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High quality blended learning for further education and the skills sector

About the Consortium


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Heart of Worcestershire College has delivered a successful blended learning curriculum for over 10 years. One of the main challenges to this has been the sourcing of good quality learning resources specifically developed for the Further Education (FE) sector. From experience, we have found that the most effective way to create appropriate resources is through a co-development process where the costs and expertise are shared across the partnership.

Instructure logo

The Blended Learning Consortium has been 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. With this in mind, Heart of Worcestershire College would like to invite your college to join the Blended Learning Consortium. Kindly supported and sponsored by Instructure , the Consortium currently produces a wide range of eLearning resources spanning a wide range of learning levels and subject areas.

Our Resources

All our resources are SCORM compliant and can be integrated within your chosen LMS. Each resource (excluding standalone videos) provides the ability to track learner progress via targeted assessment or course completion. We ensure all our resources are accessible as possible by utilising native accessibility tools as well as additional custom UI and mechanics that provide an intuitative and logical learner experience.

Storyline Standard
  • 30-40 mins
  • 'Traditional' slides
  • Audio narration
  • Tracked quiz
RISE Standard
  • 20-30 mins
  • Continuous scroll
  • Fully responsive
  • Tracked quiz
Microlearning
  • 10-15 mins
  • Continuous scroll
  • Fully responsive
  • Knowledge checks
RISE Video Set
  • 10-15 mins
  • 1-3 mins p/video
  • Tracked quiz
Gamified / Scenario
  • 20-30 mins
  • Bespoke navigation
  • Gamified / scenario
Standalone Video
  • 1-3 mins
  • Single topic area

Showcase Examples

Take a look at some of our recent work by visiting our blended learning showcase page.

Visit Showcase page

New XR Resources

Through an exclusive partnership with Activate Learning, we are proudly launching some exciting new XR resources. More information can be found by visiting the following page:

Visit XR Resources page

Fun Facts...

166
Members
110
Subject areas +
3500
Resources +

We have released over 3,500 blended learning resources that are being widely used within further education. These resources are available to all members at a huge cost-saving through an attractive low anual membership fee. See below for details.

How it works

  • Annual membership fee of £5K
  • Democratic voting process to determine which subject areas are developed
  • Money used to pay member colleges to write and develop learning objects
  • Content is created to agreed specifications and standards
  • Members have access to source files to adapt and re-brand the learning resources
  • Members have their own control over any annually paid-up resources
  • New members can back pay for previously developed content
View sample content

Benefits to members

  • Access to high quality content developed by the Consortium
  • Efficiency savings through shared development costs
  • Money would be redistributed through member colleges to develop resources
  • Development of in-house skills in writing, editing and developing content
  • Support and training from the experienced content development team at Heart of Worcestershire College
  • Discounted software from partners and sponsors
View exclusive offers

BLC Members Resource Centre

Already a BLC member? Visit the resource centre to access and download the learning content.

Visit the BLC Resource Centre

Note: A member account is required to access all the content.

About Us

The Blend


Skills

Having awesome skills isn't easy but we make it look that way! Our resources are the envy of many.

Coffee

Our award-winning team champion wellbeing by drinking the best coffee from around the world while discussing future developments.

Design

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Behold... our shizzle! Now do you understand why we're awesome?

Meet the Team


Since launching the BLC we have hand-picked a creative and dedicated team to help us grow into the close-knit and productive unit we are today. Coffee keeps us running, gin keeps us sane and our pets keep us laughing, while a love of instructional design means we can keep supplying the best possible blended learning resources to our members.

Matt Beck
Director of Blended & Online Learning

Champion of learning technology and innovation, and the driving force of the team.
Matt has recently taken over from the fantastic Amy Hollier who has moved on to her next adventure.

Kirsty Cullen
Digital Learning Leader

Baker extraordinaire and adventure seeker. Kirsty is always on the hunt for new places to go with her beloved puggle.

Dom Sweeten
Creative Content Lead

Office biscuit dealer, bullterrier lover and graphics geek. Dom also spends his spare time as a sound designer.

Emma Williams
Digital Content Project Lead

Loves karaoke, coffee and rugby. A trained barista as well as being the curator for our in-house cheese world cup.

Dan Tryner
Content Developer

Rubik's Cube wizard and technology sponge, Dan loves supporting the team with his graphics knowledge.

Neil Wallace
Content Developer

Cacti collector and movie buff, Neil consistently wows the team with his Storyline voodoo and animation trickery.

Laura Fereday
Content Developer

A cosplay genius and plant lover in her spare time, Laura brings constant creativity and a love of colour to the team.

Sarah Fellows
Content Developer

Our in-house quiz legend and lover of sweet things, Sarah is known within the team for her editing and development prowess.

Sam Freeman
Content Developer

Sam can be found wearing every item of clothing she owns to keep warm, or underneath her dog, who has decided she is a seat.

Blog Article


"Embracing the opportunity of blended learning"

Blog article by Amy Hollier, Head of Blended Learning, HoW College

Read how the academic year of 2019/20 would see the most significant seismic shift to teaching and learning that any of us have experienced and how a rapid switch to remote teaching meant educators had to rip up their best laid plans and within days move their practice to an online environment.

Visit blog article

Case Studies


BLC - How we are pushing the boundaries

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We have communicated with our members and partners to collate how the BLC has positively affected working practices and enhanced the learner experience. Read the following case studies to see how the BLC is pushing the boundaries of blended learning.

Teaching and Learning
Staff Development & CPD
Digital Strategy
Finance
Case Studies - All

Nottingham College - BLC Case Study June 2019

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Hear about Nottingham College's journey proir to and since joining the BLC including issues they faced, their reasons for joining and how the BLC has benefited them.

Nottingham College - BLC Case Study June 2019

Watch the following video about how Nottingham College has implemented resources from the Blended Learning Consortium.



The Blend

Our Members


Over 70% of FE colleges in the UK are part of the BLC family. Look at the map to see where they all are.

Members

Subject Areas


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Each year, the Consortium develops and releases interactive e-learning content using pooled Consortium funds. The subject areas developed are the result of democratic voting from BLC members, with the top voted for subjects being developed using the available funds. Additional subject areas are then added as funds become available from new member subscriptions. As well as having access to the current phase of resources, members are able to cherry-pick the most suitable subject areas from those previously developed allowing Consortium members to tailor their chosen content to suit their requirements.

Forthcoming Phase
Voting is currently underway for the next phase of development. Have your say to ensure we are able to deliver the subject areas most important to your learners.
Current Phase
The following subject areas are currently in development:
Sample resources
To view a sample session from any of the subject areas, click on the links below. Please note these are sample resources taken from the available topic areas. Consortium members gain access to the full library based on their subscription.
Alternitively, click the following link to see the up-to-date resources booklet that lists of all the sessions available.
View Resources Booklet
Current phase subjects:
English & Maths
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Tutorial
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Vocational
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Bespoke Video Resources
HoW logo
Stand-alone bespoke video resources developed in the following areas:

Follow the links below to view a sample from each area.

Subjects

Exclusive Offers


As a Consortium, we are in a position to negotiate with companies and sponsors to obtain discounts and benefits for all Consortium colleges, all of which are outlined below along with relevant contact details and links if you wish to find out more.

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Accessibility Toolkit for Moodle

Brickfield Education Labs logo

Accessibility Toolkit for Moodle

Brickfield Education Labs offers a comprehensive Accessibility Toolkit for Moodle to improve the accessibility of Moodle course content. The Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit provides accessibility auditing and remediation of course content with an improved editor and the creation of accessible file formats.

BLC Members Offer:
We are delighted to offer members of the Blended Learning Consortium a special discount of 20 % off a 2-year contract for orders completed by end 2024.

What is included in the price: Annual License Fee per FTE, On-Demand Online Training, Online Help resources.

This discount is off our list price as of March 21st, 2022. To claim your discount please complete our contact form on our website.

Offer only open to individual FE colleges who are part of the Blended Learning Consortium..

The problem

From speaking to a wide range of organisations and institutions about accessibility, we understand that they all seem to face a common set of challenges. Staff are often not all fully trained on Moodle or how to build content in Moodle, with some staff not having a good knowledge of HTML. Overall, we understand that staff are subject matter experts - not accessibility experts. So how can they know how and be able to create accessible content? This is where Accessibility Toolkit for Moodle comes in to help the teacher and the learner.

Brickfield approach

The Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit uses a three-step process to find, fix and future-proof content accessibility within Moodle.

1. Finding the challenges

The Moodle Accessibility Toolkit provides the institution insights into where things stand with the accessibility of content in Moodle is vital. Initially, the platform automates the analysis of the content inside Moodle courses against a set of Accessibility standards.

Brickfield activity report
2. Fixing the issues

Once the audit phase is complete, the Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit enables teachers carry out content remediation. Staff can use the tools to triage several common issues in bulk – such as changing descriptions of links and adding alt text.

Brickfield bulk fixing
Accessible files for students

As part of the Futureproofing, the Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit has an accessible file convertor which integrates with Moodle at course resource level. With this, learners can choose to convert uploaded documents into more accessible formats to suit individual choice.

Accessibility file conversion

Amongst the alternate files available are:

  • Text formats – PDF, Docx, Txt, HTML
  • eBook formats – Mobi, ePub
  • Audio – with different speeds
  • Daisy
  • Digital Braille File

Documents are converted “on-demand.” Students are notified when alternate format is available. Supported file types are .DOC, .DOCX, .PDF, .PPT, .PPTX, .TXT, .XML, .HTML, .HTM, .RTF, .EPUB, .MOBI, .TIFF, .TIF, .GIF, .JPG, .JPEG, .BMP, .PNG, .PCX, .DCX, .J2K, .JP2, .JPX, .DJV, .TEX and .ASC

To claim your discount please complete our contact form on our website by following the link below:



Accessit

Accessit banner

Accessit - Taking Education Further

Accessit is a library management system designed to support your college by streamlining workflows and helping you build a connected community of learners.

Over 25 years Accessit has developed a class leading integrated library management offering, one that is designed for a modern learning environment and hosted in the cloud with anywhere any time access for staff and students. Our approach has been to develop something that users - whether they be librarians or learners – find easy to use. To make researching using all the library’s resources easy, even if literacy isn’t your strong suit.

We also strive to make researching outside of the school easier as users can also search across EBSCO, GALE, Britannica and more - all from one webpage. In many cases our customers use Accessit to manage their libraries across multiple campuses with easy management of:

  • Online digital content
  • eBooks
  • Video resources such as ClickView
  • Inventory (laptops, cameras etc.)
  • Teacher resources
  • Archives

Accessit Library integrates with many of the leading Student Information Systems and Data Management Systems to make day to day management of learners easy. With a support team of both IT and Librarians based in the UK, we have people who can help you get the most out of Accessit Library with training and support when you need us.

BLC offer:
Blended Learning Consortium members qualify for 50% off data migration to make the move from your previous Library Management System simple.


View this pdf for more information about Accessit:



Email us:



Or call us on the following number and we will be happy to discuss our services with you in more detail:

+44 (0) 203 6179908


Visit the Accessit website:



Activate Learning - XR Resources

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New XR catalogue in partnership with Activate Learning

Activate Learning have partnered with the Blended Learning Consortium to make available to BLC Members a suite of extended reality (XR) assets. Read more about what's on offer by visiting the XR showcase page.

Blackboard Ally

blackboard ally

Accessible Content Is Better Content

Blackboard Ally is a revolutionary product that integrates seamlessly into the learning management system and focuses on making digital course content more accessible.

BLC Members Offer:
25% discount on Blackboard Ally up until September 30th 2022.

Instead of users needing to be aware of yet another platform, Blackboard Ally fits into your existing VLE with some key feature/benefit areas, including:

1) Alternative accessible versions – Blackboard Ally automatically generates more accessible alternative for course content and makes these available to all users within the course within minutes

2) Instructor feedback – Blackboard Ally provides the instructor with feedback about the accessibility of their course content and guidance on how to fix identified accessibility issues.

3) Institutional reporting – Blackboard Ally provides an institution-wide course content accessibility report that allows for deep insight and understanding into how the institution is performing and evolving and what the problem areas are.

The changes for FE colleges in terms of website accessibility come into force in September 2019 and many institutions are still understanding their responsibilities in terms of their VLE. Broadly speaking, modern-SaaS systems like Blackboard Learn, Canvas and hosted/self-hosted Moodle will be compliant BUT any user generated content in those systems is a huge unknown. JISC have published some information and we’d urge you to look at the All Parliamentary Group Report on VLE accessibility.

Blackboard Ally is a tool specifically designed to unpick the ‘black box’ of content accessibility and to help to protect your institution, on an ongoing basis, against any potential litigation arising from this new law. If I asked you how accessible your staff generated teaching resources are, you probably wouldn’t know the answer. Ally will automatically improve the accessibility of VLE content, provide in context training to staff, automatically generate alternative versions based on student requests and provide an overview of your system including highlighting particular areas of challenge.

Blackboard Ally is simple to install, use and manage and brings a host of benefits beyond supporting you to meet your legal obligations. It is compatible with Moodle and Canvas (soon D2L), and so you do not need to be our VLE client to use this. We’re delighted to partner with the BLC to make this offer and hope it makes purchasing such a great solution more affordable for FE. This discount is significant from list price and is only available to BLC members.

Did you hear that Microsoft Education Immersive Reader is now available for Anthology Ally? Learn more here.

To contact Blackboard Ally, visit their website by clicking the link below:



Blueprint Education Services

Blueprint Education Services logo

Powering Education and Skills

Who are we?

Blueprint Education Services is an education support consultancy providing a wide range of business optimisation services to the education and skills sector.

With a focus on business transformation, we have a growing reputation in the sector for driving and supporting growth and efficiency through implementing integrated business intelligence systems.

We have built a strong track record of delivering excellence to our customers and have a unique support model that guarantees successful and sustainable outcomes.

Why work with us?

We operate a unique service that provides our customers with the strategic capacity to deliver sustained change and demonstrable performance improvement.

The bespoke services that we offer to our growing list of customers ensures systems and process implementation is designed around the specific needs and requirements of each client. Our services include:

  • Supporting you to create a clear operational action plan including the implementation of integrated management information systems and procedures
  • Optimising your market share across all of your funding streams through strategic procurement and funding support
  • Developing a blueprint to ensure organisational excellence and successful outcomes
  • Increasing operational efficiency by increasing and maximising funding revenue, room utilisation and curriculum planning
  • Providing you with an end to end and collegiate approach to business planning

BLC offer:
Free systems and funding healthcheck and 10% discount on consultancy fees


Email us for a no obligation discussion about how we can support you:



Or call us on the following number and we will be happy to discuss our services with you in more detail:

07515796451


Alternatively, visit our website and complete a 'contact us' form and we will get in touch:



Bulb

bulb

bulb is a beautiful, easy to use, web-based digital portfolio.

bulb is where students and educators curate and create, share and showcase their excellence.

bulb provides an innovative, easy and powerful ePortfolio environment to study, socialise and showcase student and educator academic achievements and brilliance.

Please review this brief video for a quick overview:



bulb is built for both the educator and the student. bulb users gather information, develop ideas and then share and showcase their work in a beautiful format. And, most importantly, bulb is uniquely designed so the user owns, creates, updates and continues to enhance their content for life no matter where their educational and occupational learning journey leads them.

Students use bulb digital portfolios to document the learning process, reflect on past work, showcase final products, receive feedback, make adjustments and develop a healthy digital presence.

Educators use bulb to model to their students the importance and practical application of a career digital portfolio. They do this by capturing their own goals, growth, continuing education and reflection, as well as designing lessons and assignments to deliver quality curriculum to their students.

"Electronic portfolios are no longer just a good idea; they are an exceptional and a powerful element of college and career readiness"

Emerging Edtech Magazine

As an academic tool:

  • bulb encourages collaboration– features allow students and teachers to easily interact with one another and effectively engage in a peer review process.
  • bulb emphasizes the documentation & refinement of process – learning is far more than just the final product; research shows that showing work and demonstrating the process of discovery is fundamental to knowledge acquisition.
  • bulb promotes formative assessment – educators can more easily identify their students’ strengths, abilities and passions. Differentiate students based on what they actually accomplish rather than just a test score or a GPA.
  • bulb develops healthy digital citizenship — bulb equips students to understand what is appropriate online and how to manage their online presence.

As software:

  • bulb is easy – we believe technology should make life better. Digital Portfolios ought to make the collection, curation and showcasing of knowledge simple. >bulb lives by the 90/10 rule: 90% of your time should go to creating and showcasing ideas and 10% should go to getting to know the tool.
  • bulb is beautiful – a portfolio should be something to be proud of. bulb is meticulous about beautiful design and its purpose is to make ideas beautiful and compelling.
  • bulb is compatible – good tools should interact well with other education software. bulb connects easily with Google, Microsoft, Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology and many more essential education apps.
bulb integration

As a lifelong tool:

  • bulb is practical – your work, ideas, inventions and musings should be easy to create and always available to you for refinement, sharing and showcasing.
  • bulb is portable – learning and content creation should be possible anywhere. bulb is web-based, so it goes with you everywhere, on any device. Wherever you go, bulb is always with you.
  • bulb is private – your work should be protected. Only you should decide who sees your work and when they see it. If you want to make your work available to specific individuals or the general public you can; if you never want anyone to see it, that’s an option, too.
  • bulb is personal – your work should always be your own. No matter where you teach, where you learn, or what you do with the work you’ve created, it should be yours forever, to use however and whenever you wish.

BLC Members Offer:
Buy bulbSchool for a special price as a BLC member

  • Up to 10,000 students & staff – Year ONE Active Host Model £1750
  • 10,001 to 20,000 students & staff – Year ONE Active Host Model £3000
  • Over 20,001 students & staff – Year ONE Active Host Model £5000

The above special pricing models allow:

  • all staff & students to use bulb during the first year of usage
  • staff to benefit from free-of-charge online training at the time of deployment
  • only active users will be charged in years two and three

Examples of Excellent Educator and Student bulb Portfolios:



View this pdf for more information about bulb:



bulb website:



bulbSchool product site:



Email us for more information about bulb:



Canvas by Instructure

Instructure

Meet the learning platform that powers the world’s smartest classrooms.

Amplify teaching. elevate learning and intensify impact. It’s the connective education solution that helps us all learn better together. Through software, assessment tools, content, professional development, partner technologies and a million-member-strong user community, the Instructure learning platform makes learning more personal and student success more equitable.

BLC offer:
Instructure is delighted to offer members of the BLC a 25% discount on Canvas subscriptions for the full duration of any multi-year contract (Limited to new customers only).


To schedule a demo or to discuss your institution’s specific needs, please reach out to Matthew Mcshane, Regional Director for Further Education:



Get to know Instructure and the Instructure learning platform here:



View this offer in PDF format:



ClickView

ClickView

ClickView, relevant, educational content at your fingertips

BLC Members Offer:
As a BLC member, you receive a 10% discount off your first year's subscription

ClickView provides access to a central bank of vetted, safe and ad free curriculum video, plus rights cleared on-demand films and TV, with interactive question layers for formative assessment.

Trusted by over 5500 schools and colleges, with 1 in 3 UK Colleges using ClickView

'It can be difficult to find vocationally relevant and accurate video content to use for demonstration purposes or to assist with blended learning. That’s why ClickView is such a valuable asset. The fact that all videos are current, written by subject specialists and align with curriculum, is incredibly reassuring to educators.'
Amy Hollier, Head of Blended Learning, Heart of Worcestershire College

'ClickView enhances our teaching and learning. The quality of teaching and learning content gives our educators confidence in the curriculum to support their methods. Our students have instant access to powerful learning possibilities which is encouraging and driving independent learning. With the wider possibilities of broadcast TV to bring learning to life and quiz tools to check understanding, our educators are empowered to provide deep and meaningful teaching and learning.'
Catherine Evans, Teaching & Learning Manager, Coleg Gwent

'ClickView significantly reduces the time our lecturers spend trying locate relevant content to enhance their online delivery and then reduces the stress of them worrying if that content will still be available in the future.'
Kevan Scade, Digital Learning Support Team Leader, Ayrshire College


Learn more about ClickView by visiting our website:



Email Chris Woods at ClickView to learn more:



D2L Brightspace

D2L Brightspace

It’s an exciting and challenging time for Further Education as the spotlight falls on the sector to train the next generation of employees. Technology is helping Further Education Institutions to attract more students, diversify incomes and improve business efficiencies through the provision of flexible online offerings and a more personalised learning paths experience.

About Brightspace

Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform that makes online and blended learning easy, flexible, and smart. Brightspace is not like a traditional virtual learning platform (VLE) — it is easy to drag-and drop content to create engaging courses, better uptime, supports all mobile devices, and is accessible for all learners. Plus, Brightspace enables the future of learning with a gaming engine, adaptive learning, video management, intelligent agents, course interactives, full support for outcomes or competency-based learning, and world-leading learning analytics.

About D2L

D2L believes learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests. Working closely with clients, D2L has transformed the way millions of people learn online or in the classroom. Learn more about D2L for schools, higher education and further education at www.D2L.com.

BLC offer:

50% off first year subscription costs

View offer as PDF:



Email us for more information:



Visit our website:



Datalytix

Brightspace

Datalytix - Cyber Essentials Certification Offer

For the 2020 to 2021 funding year, there will be a requirement for all providers who have an existing ESFA funding contract to meet the requirements for Cyber Essentials Basic, with progression to Cyber Essentials Plus from the 2021 to 2022 funding year.

The Cyber Essentials Scheme is a simple yet effective, Government-backed framework that will help protect your organisation against a range of the most common internet based cyber-attacks.

From the small-scale start-up to established and growing organisations, the Cyber Essentials Scheme will help reduce the impact of such threats as: Phishing Attacks, Malware, Ransomware, Password guessing and network-based attacks.

The Scheme is run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) through a single delivery partner, 'The IASME Consortium' in association with a UK wide network of Certification Bodies, professional organisations trained and licenced to deliver Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.

By becoming a certified organisation under this scheme, you will be better protected from the most common cyber threats while also demonstrating that you take information security seriously – which means peace of mind for you, your students, parents, governors, partners, insurers; in fact, for anyone you deal with.

We have developed a short e-learning module explainer on Cyber Essentials, why it is required, and the steps required to become certified.

See the course here:



Cyber Essentials Offer to BLC Members:

DATALYTIX are offering 20% off all Cyber Essentials consultancy and certification services to members. We are also offering a FREE online Cyber Essentials Gap Analysis Assessment.

View here:



For more information and pricing, click here to register and start your Cyber Essentials journey with us. We can assist with all aspects of the certification process from initial gap analysis audit, technical assistance and secure portal access for assessment submission. We aim to assess your Cyber Essentials application submission and issue a certificate of compliance, if successful, within 7 days.

About us:

Datalytix Ltd. are a licenced Certification Body for the Cyber Essentials Scheme and have been awarded the IASME Gold status for data governance. With over 15 years’ experience working in Further Education in a variety of technical and senior management roles, ranging from MIS, IT and e-learning, our managing director, Stephen Parry, started the business with the aim of providing valuable, cost effective information governance measures for those organisations that do not necessarily have the resources or expertise to be able to implement and support such initiatives.

We are passionate about the education and skills sector and we want providers to prosper in today's climate.

Contact us for more information:



FizzyNewt

FizzyNewt logo

FizzyNewt – Exclusive Complimentary Access Secured for BLC Members

A Better Way to Manage Attendance and Encourage Student Engagement

FizzyNewt is designed to simplify attendance tracking and encourage student engagement, while fostering a responsive learning environment. This exclusive opportunity for Blended Learning Consortium members enhances how institutions connect with and support their students.

FizzyNewt - admin and student

Developed by a university lecturer who firsthand experienced the challenges of traditional attendance systems, FizzyNewt combines a user-friendly interface with practical functionality for educators and students.

  • Streamlined Attendance Management
    Simplifies tracking while reducing administrative workload.
  • Early Warning System
    Identifies students who may need additional support to achieve academic success.
  • Micro-Feedback for Real-Time Insights
    Allows students to share their thoughts and feelings about learning sessions, offering educators actionable insights to improve engagement and comprehension.
  • Advanced Analytics and Reporting
    Provides detailed, real-time data on attendance trends and engagement, enabling data-driven decisions to improve outcomes.

Watch this short video to learn more about FizzyNewt:



Exclusive BLC offer:
The Blended Learning Consortium has arranged complimentary access to FizzyNewt for a limited number of members, inviting them to participate in a case study exploring its transformative impact on attendance management and student engagement.


Get started:

Contact Simon Bell to explore this opportunity and discuss your free access from the start of 2025. You can also contact your BLC representative.



Visit the FizzyNewt website for more information:



Freeformers

freeformers

Freeformers: Champion-led Change

Freeformers’ Champion Management Platform enables your College staff to overcome common cultural challenges around workforce agility and digital adoption, using social learning programmes and a world first Champion Management Platform

Further Education Colleges are responsible for educating students about new subjects and technology but also need to consider new ways of working and new digital tools to help them operate efficiently and structure themselves. Due to the speed of change there is a need for College employees to become forward thinking agile and digitally fluent from administration to teaching staff. Freeformers have been working with the Higher Education Sector to develop a more confident digital mindset including the adoption of new tools like Office 365.

Freeformers Champion Management Platform solves these problems by creating peer networks that are effective, scaleable, measureable and create lasting impact. Each College will be invited to nominate Champions whom are granted access to download our Mentor App onto their smartphone. Every colleague they then run sessions with are given access to Seeker a web interface that syncs with Mentor. Also a central administrator will have access to a dashboard tracking the impact of the delivered sessions.

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For your champions

Mentor gives champions everything they need to host interactive bitesize sessions with their colleagues, get live video support from coaches and receive new experiences on the go.

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For your people

Seeker lets all your staff sync to interactive sessions and save experiences for later.

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For your managers

Master gives managers the complete picture on programme performance.

Freeformers - master
Freeformers - mentor and seeker

The Mentor app will have 3 learning packages pre loaded and ready to use.

1. Digital Life - Always learning, Mastering your Mobile, Solution Finding, Digital Tools & Forward Thinking
2. Office 365 Collaborating, Sharing and Communicating
3. Cyber Security Spotting a Scam, Passwords, Protecting my Data and Internet of Things

BLC offer:
Each College to be granted access to Freeformers Champion Management Platform at 50% discount, which is £2.4k per College per year. This includes licenses for 8 Champions, 160 seats to Seeker, and a unique dashboard called Master.

We are already working with FTE institutions and have proven our ability to deliver impact:

  • X 6 increase in staff response rates to surveys
  • X 2 usage of new technology (e.g. MS Teams)
  • X 8 increase in Customer NPS

Please contact us for more information:



t: + 44 (0) 7710 134178

Click here for to view this offer in PDF format:



Hypersay

Hypersay

If you use PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations in your classroom and allow students to use their laptops, HYPERSAY can turn them into an interactive dialogue with your students.

The key features of Hypersay are:

  • Students cannot hide behind their computer screens. The Participant Bar allows both teachers and students to immediately see when someone has left the presentation.
  • Gives each student an equal voice when students use the Question Wall. Teachers can dedicate time during the lesson to answer the most popular or interesting questions.
  • Keeps students engaged with interactivity through quizzes, polls, videos and/or links. This can be done prior to the lesson or immediately on the spot.
  • Encourages independent thinking when Teachers ask difficult open ended questions. Teachers can see each keystroke as the students respond. Afterwards the teacher can share (or not share) some responses with all students for further discussion.
  • Allows students to take notes on each slide.
  • Gives each student their own dashboard to revisit the presentation. No further need to send the presentation to a student.
  • Allows teachers immediate feedback with the feedback form on every presentation.

As part of our new partnership with Blended Learning, Hypersay will be offering 50% discounts to Blended Learning Consortium members who purchase Hypersay before Jan 1st, 2019. We also offer free training and comprehensive support.

BLC offer:
Pay £500 (after 50% discount) per school, per year
or:
Pay £5 (after 50% discount) per student per year

Try Hypersay for free today in your classroom. Just register and convert your presentation into an interactive dialogue.

To book a demonstration contact Brian Daly:



Visit our website for more information:



itslearning

itslearning

Collaborating tutors and students through a 360º transparent learning platform. Itslearning have what it takes to revolutionise learning outcomes, to improve social learning, communications and peer assessment. It is an intuitive, modern learning platform that is accessible anytime, anywhere.
We are offering special discounts for colleges who are members of Blended Learning Consortium. Whether you are an individual college or groups of colleges, our cost-effective packages allow you to benefit from economies of scale.

BLC offer:
The discount on license price is as follows:

  • Individual college - 20%
  • 2-4 colleges - 30% (minimum of 5,000 users)
  • 5 colleges** or more - 50% (minimum of 15,000 users)

Be part of this exclusive offer | Be part of the itslearning world:



For a free demonstration of itslearning please visit:



IPS - Integrated Payment Solutions

IPS logo

IPS provide’s a bespoke tailored solution, designed to connect with all your existing hardware and fully supported by our partners new hardware. As the only official partner of Pro-Solution, we integrate with all functions, in the following areas:

  • Access Control
  • Cashless Payments
  • Automatic Registers
  • Enrolment and Visitor Management
  • ID Cards
  • Active Directories
  • Tills and Stock Control
ips.software-i-suite

BLC offer:

  • Free Trial of software on the condition that it fulfils the brief
  • Buy 2 items from the suite and receive 10% discount on 2nd
  • Buy 3 items from the suite and receive 20% discount on 2nd and 3rd
  • Buy 4 items from the suite and receive 30% discount on 3rd and 4th
  • Buy 5 items from the suite and receive 40% discount on 4th and 5th
  • Buy 6 items from the suite and receive 50% on all of the above plus 6th item free
  • Multiple items work perfectly for groups of Colleges or several campus’

Contact us for more information:



t: 01202 00 66 77

Learn365

Zensai

Learn365 (previously LMS365) — the only learning platform built into Microsoft 365.

Supercharge growth, deliver SCORM packaged training within Teams and track progress with our category-leading LMS.

Built on Microsoft 365 platforms, services, and generative AI technologies, Learn365 is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to deliver learning where people are already logged in and active – in Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, Viva Learning, or on their mobile devices.

BLC offer:
20% discount off list price


Visit the Zensai website for more information about Learn365:



Contact Seun Aluko directly for more information:



Tel: +447874 161748


Lucas Nuelle

lucas Nuelle logo

Lucas-Nülle GmbH develops and produces innovative training systems for education and vocational training. We provide the training equipment and associated e-Learning courses and assessments.

For more than 20 years, the company has pioneered digital education. All teaching equipment is connected to digital learning content, which guides the user in experimental learning to ensure their success. In 15 different fields of engineering, Lucas-Nülle offers complete learning solutions. Using the LN training and assessment solutions, students are supported in their learning to gain qualifications up to Level 6.

Lucas Nuelle Training

Specialisms include:

  • Automation (Industry 4.0)
  • Automotive Engineering (including Electric and Hybrid Technology, accredited by IMI)
  • Renewable Energy/SMART Grid
  • Electrical/Electronic Engineering

To see how one university has implemented Lucas-Nülle products take a look at this video:



Get a short impression of what Lucas-Nülle offers:



An example of a training system for hybrid and electrical vehicles:



BLC offer:
8% Discount

Email Janak Patel:



or Dirk Schönian to learn more:



Visit our website for more information:



Microlearn

microlearn logo

MicroLearn is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Blended Learning Consortium.

At MicroLearn, we do things a bit differently because we know learning is personal. That’s why we develop our cost-effective, off-the-shelf learning resources to suit your organisation. We all learn differently, so why should all learning be the same?

Take a look at how our engaging resources perfectly coincide with the Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship:



To create truly effective and engaging content, we decided that we needed to take a fresh approach to learning development. With this ethos, we have designed a catalogue of resources which can be tailored to the learning needs of your organisation. Whether you need a compact learning module, or only have time for a 2 minute video, you’ll find the resources right for you.

BLC offer:
We are happy to offer all Consortium members a price of £2500 for our entire ever-growing range

Take a look at our catalogue here:



Why not try some of our resources for FREE yourself?



For more information, you can visit our website or contact us directly:



Alternatively, they can be contacted directly for further details about their training solutions:



Mindful Education

Mindful Education logo

Mindful Education specialise in creating media-rich professional courses & apprenticeships.

In partnership with colleges across the UK, we design courses that are highly flexible, allowing students to choose how, when and where they want to study.

Our courses are bursting with high-quality media and digital content for learners; from animations and film, to case studies and online exercises, with a bespoke virtual learning environment for every course we make.

Our professional courses & apprenticeships include areas such as accounting, law, management and HR.

BLC offer:
Partnering with Mindful Education provides Consortium members with an additional £1,000 marketing budget for colleges that choose Mindful Education for any of their professional courses & apprenticeships offer.

To access the special offer for Consortium members, please click here:



You can learn more about how colleges work with Mindful Education to provide greater flexibility to students by watching a 3 minute case study with one of their partners below:



Please visit our website for more details:



Navigate

Navigate logo

As the market-leading Work-Related Learning Platform, Navigate supports every aspect of the Study Programme learner journey. What’s more, it provides colleges with all the evidence they need to satisfy inspection of employability skills, work experience and employer engagement.

Navigate is designed to:

Assess employability skills:

  • Engaging online initial diagnostic and distance travelled assessments
  • Bespoke assessments to match college employability frameworks
  • Cohort starting point and distance travelled reports
  • National benchmarking reports

Evidence Work-Related Learning:

  • ‘Off the shelf’ online learning content
  • Bespoke learning content to match college programmes
  • Evidencing learning through an innovative online portfolio, allowing learners to upload photos, videos and documents
  • Motivating completion of employability activity through instant certification

Track work experience:

  • Tracking every learner’s work placement preparation
  • Collating all work experience documentation in a single online space
  • Capturing placement activity through online journals, that include photo and video
  • Evidencing learner performance through online employer feedback

Encouraging engagement:

  • Smartphone-friendly
  • Links directly to leading eILP’s
  • Full engagement reporting
  • High quality training and dedicated customer support

BLC offer:
We are pleased to offer members of the Blended Learning Consortium a 25% discount on all learner licenses for Navigate.

We’d be happy to show you how Navigate can drive up Work-Related Learning in your college, and drive down all of your associated costs. Simply contact us to book a chat:



Alternatively, phone Chris on: (01634) 729 818

Please visit our website for more information:



Nurture

Nurture logo

Nurture are a Microsoft Partner, they are simplifying formative assessment and feedback for schools with their Microsoft Teams integration. They work with secondary schools and colleges across Europe and the Middle East such as Shireland Collegiate Academy.

Shireland, having started using Nurture in the 21/22 academic year, is starting a trust wide rollout of Nurture because of the impact it’s made on their feedback processes. Have a look at how Shireland have found Nurture:


Nurture banner

Nurture helps teachers to close the feedback loop by making it faster and easier to deliver structured feedback, as well as gather student reflections.

Nurture screenshot 1

From their last measured cohort of 200 students, they’ve shown an average grade improvement of 14.6% for students using Nurture.

Nurture customer feedback

Teachers find that the new insights they gain into confidence levels and reflections puts them at a much better vantage point for creating new support material and lesson plans. And for every student, teachers will finish the year with a ‘Learner Passport’, this is a report on a students grades, confidence and their engagement score.

BLC offer:
BLC members will receive a discount of up to 20% off Nurture standard pricing.

To apply for your exclusive offer, you can fill in the form on this page:



Please visit our website for more information:



Overt

Overt logo

Blended Learning Consortium ‘Autumn Term’ savings from Overt Software

We are based in the UK and provide solutions to businesses and educational institutions all over the world. Overt Software has harnessed the power of open source software and has developed a range of Software as a Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) packages.

BLC offer:
With our ethos of “exceptional service and honest expert advice”, being at the heart of everything we do, we are happy to give a 20% discount for Consortium Members for the first year (new customers to Overt Software only).

Hosted Moodle Solution

Our hosted servers are backed up by our complete range of server support activities. This package gives you a worry-free hosted solution, ideal for ensuring the smooth running of your applications. We give you a truly excellent solution for a busy institutional environment.

Mahara Cloud e-Portfolio

We can integrate your Mahara e-Portfolio with Moodle to take advantage of Moodle’s tracking, reporting and grading functionality. We create true single-sign-on between both Mahara and Moodle systems.

Shibboleth Cloud Single Sign-On

We understand that managing hundreds of user accounts that access online resources only adds to the daily load within the LRC & IT Departments. With Overt’s Shibboleth single sign-on solution, staff & learners are able to access online resources 24/7, 365 days a year.

Shibboleth Azure AD/ADFS Authentication Module (SAAM)

With more and more organisations utilising the power of Azure/Office 365 and ADFS a new problem has emerged. Users are now needing to sign on to multiple SSO systems (Azure AD/ADFS and Shibboleth) negating the benefits that SSO brings. That is why we have developed SAAM, as this bridges the authentication between the multiple SSO systems allowing users to simultaneously sign on to Azure AD/ADFS as well as Shibboleth (or another SSO system). This means that the user only needs 1 login to access all of their resources - bringing back true SSO.

If you are interested in any of our packages and want to take advantage of our Blended Learning Consortium discounts, please feel free to contact our sales team:



Visit our website:



Alternatively, call us for more information:

t: 01905 955 037


Pearson

Pearson logo

HN Online by Pearson

HN Online is a digital solution created by Pearson that enables delivery of BTEC Higher National qualifications using a blended learning model. This way students engage with critical course content in their own time, allowing you to focus on delivering high value face-to-face teaching in the classroom.

Available for BTEC Higher Nationals in Business (RQF)

Content is available across a number of core, specialist and optional units of the BTEC Higher Nationals in Business (RQF) qualification.

Created to save you time

Creating online resources in-house requires a considerable investment of staff time. Each online unit covers 30 of the 60 required Guided Learning Hours (GLH) and covers all the learning outcomes listed in the specification so you can use classroom time more effectively.

Integrates with your college's VLE

HN Online can be accessed via a platform both you and your students are familiar with. Pearson will provide integration support and new user training to help you to become more comfortable with the functionality.

BLC offer:
Education providers can purchase access to HN Online at an introductory price of £60 per unit, per learner (excluding VAT). Content is available for 8 HNC Business units and 9 HND Business units. BLC members will receive access to two optional units free of charge when purchasing six core units for learners.

Contact us today to find out more or to book a face to face demonstration of the content.



Learn more about blended learning...

Join our upcoming webinars to learn about different aspects of blended learning and how you can adopt it successfully at your centre.

View the list of events and register now on our website.



Planet eStream

Pearson logo

The Unified Video Platform Supporting Digital Strategy Across Further and Higher Education Globally

Planet eStream offers a flexible way of supporting multiple media-based requirements from one central platform, offering:

  • A Secure Media Library
  • Live Streaming Lecture and Room Capture Tools – NEW
  • Deep Integrations with Other Learning Platforms - Including Video Assignment Submission
  • Access to TV & Radio Resources – Including Access to a Library of Over 2 million Programmes
  • Interactive Video and Quiz Tools
  • Photo Archiving
  • Centrally Managed Digital Signage
  • Tools to Create Flipped Learning Resources

New – Live Streaming, Lecture and Room Capture Tools

Planet eStream Lecture & Room Capture tools provide a scalable and cost-effective solution for organisations looking to live stream and archive lectures, lessons and more. Autonomous capture hardware makes deployment simple, eliminating the requirement for educators to set up and start streams. There is also support for multiple inputs, voice transcription services, room indicators, Office 365 Calendars and much more.

Powerful Integrations

Create a simple workflow for your educators with a wide range of bespoke integrations for popular learning platforms. Supported platforms include; Microsoft Teams, Canvas, D2L Brightspace, Blackboard, Moodle, itslearning and SharePoint.

These plugins enable educators to easily browse and add media to course pages. Additional media can also be uploaded directly from within their learning platform – great for video assessment.

Access to Great Content

All Planet eStream subscribers who have access to our Planet eStream Connect service can benefit from a searchable database of great educational TV and radio resources to support teaching and learning. All content can be directly searched and added to your Planet eStream Media Library. Content includes:

  • The BBC Digital Archive - currently with over 2 million recordings dating back to 1989
  • The BBC Shakespeare Archive - currently with over 500 recordings dating back to the 1950’s
  • Planet eStream’s own Freeview TV and Radio Archive - currently with over 100,000 recordings from a wide cross-section of channels, dating back over a decade
  • Dedicated Blended Learning Consortium Channel – member colleges can browse and add their BLC subscription content to their own Planet eStream Media Library

To discover more about what Planet eStream can offer your college, view product videos, read about benefits of Planet eStream or book a demonstration, please visit our website:



You can also view a range of short video-based customer case studies here:



Planet eStream Special Offer for BLC Members:

Planet eStream are proud to be an official partner of the Blended Learning Consortium and member colleges can benefit from the following exclusive offer:

• 20% off year one subscription costs for new subscribers to Planet eStream – Just Quote BLC20 when ordering!

Offer available on subscriptions with a minimum contract value of £3,759 plus VAT before the discount is applied

Please feel free to contact Matthew Hastings for more information:




Prodigy Learning

Prodigy Learning logo

Digital Skills Remote Learning Products and At Home Certification Solutions for BLC Members

Prodigy Learning are an award-winning global EdTech business with a mission to provide digital skills certifications and learning solutions for Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft and other technologies to everyone across the globe. Now more than ever with job uncertainty and the need to pivot whole business models it is essential for students and employees to continue to earn these IT Certifications which deliver job-ready skills and improve employability.

Our team has been working tirelessly to help individuals develop and certify digital skills from the comfort of their own home. Here are a couple of things we have available to BLC members:

1. Remote Learning Products - Video Learning & Practice Tests

Prodigy Learning offers a range of online video learning, online skills assessments and practice tests to support ‘At home’ distance learning of future-ready digital skills from Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, Cisco, CompTIA, Oracle, VMWare and EC-Council.

2. ‘At Home’ Certification Solution

We are delighted to announce that our typically ‘in person, in classroom’ invigilated certification solutions can now be delivered remotely! Our support team have been working nonstop to prepare a solution to enable exam candidates to test remotely. This involves candidates taking (available) exams from their home computer rather than attending a physical Authorised Testing Center. Candidates do not need to install any software on their computer to take an exam at home, the exam is accessed through a web browser, so web connectivity is required.

This solution is available to Prodigy Learning customers and authorised testing centres.

3. Stand out in a crowded recruitment market with online digital badges linking to live job data for additional employability

Both remote learning solutions and certification exams are offered via annual exam packs designed to give you flexibility with delivering digital skills to students and staff, at a significantly reduced rate.

BLC offer:
Prodigy Learning are delighted to offer all members of the BLC an introductory offer of 15 months for the price of 12 on any new academic exam pack.

Contact us and speak to a member of our team to discuss setting up as a testing centre, or for more information and to be connected to a member of the Prodigy Team in your region.



View this offer as PDF:


BLC offer:
Exclusive CPD Offer - Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), December 2020.

Prodigy Learning are offering all members of the BLC a December CPD offer on Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification eKits.

Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification is the world’s most recognised computing qualification for proving a person’s skills and abilities in Microsoft’s Office applications. MOS training and certification is recognised by industry and demanded by employers worldwide.

MOS eKits retail for £215.00 per kit, per person and as a member of the BLC you can already purchase these for just £73.50 per kit.

Until 18th December 2020 Prodigy Learning are delighted to offer BLC members an exclusive ‘Buy two, get one free’ offer on all eKits.

  • Online Video Training
  • Practice Tests
  • A MOS Exam Voucher with free retake
  • 12 Month Expiration

MOS Certification is available in the following for Office 2016 and 2019 versions:

  • Word
  • Excel
  • PowerPoint
  • Outlook
  • Access
  • Word Expert
  • Excel Expert

After gaining MOS certification, successful candidates get immediate access to a Digital Certificate and Transcript, as well as Digital Badging to share their success online.

For further details and to claim this offer please contact andrew.lenehan@prodigylearning.com quoting BLC-D20.



View this offer as PDF:

Visit our website:



Purlos

Purlos logo

Purlos - Procuct overview:

  • We use WhatsApp to connect to students during admissions
  • We answer 80% of admissions questions for you using ‘Human Assisted’ AI
  • We use analyse data to highlight high risk students during the admissions process and help improve conversions

1. Engage Gen-Z way - Use Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Linkedin to connect with students.

2. Gain insights - Mobile and desktop dashboards with retention data and actionable insights.

3. Drive retention strategies - Contact the highest risk student first, and use the information we gather to have a better conversion to increase conversions.

Client testemonial:

"NESCOT has found Purlos’ platform to have a much better engagement level with students compared to existing communications methods. It gives new insights about the highest risk students allowing us to intervene early and support increased conversions. Engagement with students has been high, about 80% on average" - Dario Stevens, Vice Principle, NESCOT.

BLC offer:
FREE virtual events communications package for 12 months (when bought alongside the admissions platform).

Standard price £1,500 exc. VAT.

Book a demo:



Quote CODE: BLC2020
*Available for the first 10 colleges before August 31st 2020

View this offer as PPT:



Visit our website:



Quiss

Quiss logo

No-one understands the importance of every learner having access to appropriate, reliable technology, better than those, like us, who work with it on a daily basis.

Technology and its importance in the world will only increase and we work with colleges and schools to ensure every learner can interact with technology that not only helps them learn, but inspires their future life choices.

BLC offer:
We offer a free comprehensive technology audit, assessing your network and technology environment, with a discussion of how you currently use technology and what you hope to achieve in the future.

To read more about how we can help your staff and learners get more out of your technology investment then visit the links below:

Cyber security offer:



Discounted products offer:



Education brochure:



On premises Vs Cloud offer:



Email us for enquiries:



Visit our website for more information:



Rugby School Online

Rugby School Online logo

The leading name in A-level stem revision

We offer expert subject specific revision courses for A-level students.

Self-paced Study

8 hours of self-paced materials covering the most difficult topics to master. Includes video lessons, quizzes and exam practice.

Masterclasses

60-minute sessions focused on explaining concepts in a different way Moderated Q&A behind-thescene team to allow the teacher to focus on delivery. Masterclasses are recorded so students can revisit key elements.

Easter Revision and Sprint Finish

Revision delivered in student-centric groups. Easter courses get the bulk of your revision done with a final sprint finish option. Key emphasis on exacting topics within the syllabus. Incorporating exam question practice and feedback.

BLC offer:
We offer a 20% member discount on every product.

Whether you need to improve your grades in Maths, Physics, Chemistry or Biology, our unique flexible programme will help you reach your full potential.

Read more about our offer:



Email us for enquiries:



Visit our website for more information:



The Skills Network

Skills Network logo

The Skills Network allows learners to undertake their study in an exciting and interactive e-learning environment. The system not only supports learners’ development, but also includes tutor access and intelligent data management tools which cover all aspects of blended and distance learning delivery.

BLC offer:
For members who want to come on board with The Skills Network, if they commit to learning resources for an initial 50 learners with us, we will build them a fully branded tenancy of our online platform for free (RRP is ordinarily £1,000), plus we will charge just £20 per learner (RRP is usually £30).
This makes the total cost just £1,000 instead of £2,500 RRP.

Click here for more information about the offer:



Visit our website for more information:



System Live

System Live logo

System Live are a software house specialising in Quality Enhancement Software, Consultancy and Reporting within the Further Education sector.

Observation Live - for Lesson Observations

System Live have partnered with Wakefield College on a new Lesson Observation system catering for the needs of FE. Key features include the ability to set up different types of observation types from graded to non-graded to learning walks, fully configurable templates, offline mode for recording observations when no internet access is available, create action plans for staff, sophisticated in built reporting.

microlearn

Planning Live - for Schemes of Work and Lesson Planning

Our system for Schemes of Work and Lesson Planning. This system replaces a college’s traditional approach of teachers recording this information on Word documents. Therefore has all the benefits of being able to share, collaborate, standardise and report which a centralised system provides.

microlearn

We are pleased to announce a discount of 20% on the licence for Observation Live and Planning Live for members of the Blended Learning Consortium!

A brochure with more details about Observation Live can be downloaded below:



A brochure with more details about Planning Live can be downloaded below:



More information can be found on our website:



Or please email us directly to find out more information about our products and services:



Teachermatic

Teachermatic logo

TeacherMatic is an innovative and exceptional suite of AI tools designed by teachers, for teachers.

With the help of Chat GPT-3, TeacherMatic empowers educators to create a diverse range of engaging teaching resources and activities such as lesson plans, schemes of work, multiple choice questions, discussion topics, and so much more.

You can see a 5 min demonstration of TeacherMatic here:

BLC offer:

BLC members who purchase TeacherMatic will get a free online training session for teachers to support them in making the best use of this toolkit.

More information can be found on our website:



Or contact:



Texthelp

Texthelp logo

Texthelp

Join the millions of people all across the world using Texthelp tools to enhance their learning and working styles and realise their true potential.

Read&Write is a simple software ‘toolbar’ that works in conjunction with all of your current software such as Word, Web Browsers, PDF files and Google Docs, Slides and Classroom. It has a comprehensive set of features such as text to speech, prediction, text and visual dictionaries, translation, resource creation and study skills tools. It will help every student, across every subject when they are using computer equipment specifically in improving literacy and fluency in conjunction with digital skills.

Read&Write as a Computer Reader & Scribe in Exams

Read&Write is the prefered computer reader for exams throughout the UK. The software makes exams accessible for students who have dyslexia or reading difficulties. “A computer reader allows the pupil to independently meet the requirements of the reading standards”.

The benefits of a computer reader & scribe

For the student:

  • Computer reader allowed in exams testing reading where a human reader is not permitted
  • Can be used across a wide range of exams
  • Allows students to work independently

For the teacher:

  • Supports Inclusive teaching through differentiation in the classroom
  • Supports evidencing progression
  • Reduces cost of reasonable adjustment
  • Improves teacher performance

For the colleges:

  • Reduces exam costs, additional invigilators, readers & scribes not needed
  • Fewer rooms required

BLC offer:
We’re delighted to offer members of the Blended Learning Consortium a special discount of 15% off the Read&Write standard site price (new customers only).

Included in price is a domain wide licence which will cover all on-site and licensee owned devices including loan devices. Texthelp will also provide a range of support including:

  • Access to a dedicated FE area for students to aid onboarding, help build skills and increase usage
  • On demand, live webinars for staff training
  • Access to ‘Texthelp Academy’ where your staff can access feature videos, ‘How To’ webinars, courses & much more.
  • technical support, updates & upgrades

30-days free trial

Take advantage of our free trial period to see the power of Read&Write.

For all enquiries please visit the Texthelp website:



Or email:



**All of our products are built with accessibility in mind, ensuring every student has the same opportunities for learning. Texthelp also provides software that makes Maths both digital and accessible (Equatio), offering multiple modes of input for teachers and students. OrbitNote is a PDF solution allowing you to make PDFs more Accessible and Actionable. It allows you to transform and interact with documents in a completely different way. Our Texthelp Toolbox allows you to create an accessible, dynamic and collaborative classroom that works for every learner.


Think Smart

Think Smart logo

“Inspectors will consider the extent to which learners receive thorough and impartial careers guidance to enable them to make informed choices about their current learning and future career plans” OFSTED Further Education and Skills Handbook

Think Smart helps your current and prospective students discover the right career path for them, and guides them towards the appropriate courses, vacancies and apprenticeships to achieve their ambitions.

Here is a demo video:



We interview professionals across a wide range of industries about their jobs, and use this to develop real-world problem-solving scenarios that your students can try out to get an understanding of what different career paths involve. Our adaptive algorithms track the topics and activities they enjoy in order to guide them towards appropriate career choices.

We offer:

  • Hundreds of problem-solving scenarios across >35 industries and constantly growing content
  • The ability to rapidly build new content according to you + your local economy’s needs
  • A word bank for students to add definitions of difficult jargon
  • Guidance for prospective students towards appropriate courses and/or job vacancies
  • Comprehensive analytics platform to measure progress throughout their student journey

BLC offer:
We are delighted to offer a 20% discount on licenses to BLC members.

Please contact us for details and to arrange a demo:

Email:



Tel: 07492393793

Visit our website for more information:



The Training Initiative

The Training Initiative logo

Our mission is simple - to make training your workforce as easy, flexible and cost effective as possible. We're passionate about improving the standards and quality of training in the Further Education Sector.


We offer training in the following subject areas to suit your college's needs and budget:

  • First aid
  • Mental health
  • Moving people safely
  • Fire safety
  • Dealing with challenging behaviour
  • Safeguarding of vulnerable adults, children & young
  • Equality and diversity
  • Leadership
  • Augmented reality
  • Bespoke courses

BLC offer:
We're offering members of the Blended Learning Consortium a 20% discount off all of our courses and training. We would like to offer BLC members a preferential rate of £520 + VAT per day for training. For shorter or bespoke courses a pro-rata rate will be calculated.

View an overview of the training we offer in PDF format:



Please get in touch:



Tel: 01827 216 171

Visit our website for more information:



Transform Education

Transform Education logo

Transform Education Ltd is a training and consultancy provider set up by Peter Kilcoyne and Esam Baboukhan focused on transforming Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) through the use of technology. transformeducation.co.uk/ Our core mission is to inspire and empower educators to transform TLA.

Our core services are:

LMS 365

We are the UK educational reseller for LMS 365.

LMS365 is a fully functional VLE/LMS built around SharePoint and the Office 365 suite of applications. It supports teachers and learners using Microsoft Teams and other Office 365 apps, which they are familiar with to engage in teaching and learning. The LMS 365 platform provides powerful back end VLE functionality such as course management, tracking, reporting, SCORM integration, gradebook and certification. Using LMS365 in Teams opens a whole new level of social collaboration and excitement! Teams’ chat-based interface allows users to work together on various course topics in a fun and informal manner.

Watch these videos for more information:

LMS365 built for MS Teams:



LMS365 Learning Management for the Modern Digital Workplace:



See transformeducation.co.uk/partners/lms365/ for more information.

Microsoft Global Training Partner

MS-GlobalTrainingPartner

We have been recognized by Microsoft as a Global Training Partner. We offer a full range of training and advisory services to help organisations and their staff make the best use of Microsoft Teams and Office 365. Esam Baboukhan, a part-time Microsoft Learning Consultant, winner of EdTech 50 and Pearson’s Silver Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 award is known nationally and internationally for his inspirational pedagogical use of Microsoft 365 and can provide bespoke training and advice to your college and staff.

See transformeducation.co.uk/partners/microsoft/ for more information.

Bespoke CPD

Through our Directors and team of outstanding associates we offer a range of bespoke face to face and online training across many areas of digital learning.

These include:

  • Microsoft 365
  • Google for Education
  • Blended Learning pedagogy
  • Digital Accessibility
  • Using Video as an effective strategy
  • Webinar design
  • Using Drones
  • Developing a digital strategy
  • Cybersecurity

See transformeducation.co.uk/services/ for more information.

Implementing Blended Learning

Peter Kilcoyne is well known for his work in Blended Learning. Both in setting up and leading the Blended Consortium for its first five years and managing the implementation of the SOLA blended learning model at Heart of Worcestershire College. This work has been recognised through the college winning TES and AoC awards and Peter being in the EdTech 50. Peter has supported many colleges and universities across the UK and internationally and offers bespoke training and advisory services through Transform Education.

See transformeducation.co.uk/services/ for more information.

Transform Education Associates

Transform Education has several associates who work with us to deliver training and support. These include some of the leading digital managers and practitioners working in the FE sector today offering a wide range of specialist skills.

For more information about our associates go to transformeducation.co.uk/associates/ for more information.

Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more about becoming one of our associates.



BLC offer:
Members using our services will be given 10% off the price for training and consultation services.

Members buying a licence for LMS365 will be given two days free training.

Visit our website for more information:



Unio by Harness

Unio logo

Unio is a cloud-based learning platform that increases student participation and engagement. It enables teachers to:

  • Create interactive lessons that include quizzes, polls, audio and video
  • Display lessons on student devices through a browser
  • Use the class overview to track student progress in real time
  • Assign students to work in groups and collaborate on activities

Unio's unique shared screens enables the teacher to easily share lessons and assessments with students and allows for real time two-way communication whether inside or outside the classroom.

The class overview gives teacher a real time overview of how every student is progressing through the lesson making it easy to identify students who need additional support.

Students can access all of the lesson material remotely so Unio is idea for encouraging independent learning.

Watch James Kieft's guide on how to use Unio:



BLC offer:
BLC members benefit from a discounted rate of £6 per student per year for any number of licences plus free in school training for all staff.

Harness is ranked as one of the top 50 global Education companies by Tyton Partners and is the European winner of the Global EdTech Startup Awards . Unio is certified by Finland’s Kokoa Standard

To find out more, visit our website:



If you have any questions, contact Nihal Salah:



How to videos:



Vevox - Student Polling

Vevox logo

Engagement for online, in-person and hybrid meetings & classes.

BLC offer:
Vevox college pricing plan - offer:

Find out why education institutions have rated Vevox #1 in the world for software AND service.

Pilot (year 1) offered at 50% of standard costs.

Plan includes:

  • A full institution-wide Vevox student polling plan
  • Access for all academic staff and students
  • For 1 year (12 months inclusive)
  • Unlimited usage and feature set
  • Fully supported via our world-class Customer Success Team
  • - Dedicated Customer Success Manager (Train the trainer, staff training, etc. all included)
  • SSO, LTI, Teams/Zoom integrations, ChatGPT AI etc included

View the college pricing overview:



Visit the Vevox website for more information:



Alternatively, contact us for a no obligation demo:



Virtual College

Virtual College logo

Virtual College is one of the UK’s leading providers of online learning, amassing over 2 million learners in their 21 years of experience in the field. Recently chosen as the ‘learning technologies supplier of the year’, Virtual College has been widely recognised for the way its training positively impacts individuals, teams and organisations.

BLC offer:
Partnering with Virtual College provides Consortium members with a 20% discount off any initial orders with the company, as well as the following benefits:

  • free access to the Career VOOCs, short online course that introduce learners to careers within a specific vocational sector
  • unlimited access to the Employability suite of courses hosted on Virtual College’s Learning Management System for the reduced price of £1000 per college
  • a free learning technology consultancy session with one of the company’s education e-learning consultants who can discuss how Virtual College content can help meet student training requirements
  • access to the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework self-assessment template within our online Audit Tool free for 1 year.

For full information on how Virtual College can satisfy your training requirements, visit their company website:



Alternatively, they can be contacted directly for further details about their training solutions:



Vitalize

Vitalize logo

Who is Vitalize?

Vitalize IT provides support and training to enable schools and colleges to develop the use of Digital learning via Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

BESTest

Our goal is always to support your college to enhance teaching and learning with technology, by engaging students and teachers.

Our dedicated support team is made of experienced teachers and ICT professionals who have many years’ experience of working in the education sector.

BLC offer:
We’re delighted to offer members of the Blended Learning Consortium:

A totally free virtual assessment questionnaire and analysis report to see how confident your tutors are with either Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

For more information, please book a 1:1 video meet:



For more information please visit our website:



Or email us:



Offers

Events & Webinars


events banner
Upcoming Events

BLC Spring Meeting 2025

Date tbc


BLC F2F Summer Conference 2025

Date tbc


Previous Webinars

Previously recorded webinars are available to watch again by following the links below.
Depending on your internet speed, there may be a short delay while the recording loads up.


BLC Autumn Meeting 2024


BLC Spring Meeting 2024


BLC Autumn Meeting 2023


TeacherMatic Webinar

Wednesday 27th September 2023


BLC Summer Conference 2023 - Education 4.0


Introducing Vevox

Wednesday 17th May 2023


BLC Spring Meeting 2023


Lyfta Webinar

Introducing the Lyfta immersive learning platform.


Accessit Library Webinar

Introducing Accessit Library


Introducing Focus XR

How to get the most from VR learning in 2023


BLC Autumn Meeting 2022


BLC Summer Conference 2022 - Digital Sparks

Digital Event Programme - Wakelet
View the digital event programme


BLC Spring Meeting - 31st March 2022


ClickView | DN Colleges Group


Introducing the Formative Platform


Embedding Blended Learning; making the most of the BLC resources


Blended Learning Autumn Conference 2021


Blended Learning Summer Conference 2021


Audactive and iSpring Webinar


TextHelp Webinar - Widening Accessibility, Redefining Inclusion


Regional Blended Learning Meetings - Spring 2021

Thanks to all those who have attended the regional meetings, you can watch the recordings using the links below:


Regional Blended Learning Meetings - Autumn 2020


Century Webinar - The Future of Further Education - 25/11/2020:

Do you want to know more about the digital transformation of the #FE Sector? Technology is now essential for the teaching and learning of English and Math's. The Blended Learning Consortium and Century Tech present an insightful webinar to help answer this question. With speakers form Bradford College, Rise Holme College and Activate Learning.


Virtual Reality Assessment Tool (eCom Scotland) - 14/10/2020:

eCom Scotland have been working extensively with City of Glasgow College to develop a VR for assessment toolkit. Their development process has now reached the stage where they would like to involve the BLC in trials of using the prototype toolkit to provide feedback. This would be great help for them to create a toolkit that fits the needs of the FE sector. The toolkit shows great promise from our experience so far and is able to produce self-contained SCORM objects as well as other formats, which would fit with the BLC model.


Flipick LMS Webinar - 30/09/2020:


LMS365 Webinar - 25/06/2020:


Adapting to the 'New Normal' and Embracing the Digital Opportunity - 18/06/2020:


Regional Blended Learning Meetings - Spring 2020


Preparing for distance learning - BLC Webinar 16/03/2020:


Accessibility Professional Development - BLC Online Conference 12/03/2020:


Events

Support & Guides


Here you will find useful documentation and guides for using the Blended Learning Consortium resources. Please refer to the supportive information relating to your VLE or intended use. We aim to add additional guides over time.

Use of AI Statement

AI is transforming the way we can deliver our resources, helping us innovate and improve the experience for you and your learners. We use various AI technologies to streamline processes, assist with idea generation, problem solving, and enhancing ways to deliver our resources. This statement explains how we use AI, our commitment to ethics, and how we ensure transparency, privacy, and fairness in everything we do.

View Our Use of AI Statement

BLC Moodle Plugin

A low-cost plugin is available that provides seamless integration of BLC resources into Moodle. Conveniently browse through the available BLC sessions and add them directly to your Moodle course. Please refer to the following PowerPoint and informative videos for more information about the plugin.

BLC Moodle repository PowerPoint

If you would like more information about the plugin, please get in touch.

Adding BLC resources to Moodle

Please refer to the following PDF that explains how to add BLC resources to Moodle.

Adding BLC Resources to Moodle

Adding BLC resources to Canvas

Here are two articles that explain how to add SCORM packages into Canvas courses.

The SCORM LTI must be enabled in External Apps at the account level before it can be used in courses. If you do not see the SCORM function in your course navigation please contact your institutions Canvas admin. If you are an administrator, please contact your Customer Success Manager for assistance.

How do I import SCORM files as an assignment?

How do I import SCORM files as an page?

Docs

Get In Touch


For all enquiries regarding the Blended Learning Consortium including information about joining, writers training or details about the content available to Consortium members please get in touch and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to speak to someone in person you can contact Matt Beck directly. 01905 743468

General Enquiries

General enquiries

If you are already a member of the consortium and have a technical query, please use the Technical Queries form below.


Technical Queries

Technical enquiries

Use this form if you have a technical query about using the BLC resources or require additional member support. Please provide as much detail as possible to help us with your query.

Please give a brief description of the issue. If applicable, please provide the subject and session title/s for which your query relates to so a member of the team can locate the module quickly.


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Contact Us