31st October 2006

Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education

A JISC-funded study

Louise Cooke and Helen Greenwood

31st October 2006

About the Day

Introductions and welcome Programme for the day

Project findings Peter Falconer, Lauder College Clare Holden, Loughborough College Claire Bradshaw, Loughborough University Discussion Forum and JISC update

31st October 2006

Aims of the Project

Investigate restrictions on staff access to ICT-based communications in FE and HE

What groups of staff are affected by restrictions on access?

What factors contribute to restricted access? What impact do restrictions have on the

efficiency and effectiveness of institutions and individuals?

Identify examples of best practice.

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Methodological Approach

Desk research Questionnaire survey

Survey design and piloting Target population

Case studies Selection of sites Semi-structured interviews Review of policies

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The Questionnaire Survey

Response from one third of both sectors Typically received from Heads of IT/ IS or ILT/

e-learning / Learning Resources Managers Data analysis

By sector Presentation of data

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Questionnaire and Case Study Themes

Institutional communication and access policies

Electronic and hard copy information dissemination

Who has restricted access to ICT? What effect does this have for the individual

and for the institution? ICT training and skills Current initiatives to improve access and

institutional communication.

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The Case Studies

Six sites were visited: Causeway Institute Lauder College Loughborough College University of Wales, Bangor University of Chichester Loughborough University

…

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The Case Studies cont.

A range of personnel were interviewed, including:

IT and/or Information Services Estates Department Equality and Diversity E-learning Champion Staff Development and Human Resources Teaching staff Trade Union representative

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Findings: Communications Policies

Many do not have a formal policy, but strategy documents commit to increased use of e-communication

FE significantly more likely to have policies than HE

LC has ‘Electronic Communication Policy’, Chichester has ‘Internal Communication Policy’

Move toward electronic information dissemination, but hard copy is still popular: ‘people like paper’.

In around 80% of responding institutions, corporate documentation is made available on paper, but often only on request

…

31st October 2006

Communications Policies cont.

Reliance on line managers to cascade information

Development and promotion of intranet Use of portal solution (Chichester) Appointment of Director of Corporate

Communications (Bangor)

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Findings: Access to PCs

Policies governing principles of access are more common than communications policies

Further Education (n=59)

Comms policy only

10%

Access policy only

27%

Both policies

43%

Neither policy20%

Higher Education (n=53)

Both policies

25%

Neither policy37%

Access policy only

30%

Comms policy only

8%

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Access to PCs cont.

PC provision is generally good, with increased use of laptops for loan or home access

Schemes for staff purchase of PCs All staff entitled to user a/c and email and

open access facilities are available to all Recognition of needs of users with visual

impairment Recognition of need for all staff to use ICT

…

31st October 2006

Access to PCs cont.

BUT part-time and/or community-based teaching staff often experience access difficulties

Staff employed by contractors are not usually given access

Devolved PC purchasing can lead to inequalities

Manual staff usually have low specification PCs.

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Questionnaire Findings: Factors affecting access

1 Job function 68%

2 Geog location 38%

3 = Level of ICT skills 37%

3 = Type of contract 37%

5 Finance 32%

6 Status/seniority 25%

1 Job function 87%

2 Level of ICT skills 27%

3 Geog location 21%

4 Type of contract 19%

5 Finance 15%

6 Status/seniority 13%

FE HE

31st October 2006

ICT Skills and Training

‘Totally inclusive’ staff development policies vs. institutions where not all staff groups have access to ICT training

Training for staff in manual occupations may have low take-up

Skills levels of teaching personnel are variable Use of ILT champions Information literacy skills as important as IT

skills Induction is key opportunity

…

31st October 2006

ICT Skills and Training cont.

New systems drive training needs Time constraints limit opportunities for

training, especially for PT and non-desk-based staff

Peer mentoring/buddying Good examples of special initiatives for

manual staff Importance of leadership and ‘culture of

learning’

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Drivers of wider ICT use

Government funding initiatives and quality reviews, e.g. DEL e-learning strategy in N. Ireland, IiP

Increased use of ILT Impact of implementation of new e-systems

(e.g. e-registration, facilities management and finance)

Information overload

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Technological Initiatives

Electronic Independent Student Learning Agreements (ISLAs), e-registers, e-finance systems, e-facilities management systems etc.

Potential of mobile, handheld and wireless technologies

VoIP technology ‘Personalisation’ of the learning environment

via SMS, podcasts etc.

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Other Initiatives

ICT training initiatives IT Awareness Week Targeting of information dissemination Initiatives to achieve upwards communication

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Challenges and Barriers

Fear, apprehension and ‘inverse snobbery’ Lack of motivation or perception of need Intranets can become ‘bulging’ and difficult to

navigate Reliance on line managers can lead to patchy

information provision Line managers’ attitudes, especially with

regard to trust

…

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Challenges and Barriers cont.

Lack of systems integration Geographic location especially distributed

estates Financial considerations Manual staff and PT staff face particular

barriers 24/7 culture Need to retain ‘personal touch’

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Emergent Themes

Motivation is a bigger issue than PC access Need to secure support and engagement of

managerial and supervisory staff at all levels How information is communicated is more

important than what technology is provided

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Implications and Further Work

Methods appeared satisfactory to achieve aims and objectives

Potential to learn from existing examples of good communication practice

Managing information overload Policy development, dissemination and

implementation guidelines Longitudinal approach to measure

improvement over time

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Acknowledgments

JISC Questionnaire pilots Questionnaire respondents Case study participants LISU staff

PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS!

31st October 2006

DISCUSSION POINTS

JISC – Future directions Observations and questions from today’s sessions How do these findings compare with your own

experience and practice? Do you have any examples of initiatives in your own

institution to add to those already discussed? What should be the balance between hard copy and

electronic information provision? Would it be useful to have guidelines for policy

development in this area? How can we evaluate progress in this area? Has today been useful for you?