those from ethnic minorities and disabled students. It was recognised that those entering HE through a college or university have traditionally come from the top 3 social classes (DCSF website).
Also since the publication of the Specialist Educational Needs and Disability Act, 2001, it is now unlawful for institutions to discriminate against disabled students when handling admissions and also the services they provide for them, therefore inclusivity is more than just a necessity when planning a course or curriculum, it has to be a major consideration for establishments when planning for future intake.
Equality & Diversity has been met within the scheme of work, by ensuring that learners can understand and embrace the different cultures of long haul destinations, what the traditions and values are and also the type of customer who might choose these destinations. Part of the task for learning outcome four, where they are required to plan a long haul tour will be for them to consider the needs of disabled travellers and identify the areas that will need to be investigated, to ensure the trip runs smoothly for the passenger and also what special requests would need to be made, for example on the flight or in the accommodation.
I would also ensure that any learning materials were available in different modes for learners with special needs, ie dyslexic students often prefer not to read from a screen so handouts would be made available on coloured paper with plain font used. What I have attempted to do when I designed this curriculum is to try to enthuse and excite the learners, so instead of reading through the scheme of work or assignment brief and simply seeing a lot of repetitive word processed tasks with the odd PowerPoint thrown in for good measure.
They will see some new and creative uses of assessment, and new ways of delivering and preparing their work such as Prezi. com which a lot of students are still not aware of. Most of my learners who are aged 16-19 are computer literate and usually pick up most new software packages fairly easily. However there are some exceptions, perhaps some of the international students may not be familiar with PowerPoint. Therefore I would include coaching sessions for all students so that they could all use Prezi. com before they start the task.
It is a very easy self-taught piece of software to use, and has been put to the test by myself, my colleagues, and my 10 year old daughter. Also, the part of the course where students are required to deliver a podcast, will enable them to deliver the same range from the learning criteria but as spoken word, so even though they would need to prepare some written notes, they would not need to prepare such a long written task as they have in the past. The podcast can be recorded in privacy or in front of the group, therefore the less confident members of the group or those for whom English is not the first language would not feel under pressure.
Again the option to produce this part of the assignment as a piece of written work would also be offered, if the learner did not want to produce a podcast. A podcast is an excellent method for someone with a hearing impairment to deliver work, as they would be able to research the material and then record the podcast, aided if required, for the rest of the group to listen to. They could also and listen to other podcasts with the help of a sign language interpreter or computer hearing device, or the podcast could be transcribed.
Following the seminars from our peers I also feel that video clips could be used to assess learners’ knowledge of destinations, as they could present a mini travel guide to upload to YouTube or a travel guide website. I would also consider using the Wiki’s for students to publish online guides to various destinations, this would also allow peer assessment and collaborative studies as students could evaluate each others work in progress and completed work and also add information if they were familiar with a particular destination that another learner was researching.
I would also like to end the unit by giving the students a chance to showcase their work by holding a travel destination show, in college, in conjunction with the travel shop, promoting the destinations they have researched and offering some special offers or discounts through the travel shop. I am sure this would draw a lot of interest from staff and students. The travel show could include video presentations, posters, fact sheets, and pictures of selected destinations.
I have attempted to present the scheme of work in such a way that the students can see at a glance what different types of IT or audio visual equipment they are going to be using throughout the unit. When delivering a unit I also give the students a modified version of the scheme of work which they keep in their folders, and it is accessible on the learning channel or on the classroom notice-board, therefore the student can see what they have missed if they have not attended college (Appendix 3) On completion of my scheme of work and assignment brief I asked for feedback from my Mentor – Helen Morten and colleague – Claire Jones.
The feedback I had from Claire Jones was very positive; Claire is a great advocate of the use of IT and especially the Learning Channel. In my department I have used the learning channel more comprehensively than my peers, with complete units delivered via the learning channel, including assessment tools, assignment delivery and submission and grade books. I have been asked to deliver training to the team at the end of the academic year on how I have utilised the learning channel within my units.
Claire is always keen to introduce new methods of IT and thought the idea of the Podcasts would interest the learners, and she also felt I had covered the diversity in the group by including options regarding the delivery of work, e. g. maps, which may be paper based if preferred. The feedback from Helen Morten had some more critical suggestions which I would input if I were to deliver this unit, such as not offering too many IT choices, such as Prezi or PowerPoint, stipulating just one is enough.
Also I should use numbering for learning outcomes consistent with the Unit specification. Also students should not be given the option of doing a paper option instead of Google Maps unless there is a special need that requires it to be a paper based task. Helen liked the idea of my colour coded scheme of work so those aiming for merit and/or distinction could differentiate between tasks by using colour coding. I should also make it explicit which assessments are formative and which are summative.
To summarise this assignment I believe the curriculum you design needs to focus on what will be taught and what will be learned, the variation of learning styles you may encounter in your group and how you can meet those through blended learning. Giving the students something to look forward to week after week, inspiring tasks and new ways of doing their work. One of the main complaints we have from students is that they are bored of the same old thing, and it’s a fact that many of their lessons follow the same format “this is what you need to learn, now go and write about it”.
Sometimes when students fall behind, you discuss their outstanding work and it can be 6 or 8 assignments to produce on word, quite a daunting task for anyone. However if one of their tasks is to research and produce a podcast on Rio de Janeiro and the Mardi Gras, for example, I am sure many students will complete this task first. I would try and change the lesson format each week, even room layout and location if possible, all of these things can awaken the student when they arrive for the lesson.
Hopefully it has come across in this assignment that I am very passionate about travel and tourism and particularly about teaching learners about the world and the fantastic destinations they can visit, therefore I feel this will come across in this unit if I get chance to deliver it in 2010-11. It will be interesting to gain feedback from learners this time next year on how they have enjoyed Unit 8 compared to other units. WORD COUNT 3729