Abstract:

Teaching on both the Irish Standards Based Apprenticeship (SBA) and an undergraduate Level 7 practical focussed degree highlighted pedagogical differences in approaches to teaching and learning. These differences focused mainly on the rigid structure of the SBA with very little room to engage in deep learning with the curriculum. As a reflective practitioner I engaged in a process to determine what, if anything I could do within the boundaries of the SBA to encourage a deeper engagement. Having completed a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) programme I set about designing learning resources that could be used across both the SBA and the undergraduate degree. These resources were three instructional videos focussed on a particularly complex task, namely the Computer Numerical Control (CNC)/Alphacam module. My experience teaching this module demonstrates the difficulty the students have grappling with its requirements. In adhering to UDL guidelines this resource mainly explores the ‘Multiple Means of Representation’ section. The lesson was divided into 3 separate videos, to be viewed in order, to guide the students through the process. The videos were made available in the virtual learning environment where engagement could be tracked and the initial roll out shows excellent engagement. Feedback from students was gathered through Likert scale questionnaires and qualitative feedback and has been overwhelmingly positive. I am now looking to implement this into my undergraduate teaching while also expanding more into apprenticeship teaching.

Keywords:

UDL, reflective practitioner, apprenticeship, craft education.