The use of mobile technologies and a more innovative use of existing institutional systems such as virtual learning environments will be increasingly important to colleges that provide higher education according to a new JISC funded study.

Phase one of “Creating a Virtual Faculty” looked at 34 members of the Mixed Economy Group of colleges (MEG) to investigate how targeted investment in information learning technology could benefit emerging markets in the higher education sector. The role of colleges of further education in providing higher education is recognised as increasingly significant, serving the needs of a growing number of students.

Colleges that provide higher education enable students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in higher education to pursue higher education in a local environment, enabling them to live at home, minimise costs, avoid disruption to their families, and acquire a qualification that may open the door to better economic circumstances. In many cases, these learners are already in employment and have opted to pursue a part-time course.

Sarah Knight from JISC’s e-Learning Programme says:

“We are delighted to be working with the MEG colleges on this project. The study highlights the strategic importance of developing increased capability of technology enhanced learning in support of the growing demand for HE in FE provision. Although all colleges are using Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) to support students’ learning, more effective and innovative uses can be made of the technology.

We support the finding that practitioners and senior managers working in this area should be encouraged to share best practice in their use of information learning technology (ILT) in their programmes and have opportunities to do so at a regional and national level. JISC already offers support with this through its Regional Support Centres and JISC Advance.”

Read about the project and its finding or access the full Phase 1 report

Funding opportunity from ESCalate…

Maximum per award £5,000
Awards per round  3
Deadline for proposal   Monday, 31 January 2011

Funding is intended to support innovative teaching and scholarship amongst teachers and lecturers from across the UK who work on higher education programmes within Education, Continuing Education and Life Long Learning. We are particularly interested in receiving bids from teams within the HE in FE sector.

Projects should directly benefit education students through developments in pedagogy and practice. Applications must demonstrate a scholarly approach to raising the status of teaching and learning. Applications must include plans for dissemination of outcomes both within the award holder’s institution and beyond, and include strategies for evaluation.

Successful projects will:

• support the development of pedagogy and practice in HE;
• allow award holders to develop their ideas, practices and resources in ways that directly support student learning;
• actively promote and disseminate findings and outcomes both within the award holder’s institution and beyond.

Full details and online application available on the ESCalate website

Bob Powell

Delegates from colleges, training organisations and partner agencies from all across London came together to focus on how to face the future.

From discussion groups across the event the message was clear:

Learning  provider organisations must do more than just survive, but aim to thrive through adapting and collaborating.

Read the full event report: http://www.rsc-london.ac.uk/1436/

HEFCE’s Leadership, Governance and Management (LGM)  fund has supported the HE in FECs Expert Programme, an 18-month project.

In the first project stage, four seminars were held in 2009 for principals, senior managers and college governors. Resources that could support the strategic development of higher education provided in further education colleges were identified. In the second project stage, resources and materials were collected.

The project is now nearing completion and the project website provides access to resources and links to other source material relating to six themes:

• the nature of higher education;
• funding of HE delivered in FECs;
• management and planning;
• quality assurance arrangements;
• policy and strategy for HE in FECs;
• governance.

Materials provided by colleges and other organisations are being added to the website and can be downloaded and customised by colleges. The development materials can be accessed at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/heinfestratprog/materials.html

The project team is still looking at and adding materials and any colleagues who would be prepared to submit materials they have used successfully are asked to contact Penny Blackie (p.blackie@fdf.ac.uk) and Anne Thompson (anne.thompson20@btinternet.com).

JISC invites institutions to submit funding proposals for projects to undertake work under the fifth round of its Learning and Teaching Innovation Grants Programme.

JISC wishes to fund one year projects and activities that fit with the vision, outcomes and principles of the JISC e-Learning programme and support innovative approaches to learning and teaching. This is an open call, and projects dealing with any aspect of e-learning are welcomed. To reduce the initial investment in time and resource needed to develop a traditional JISC proposal and to encourage speculative and innovative ideas from the community bidders are invited to submit outline proposals.

Proposals may be submitted by HE institutions funded via HEFCE and by FE institutions funded via SFC. FE institutions in England that teach HE to more than 400 FTEs are also eligible to bid provided proposals demonstrate how the work supports the HE in FE agenda. Proposals may be from single institutions or consortia.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon UK time on 19 April 2010.

Further details and documentation:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2010/02/ltig5.aspx

The JISC invites institutions to submit funding proposals for projects to explore aspects of Green ICT in higher and further education in the UK as outlined below:

Study of Ownership and Responsibility for Energy Costs: Total funding of up to £90,000 is available for this study – including £50,000 for undertaking the study and recruiting the case studies and £40,000 for the case studies (at £10,000 per case study). The study will run for 18 months.

Small Scale Exploration Studies of Aspects of Green ICT: Total funding of up to £300,000 is available to fund between 5 and 8 projects at between £30,000 and £70,000 per project. Projects will run for between 4 and 12 months.

Demonstrator Projects: Total funding of up to £300,000 is available to fund 6 projects at £50,000 per project. Projects will fun for 12 months.

The deadline for all proposals is 12 noon UK time on 28 October 2009. All projects are expected to start on 18 January 2010.

Proposals may be submitted by Higher Education (HE) institutions funded via HEFCE, SFC, HEFCW and DEL Northern Ireland, and by Further Education (FE) institutions funded via SFC, DCELLS Wales and DEL Northern Ireland. FE institutions in England that teach HE to more than 400 FTEs are also eligible to bid provided proposals demonstrate how the work supports the HE in FE agenda.

Further information and full funding call available at:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/Home/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2009/09/0909greenict.aspx

The HE Academy have published their HE in FE Directory, which allows online searching for information and contact details under the following categories:

• qualifications and funding bodies
• information, support and membership bodies
• awarding and validating bodies
• regional bodies (including the RSCs)
• HE coordinators and managers in FE colleges

Directory homepage:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/institutions/heinfe/directory

HEFCE have published on their website a request for higher education strategies from further education colleges.This document requests further education colleges to submit higher education strategies. It provides guidance that sets out HEFCE’s expectations of a college’s higher education strategy. Strategies should be submitted to HEFCE by noon on Monday 11 January 2010. 

Key  points:

HE strategies should be developed by all FECs, directly and indirectly funded, and documentation submitted to HEFCE. The strategy and the process of developing it will be valuable to the college itself and will:

- form evidence for the college’s Integrated Quality Enhancement and Review

- support and inform the development of the widening participation strategic assessment

- help colleges in discussions with HEFCE institutional teams

- when developing an HE strategy, colleges should take account our view of the role of HE in FECs and of the distinctive contribution that FECs can make to the overall provision of HE

- the context for the colleges’ HE should be described, taking account of non-HEFCE funded provision alongside that funded directly or indirectly by HEFCE.

The strategy is expected to cover:

- a high-level statement explaining what the strategy is about

- a rationale for the strategy

- elaboration about specific objectives showing they have the potential to be realised

- assessment of high-level risks

Strategy documentation may be provided in different ways, and it is for colleges to decide on the preferred format. The documentation provides several options and guidance for this. Further details available at:

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09_13/