WHAT?
The guidelines will address the VET institution’s inclusive learner engagement practices and action planning around the following questions:
- What challenges does your VET institution face in the area of inclusive learner engagement?
- What areas does your VET institution need to address?
- What are the goals for improvement and measurable outcomes?
- What actions will you need to implement to reach your goals and vision?
- How will you know if you are successful? What benchmarks will you use, and how will you document your progress and success?
You can take a full institutional approach and look at all areas that have relevance to learners in your school – and thus to learner involvement – or you can decide to focus on one or more specific areas. Areas of interest could for example be around:
- Learners’ sense of belonging;
- Teaching & Learning;
- Governance & Management;
- Learner Support;
- Quality Assurance & Enhancement;
Learner participation and sense of belonging are closely interrelated. Firstly, it refers to a learner feeling included and experiencing emotional well-being resulting from a stable sense of social and academic self-esteem. It also signifies being part of a peer group, where learners are valued and recognised, where identities are constructed positively rather than being seen as deficient or of lesser value over any learner. And, finally, it involves feeling confident in taking part in the formal and informal bodies and structures of learner participation, within and outside of their studies.
The environment of teaching, learning and assessment is where learners and staff will most often engage. Approaches to learner engagement should seek to find a balance between learner engagement in their own learning and learner engagement in the process of enhancing that learning. Partnership in this space can be pedagogical, curricular, and extra-curricular, founded on collaborative relationships, where staff and learners recognise that their engagement can have wider influence on institutional change, emerging good practice, and quality improvement.
Learner engagement in governance and management of VET schools can be enhanced through their involvement in committees, boards, etc. However, a broader understanding is needed about different obstacles that can limit this participation to be meaningful and effective. Recognition of non-formal modes of participation, pre-existing hierarchies, decision-making cultures, and knowledge or information asymmetry is crucial. It is from the governance domain that learner engagement can be embedded throughout all institutional decision-making and policy developments.
Learner support is a distinctive element of education and a prerequisite for building more inclusive VET schools. Ensuring equitable access to teaching and learning for all learners, including those who are underrepresented, and creating inclusive environments that facilitate their full participation is necessary.
Learner engagement in quality assurance and enhancement should involve active learner participation at all stages. This means that the process itself should effectively capture and understand how learner engagement and participation are supported in practice. When quality assurance includes systematic learner participation, it can better respond to the needs and goals of all learners. This also helps provide the support that staff need to make partnerships a reality.
WHAT
The guidelines will address the VET institution’s inclusive learner engagement practices and action planning around the following questions:
- What challenges does your VET institution face in the area of inclusive learner engagement?
- What areas does your VET institution need to address?
- What are the goals for improvement and measurable outcomes?
- What actions will you need to implement to reach your goals and vision?
- How will you know if you are successful? What benchmarks will you use, and how will you document your progress and success?
You can take a full institutional approach and look at all areas that have relevance to learners in your school – and thus to learner involvement – or you can decide to focus on one or more specific areas. Areas of interest could for example be around:
Learner participation and sense of belonging are closely interrelated. Firstly, it refers to a learner feeling included and experiencing emotional well-being resulting from a stable sense of social and academic self-esteem. It also signifies being part of a peer group, where learners are valued and recognised, where identities are constructed positively rather than being seen as deficient or of lesser value over any learner. And, finally, it involves feeling confident in taking part in the formal and informal bodies and structures of learner participation, within and outside of their studies.
The environment of teaching, learning and assessment is where learners and staff will most often engage. Approaches to learner engagement should seek to find a balance between learner engagement in their own learning and learner engagement in the process of enhancing that learning. Partnership in this space can be pedagogical, curricular, and extra-curricular, founded on collaborative relationships, where staff and learners recognise that their engagement can have wider influence on institutional change, emerging good practice, and quality improvement.
Learner engagement in governance and management of VET schools can be enhanced through their involvement in committees, boards, etc. However, a broader understanding is needed about different obstacles that can limit this participation to be meaningful and effective. Recognition of non-formal modes of participation, pre-existing hierarchies, decision-making cultures, and knowledge or information asymmetry is crucial. It is from the governance domain that learner engagement can be embedded throughout all institutional decision-making and policy developments.
Learner support is a distinctive element of education and a prerequisite for building more inclusive VET schools. Ensuring equitable access to teaching and learning for all learners, including those who are underrepresented, and creating inclusive environments that facilitate their full participation is necessary.
The environment of teaching, learning and assessment is where learners and staff will most often engage. Approaches to learner engagement should seek to find a balance between learner engagement in their own learning and learner engagement in the process of enhancing that learning. Partnership in this space can be pedagogical, curricular, and extra-curricular, founded on collaborative relationships, where staff and learners recognise that their engagement can have wider influence on institutional change, emerging good practice, and quality improvement.
