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Executive Summary

1 Introduction

2 Context

3 Methodology

4 - 9 Findings, Analysis and Discussion

10 Summary of Findings

11 Discussion of Findings

12 References

13 Case Studies

Acknowledgments & Partners

Case Study Map 

Institution H1

4 Context

Institution H1 is a large, urban, pre 1992 university in England. It is a research led university, which caters for approximately 19000 students, across eight faculties. Around 2800 modules or units were delivered during the 2002 2003 academic year and, of these, approximately 20% actively used VLEs during that period. All departments used VLEs during that same session and it is estimated that around 33% of students used VLEs. It should be noted that shortly after this study the university was restructured into three large faculties with schools replacing departments as the main academic units.

This case study is based on evidence gained from nine face to face interviews with staff in different roles and positions, questionnaire returns from eight of the nine people, and significant documentary evidence. The respondents represented the following roles:

• Academic staff implementing networked learning,
• Quality manager,
• Registry staff responsible for student records,
• Senior management with responsibility for networked learning and academic quality,
• Support staff providing a range of services for academic staff and students engaged in networked learning,
• Technical staff with responsibility for infrastructure support for networked learning.

Documentary evidence

Three main documents were consulted: the Interim Corporate Strategy (2003 to 2010); the e Learning Strategy (2002); and the Learning and Teaching Strategy (2002 5). In addition a number of publicly available documents were consulted.

The University Mission Statement has a dual focus on research and on student centred learning, and the Corporate Strategy highlights blended learning as the way forward with e learning increasing in importance but not replacing traditional methods thus signalling the growing importance of e learning within university’s overall plan. The Corporate Strategy also states that teaching activity should become truly student centred; whilst this is not a specific reference to networked learning, a student centred curriculum could potentially be aided by online delivery. The Corporate Strategy recognises the need for the university to engage with students who come from backgrounds that do not traditionally enter higher education, setting out a range of objectives in terms of expanding this section of their student population. It wishes to maintain its focus on its traditional, national and international market of 18 21 year olds, but at the same time it recognises the need to widen access to non traditional students to meet the regulatory targets.

The e Learning Strategy (2002 2005), which was submitted to HEFCE in 2002, but which was not in the public domain at the time of this study, aims to encourage the take up and effective exploitation of learning technologies to extend and enrich the student experience, and to provide a framework for development and evaluation of e learning activities. The objectives are to raise awareness of e learning potential, and to gain a more detailed understanding of the resource implications of e learning. The planning process includes formulating an e learning infrastructure plan, establishing an e learning development fund, and creating an e learning development team. The e learning strategy encourages the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to improve the learning environment by building on previous experience and providing staff support. It also identifies required levels of investment for the development of e learning and an integrated ICT based environment.

The Learning and Teaching Strategy (2002 2005) develops the plans set out in the e learning strategy through the following objectives:

• Create an e learning development team, during 2002 2003,
• Establish agreed targets for academic groups (to be initiated 2002 2003, and to be incorporated in plans 2003 2004),
• Invite all Schools to set strategic priorities for e learning in updates of their learning and teaching strategies, (to be incorporate in strategic planning with effect from planning round for 2002/3),
• Establish an e Learning Development Fund (Determine allocation and devise criteria for 2003/4).

The institution has a strong central drive and sees substantial investment in the development of e learning as essential to its teaching, learning and assessment strategy. However, it is also clear that at the time of this study these plans were at an early stage; only the core of the e learning team was planned to be in place by the end of 2003, e learning targets and school priorities were about to be incorporated in strategic planning, and the criteria for an e learning development fund were still to be devised. The documents consulted thus suggest an institution that is aiming to develop e learning as part of its teaching and learning strategy and which has identified the need for a centrally driven e learning strategy to support this development.