BSDC Wins Impact Award for blended learning

Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) was recently awarded the Blended Learning Consortium’s (BLC) Impact Award for excellent use of BLC content to support learning at the BLC Summer Conference.

The Blended Learning Consortium (BLC) was set up to support colleges in moving forward to meet accredited guidelines and allow members to benefit from the creation and sharing of FE specific resources for different learning levels and subject areas. It is an open partnership of colleges working together to create high-quality, online learning content.

The Impact Award is given to the college or college group that has best demonstrated how teachers have used the BLC learning materials to support learners, and how those learners have benefited from them.

To be successful, colleges have to show how BLC materials are used to support learning, how learners benefit from using BLC materials and how BLC materials impact on factors such as learner engagement, participation and success.

BSDC integrates BLC content through its BSDC 'BE' initiative, which includes BE Tutorial, BE Independent and BE Social. This programme focuses on personal development, preparing learners for work and becoming effective citizens. Key themes include safeguarding, British values, study skills, employability skills, digital skills and wellbeing.

The 'BE Independent' programme blends face-to-face learning with digital BLC content via Canvas, allowing students to deepen their understanding of complex topics. Nearly 4000 students have engaged with the programme, earning 3,146 Gold digital badges. BSDC’s approach received high praise in the College’s 2023 Ofsted inspection for its outstanding support, helping students understand societal issues and the importance of equality and celebrating differences.

Zoe Tierney, Learning Technologist at BSDC said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised for our integration of BLC materials in our BE sessions. Students appreciate the flexibility of BLC materials, completing modules at their own pace and integrating learnings into their specific subject areas. We’re dedicated to continuously evolving our approach to ensure our learners are both job-ready and life-ready.”