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Online CPD  – how one training organisation has been working to give schools a positive online learning experience and boost their fundraising income.

In September 2003, a group of twenty Heads, Bursars and School Governors from schools all over the UK, participated in the first online course leading to the Certificate in School Fundraising.

They wanted to find out how to raise more money for their school from the lottery, local businesses and charitable trusts. But first they had to join a virtual classroom, work with an e-tutor, participate in online discussion groups and submit an e-portfolio. This article looks at their experience of studying online within the school day.  It also looks at how this particular course was developed and adapted to meet the needs of school staff. Although the lessons from this example of online CPD are not new, they provide a good reminder of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of training.

The advantages of studying online can be very attractive to schools whose staff and budgets are under pressure: there are no supply costs, no travel costs or travel time, you have immediate access to materials and complete flexibility around choosing when to study. However, as this article will demonstrate, for online learning to be successful, it has to be active and engaging and offer the student choices along the way.

Background

Fundraising has become accepted, albeit reluctantly, as an essential part of school management. Looking for additional funds is a key skill for the modern day head, bursar and business manager. So school leaders need to have knowledge at their fingertips and trained staff at the helm. The Certificate in School Fundraising teaches school leaders and support staff how and where to apply for funds. It is a six week accredited online course founded by Louise Germaney, an experienced school fundraiser and director of Fundraising Skills Ltd. The course originated as a piece of INSET training and worked well in a classroom setting. Making the course into an online experience which could be practical and enjoyable was a real challenge. Prior to the launch of the online course, Louise worked with E-tutors, IT Specialists, Accrediting Bodies and researched online learning. She wanted to ensure schools got the right combination of online learning, tutor expertise and flexibility. If this was going to work, then the use of the internet and an online tutor would mean schools could access high quality, fundraising training without leaving their desk or arranging supply cover.

Providing the Right Online Environment

The course website is designed with student participation and discussion in mind. Course resources are built around a number of individual and group tasks that require the learner to reflect upon their own school and apply lessons to their situation. With six modules and twenty lessons to complete, the structure and functionality of the course website is extremely important to the success of the course. When students logon they are taken to their own personal welcome page where they can read tutor announcements and view a flag system notifying them of additions to the site since they last logged on. They are then free to navigate course materials which all follow the same layout, described below:

Lesson Introduction: This explains the purpose of the lesson, the tasks the students will be expected to undertake, guidelines on how to achieve them and a summary of any assessment work attached to that particular lesson.

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Courses Resources: These are documents (including PDF files and Word documents) that students need to complete the tasks, such as background reading, exercise sheets, articles or example grant applications.

Related Links: A great deal of useful material is available on the web, and each lesson includes a list of relevant links.

Keywords: A list of keywords, with useful definitions is included to help with some of the jargon.

Lesson Discussion Board: These are used by students and by the tutor for raising questions, group discussions, and sharing experiences.

An e-tutor is online everyday, guaranteeing a response within a maximum of 24 hours. So the course is not email based but web based. The course is also asynchronous so students can logon at anytime of day without the pressure of having a real-time commitment. This degree of flexibility has meant many students study before or after school as well as during the school day.

The use of Discussion boards is a key feature of the course. Students use these to discuss course topics and to exchange personal experiences and network. Each lesson has a discussion board open to all members of the class. There is also a private discussion board for student and tutor to communicate with one another.

An example of a discussion board topic appears below.

Discussion Board Topic – Models of School Fundraising

The fundraising activities of a school are likely to fall into one of three categories:

Fundraising handled within the school by heads, bursars
Fundraising handled by support associations, such as parents and friends
Fundraising handled by professional fundraisers or consultants

Go to the discussion board for Lesson 4 and describe the structure or model within your school. Comment on whether you think this approach is currently working and how it could be improved.

The impact of delivering the course online

Nearly 250 schools have now completed this accredited online course. Their experiences have led to several important changes being made by Fundraising Skills:

A printed folder and CD-Rom is now sent to every student to save them time downloading materials
Students now have extended access to the course website with 8 weeks to complete the course instead of 6 weeks
An Alumni Area has been added to provide a discussion area open to past students. They can share the outcome of their fundraising efforts and continue to access a valuable network

One of the greatest differences with teaching online has been motivating people to actively contribute to class discussions. Students may labour for half an hour before typing a message on to a screen opposed to chatting freely in a small classroom workshop.  In addition, many people do not diary in enough time to complete online courses, so studying tends to fall to a lower priority. This means that the role of the e-tutor is as much one of motivator as it is as subject expert. The positives of providing the course online include much greater flexibility for the learner, as they can opt when to study and select from course topics. There have been examples of students using the online materials as an a la carte menu.

Case studies – some comments about the reality of studying online

Support Assistant, Special School and Technology College – Help was given with technical problems. The course was excellent and the availability of web sites and grants were areas that were new. Thoroughly enjoyed course and would love to have a go at another online course.

Senior Admin Office, Primary School – I have studied online before so able to make a comparison. This course was excellent and so user friendly.  Wish all course websites were so easy!

Manager of the Pupil Support Centre, Arts College – I liked the discussions and the fact that I could work at my own pace and in my own time. Would like at least one seminar where the students actually got to meet to discuss the course contents. The course has been extremely useful in giving me the confidence to approach companies and unders with a bid which will appear to be both professional and knowledgeable.

Office Assistant, Junior School – It was a bit daunting when you first log on and you have no concept of what a discussion board is and how it works.  Perhaps if you have ever done the chat room thing on the internet you would have some idea of how it works.  Once I understood how it all slotted into place then I felt happier. Once you get the hang of reading the lessons, printing off the resources, looking at the links and printing or reading as necessary then you are happier. Enjoyed being able to share your feelings/findings with others on the discussion board.

Business Manager, Primary School – I have found the course extremely informative and learnt a vast amount, all of which is very useful and relevant to my position of School Business Manager.  I did find it quite challenging at times and found it difficult to fit the course into my busy work schedule.  I therefore had to complete a module every weekend. 

Head, Technology College – Gaining a qualification was not important to me so I didn’t feel the need to complete all the exercises or take part in all the discussions. However, I was participating when I had time available. This way of working suited me and I completed the exercises that I felt would help me improve my fundraising skills. Students need to be confident with this style of learning. It was a steep learning curve for me but I learnt from it and enjoyed it. Thank you for a very informative and valuable learning resource.

FAQ’s about studying online

How does online learning work?

When your course starts you will need to log on to the course website where you’ll be in a class of up to 20 students. Here you will find announcements from the tutor, course materials, discussion boards for raising questions, and lots of links to other websites with useful information (such as funds available). There’ll be particular tasks you’ll have to carry out each week, including some written assignments.

What type of equipment do people need to participate?

All you need is access to a computer, an Internet connection, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.

What technical expertise is required?

All courses are geared toward the needs of Internet beginners as well as those with a moderate amount of experience. You simply need to know how to open, edit and save a Word document and how to navigate round the web. The tone and approach of the course is intentionally low-tech and low-key. Furthermore, staff at Fundraising Skills are available by e-mail to try to “talk you through” any problems you may be experiencing.

Do I ever have to go anywhere, or be online at any specific time of day?

No to both. The courses are conducted entirely by visits to the course website. All course materials, including articles, examples of grant proposals, worksheets, etc. are posted in a private section of the website from day one of the course and are available to registered students for the duration of the course. Most students will complete one module per week for the six weeks of the course. As there are no specific commitments during the week you are free to pursue the coursework whenever it is convenient for you: evening, lunch-time, weekend or after school.