Adult Community Learning Essex is committed to:
- managing and mitigating any impact of the environment during the course of its business
- working towards a more sustainable future
- supporting Essex County Council’s environmental statement to “ensure a better quality of life by conserving , developing and promoting a healthy, safe, diverse, clean and attractive environment”
Implementation
To ensure that we minimise the impact on the environment of our services, we will focus on the following areas:
Resources and equipment:
We will:
- Actively utilise new technology available through Essex County Council to:
- Mobile and flexible working Access EEC resources from remote locations and engage in collaborative working from any location
- Go Paperless – Share documents and files in real time with less need for printing.
- Deliver staff training to promote the use of new technologies.
- Produce technological solutions, where possible, to replace paper-based systems
Management of learning:
We will:
- Continue to promote the use and development of technology within teaching and learning to reduce reliance on paper resources.
- Invest in technology to support teaching and learning
- Promote online enrolment by potential learners and improve the Adult Community Learning Essex website
- Continue to assess the impact of the use of technology on learning progress via the Observation of Teaching and Learning system.
- Support the use of technology in teaching and learning by the delivery of staff training in key areas:
- Training to use free and easy resources for smartphones and/or table devices to engage learners in the digital age.
Online Assessments
- Using the Assignment module of the Virtual Learning Environment to create online assessments for learners, provide online marking and feedback.
- Augmented Reality (AR) Converting existing printed resources to play videos, tutorials, YouTube clips, etc, to engage and motivate learners.
- Using Xerte, turn existing paper resources into interactive online resources.
- Developing online programmes
- Supporting learning activities, such as tools for assessment, small group collaboration, learner feedback, feedback to learners.
- Engage in regional/national projects which support the use of technology in teaching and learning to build the capacity and capability of staff to use digital technology effectively.
Buildings:
We will:
- Continue to review use and occupancy ratios of buildings to maximise cost-effectiveness.
- Support the development of multi-use Centres to provide added value through the use of shared resources.
- Ensure that there are efficiency savings by monitoring the use of energy resources, such as electricity and heating
- Aim to produce less waste and ensure that there are facilities to recycle materials.
Travel:
We will:
- Reduce travel costs and energy consumption by promoting flexible working in accordance with Essex County Council’s flexible working policy. This includes mobile working, working from home, and virtual working.
- Comply with Essex County Council’s travel policies which promotes the use of shared cars, cycling and other cost-effective measures
- Further develop the use of e-learning and on-line solutions to learning and assessment.
Monitoring the policy:
The policy will be regularly monitored by the ACL Senior Leadership Team Group via:
- Analysis of travel and mileage costs
- Reviews of curriculum quality improvement plans in relation to increased use of technology in teaching and learning
- Analysis of impact of participation in national projects to enhance technology in teaching and learning
- Review of impact of Essex County Council’s new technologies on Adult Community Learning business