Home

6 Impact on staffing and collaboration

This section reports on the findings relating to the impact of networked learning on staffing and collaboration. Networked learning has led to a number of changes both in terms of changes to existing roles of staff and to the creation of new roles and new members of staff being appointed. For some staff although there has been no official change in their role, the nature of the work they carry out has changed.

6.4 Research

Issues around research did not feature to any great extent in the interviews as shown in Figure 6-7 below. This is likely to be because the overall emphasis of the study was on the impact of networked learning on management and administrative processes. None of the FE institutions, or H3, commented on the impact of networked learning on research, and these institutions are omitted from Figure 6-7. Of the FE colleges, only F2 and F10 commented on research into networked learning; and only four of the HE institutions mentioned this as a focus of research.

As can be seen form the data, there is a distinct difference between the HE and FE responses in terms of the importance they attached to research. It is also noteworthy that issues about tensions between research and teaching and ‘supremacy’ of research are most apparent in research led institutions (H1, H4, H5 and H6). It is interesting that the main mention of research into networked learning (ie as the focus of the research) and its impact on learning comes from teaching led HEIs (H2, H7 and H8; although H5 also engages in research into networked learning) and that two of the FE colleges were interested in or involved with research into networked learning. In the case of F10, this research was in collaboration with a University. A key issue in terms of development of networked learning, especially for research led institutions, would seem to be the impact that research activities will have on the availability of academics prepared to give up research time to engage in development in what is a ‘teaching’ activity.

CS	Comments on the impact of networked learning on research	Research into networked learning
H1	Limited mention of the conflict between teaching and research within an institution that is research led.	Not commented on.
H2	Limited mention of emphasis placed on research achievements at the expense of teaching achievements in spite of university being teaching led.	Some mention of research into networked learning.
H4	Limited mention of the conflict between teaching and research within an institution that is research led; although they are trying to redress this through offering incentives for teaching.	Not commented on.
H5	One respondent was concerned about the tension between research and teaching, and wondered, given the competing pressures on time; staff in a research led university would find the time to develop Networked Learning skills.	Research into networked learning was noted.
H6	Considerable emphasis from several respondents on research and its impact teaching.	Not commented on.
H7	Not commented on.	Some mention of research into networked learning.
H8	Not commented on.	Research group which focuses on networked learning has led to publications etc.
H10	One respondent noted pressure of research impacting on teaching.	Not commented on.
F2	Not commented on.	Limited mention of desire to conduct research into technical infrastructure for networked learning.
F10	Not commented on.	Some mention of research into networked learning.

Figure 6 7: Impact of networked learning on research (interview data)