“The course gets you thinking at the level clients will most probably be at. When trying to engage people with very limited skills the digital world can be a confusing place, the course does a good job in simplifying with a focus on giving confidence.”
One Digital in partnership with Walkgrove has been shortlisted for the prestigious Learning Technologies Awards in the category ‘Team of the Year’, reflecting the way the partners have worked together to provide new and effective digital skills training.
One Digital is a unique collaboration between six distinct and diverse organisations; Age UK, Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), Citizens Online, Digital Unite, Affinity Sutton and AbilityNet. Supported with an investment by the Big Lottery Fund the programme aims to help thousands of people across the UK to get online through inspiring, training and supporting hundreds of Digital Champions nationwide.
As part of the training the One Digital partners worked with elearning specialists, Walkgrove, to develop a range of new online courses to develop the Digital Champions’ skills in specific areas. Accessed via Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network, each course had to meet a specific partner need whilst remaining relevant to the wider Digital Champion community.
The resulting courses cover a broad range of topics that enhance the vital skills set and knowledge for hundreds of Digital Champions. Topics include using the right tools and techniques for engaging older people and supporting young people with using the internet to develop their professional profile. There are also courses on overcoming barriers to technology for those who are visually impaired and helping frontline staff understand how to provide digital skills support as part of their day to day interactions with service users.
All of the Digital Champion courses are linked to Mozilla Open Badges, the new way of recognising, evidencing and rewarding professional development. Each Badge can be added to a Champion’s LinkedIn profile as verification of the skills they have gained.
In an independent evaluation of the course impact, 94% of Digital Champions would recommend their training support to others. 66% agreed or strongly agreed that doing their Digital Champion course increased their knowledge. Completion rate also stands at 50% against an international e-learning average which is under 10%.
This success is further testament to how the One Digital partnership has truly harnessed their collaborative spirit by ensuring that knowledge, skills and resources with learning technologies are shared to achieve good digital skills for all.