NAGLV: Edinburgh College Community Based IT Group

The group

This was a College Community based IT group running in a Community Learning Centre, the group consists of 6 to 12 adult learners, all female, whose ages range from mid twenties to late sixties. Several learners in the group have attended for more than two years, although there are new learners joining all the time. 

The key views of the learners were that:

• The learners came to the group because of reasons that included becoming unemployed after ill health; early retirement; losing a job; confusion about where to start with IT and being given computer.
• Barriers to learning had previously included: my memory lets me down sometimes due to Parkinson’s; it can be an uphill struggle getting into the course with wheelchair; finding the correct course with disabled access; lack of confidence, health issues, family issues, transport difficulties and instability in how the class ran, changes in tutors and classes /venue were all unsettling, the learners had to start at a new venue and some people stopped and didn’t come back.
• Barriers were overcome by perseverance and because the computer course gives learners something to do.
• People who have helped include: the other learners, the tutor, friends and the janitor
• The things that have helped learning are excellent premises; that the group gelled well; coffee break chat; learners build up friendships; the tutor is great and that learners enjoy the class and want to learn more, it opens everyone’s eyes with what’s going on in the world.

You can download more information at the link below:

The Learner Journey Road Map

The membership form is available as a Word document. The form is very brief and won't take much time at all.