Dr Vanessa Pittard Director of Evidence and Evaluation Becta

1. Dr Vanessa PittardDirector of Evidence and EvaluationBecta

2. Progress and Challenges for ICT and e-Learning across the Post-16 Sector Vanessa Pittard, Director, Evidence and Evaluation

3. Why ICT and e-Learning? • EU Lisbon agreement (2000): “to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth and with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion”. • Technology viewed as central to that goal – developing new markets; enabling greater access to knowledge and information

4. World Bank definition of e-Learning (2005) “The use of computer-based electronic technologies of Internet, e-mail, websites and CD-ROMs, and their applications, to deliver, facilitate and enhance both formal and informal learning and knowledge sharing at any time, any place and at any pace”

5. Wider changes • Social Trends (2005): “We are living through a historic period of technological change brought about by the development and the widening application of information and communications technology (ICT)” • UK Children Go Online (2004): 9 to 15 year olds - 74 per cent of children have accessed the Internet via a computer from home 93 per cent have accessed it at school. Information gathering and school work were the main reasons for use. • Increasing convergence of technologies e.g. games, TV, mobile technologies – influence on learner expectations of formal education and training

6. The unfortunate legacy of dot.com enthusiasm • OECD (2005) E-Learning in Tertiary Education: Where do We Stand? “Failures of e-learning operations have, at least temporarily overshadowed the prospects of widened and flexible access to tertiary education, pedagogic innovation and reduced costs that e-learning once embodied” (See CERI policy summary: EDU/CERI/CD (2005)15) • ‘reduced costs’…Better value?

7. A different vision for ICT and e-learning – better value • Harnessing Technology Strategy in England (2005): “We do not argue for a complete switch to new technology. Traditional teaching methods and e-learning can and should complement each other.” “A greater focus on technology will produce real benefits for all. …Employers and communities could access ICT training and support more readily. Young people and adult learners should be able to see courses tailored to their personal needs, and progress more easily through different institutions at different stages of their lives.”

8. Progress and challenges How are institutions/organisations doing across the sector? What are the issues and challenges?

9. Annual survey of FE providers

10. Access and ICT infrastructure We’ve come a long way Some rapid adoption and change Is the basic infrastructure there to support (more) responsive and flexible learning?

11. More computers Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

12. Student-computer ratios (FE) Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

13. Network capacity Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

14. Access for work-based learning • 90% of providers have computers on their premises for learners to access e-learning • 80% of these have fast internet access • 49% have laptops that they take to learners’ workplaces Mackinnon Partnership (2005) Use of ICT and e-learning by WBL providers, Becta.

15. Access for ACL • 32% of locations with internet access • 22% of locations with broadband access • Student-computer ratio – approx 30:1 NIACE (2004) The potential of e-learning

16. Progress – use of ICT in FE Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

17. Use in work-based learning • Mackinnon Partnership (2005) “There are considerable differences between providers in relation to their approach to and knowledge of ICT and e-learning” 33% not considered e-learning yet (7%) or considered it but not taken it forward (26%). 31% piloting e-learning (16%) or putting in place plans to implement it (15%). 27% currently embedding e-learning activities (20%) or have been using e-learning for some time (7%).

18. E-enablement (FE) Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE, from PwC (2004)

19. Challenge – meeting demand The ‘motorway effect’ Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

20. Challenge – meeting demand Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

21. Challenge – infrastructure barriers

22. Challenge – infrastructure barriers • 32% WBL providers say employers’ infrastructure a barrier to e-learning • 26% WBL providers say their own infrastructure a barrier to e-learning Mackinnon Partnership (2005) Use of ICT and e-learning by WBL providers, Becta.

23. Challenge - linkage Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

24. Challenge - linkage “The ability of a learning platform to link with a college’s management information system (MIS) is not an outstanding feature for any platform. The difficulty of linking to an MIS is a significant weakness for VLEs. Only 25% of colleges with a VLE said that this platform was linked to the college’s MIS” • Why a problem? Barrier to: - Adding value (productive time/efficiency) - Adding value (learner information & support) Becta (2005) ICT and e-Learning in FE

25. Challenge – overall management of the infrastructure PwC (2004) Moving Towards e-Learning “There is a clear need to make the ICT infrastructure easier for institutions to manage and use on a day-to-day basis, i.e. to enable teachers and ICT co-ordinators to spend less of their time managing and trouble-shooting the ICT, and more time developing and promoting the associated learning opportunities”.

26. Challenge - resources

27. Challenge - getting better value from resources

28. Challenge - The e-learning skills gap

29. Challenge – justifying spend FE college budgeted expenditure for ICT and e-Learning 2004-5 (2003-4) • Major information systems £38.7m (£47.1m) • Hardware £139.1m (£124.4m) • Software £54.9m (£43.1m) • Technical support training £5.7m (£6.0m) • Staff ICT/e-learning training £12.7m (£11.4m) • Total £251.1m (£231.9m)

30. The local challenge – adding value to learning • A broad definition - World Bank (2005) “The use of computer-based electronic technologies of Internet, e-mail, websites and CD-ROMs, and their applications, to deliver, facilitate and enhance both formal and informal learning and knowledge sharing at any time, any place and at any pace” Many possibilities! No real ‘models’ • Post-16 providers – what does it mean to add value? • Importance of evaluating and understanding the benefits

31. Adding value but not adding burdens • CERI (2005) “Resistance to e-learning…may partly be due to perceptions of the limitations of e-learning and the insufficient maturity of the tools available. But it can also be explained by a lack of time or motivation to carry out what is basically an additional task, since e-learning mostly supplements rather than replaces classroom teaching” EDU/CERI/CD(2005)15

32. Two broad challenges • Getting the basic ICT/e-learning environment right (to support blended learning). Strategic management of resources & skill/expertise development • Strategic developments well-targeted at specific need

33. Example – East Sussex Colleges • Access to online Law courses • High demand across E Sussex colleges, but only one AS Law tutor • Developed online resources for own and other school and college students • Online resource, tasks, tests, and tutor support, as well as f2f support • Increased students’ ability to manage their own learning. • In 2003 100% of the students (both those who studied the course at the college and those who studied online) passed the AS level course.

34. Example - Canary Wharf Construction Workers’ Learning Centre • UCATT and Lewisham College Trade Union Study Centre) • Portable building on a construction site plus laptops in construction workers’ canteens during their lunchtime. • Range of courses on offer, including health and safety awareness, ECDL, basic literacy, TUC health and safety. • Various forms of blended learning – based on specific needs - fitness for purpose. • “The type of e-learning varies from 100 per cent online testing for the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme health and safety test to electronic diagrams for the Body Mapping exercise, internet research and word processing support” (p. 4, Case Study Report) • Success and impact – participation; levels of certification; improvements to work practices

35. Challenge - Leading from need • PwC (2004) Moving Towards e-Learning: “In e-enabled institutions, funding tends to follow the identification of needs rather than leading the process The vision for education has to be clear and realistic and needs to precede the vision for ICT” Issue – how to identify need which can be met via the strategic deployment of e-learning?

36. Strategic leadership & local innovation • PwC (2004) Moving Towards e-Learning “Institutions can make most progress when teachers and other staff are fully bought into the overall vision for learning and the associated strategies for the use of ICT “Despite this … strategies for e-learning are largely developed by the senior leadership team and the ICT co-ordinator. Generally, subject leaders and teachers have less of an input to the e-learning strategy” • one fifth of institutions described subject leaders and teachers as having a significant influence on the strategy.

37. Need for learning across the sector • Mackinnon Partnership (2005) re. WBL “Providers feel isolated and want to know if they are doing things in the best way and what they can learn from other providers that have implemented e-learning”

38. The main challenge • Patience! “Most importantly, governments (and institutions) should adopt a suitable time frame for development: patience is key to any capacity building policy. E-learning could then be well-placed to transform tertiary education for better in the long run” (CERI policy summary: EDU/CERI/CD (2005)15)

39. Progress and Challenges for ICT and e-Learning across the Post-16 Sector Vanessa Pittard, Director, Evidence and Evaluation