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Transforming tertiary education through ICT: hype or reality?

Transforming tertiary education through ICT: hype or reality?. Dr Bill Harvey Deputy Director, Learning and Teaching bharvey@sfc.ac.uk. Scottish Funding Council(s). SHEFC created 1992 SFEFC created 1999 Merged Council created October 2005 Total annual funding ~ £1.5 billion.

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Transforming tertiary education through ICT: hype or reality?

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  1. Transforming tertiary education through ICT: hype or reality? Dr Bill Harvey Deputy Director, Learning and Teaching bharvey@sfc.ac.uk

  2. Scottish Funding Council(s) • SHEFC created 1992 • SFEFC created 1999 • Merged Council created October 2005 • Total annual funding ~ £1.5 billion

  3. Learning and Teaching policies • Quality enhancement • Supporting institutions to ensure that students have a high quality educational experience • Promoting innovation and the spread of good practice • E-learning is ONE area for development

  4. Joint SFEFC/SHEFC E-learning Group • Created 2002 • Reported 2003 • Advice to both Councils • Actions taken forward 2003-06 • 2005 review of progress

  5. Why study e-learning? • Widespread interest • Lots of hype and speculation • Lack of strategic analysis • Clarify the roles of institutions and Councils • Identify key action points

  6. Pedagogy • Focus on learning, not teaching • Promote blended learning, not wholly ICT • Analyse the learning process; use ICT in a range of different ways • Strategic review of the curriculum and delivery methods

  7. Economics • E-learning is not cheap • Sustainable solutions must be supportable from core institutional funding • Identify the intended return on investment • Economies of scale require large student cohorts or aggregation

  8. Potential Markets • Wide diversity of student markets • Increase reach • Increase flexibility and choice • Overseas markets • Do students want this model?

  9. Supply-side issues • Technical infrastructure • Staff development • Content • Open source v proprietary solutions • Quality and standards • Scope for collaborative solutions

  10. Key messages • It’s about learning, not technology • Economies of scale requires collaborative solutions • Incremental and transformational change • Strategic change requires re-engineering of institutional processes

  11. Next steps • Maintain IT infrastructure • Institutional toolkit • Staff development and TNA • Promote transformational change

  12. Actions taken • SuperJANET 5 and RNO procurement • Toolkit produced to assist institutional strategic planning • HE Training needs analysis conducted • £6M Transformation programme launched

  13. Transformational change? • Embedded in mainstream processes • Core business, not peripheral • Substitutes for existing practice, not an ‘optional extra’ • Step change in functionality • Financially sustainable within institutions’ own budgets

  14. Transformation of practice through e-learning. . High Re-engineeringcore practice Revolutionary Phase Embeddingin core practice Change in learning and teaching practice Transitional Phase Impact on core practice Co-ordinated Evolutionary Phase Localised Individualised Low High Low Potential Benefits to learners

  15. Lessons learned so far • Not everyone understands our objectives • Not everyone is ready for transformation • It’s hard to build new collaborations • Initiative focus v institutional change • Sustainability/exit strategy difficult to obtain • Subject communities are not necessarily the answer

  16. Institutional readiness • Does the institution want to increase academic productivity? • Are leaders committed to e-learning? • Is computing firmly integrated into the institutional culture? • Does the institution have a mature IT support structure? • Does the institution have a real commitment to learner-centred education?

  17. Pedagogy and Staff culture • Are staff familiar with e-learning concepts and practice? • Is there scope for substitution of capital for labour? • Are staff willing to use learning materials from outside? • Do staff have the requisite skills – or can they be purchased? • Are the students prepared for this?

  18. Challenges and issues (1) • Not invented here • Cottage industry models • What’s the role of the private sector? • Open source solutions? • Is collaboration ‘real’?

  19. Challenges and issues (2) • Diversity of institutions • Is this for everyone, or just the few? • How will we measure success? • Can the whole sector benefit? • Can change be sustained? • Can good practice be transferred? • How can ALT help?

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