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

The publication of Regional Focus: UK Impact marks the Regional Support Centres 10-year anniversary and highlights the RSCs’ work for the sector.

The RSCs work collaboratively, with providers, funders and partners bringing benefits directly to the learners.

“The use of technology to enhance learning and improve business processes in the UK Further Education and Skills sectors has changed beyond recognition in the last 10 years. This is due in no small part to the work of the JISC Regional Support Centres (RSCs) in moving both individual learning providers and the sector as a whole forward.”

To read the full report,  visit the JISC website at:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/rsc

I had the pleasure of facilitating four workshops at MoodleMoot UK 2010 held at University of London Senate House which was very convenient for me as all I had to do was go upstairs to attend…

The event had a real energy throughout the two days which was kick started by a visionary speech from the incoming Vice Chancellor of University of London, Professor Geoffrey Crossick. Professor Crossick impressed me with his knowledge of IT and its potential to enhance learning, which I must admit I did not expect from a university vice chancellor.

Next up was the charismatic and very thought provoking Professor Sugata Mitra. I have heard Professor Mitra speak several times before and he has always stolen the show. Everyone was talking about his presentation throughout the conference. He gave a brilliant presentation based on his work in exploring how to use technology to educate children who do not have access to English-speaking teachers or computers.  He showed the power of the social constructivist model where, in his experiments, children are able to learn through social interaction with a computer without the active input of a teacher. The role he takes with children is more that of a facilitator. He sets children puzzles in an informal setting and gets incredible results.

I facilitated four workshops over the two days and was very impressed with the creative ways people had found of using learning technologies like Moodle and Mahara  in different contexts. We had presentations on

• Moodle in the Health Sector
• Moving to Moodle from other systems
• Linking Moodle to other internal systems
• Using the Mahara e-Portfolio in colleges

Each workshop had several presenters from different organisations which gave delegates a rounded view of the topics and a range of approaches which could be followed. The workshops included question and answer sessions and discussion which proved to be very popular.  Highlights for me were the presentation from Fehmi Hanoglu of Hackney Community College on their linking Moodle to their internal MIS and monitoring systems. This has led to a rich ILP (Individual Learning Plan) which enables staff and students to easily set goals and track progress on a student by student basis. The ILP enables learners to develop responsibility for their own learning and share this with their tutors. This has enhanced communication between learners and staff which has resulted in improving standards across the college.

The other presentation that really caught my eye was Angela Jay from Lewisham College. Angela explained how the Mahara e-Portfolio system had been a success at Lewisham without the college having to promote it. It is so popular with learners that it sells itself. Angela demonstrated a traditional CV against a CV a catering student had created in Mahara and there was no comparison between the two – Mahara won hands down.  Portfolios such as this will vastly improve the chances of students gaining employment.

There was also an interesting discussion about the possible use of Mahara e-Portfolio systems being used as an Alumni system. It could be a great way for colleges to keep in touch with their former students and celebrate their future successes with them.

Acting as a facilitator at MoodleMoot 2010 was a very easy job as sharing expertise, information and ideas with so many creative and dedicated educationalists was so interesting and inspiring that the two days flew by before I knew it.  I am already looking forward to MoodleMoot 2011.

Martin Sepion
Senior Adviser

JISC Regional Support Centre for London

A new report on “An Investigation into the  Challenges, Application and Benefits of Social Media in Higher Education Institutes” has just been published.  This 28 page document was published by Jadu, a provider of Content Management Systems for public sector organisations.

The research was completed November 2009 and provides Higher Education Institutions with:

• A current appreciation of the challenges and issues faced in implementing social media
• Shared knowledge of how HEIs are capitalising on social media technologies to support strategic and operational activities.
• Insight into the range of benefits that are currently being delivered and those that could be delivered.

The findings represent feedback from 60 respondents across the United Kingdom, from 44 HEIs in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

The four major issues identified in the report are:

1. HEI Management need a stronger business case
2. The strategic approach to managing social media is evolving
3. Can unrestricted use continue?
4. Increased awareness is needed to address cultural issues

The report is available from http://www.jadu.co.uk/heisurvey

Published last month,  The JISC’s Annual Review  highlights some of the key technological innovations in education and research over 2008-2009 and is worth a visit.

A useful reminder in summary can be found at:  What has happened this year? 2008-2009  or for those preferring pictures: The Year in Pictures  offers a quick look back.

The role of Regional Support Centres in helping drive change on the ground, is noted too in the section on ‘Practical Solutions to Everyday Problems’:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/aboutus/annualreview/2009/solutions.aspx

All 13 of the JISC Regional Support Centres responded to the  request for information for the Virtual Worlds Watch snapshot survey..

“The picture they (RSCs) present is of virtual world use being much more isolated and infrequent in further education (FE) than in higher education (HE). Institutional technical barriers and support are still major issues for further education staff. Where institutions have overcome these, substantive virtual world developments have occurred.

The RSCs themselves are providing support in different ways, e.g. events, forming a national coordination grouping, and levering the experience of HE institutions to support FE colleges. Across the 13 regions, staff hold widely differing views on the effectiveness of virtual worlds in education.

As with all previous snapshots, Second Life is the predominant virtual world of choice. Having said that, OpenSim is being mentioned by more respondents than in previous snapshot surveys, though actual implementations in UK academia remain few and far between.”

Snapshot and Full Virtual Worlds Watch report

In November 2008, HEFCE formed the Teaching, Quality, and the Student Experience (TQSE) sub-committee to investigate concerns raised over the quality of English higher education (HE). The recently published report sets out the sub-committee’s recommendations.

Set within a framework that defined factors such as HEFCE’s statutory responsibility, The Quality Assurance Framework and the link between quality assurance and quality enhancement, particular areas of investigation included: the relationships between quality and standards, admissions procedures, degree classifications, plagiarism, assessment and feedback, and the institutional audit method.

The TQSE does not consider there to be a systemic failure in quality in English HE. However, challenges to quality and standards are serious issues and the sector cannot be complacent. The Quality Assurance Framework needs revising, to provide HEFCE with continued reassurance that its statutory duty is being fulfilled, and to respond more flexibly to sector trends. The way in which external examiners are used needs reviewing to ensure that the system contributes effectively to maintaining public confidence in quality and standards. The greatest need, however, is for more accessible public information about quality and standards, and about the wider student experience. This will be a challenge for HEFCE and for institutions, but will put the sector on a firmer footing to meet future challenges and show more transparency in how it is accountable.

Full report (PDF format): http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09_40/09_40.pdf

HEFCE response (PDF format): http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09_40/09_40res.pdf

Just published by the London based think-tank Demos, The Edgeless University argues that this can be a moment of rebirth for universities. Technology is changing universities as they become just one source among many for ideas, knowledge and innovation but online tools and open access also offer the means for their survival.
Malcolm Read OBE, Executive Secretary for JISC, which supported the research, said:

‘The UK is a leading force in the delivery of higher education and its universities and colleges have been punching well above their weight for some time. Safeguarding this reputation means we have to fight harder to stay ahead of developments in online learning and social media, and embracing the Web 2.0 world.

‘This is a great opportunity for UK universities and colleges to open up and make learning more accessible to students who would not traditionally stay on in education. ‘Edgeless universities’ can transform the way the UK delivers, shares and uses the wealth and quality of information its institutions own.’

Download the report:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/edge09

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/edgelessuniversity.pdf

The newly published Independent Review of ICT User Skills carried out by Baroness Estelle Morris and commissioned by DIUS has informed the Digital Britain Report. It identifies over 11 million adults in England (2008) as digitally illiterate.

(more…)

Following the interrim report published in January 2009 (http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/digital_britain_interimreportjan09.pdf), the Government has today published the final report.  

The Report is one of the central policy commitments in the Government’s Building Britain’s Future plan and draft legislative programme.

Digital Britain measures include:

• A three-year National Plan to improve Digital Participation
• Universal Access to today’s broadband services by 2012
• Next Generation fund for investment in tomorrow’s broadband services
• Digital radio upgrade by the end of 2015
• mobile spectrum liberalisation, enhancing 3G coverage and accelerating Next Generation mobile services
• robust legal and regulatory framework to combat Digital Piracy
• support for public service content partnerships
• a revised digital remit for Channel 4
• consultation on funding options for national, regional and local news

One surprise in the report is the inclusion of a levy on fixed telephone lines in order to pay for broadband rollout, thought to amount to a 50p a month for every household in the country with a fixed phone line.

Final report and executive summary: http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/6216.aspx