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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 H7

7 Impact of networked learning on staffing and collaboration

Networked learning brings about the potential for changing and new roles, and opportunities for collaboration; however, this may also impact on workloads and thus on attitudes to this form of learning. In addition, the technology allows for new forms of communication to emerge.

Staffing – change of role and new staff

There is evidence for a change in roles for some members of staff and an overall increase in employment. This is exemplified by the following quotes.

I think within the Schools then they might have had to reorganise their technicians’ work or how their admin staff work and appoint some academics, particularly with online developmental roles. (H7I4/6)

We have got additional staff anyway... there has been an increase in staff anyway because the whole web area has just exploded and some of that happened because of [the VLE] so there has been an increase in staff… The people who have been involved in [the VLE] have probably been the existing staff. So the existing staff have been strengthened in the [the VLE] area whereas other people have come in to take up the work that they might have been doing had it not been here. (H7I5)

The last restructuring certainly made allowances or reflected the growth in those areas so Computing Services is a place where roles are going to change anyway, the things that you were doing ten years ago you can forget about, it has been completely replaced. So it is evolving anyway but the web area, the virtual learning environment, online learning, has been a big influence on the way it has evolved. (H7I5)

In addition to these changes within a particular working environment the institution-wide initiative in seconding one academic member of staff per school to the learning and teaching support section to work on the development of online learning has created some new and important roles.

... we buy… half their time to work on education development issues in their particular school and across a range of issues. Networked Learning being one important one, but certainly not the only... it very much depends on what else are the priorities within their school. So in the Business School it might be about work-based learning, in the Health School it might be problem based learning... but they act to take issues from [the learning and teaching support unit] and ideas and work with colleagues in their own disciplinary areas, but they also raise issues that are surfacing in those schools that might be problematic or ideas that people have and bring them back to [the unit]... (H7I3)

This suggests a shift in workload in terms of technical and support roles, which is partially driven by the introduction of networked learning. In addition, it is suggested that the development of specific posts in relation to teaching and learning is to some extent influenced by the development of online learning though not entirely so.

Staffing – workload

Issues around workloads are important to any institution. If networked learning is seen as increasing that load it could clearly act as a negative influence on the development of online learning. It was noted by one of the respondents that working patterns for academics had changed.

Working patterns as a whole, I would say that the amount of administration that members of academic staff have had to do recently… has increased a lot. When I started working at the University, there would be hardly any academic staff about in July or August... it is not the problem of teaching that stops them doing their research or developing new courses, it is the burden of administration... (H7I1)

It was further noted, in response to a question about the possible relationship between online learning and the extra administration that there was no link.

I think it is independent. Again talking about these cynical academic colleagues they would say you have got to do this, this and this and then there is [online learning] but… I don’t think the majority of people would single it [online learning] out as something that is causing extra work. (H7I1)

Interestingly another respondent felt that this view might not be entirely correct.

... there is quite a bit in terms of the technical management of the virtual learning environment and the kind of staff development that has had to go with that which has been a big exercise... (H7I3)

It was further noted by another respondent that the impact of networked learning might change over time.

They [academics] would probably say, “yes there was an increasing workload initially to put the lectures on” but then as I say like the… School has cut down on face-to-face teaching so they have saved a bit of time there... (H7I4/6)

Staff attitudes

New developments can be seen as both positive and negative. For some it is a threat to the way they do things and for others it offers new opportunities for development. Whilst development of networked learning in this institution was initiated from above it was also supported by a number of individual enthusiasts within the institution. This is noted by one of the respondents as follows:

I think it was quite variable. Some staff loved it and could see the kind of vision it offered. Other staff, and there are still quite a few… are resistant to it. (H7I4/6)

It might just be down to personalities but the ethos between the people in the... School just seems to be that [networked learning] is what you do and it helps (H7I1)

This view is contrasted by the following:

I’m being dreadful at stereotyping here, but the older members of staff… can see no added benefit of having web discussion groups, particularly when the students are here and part of the learning experience should be to discuss ideas with their tutors. (H7I1)

So whilst it is clear that the institution has embraced the development of online learning there are still members of staff who are not fully committed to this development. It also noted by one academic that any form of compulsion in terms of use of the online learning environment is unlikely:

... I don’t think it would be right for academics to tell other academics how to teach and what the institution is offering is a very robust reliable environment… which is available to all academic colleagues to use and there are modular templates set up for them... in a fairly ready made way for them to use for their own purposes... so I think it would be inappropriate to have a kind of blanket approach... (H7I3)

Research

The institutional documentation noted the emphasis on teaching and learning and issues around research. However, this topic was only raised in two interviews. In one it was in relation to the respondent’s own research into teaching and learning itself, and from the other respondent it was commenting mainly on research into the impact of networked learning on students and staff. This is exemplified as follows.

... my own work, the research which is being done mainly in other institutions suggests that there are a number of areas that we need to do more work on and some tutors seem to revert to a more kind of teaching environment online, a more kind of authoritative position… (H7I3)

Some people have done some research on the impact on students and student evaluation of it and again that has probably been largely driven through the learning and teaching support unit. (H7I4/6)

These two quotes both refer to research into teaching and learning which seems to further emphasise the importance that the institution claims to attach to teaching and learning.

Collaboration

The impact of networked learning on collaboration is apparent and is mentioned several times by four out of the five respondents. It is interesting to note that this collaboration occurs at several different levels from external to informal, and at different levels of formality within the institution. In relation to external collaboration this seems to have taken the form of external interest in the manner in which this institution had implemented networked learning:

We went through a spell where quite a lot of people were talking to us for a while, I think those then adopted whatever they were going to do… [then], it went quiet again, it went away. (H7I5)

This quote indicates that the institution was seen as a leader in the field, the same respondent elaborates further on this issue.

There was a time when we had people phoning and asking about various things and I guess they just picked up and have got to where we are now and then maybe have even gone beyond us... (H7I5)

External collaboration was thus seen mainly as others requesting advice and information about the networked learning implementation at the institution.

Internal collaboration is evidenced at several levels. At the formal level, the Teaching Fellow scheme with members of staff seconded on a part-time basis to support the development of networked learning within their school, has clearly increased collaboration:

… and also another [development] sort of hub-and-spokes model where we have teaching fellows in all the schools who also act as both coordinators and sort of educational development leaders within these schools (H7I3)

The Taskforce, which encouraged members of staff to undertake projects linked mainly to the use of the VLE, is also seen has having increased collaboration:

… the development of the Taskforce which was the use of a number of colleagues in schools across the university, there are about twenty-four of them undertaking projects which related primarily to the use of how [the VLE] was being implemented in different disciplines. (H7I3)

Another form of collaboration was evidenced between academics and computing staff:
I think certainly in terms of the academic schools and ourselves, Computing Services, there is quite an interaction… In general we have got a very positive relationship now with a number of people across a number of schools… I think that has been quite good… I have been able to talk to academic staff on a slightly different level, less formal perhaps than perhaps if we are beyond closed doors over there... But [the VLE] has probably broken that away quite a lot and more of our people are talking to more academics. We are on a different level; we are much friendlier, much less formal level. (H7I5)

and this was also noted across the different schools and other support services:

We provide central support for the online and learning environment. And we do everything, what you would say, this side of the screen; we don’t deal with anything to do with the servers, that’s all computing services... we also interact with the various departments of the university, particularly registry, computer services and ourselves. So… we’ve got the feel for what the academic staff want, we also have the technical vocabulary to communicate with computing services to make it happen and we’ve got the academic experience to talk to registry to know what is feasible. So the three departments work together really well… (H7I2)

Collaboration across the institution was also made possible through the mainly internal annual conference. This provides an opportunity for sharing of ideas and getting access to the work of others:

... a lot of that collaboration is presented at the... conference that I mentioned at the end of each year... it’s mainly an internal conference where people come along and actually show what they have been doing either as individuals or in teams and discuss that with colleagues. (H7I3)

One respondent, when questioned about collaboration within a particular faculty commented that this was likely to occur when academics were team teaching on particular modules. It was felt that the likelihood of collaboration was greater when networked rather than traditional methods of delivery were used as the learning materials and the interactions were visible to all involved.

I would think so… most of their modules are taught by more that one member of staff... if you are both using the same [the VLE] module then I think there has got to be greater collaboration [than if you are lecturing on the same module], understanding what each teacher is doing because the student sees both ends of what is being put on by the different staff. (H7I4/6)

Finally, another respondent noted informal collaboration.

They’ve been trained, if that is the right word, because they share an office with someone else... That’s quite common, I would say quite a few people, maybe a quarter or a third of the staff will have taught themselves through local rubbing shoulders contact with people... (H7I2)

All the above suggests a range of collaborations all of which have been affected in one form or another by the development of networked learning. It also possibly indicates an institution where interdependency across a range of schools and the different support services is increasing.

Communication

The section above would suggest an increase in communication across different areas of the institution. The main focus in the interviews in relation to networked learning was on the potential for greater communication with students afforded by the VLE. This communication was both in relation to providing information as shown in the following quote.

... the [...] school, who are using a similar approach, they’re requiring that each of their modules… have a detailed module outline, which is substantially more than the module information directory… five to six pages long, accurate, up-to-date booklists, lecture details, masses of what might otherwise be called corridor information, the stuff you normally pin on the notice board… They can also be sure that each student gets an equal opportunity of getting the information. (H7I2)

The opportunity for personal contact with students was also noted.

Quite a few of our staff have said that it’s helped them get to know their students much better than they would have been able to without [the VLE]… it is not much better than if you’ve got a class of 25, but in a class of 100+ you can actually get to know the students that want to get to know you, very well online. (H7I2)

I think it has an impact on how tutors communicate with students and how students communicate with students because they can use the facility to set up little groups or communicate with themselves but I think when academics to academics and staff to staff [communicate] then it is email not [the VLE]. (H7I4/6)

The means for communication offered by the virtual learning environment seems to have had an impact on how tutors and students can communicate with each other. Generally there is a suggestion that there is an increasing reliance on electronic communication whether this is through [the VLE] or a generally available email system. However, this was not consistent across all areas. There were examples where the availability of online communication was not necessarily seen as an effective means of communicating with students.

… we spent an awful lot of time and effort actually developing a [VLE] site for research students in general and it was hopeless… probably half a dozen had used it more than once and we thought what a wasted effort... what we were trying to get was for the part-time students and the people who were on split programmes to be able to use this and nobody ever did. I suspect the situation hasn’t changed. (H7I1)

There is a suggestion here of two distinct student groups with different needs. One group, possibly mainly undergraduate students do appreciate the online environment and its potential for allowing contact with the tutor, whilst the other group, the part-time research students do not. The evidence here does not allow for an exploration of reasons for this.
It seems that networked learning has had an impact on staff within the institution in terms of developing greater collaboration and opportunities for communication. Collaboration has been mainly internal with some evidence of external collaboration in the early stages of development. New roles have been developed within the institution and new members of staff have been employed as a result of this development. Workloads have increased though networked learning is not seen as the sole cause of this increase.

Questionnaire data

The questionnaire responses generally support the interview data. Members of staff involved with IT and support suggest that there has been a change in the balance or nature of the work with increased collaboration. Two other respondents were unclear about the impact of networked learning on collaboration; one of these states that there is anecdotal evidence to support this view.

Summary

The evidence provided in this section would suggest that networked learning has had an impact on staff within the institution in terms of developing greater collaboration and opportunities for communication. Collaboration seems to have been mainly internal with some evidence of external collaboration in the early stages of development. New roles have been developed within the institution and new members of staff have been employed. Workloads were perceived as having increased, though networked learning is not seen as the sole cause of this increase.