Transcript The Robert Gordon University

Developing Strategies to support staff in the
delivery of blended / online learning
Judith Smith, Department of eLearning
21 April 2005
Challenges for Education Today
• Rapid pace of technological development
• Drive towards a more global marketplace within the “knowledge
economy”
• The need to respond more quickly and flexibly to learning
demands (not only “just in time” but “just for me”)
• Changing student profiles
• More demanding marketplace
Developing the university into a learning
organisation
• Changing the culture
• Allowing the marketplace to influence change within the
University
• Programmes of professional development for staff to enable
them to understand new ways of delivering teaching and
technological developments
• Learners not students
• The Knowledge Economy & changing demographics
• Continued Professional Development
Creating an Online University
• Build the skills and enthusiasm of people as well as the physical
infrastructure to support the initiative
• Embed online learning within the organisation’s strategy
• Embed online learning “within the hearts” of those who will use it
• Get buy in to idea that online learning is not different but merely
a linear progression in the way we have developed our ability to
deliver and absorb ideas
• People-driven rather than technology-driven
• VLEs providing a “wrapper” for a complete learning experience
Supporting the Learning Environment
• Requires strategic support from the top
• Requires Champions to develop content and foster culture that
is biased towards this means of delivery
• Requires adequate funding for VLE and supporting technology
• Requires ongoing staff training
• Requires ongoing development of new learning tools and
technologies
The RGU experience
• A stable online environment that has been supporting virtual
learning since 1999
• Currently has nearly 17000 members on our distance learning
Virtual Campus and supports a further 10,000 students on
campus
• Nearly 30 MSc programmes delivered fully online, a range of
blended courses and various short courses and CPD
programmes
• Members from over 150 countries worldwide
Planning for e-learning
• What ICT skills do staff have?
• Is there course content which will find a market?
• What are the costs (both actual and hidden) in developing
materials for online learning?
• Technological issues
• Who are competitors
• What is the basis for competitive advantage?
Implementing online learning
programmes
• Supporting staff as they become familiar with teaching in an
online environment
• Pastoral and cultural issues
• Geographical / temporal issues
• Quality assurance of the staff / student relationship
• Ensuring integrity in assessment
Strategic implementation
• Top down approach
• Bottom up approach
• Mixture of both
Centralise or decentralise?
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Centralisation provides a focal point for communication
Acts as a host for liaison with all partners
Ensures quality & standards are maintained
Central support with economies in terms of resources and scale
Decentralisation provides opportunities for more varied
developments
• More subject specific content design
• The closer academic authors are to the content creation the
more ownership they feel for the course
Opportunities
• Development of new working relationships across the university
– Library and Dept. of eLearning
– Cross departmental collaboration
– Working with the Centre for the Enhancement of Learning &
Teaching
New Skills
• Staff understand the ways in which their specific student market
learns, and how this learning can be achieved online
• Staff have relevant ICT and “soft” skills to work competently in
an online environment
• University markets courses appropriately so that recruitment can
be carried out effectively
Finally ...
• Different mode of delivery but with the same outcome –
appropriate learning content and support for students
• Requires continued investment, development and resource –
not just initial financial investment in the technology
• Resource intensive in terms of staff training and staff
contribution to courses if it is to work
• Creates new ways of working for academic staff (e.g. at home in
evening on e-mail) which needs to be recognised and
incorporated into more traditional timetabling and programming