Modelling benefits-oriented costs for technology enhanced learning

1. CQU Rockhampton Colloquium 13 June 2006 Modelling benefits-oriented costs for technology enhanced learning Diana Laurillard

2. Data Data Data Publish to staff and students Data Data Learning Design Information Flow • Distribution of resources: • Optimal distribution of staff and student time across teaching/learning methods? • - Benefits - costs analysis • - Is there a role for TEL? Initial conditions: Course curriculum Resources Experience Course Outline Distribution of resources Data Data Course Schedule/Calendar Data Data Session plans and learning activities Students Key Public plans Lecturer’s plans

3. Planning for radical change… Modelling lecturer practice and learner experience to plan for the ambition of affordable personalised learning How will lecturers and learners distribute their time?How will personalised learning be affordable? What proportion of learning should be online?

4. Problems in the existing costing literature No consistency in costing new technology methods across institutions No consistency in the parameters to be used for comparing the costs of new technology with the costs of traditional methods, within an institution No critical literature: studies do not comment on discrepancies Costing models give little help in measuring costs for a particular institution, department, or course No agreement on how best to compare benefits of new technology against traditional methods

5. User requirements for a benefits-cost analysis of learning design at course level Define benefit parameters that can differentiate between old and new methods Define the cost parameters that can be associated with comparative benefits Focus on the major cost driver of staff time Represent value to the learner in terms of use of their time Support the local exploration of the cost-benefit relationship Represent technology-specific benefits Represent benefits in terms of improvements in learning

6. A support tool for modelling resource distribution for a course Provide template with default parameters - learning/teaching methods - learning activity types - student numbers - group sizes and calculation of implied staff resources Support customisation of parameters Generate plan for Course including time and learning activity requirements and constraints for online components

7. Type of learning activity, definitions linked to learning process framework (initially CF); editable Course design 1 shows default data for a traditional course Yellow cells are for user input Worked example for traditional course, showing distribution of student time across type of learning activity; editable Default figures for staff time needed for each type of teaching method, linked to explanations of estimates, case examples, how each method contributes to type of learning activity; editable Student numbers; editable Generates resulting cost breakdown and calculates cost per student in terms of staff time Default figures for staff time costs, group sizes, etc; editable Blank template for new design for comparison

8. Design 1:Distribution of teacher and learner time for traditional teaching methods

9. Staff time distributed over traditional methods £1.03 per student hour

10. Design 1:Distribution of teacher/learner time for traditional teaching methods at a cost of ~£1 per student hour

11. Design 2: Distribution of teacher/learner time for an increase in personalised learninghigher staff-student ratioless time in large groupsmore individual formative assessment more learner discussionmore active learning

12. Staff time redistributed to give less whole class, more active learning Groups adjusted to smaller sizes £1.34 per student hour

13. Design 2: Distribution of teacher/learner time for an increase in personalised learninghigher staff-student ratioless time in large groupsmore individual formative assessment at a cost of £1.34 per student hour = 30% increase in cost

14. Design 3: Distribution of teacher/learner time for an increase in personalised learningwith same conditionshigher staff-student ratioless time in large groupsmore individual formative assessment but using e-learning to support one third of the learning experience

15. Staff time redistributed over traditional and e-learning methods Define amount of re-use & shared use of resources Maintain group sizes through use of online activities and resources £0.97 per student hour

16. Design 3: Distribution of teacher/learner time for an increase in personalised learningwith same conditionshigher staff-student ratioless time in large groupsmore individual formative assessment using e-learning to support one third of the learning experienceand deploying 20% as re-usable learning objects at a cost of ~£1 per student hour = original cost

17. Modelling tools: Do not describe the system. They are planning tools to clarify thinking to help identify the key parameters to experiment with alternative plans to define what it takes to realise a plan They allow us to understand how to deliver personalised learning in a way that is affordable Discussion: How useful would such a tool be?