Bite-sized blended learning for time critical graduate apprenticeship delivery

The capacity to develop time management soft skills is an established success factor in student learning experience. However, it is critically important for GA students as they must balance the workload and productivity expectations of their host employers while simultaneously meeting the escalating competency standards of 120 credits of assessed university learning each year.

In this Presentation, we contextualise and detail the design rationale that underpins the 40-credit Level 8 Software Engineering module, which is a core module on the BSc (Hons) IT: Software Development GA programme. It is specifically tailored to the needs and requirements of GA delivery, taking cues from several active learning methodologies to engage the students and facilitate flexible learning schedules. For instance, an inverted classroom is combined with short –cycle and just-in-time delivery modes. Theory content is structured into 10-minute bite-sized videos to promote opportunistic consumption, such as during commute. On-campus facilitated workshops, inspired by best practice from “Teaching from the Back of the Room”, maximise GA behaviour-induced learning time in the presence of a mentor. Toolchains and workflows typically utilised by agile software development teams in industry are adapted to track off-campus engagement, provide formative feedback, and adapt the emphasis of workshops according to student progress. In this presentation we convey the results and responses from our first cohort of students on this module.