Hello
CDN Update

An unbelievable amount has happened in the world since my last CDN Update to you. We all, across the college sector, now find ourselves working very differently. Most of us will be working remotely, and some juggling homeworking with home-schooling children or caring for dependents. We will all be thinking hard about how to deliver for our students, and how to support each other as colleagues.

This provides us all with huge challenges, of course, but also with opportunities to explore new ways of working and learning new skills.  

I wanted to let you know that the team at CDN is here to support you and the college sector, as always. 

Our practitioner Development Networks are expanding their schedule of meetings online, and many of our courses and events are already being delivered digitally. 

You will be seeing new services from us in the weeks ahead – like our Virtual Bridge edtech partnership with Jisc featured below.  

We are accelerating updates to the CDN LearnOnline digital training academy and will be offering more new, free training content on the platform. 

We are also working on a new national service, offering colleges bespoke team development workshops using Zoom. Keeping people working together, and supporting colleague wellbeing, has never been more important.

As ever, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to talk about any aspect of our work, suggest new ways that we can support you, or share experiences and great practice that colleagues in the sector would find useful. You can email me at: jim.metcalfe@cdn.ac.uk
Jim Metcalfe, Chief Executive, CDN
The Here and Now
CDN is fully committed to supporting the college and skills system throughout this challenging time. We are fully operational and connected to our colleagues and stakeholders across the sector. Much of our core work is continuing as normal - we are offering new services to reflect the circumstances, and we have identified development goals on which we are working with partners to find new solutions. 
NEW! Virtual Bridge - Advice and Tips from the Experts for Delivering Learning and Teaching Online
CDN has partnered with Jisc to bring you Virtual Bridge, a regular new webinar series. A direct response to the current crisis, these sessions have been designed to support college staff in delivering remote learning and teaching.

The 30-minute sessions are now running 4 days a week via Zoom (Tuesday - Friday, 11am GMT) for the next three months and anyone can join for free!

Hosted by Kenji (CDN's Digital and Innovation Lead) and Jason (Head of Jisc Scotland and Northern Ireland), the webinars feature expert speakers offering a range of online learning advice for all teaching practitioners.

The sessions are also available to view on CDN's YouTube channel here.
NEW! Online Support for College Teams through the COVID-19 Crisis
To support college colleagues through the current crisis, CDN is offering a series of online gatherings for teams and individuals from across the sector.

The purpose of these gatherings is to create a professional space where groups and individuals can support one another through this challenging period. During the sessions we will:
  • Acknowledge and share personal and professional needs
  • Explore how we can better address those needs
  • Identify what individuals can bring to the here and now
  • Reflect on the current situation and use our learning for future professional development

The sessions will not have a formal agenda, we will support colleagues with what emerges within a professional, safe space.
For further information and to get involved please email Vicky: victoria.underwood@cdn.ac.uk
CDN Development Networks
Our Development Networks continue to be vibrant and active throughout this period. Most are running their usual schedule of meetings but now online, and a number are introducing new activity in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

For example, the Quality Network has set up a new space on Microsoft Teams to share good practice through this period, while the Marketing and Communications Network is meeting online each week to discuss and share emerging issues. The Community Learning Network has submitted, via CDN, a comprehensive response to the Scottish Government’s request for information on the ways the COVID-19 disruptions are impacting their adult learners in the community.

Meanwhile, on Monday 30 March, the International Development Network will host a research workshop undertaking the Analysis of the Scottish College Sector’s Distinctive Assets for International Business Development, which is supported by CDN, the Scottish Government, British Council Scotland, and Scottish Development International. 
Update - Events and Programmes
Leadership Programmes

Our CMI emerging and strategic leadership programmes, alongside governance induction workshops, have been moved online, with a blend of recorded briefings and active online project teams for upskilling leadership colleagues.
College Expo and
Leadership & Governance Summit

College Expo20 and the Leadership and Governance Summit will be replaced as multi-method, mass online events. Event speakers will provide content remotely. More info coming soon!
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