From education to employment

CERTIFIED MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR LEARNING TECHNOLOGY BOOSTED BY JISC”S SUPPORT

The Association for Learning Technology (http://www.alt.ac.uk) estimates that there are several thousand people employed in the UK with learning technology as a core part of their role. Learning technology practitioners can gain recognition for their professional experience and capability in learning technology through ALT’s national accreditation scheme known as CMALT (Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology).

 
ALT is currently running regional workshops as part of a scheme supported by JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) to enable staff working in UK higher and further education (including Adult and Community and Work Based Learning) to register for CMALT at a preferential rate of £47.50 until 31 July 2008. Applications under the JISC offer are limited, so candidates are encouraged to register early to ensure they receive the discounted rate.
 
Sarah Knight, JISC Programme Manager, said, “The growing professionalisation of the learning technologist’s role is making a significant impact on the integration of ICT into further and higher education. JISC is delighted to be supporting ALT’s efforts in this area and we hope that a great many people will take advantage of this offer."
 
The workshops provide an introduction to CMALT and are suitable for people who have never thought about CMALT before, for those who have already made a start on producing an application or organisations interested in CMALT as a development option for staff. Workshops will be run on open, participative lines, with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion. Places are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.
 
Workshop dates:
24th June 10.30 – 14.00 Glasgow Caledonian University
3rd July 10.30 – 14.00 Oxford Brookes University
Visit www.alt.ac.uk/cmalt_workshop.html for further details and links to booking forms.
 
Dr Jay Dempster, Certification Manager for the Association for Learning Technology, comments, “So far we have held six regional workshops. Feedback has been very positive and participants highlighted that attending a CMALT workshop makes the certification process much clearer. Applying for CMALT and building a portfolio is a relatively straightforward process for those who have been working in learning technology for a few years. The workshop is a way of helping people get stuck in, brainstorming their skills and experience against the CMALT framework and making a practical start on creating content for their portfolio.”
If you have any queries about the CMALT scheme, please contact: Dr Jay Dempster, CMALT’s Certification Manager via email: [email protected], ‘phone: 0845 159 0065 or visit www.alt.ac.uk/cmalt/.
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Notes to editors:
 
Quotes from workshop delegates
Sally Holden: eLearning Support Manager Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry,
University of Plymouth Campus, “Dr Jay Dempster recently ran a CMALT workshop for over 20 colleagues working throughout the south west. All of us who attended could be described as "learning technologists" from some part of the wide spectrum of what that term can actually mean in various different situations. We were encouraged to think about our own roles and the unique mix of skills and experience we all bring to our work in the context of our own institutions. CMALT offers us a certification route which will hopefully help us (and others) understand, articulate and value what we do. It also helps identify our areas of strength and other areas which could be developed further. It was a useful opportunity to take some time out of our busy schedules to meet others working in this rapidly changing, demanding but very rewarding field. We swapped info, stories and tips and helped talk through some of the issues around deciding whether or not to go through the CMALT process. Many of us who attended are hopefully going to proceed with the application for CMALT certification in the near future.”
 
“The CMALT workshop was inspiring, reassuring, and very useful.  It gave us a good idea of the scope of the portfolio and procedures we should follow.”
 
"Not only was this session a useful personal development opportunity, it has sparked some interesting discussion among the ‘serious about e-learning’ here at Aberystwyth."
 
Achieving CMALT involves creation and peer assessment of a portfolio of evidence against a set of core and specialist areas defined as central to the role of a learning technologist. There is a range of support available to help candidates, including guidance materials, an online peer-support, and the advice of the CMALT Certification Manager. www.alt.ac.uk/cmalt/
 
About ALT
ALT (the Association for Learning Technology) is a professional and scholarly association which brings together all those with an interest in the use of learning technology. There are over 200 organisational members from higher and further education institutions, private and public sector organisations and over 500 individual members. Sponsoring members include Becta, HEFCE, Microsoft, the Scottish Funding Council, Adobe, and the Learning and Skills Council.
 
ALT organises a yearly high profile conference – ALT-C, this year the theme for ALT-C will be Rethinking the digital divide.  The conference takes place from9-11 September 2008, Leeds, UK. http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2008/
 
Association for Learning Technology, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BP
Tel: +44 (0)1865 484 125    Fax: +44 (0)1865 484 165   Email:[email protected]     
URL: http://www.alt.ac.uk/

ALT is a Registered Charity in the UK, number: 1063519
 
About JISC
JISC (the Joint Information Systems Committee) supports higher and further education by providing strategic guidance, advice and opportunities to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to support research, teaching, learning and administration. JISC is funded by all the UK post-16 and higher education funding councils.
 
For media information, please contact:
Catherine Dhanjal, TheAnswer Ltd
Tel: 01883 650434 or 0794 166 9925
 
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