Bolton Institute Shortlisted for North West
'E-learning Excellence Awards'

Bolton Institute has today heard that it has been shortlisted for an E-learning Excellence Award under the category of Continuing Professional Development. The Awards seek to identify, celebrate and reward excellence in learning and skills across the North West region.

According to the Awards organisers, Learning North West, there had been a substantial number of entries and the Institute's shortlisted project is one of only three in its category to have been selected for the final judging.

The shortlisted project has developed an affordable method for students to develop skills in industry-standard computer aided design (CAD) by e-learning. Electronics had been taught to part time students over the internet from Bolton for the past three years but the practical CAD elements required them to dial direct to Bolton, running up telephone bills of £100s. With the new method of working, students can use a normal internet service provider or cable connection and so keep the costs reasonable. Moreover, the course is now open to students worldwide whereas previously it was effectively restricted to people based in the UK.

The breakthrough came about by adopting some new communications software known as MetaFrame for Unix. Alastair Kitching, Director of Server Based Computing for the suppliers, Esteem Systems plc, said, "Bolton Institute was amongst the first educational institutions in Europe to purchase this software and students have been quick to reap the benefits. Some applications are now running up to ten times faster than before."

Over 100 employees from small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK have enrolled on the course to date and the latest intake includes students from Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and USA.

The project's goals were to maintain participation in modules of the e-learning course Advanced Microelectronics for Industrialists by reducing costs and at the same time to improve the speed of response - and both objectives have been met in full, as the Institute's Roy Attwood was delighted to report.

"Undertaking study and skills training which has to be fitted in or around employment is not easy. It can also be an expensive option for the self-employed and small businesses where any reduction in actual work or production time means a loss of income which may not be able to be absorbed by the business. Access to e-learning modules from home or the workplace is therefore an attractive option. It dramatically reduces time away from day to day tasks whilst allowing individuals to achieve higher levels of competence in key areas. By improving knowledge and skills, individuals and businesses keep pace with developments, benefit from increased efficiency and become more effective and competitive in the market place."

The Institute is no stranger to the success in the North West Learning Awards. Last year they won one of the coveted awards for their Community Action for Lifelong Learning (CALL) - a community summer school attended by 450 people, which encouraged disadvantaged groups to consider returning to further and higher education.

The Institute will now have to wait until 25th January to find out whether it will be two in a row.

Ends
BI0008-10
 

Editor's notes

For more information on this press release call Chris Deehan on 01772 767528, fax 01772 767555 or email pr@glasgows.co.uk

For more information about Learning Northwest and the Awards, contact Jill Berry or visit: www.learningnorthwest.com

For information on Advanced Microelectronics for Industrialists, please refer to the course's website: www.ami.ac.uk or contact Roy Attwood on 01204 903555, Email r.attwood@bolton.ac.uk

Published by the CET Postgraduate Programmes Office, Bolton Institute, UK.  7 January 2002