Axia Digital is proud to have partnered with the University of Warwick’s Centre for Teacher Education (CTE) to deliver a new digital solution designed to support the assessment and progress tracking of primary, secondary, and international PGCE trainees.

Following a successful competitive tender in early 2024, the Axia team collaborated closely with the CTE to create a custom a platform which meets the complex needs of teacher training programmes.

About the Platform

The system streamlines assessment, portfolio creation, and real-time progress monitoring – replacing spreadsheets and manual processes with a centralised, user-friendly interface. Key features include a custom-built Collaborative Assessment Document, flexible role-based dashboards, and built-in reporting tools for programme leads. The system also accommodates dynamic mentor assignments and varying course requirements across PGCE tracks.

This fully web-based solution is accessible across devices, making it ideal for fast-paced, practice-based learning environments. The Warwick project adds to Axia Digital’s growing portfolio of solutions that support students and staff across higher education.

Feedback and Reflections

As the first year of rollout ends, feedback from trainees, general mentors, and CTE staff has been overwhelmingly positive.

Richard Etheridge, Axia Digital’s Managing Director, said:

“As the husband of a primary school teacher, I’ve long believed our solutions could support student teachers in capturing meaningful evidence from their workplace experience. We were delighted to win the Warwick tender. Teachers do an incredible job educating our children – they work hard and long hours. If our platform can simplify the assessment process, we help ensure the focus remains where it matters: developing the student teacher and supporting their pupils.”

Abigail Ball MA, PCTHE, SFHEA, SCMALT, Assistant Professor: Head of Technology Enhanced Learning, in CTE added:

“Working with Axia has been a pleasure. From the outset they have been professional and responsive. They have taken the time to understand our needs and worked collaboratively with us to develop a bespoke platform that enables us to manage our PGCE Professional Practice module effectively and efficiently. Feedback from trainees, mentors and CTE staff has been universally positive with one lead mentor commenting that it is ‘really good to have all this information at our fingertips.’ Max and the team are approachable and really want to find a solution that works for us.”

Learn More

To learn more about our work with the University of Warwick, read the case study. Alternatively, to enquire about our other solutions, get in touch today.

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In February, we delightedly announced an expansion of our MyCAD programme. We initially implemented the programme for Atlantic Technological University (ATU), primarily for their campus based in Letterkenny, Donegal. However, we have now also rolled this out to Munster Technological University (MTU) for their main campus, situated in Cork.

A Little About ATU & MTU

ATU is located mainly in Western and Northwestern Ireland. It was established in 2022 as part of a merger of three existing technological institutions. Along with the Letterkenny campus, there are six other campus sites in Ireland including Galway, Sligo, and the town of Castlebar in County Mayo.

MTU also has six campus locations throughout the counties of Cork and Kerry. This university was established in 2021 as part of a merger between the Cork Institute of Technology and the Tralee Institute of Technology. It is estimated to accommodate over 18,000 students as well as over 2,000 staff.

What is MyCAD?

MyCAD is the first digital version of the National Competency Assessment Document (NCAD), and the first to be implemented on Irish soil. Within the online assessment, universities can keep track of information such as a student’s placement and attendance.

In April 2023, Axia, along with the Department of Nursing at the ATU Donegal campus and the HSE received an award for the Best Industry / Business Academic Collaboration for our work implementing the system. An article about the award can be found here.

Summary of Changes Made

We wanted to simplify things for preceptors at both universities. To do this, we built a centralised sign in tool. This allows preceptors who already have an account to access either site using just one logon. Doing this removes the need for preceptors to have separate accounts for each institution.

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The team behind the implementation of the first digital version of the National Competency Assessment Document (NCAD) for nurses in Ireland will be telling their story at an online event on May 11^th 2023 between 11:00 and 13:00.

The MyCAD website was a collaborative project involving Axia Digital, HSE, and Atlantic Technological University‘s Department of Nursing. The site has been adopted and embraced by all those involved assessing students in hospitals and community settings and mirrors the paper NCAD document.

About the Event

The main purpose of the event will be to allow delegates to hear directly from the team about how their initial concerns and doubts on whether a digital solution would work (especially in the dispersed communities around Letterkenny) were allayed by the discovery of the benefits that an online solution can bring. The event will also feature Professor Thomas Kearns, Consultant and Co-Director WHO Collaborating Centre, who was one of the first to recognise the impact that digital solutions could have on the education and professional development of nurses. He has been a persuasive advocate of E-portfolios for many years.

The event’s Chair is Dr. Louise McBride, who is the current President of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, as well as being the Head of the Department of Nursing and Healthcare at ATU. It was Louise who saw the potential of adopting a digital approach to the practice assessment of nurses following her attendance at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)’s annual conference. At the conference, a presentation was made by Bournemouth University of their OPALBU E-portfolio, which was being used by nurses and those that supported them.

Delegates will be shown MyCAD and receive reassurance about the measures which have been taken to ensure that the site is secure. They’ll also learn about how scalable the site is if other institutions in Ireland decided to adopt it.

Programme:

• 11.00 – Welcome by Dr. Louise McBride Head of Department of Nursing and Healthcare, Atlantic Technological University
• 11.10 – Professor Thomas Kearns Consultant and Co-Director WHO Collaborating Centre ‘Some reflections on the importance and benefits of those involved in the education and professional development on adopting digital solutions.’
• 11.20 – Mr Chris Peat Chair of Axia Digital (Ireland) will speak on ‘How the legitimate and important concerns about adopting a digital approach can be addressed and resolved
• 11.35 – Presentation of the digital version of the National Competency Assessment Document on the MyCad.ie site. This will include looking at the reports that are available
• 11.50 – An opportunity to respond to questions raised during the presentations using Chat, chaired by Dr. Louise McBride
• 12:00-12.30 – The User experience, an opportunity to hear from students, CPCs and Tutors who use MyCad.ie (This will include a presentation of a video which captures the user experience and the opportunity to then question those that were involved in the creation of the video. Following the event this video will be available to share with other colleagues.)
• 12.30 – Concluding remarks and opportunity to ask further questions

Recording of the Event

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Last night (April 27th, 2023), the prestigious Irish National Education Awards in Dublin recognised Axia Digital’s collaborative work with the Department of Nursing at Atlantic Technological University in Donegal. These awards recognise excellence in the third level education sector in Ireland, from both State and privately-funded institutions.

The Department of Nursing ATU Donegal, HSE, and Axia Digital (Ireland) received the Best Industry/Business-Academic Collaboration Award for implementing the first digital version of the National Competency Assessment Document for Nurses.

The panel described the entry for the award as “An excellent example of collaboration between academia and industry, taking innovative approach to a practical problem facing many students in placements, whether it be clinical or other. The collaboration has resulted in an innovative and efficient response.”

Collaborative Development of The MyCAD E-portfolio

This collaboration has brought together academic and industry partners to develop a cutting-edge nursing education programme. It has leveraged the strengths of each partner to create a web-based version of the assessment document. The site is accessed by students, practice-based Preceptors who assess students’ work, and the Community Practice Co-ordinators who support nurses when they are on placement. Additionally, tutors and other University staff responsible for quality assurance within the assessment process can access it remotely.

Challenges Faced

While it is generally accepted that the digital path is the way forward, the practicalities, both real and perceived, posed challenges that had hindered its adoption until now. The project began at a time when the cyber-attack at the HSE had left health professionals doubting the safety and reliability of digital systems. On top of that, the Covid-19 pandemic was still causing significant pressures for Hospitals and community health teams. The location of the project area was also unhelpful. The site was not accessed from major cities like Dublin, but rather from smaller hospitals and community settings across Donegal.

Final Thoughts

The project was lead by Chris Peat, chair of Axia Digital (Ireland), and Max Jordan, the company’s Senior Developer with Specialism in Assessment Systems.

Dr Louise McBride, Head of Nursing and Healthcare at ATU, commented:

“The MyCAD E-portfolio project collaboration brings together academic, industry and our HSE clinical nursing partners to develop a cutting-edge online access dashboard for nursing students and staff for a competence assessment e-portfolio in our nursing education programmes. We’re delighted to see our efforts being acknowledged and these nominations are a testament of collaboration, commitment and success of ATU with HSE North West Nursing and Axia Digital.”

Chris Peat added:

“Our technology platform has been developed over 20 years and it enables us to transform paper based assessment processes into digital ones. This transformation brings many benefits and crucially enables health professionals to focus on what matters, which is the practice development and assessment of nurses by streamlining the administration of the process. We’re delighted to have collaborated with ATU Donegal so that it has become the first University in Ireland where nurses are using an assessment document that they can access from their mobile phone.”

Learn more about our work with ATU here.

Announcement of The Award

Please see the video below which captures the announcement, as well as representatives of The Department of Nursing ATU Donegal, HSE, and Axia Digital receiving the award.

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