National Learning Network
Encyclopedia
The National Learning Network (NLN) was a UK national partnership programme designed to increase the uptake of Information Learning Technology (ILT) across the learning and skills sector in England. Supported by the Learning and Skills Council
and other sector bodies, the NLN provided network infrastructure and a wide-ranging programme of support, information and training, as well as the NLN Materials - a substantial range of e-learning
content. The initiative began in 1999 with the aim of helping to transform post-16 education. The Government's total investment in the NLN totalled £156 million over a five year period.
Although the network itself is no longer operational, the main output of the initiative - the NLN Materials - continue to represent one of the most substantial and wide-ranging collections of e-learning materials in the UK. Available free to the post-16 sector, they are still actively promoted and updated.
(HEFCE) and agencies like Becta
, NILTA and FEDA
. This government-funded project resulted in three main developments:
The last body of work - Round 4, adding to the 800 hours of materials already available, is aimed at the Adult and Community Learning sector, covering four main topics: Family Learning, English for Speakers of Other Languages
, Learning to Learn, and Making Learning Work for You. These materials were made available from winter 2005.
Round 1 and 2 of the materials were substantially updated during April to July 2006.
The materials are designed to be used in a variety of formats and delivery platforms, including within a Virtual Learning Environment
(VLE). To facilitate this, all NLN materials have been packaged as learning object
s, with metadata
. Because the materials are disaggregated into multiple Shareable Content Objects
, they can be modified and repurposed by practitioners. Materials can also be downloaded with a wrapper that adds navigation, allowing the materials to be distributed and used on CD, DVD, or in intranet scenarios. Practitioners within the ACL sector can give learners direct access to the materials, using the ACL NLN Materials Repository.
In total, the NLN Materials consist of 2251 'learning objects', each consisting of one or more units.
The content management, packaging and repository system for the materials is provided by Xtensis ltd.
Learning and Skills Council
The Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
and other sector bodies, the NLN provided network infrastructure and a wide-ranging programme of support, information and training, as well as the NLN Materials - a substantial range of e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
content. The initiative began in 1999 with the aim of helping to transform post-16 education. The Government's total investment in the NLN totalled £156 million over a five year period.
Although the network itself is no longer operational, the main output of the initiative - the NLN Materials - continue to represent one of the most substantial and wide-ranging collections of e-learning materials in the UK. Available free to the post-16 sector, they are still actively promoted and updated.
History
The seeds for the UK's National Learning Network (NLN) were sown in the spring of 1999 through the collaboration of the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), the Higher Education Funding Council for EnglandHigher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in the United Kingdom, which has been responsible for the distribution of funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England since...
(HEFCE) and agencies like Becta
Becta
Becta was a non-departmental public body ] funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, in the UK It was a charity and a company limited by guarantee. In the post-election spending review in May 2010, it was announced that Becta was to be abolished...
, NILTA and FEDA
Feda
Feda former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kvinesdal. In 2009, the village of Feda had a population of 390....
. This government-funded project resulted in three main developments:
- The Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) that had been managing the Joint Academic NetworkJANETJANET is a private British government-funded computer network dedicated to education and research. All further- and higher-education organisations in the UK are connected to JANET, as are all the Research Councils; the majority of these sites are connected via 20 metropolitan area networks JANET...
(JANET) on behalf of UK Universities and Research Councils would now be funded jointly by both funding councils. Consequently, all UK Colleges of Further Education would be connected to the JANET network and benefit from the data sets and learning resources available through it.
- Support for the newly-connected colleges would be provided by the JISC Regional Support Centres (RSC), set up by university and college partnerships to cover all FEFC funding areas. The RSCs' initial brief was to manage the connection of FE colleges to the JANET network, train local IT staff and provide high level technical support. As soon as the connections programme was over, emphasis shifted to promoting e-Learning and the electronic resources made available by the JISC.
- A massive programme of learning materials development would be set up under the name of National Learning Network (NLN) to enable Further Education and the Adult and Community Learning (ACL) sectors to make best use of JANET and the enhanced ICT resources that these sectors enjoyed. A substantial body of work was developed by colleges, universities and commercial organisations and were made available to all qualifying parties. NLN has played a significant role in the adoption of Information and Learning TechnologyILT-Information and Learning Technology :ILT or Information and Learning Technology describes the methods of using technology to enhance the learning experience within education...
(ILT) by the post-16 education sectors in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
NLN Materials
Four rounds of interactive learning materials were commissioned and authored under the NLN banner, covering a wide range of academic and vocational topics.The last body of work - Round 4, adding to the 800 hours of materials already available, is aimed at the Adult and Community Learning sector, covering four main topics: Family Learning, English for Speakers of Other Languages
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
, Learning to Learn, and Making Learning Work for You. These materials were made available from winter 2005.
Round 1 and 2 of the materials were substantially updated during April to July 2006.
The materials are designed to be used in a variety of formats and delivery platforms, including within a Virtual Learning Environment
Virtual learning environment
Defined largely by usage, the term virtual learning environment has most, if not all, of the following salient properties:* It is Web-based* It uses Web 2.0 tools for rich 2-way interaction* It includes a content management system...
(VLE). To facilitate this, all NLN materials have been packaged as learning object
Learning object
A learning object is "a collection of content items, practice items, and assessment items that are combined based on a single learning objective". The term is credited to Wayne Hogins when he created a working group in 1994 bearing the name though the concept was first described by Gerard in 1967...
s, with metadata
Learning object metadata
Learning Object Metadata is a data model, usually encoded in XML, used to describe a learning object and similar digital resources used to support learning...
. Because the materials are disaggregated into multiple Shareable Content Objects
SCORM
Sharable Content Object Reference Model is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based e-learning. It defines communications between client side content and a host system called the run-time environment, which is commonly supported by a learning management system...
, they can be modified and repurposed by practitioners. Materials can also be downloaded with a wrapper that adds navigation, allowing the materials to be distributed and used on CD, DVD, or in intranet scenarios. Practitioners within the ACL sector can give learners direct access to the materials, using the ACL NLN Materials Repository.
In total, the NLN Materials consist of 2251 'learning objects', each consisting of one or more units.
The content management, packaging and repository system for the materials is provided by Xtensis ltd.