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JISC ICT STRATEGIC WORKSHOP Physical Infrastructure for Teaching and Learning: Current status Future needs Management issues. Jim Port J M Consulting Ltd. J M Consulting work. 2001 Study of Science Research infrastructure. Published by OST www.ost.gov.uk/whats_new.htm
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JISC ICT STRATEGIC WORKSHOPPhysical Infrastructure forTeaching and Learning: Current status Future needs Management issues Jim Port J M Consulting Ltd
J M Consulting work 2001 Study of Science Research infrastructure. Published by OST www.ost.gov.uk/whats_new.htm 2002 Studies of infrastructure for Teaching and Learning and Arts and Humanities Research (HEFCE June 2002/31, 35) Based on case studies and visits to 23 universities and colleges covering full range of types Financial Strategies Costs of non-traditional modes Teaching Quality Enhancement Committee
Background • Teaching and learning in higher education makes a vital contribution to the UK economy and society • Teaching is the largest activity in HE – 60% of academic staff time and 70% of space • Resources for teaching have been seriously squeezed over a decade of efficiency gains (see graph) • Big changes in student population, T&L methods and technologies • New requirement for HEIs to take strategic responsibility for their infrastructure
Developments in T&L • Growth in student numbers • Diversity of the student population • Rise of new subjects (health professions, media creative arts etc) • Changing QA and QE regimes • Changes in schools and in expectations and abilities of pupils • ICT • Demands of stakeholders including employers, professional J M Consulting Infrastructure report • Government agendas (White Paper)
Strategic challenges for institutions in teaching and teaching quality • Enthusing students • Dealing with a diverse range of student needs • Responding to new technologies and modes • Responding to a changing staff mix and the need to adapt traditional practices • Pressures to demonstrate efficiency • New delivery – e.g. work-based learning • Staff development and rewards • Partnerships and collaboration • Maintaining an international perspective TQEC report
What space will be needed for T&L in future? • no “business model” of what constitutes efficient or effective teaching, or of how it will or should change • no “specification” of how (e.g.) a degree in History should be taught, or what it should cost, or what infrastructure it needs. • So cannot answer from a strategic academic perspective A pragmatic approach • What infrastructure do we have now? • Whats wrong with it? • How does it need to change for current purpose? • What will drive future changes? • How can we manage it better in future?
Facts and figures Physical infrastructure is £26bn buildings plus £8bn contents • Well-known maintenance backlogs (£3.5bn) • 40% of HE estate is unsuitable (EMS) • 50% is 1960,70s and nearly life-expired • Legislative non-compliance • Development constraints Equipment is important but difficult to quantify or value Buildings can be split by cost as: • 60% for teaching • 34% for science research • 6% for arts research Note importance of plant and services
Findings: remedial needs of estate 3 categories • Generic Institutional Infrastructure • Well-found laboratory (or equiv) • Advanced (capacity-building) • Generic Institutional is largest element: across 12 institutions investment required is average 30% of asset value of buildings – range 5% to 45% • This is £8bn across sector - £4.6bn for teaching • Plus backlog on classroom equipment (£0.5bn) • Plus ICT and WP investment for teaching
Findings – future needs • On-going maintenance – current spend of 1.3% or 1.8% of asset value is probably ok if no backlogs • for renewal and replacement institutions need to plan to spend 4-5% of asset value on an annual basis. Evidence for this: HEFCE study – 60 year lifetime with two major refurbishments and some modest continuing spend • Sector is actually spending about 2.5-3%
What could change space needs radically? • The end of the traditional campus (no sign) • Dramatic growth in student numbers in HEIs (no funding) • Major change in number or style of institutions (slow) • Substantial changes in space utilisation (if only!) • Significant changes in pedagogy and teaching styles (slow) • Big shifts in the learning blend (I.e. mix of modes – lecture, labs, electronic, simulations, work-based etc) - happening • Developments in ICT and related technology - happening We had to conclude that NONE of these was likely to be a significant driver of change in the 5-10 year horizon
What can we assume about change? • Much of the growth will be in FECs or off-campus • Needs for traditional learning space will rise more slowly and be off-set by improved utilisation • Institutions will need to be more flexible in their use of infrastructure and to value and manage it more carefully than they have in the past • The pace of change will be driven by what academic staff can manage, not by what technology can deliver • But e-Learning is on the up • Recent governement policy (research consortia, mergers) • Cost pressures (hardening attitudes to use of estate) • Widening participation and new mixed modes of teaching
Why do we have these serious investment backlogs? • Capital schemes have rewarded growth (e.g. JIF, SRIF, Poor Estates, Follett etc) • Multiplicity of bidding schemes and directed initiatives have not encouraged strategic planning • Research funding below full cost • Decline in T unit of resource • The 1960s and 70s bulge of buildings • Lack of long-term asset management strategy • Generally low priority and status of commercial business management skills • High priority given to immediate needs over infrastructure • But culture varies greatly between institutions (many new universities have been forced to be more radical and managerial – and some claim no estates problems)
A few myths: (non-solutions) • Its much better in the USA (not really) • Private capital (limited applicability) • Borrowing (risky) • Fund-raising (needs time and big investment) • More efficient utilisation (some scope) • Collaboration (some scope) • Past capital schemes should have sorted this (even JIF/SRIF - £2bn only affected 5% of infrastructure) • It’s all due to poor funding (some institutions have done much better than others – note the 5% examples)
Recommendations • Policy initiative on institutional responsibility for whole-life asset management (backed by a funding councils initiative to produce institutional strategies) • Government remedial investment programme (like SRIF for teaching and arts as well as science research, triggered by institutional strategies for long-term sustainability of assets related to academic strategies )
The futureHE needs to develop: A business model for T&L Integrated academic and financial/estates strategies The new Academy for T&L in Higher Education The new Leadership Foundation A highly-professional approach to commercial property and asset management Full economic cost recovery on research and other projects