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Flexible Learning Summit June 27 th and 28 th , Cardiff

Flexible Learning Summit June 27 th and 28 th , Cardiff . Briefing paper and draft agenda.

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Flexible Learning Summit June 27 th and 28 th , Cardiff

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  1. Flexible Learning SummitJune 27th and 28th, Cardiff Briefing paper and draft agenda

  2. We are delighted that you will be joining us for our Flexible Learning Summit on the 27th and 28th June. We have decided to convene the summit because of the significant level of interest in the topic from colleagues across Wales. We have invited around 40 leaders and practitioners from inside and outside HE, including representatives from employers, funders and policy makers and students. • This briefing paper provides some context and background for the summit. • Background • We invited delegates to respond to a short questionnaire a little earlier in the year, to help us fine tune the design of the summit. The questionnaire invited respondents to comment on three dimensions to tackling flexibility, which emerged from our conversations with key stakeholders in the summit and which are modelled on the next slide: • SCOPE: identifying the parameters for flexibility, and understanding the opportunities and challenges in each. We are working with three: pace (2 year degrees? Part time?), place (workplace, home-based learning etc.) and mode (face to face, virtual etc.) • STRATEGY AND CULTURE: how ‘embedded’ is a flexible mind-set in the strategy and culture of the institution and what can be done to develop this? • QUALITY OF DELIVERY:what particular challenges are there for ensuring quality teaching, learning and assessment, and how can support systems and processes help or hinder the development of more flexible approaches to learning? • Responses to the questionnaire suggested that the first of these dimensions is now relatively well understood, but that much more work needs to be done to ‘mainstream’ flexibility in strategy and culture, and that enhancing quality / excellence is a very major challenge and opportunity. Details of the responses can be found in Appendix One. • With this in mind we are planning to make the main focus of the summit the latter two dimensions. We plan to do this by using the summit to work intensively with you to develop a strategic framework to guide policy and practice in flexible learning. Built on evidence and experience, we believe that this will provide us with a very powerful tool to catalyse change in the wider sector. • We also intend to build on the learning already gained in previous HEA summits. Details of the key findings and recommendations from these summits is included in Appendix 2.

  3. STRATEGY & CULTURE 3-D FLEXIBLE LEARNING SCOPE strategic focus on flexibility peripheral to strategy/mission core accelerated sensitivity to change pace independent vulnerable / dependent elsewhere user engagement / customer focus slower externally driven internally-driven place virtual QUALITY OF DELIVERY on campus leadership mode emerging advanced skills and knowledge face to face advanced emerging enabling systems and processes advanced emerging

  4. Preparation. We invite you to spend a little bit of time preparing for the summit. Finding effective ways to catalyse change is a daunting task, but we think a really effective way to do it is to use an approach trailed successfully in other sectors – the articulation of a strategic framework and standards to inform effective practice. Such a framework, and the associated standards, help to make explicit both the rationale for change and provide a practical means of achieving change and of assessing quality. We are planning to adapt a framework that has been used successfully in children's services to promote the active participation of young people in these services: a similarly ambitious attempt to encourage people to radically re-think their practice and to embrace new ways of working. You have been sent separately a version of these standards, and it would be useful if you could skim through this in advance. The ‘hear by right’ framework uses the following headings to underpin their standards, which we have adapted for our purposes: Shared values: what values should underpin a flexible university? Rationale: why does flexible learning matter? What are the key arguments / evidence you can compile to articulate why universities need to embrace flexibility? What are the key benefits / impacts that can be achieved? Activity and behaviour: what activities and behaviours characterise a ‘flexible’ university? What can students, employers, communities, staff expect? How flexible? it helps to think of flexibility as a continuum, with true flexibility very hard to achieve. Can we develop a ‘ladder’ of flexibility to articulate the different degrees to which a university might embrace flexible learning? IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL IF YOU COULD THINK ABOUT THESE PROMPTS IN ADVANCE AND BRING ALONG ANY USEFUL EVIDENCE OR RESOURCES TO HELP ADDRESS THEM

  5. A framework for flexible learning. ‘hear by rights’ identifies 7 dimensions to their framework, with shared values at the nexus, as shown in the diagram to the right. For each area, they have identified three levels of performance – emerging, established and advanced. You can see an example of how this is articulated on the next slide. A key task for us during the summit will be to agree what the critical areas are that are relevant to embedding effective support for flexible learning. These might include, for instance: leadership; skills and knowledge; and enabling systems and processes. Having decided on the key dimensions, a further set of prompts help to provide practical guidance about WHY each standard matters, and how to approach it. For each, useful links to resources and case studies might also be offered. An example from ‘hear by right’ is given on the next slide, for the standard ‘skills and knowledge’. AGAIN, IT WOULD HELP GREATLY IF YOU COULD PULL OUT RELEVANT DOCUMENTATION, STRATEGY DOCUMENTS, CASE STUDIES OR EXEMPLARS TO BRING TO THE SUMMIT TO ENABLE US TO DEFINE AND FLESH OUT THE FRAMEWORK FOR FLEXIBLE LEARNING

  6. The rationale for flexible learning: some background reading. It will be critical that we use the summit to pool our knowledge about WHY flexible learning matters, and how best to communicate this to key stakeholders. One highly provocative recent intervention into this area has been produced by a group of FE principals, who have called themselves the Gazelle Group. They are lobbying for a radical re-invention of Further Education, and their arguments about why this re-invention is necessary are helpful and usefully inform the debates we will be having. We have sent you a copy of the provocation paper they published in 2012, and hope that you might have time at least to skim through this. Called ‘Enterprising Futures: the changing landscape and new possibilities for further education’ it explores the future of learning and work in the 21st century. WE INVITE YOU TO BRING ALONG OTHER EVIDENCE THAT YOU HAVE FOUND CONVINCING AND EFFECTIVE IN ARGUING THE CASE FOR FLEXIBLE LEARNING. http://www.thegazellegroup.com/index.php

  7. THE STRUCTURE OF THE SUMMIT: DRAFT AGENDA

  8. DAY ONE • 12.00 Registration opens • 12.45 Convene for lunch • 13.45 Introductions: Helena Lim (HEA) and Paul Manners (facilitator) • The HEA • Rationale for the Summit • Overview of the two days • 2.00: 3-D flexible learning – defining the field • Introducing our 3 dimension of flexible learning: Paul Manners. • Inviting people to share examples of culture and practice within their institutions, mapped onto the three dimensions • Panel: we will use our expert panel to reflect on the 3-dimensions and on what evidence and research tells us about future trends, risks and opportunities in this area: • Alison De Cornu: HEA Academic Lead for Flexible Learning and Educational Learning Technologies • Stephen Gomez: HEA Academic Lead for Online Learning • Joe Marshall: Project Manager, National Centre for Universities and Businesses • Identifying the key strategic / operational challenges as well as the areas of excellence/innovation • 3.00: Standards for flexible learning – part 1 • Introduce the ‘framework’ building exercise, and divide delegates in to mixed groups to begin to build the framework • Groups work on articulating the values / rationale / activity and behaviour / the ‘ladder’ of flexibility • 4.00 Share / break • 4.30: Standards for flexible learning – part 2 • Groups consider what the key dimensions to managing flexible learning should be, and develop a shortlist, and a brief rationale for each one • 5.00: take stock • Groups share their ideas and we agree s shared list of dimensions that we will work up in detail on day 2. • 5.30: End • 6.30: Dinner

  9. DAY TWO • 9.00: Plenary • We will be joined by two ‘external’ delegates for the morning of Day 2. • David Hughes (Chief Executive, NIACE) • Employer representative - tbc • After a brief summary of the discussion on Day One, our panellists will be invited to offer short presentations of their vision for the ‘flexible university’, from a community and a business perspective. • Groups share their work from day one – the values and rationales, and the shortlist of dimensions. Our panel comment and challenge – how far do these realise the vision they have for the flexible university? • 10.00: developing the framework • Different groups take on different dimensions of the framework and begin to flesh out templates for their chosen area(s) • 12.00: review • We review the outputs produced by each group, and incorporate feedback • 12.30: next steps • Discussion of next steps. Agreement will be reached on actions: • For the HEA in Wales, and in the UK • For other national agencies • For individuals • For each HEI • Closing remarks/wrapping up • 1.00 Lunch • 2.00 Close

  10. APPENDIX ONE:Questionnaire responses

  11. Can you tell us (briefly) what you understand 'flexible learning' to be? Why is it important to your institution?

  12. What do you think are the key issues that need to be tackled in developing flexible learning?

  13. Can you point us to examples of particularly effective practice which we might highlight during the summit? Are you aware of resources, initiatives or networks which we should be incorporating into our thinking?

  14. Do any of these dimensions seem more useful or timely to address than the others? Is there anything that they fail to address that you think needs to be tackled in the summit?

  15. Do you have any other advice or suggestions for us? If we could achieve one outcome as a result of the summit, what would you like it to be?

  16. The next two slides show the key findings and recommendations from last year’s summits. A report of the discussions can be found here: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/flexiblelearning/FL_summit/FL_summit_report_branded.pdf APPENDIX TWO: LESSONS FROM PREVIOUS SUMMITS

  17. Barriers and enablers These were the key barriers to ‘embedding’ flexible learning that were identified – linked to possible ways of tackling them Strategy and culture University systems and capacity

  18. Recommendations National bodies 8. The Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and the Higher Education Academy should collaborate to provide targeted support for senior managers in leading the development of institutional strategies for flexible learning. Government and Funding Bodies 1. Government and the UK Funding Councils should consider the scope for developing mainstream funding mechanisms which support institutions in promoting greater flexibility in the pace, place and mode of study. National bodies 9. The Higher Education Academy should support the development of higher education CPD programmes which promote best practice in flexible learning pedagogies in alignment with the UK Professional Standards Framework. Government and Funding Bodies 2. Funding frameworks should enable institutions to re-coup the full costs of undergraduate provision in the new context of tuition fees, regardless of mode of study. The phased introduction of credit, as opposed to time-based funding should be considered as a key enabling mechanism for achieving this. Senior institutional managers (SMs) 10. SMs should actively champion the value of the flexible learning agenda to politicians and policy makers, highlighting evidence of successful impact and the need for supportive funding policies. Government and Funding Bodies 3. Government should consider how the current arrangements for controlling total student numbers might be adapted to provide greater incentives to those institutions seeking to increase enrolments on work-based or accelerated learning programmes. Senior institutional managers (SMs) 11 SMs should lead on effective resource allocation to, and realistic costing and pricing of flexible learning, taking into account changing market conditions, the new higher education funding context and the potential for income generation over the longer term. Government and Funding Bodies 4. Government should explore the scope to encourage participation in flexible learning programmes through the introduction of tax incentives, salary sacrifice and other related schemes. Senior institutional managers (SMs) 12. SMs should prompt the development of appropriate frameworks and policies which support the reward and recognition of those staff who choose to prioritise the development and management of flexible learning programmes, and ensure the celebration of examples of innovation. Government and Funding Bodies: 5 Government should provide models and illustrations to clarify how new student support/loans system might work for students on flexible learning programmes, in particular, for students on work-based learning, accelerated and part-time programmes. Senior institutional managers (SMs) 13. SMs should review the roles and workload implications for academic and professional staff who are involved in the delivery of flexible learning. In particular, consideration should be given to the scope to re-configure and modernise the working relationship between academics and professional support staff such as librarians, learning technologists, employer liaison managers and educational developers. Government and Funding Bodies: 6 Government should ensure that evidence collected on the nature of the student experience includes that of all categories of learners, including students on work-based, part-time and other flexible learning programmes. Senior institutional managers (SMs) 14. SMs should ensure that diversity in the pace, place and mode of study is taken into account in strategic and operational planning, and in the development of mainstream policies and frameworks. In particular, the ‘interests and voices’ of diverse categories of learners (including distance, work based and accelerated learners) should be considered in relation to curriculum development and review, pedagogy, assessment and the development of student charters National bodies 7. National bodies such as UCAS, HEA, QAA and JISC should collaborate to produce separate evidence-based guides for potential learners and institutional staff on flexible learning provision. The first is a guide for potential learners and other stakeholders such as schools, colleges, careers advisors and employers. The second is a guide for institutional staff which sets out key messages and good practice principles arising from a structured review of the evidence base

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