Epic and UoB win National Training Award
‘skills4uni’, developed by Epic in partnership with the University of Birmingham (UoB), has won a prestigious 2010 National Training Award in the Partnership and Collaboration category.
skills4uni is a highly interactive online study skills programme, which aims to reduce the drop-out rate amongst undergraduates by giving prospective students an idea of what to expect from university life. It includes tools to help students identify what kind of learner they are, advice on critical and objective thinking, how to use the library, and practical tips on taking notes/asking questions in lectures. A key aspect of development involved regular focus groups with 16-18 year olds, actively feeding into the design process to ensure the final solution was contemporary and engaging, rather than gimmicky and patronising.
Overall, the panel deemed our entry as ‘outstanding’, showing ‘impressive impact’ and ‘excellence in the quality of training’.
Specifically, the judges praised the Epic/UoB partnership, with both organisations using their particular strengths to support effective design and development. In particular, “it was clear to the judges that this was not just a supplier relationship, as there was very close working to research and develop a programme for the sector, which needed expertise of both partners.”
The judges particularly liked ‘the mode of delivery being used, the excellent value for money which was being demonstrated, and the clear and robust evaluation being carried out’.
Alec Keith, Epic’s Marketing Director, commented, “skills4uni is truly unique - the first interactive study skills e-learning for the UK HE sector aimed at pre-entry learners. One of the key reasons we’ve won is that in partnership with the University of Birmingham we’ve undertaken a full evaluation of the programme at all 4 levels of the Kirkpatrick model and proven its benefits. Drop-out rates amongst first year students have halved as a result of the training and there’s clear evidence that users were better prepared for university life than non-users.”
“An exceptional feature of our partnership was the shared aspiration to develop a learning experience so good that teenagers would tell each other about it. This has not only been demonstrated by the number of UoB candidates completing the programme, but also the fact that 13 other universities are now using skills4uni as part of a collaborative project".
Click here to see a case study on the University of Birmingham's e-learning evaluation.
