implementing the strategy

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development


individual

departmental

institutional

Implementing the strategy

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Just another brick in the wall?

Deans not involved

HoDs not involved

No Targets

Lack of recognition and reward

Lack of strategic vision

No money

semesterisationPortfolio reviewInitiative

overload?

Federated structure

Local cultures

Dispersed support services

Local needs

Semi-autonomous schools

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Understanding the context

Weaknesses

Strategic direction & vision

Recognition and reward

Deans not involved

Ambiguous targets

Strengths

Brookes Virtual & WebCT

Energetic innovators

Pockets of good practice

Existing eL strategy

Opportunities

HR Strategy

SD planning & PDR process

Funding

Threats

Review of course portfolio

Semesterization

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Implementing the strategy

• Harness the energy of our innovators to drive change forward

• Make senior managers aware of the groundswell of energy and good practice already occurring

• Involve all stakeholders in the continuing process of (re)defining an appropriate strategic direction for e-learning at Brookes.

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Managing educational change

Caldwell, B. & Spinks, J. (1988) The Self-Managing School, London, Falmer Press.

Goal setting

Policy making

Evaluation

PlanningImplementing

Budgeting

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Implementing E-learning @ Brookes

E-learning strategy

Learning

Technologists

& E-learning Champions

School strategies

School supported projects

Research & evaluation

Course design intensive

Partnerships in PracticeBusiness Team Challenge

Modes of engagement

Exemplar database

SD/HR funding

Annual monitoring & updating

Targeted staff development

PGDip Embedding Learning Technology module

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Understanding your context

Take time to do a SWOT analysis of your own e-learning context

Note• some of the bricks in your

University’s wall(s)• some of the levers available to you

for breaking open those walls

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development E-learning Champions

• Write an e-learning strategy for their school

• Identify local areas of action

• Manage the learning technologist [in almost all cases] and use that person’s time and skill to shape school actions

• Consider staff development needs for the school using a cascade model


Advantages

• raises the profile • local power base• owned, local and relevant

eL strategies• recognized longstanding

activity and rewarded success

• a named group for dissemination and up-skilling

• the skills, interests and time allocated vary

• there is no central resource

• objection to the name• lack of a support group

Disadvantages

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Learning Technologists

• Job description and person spec

• JISC/ALT funded project on accrediting learning technologists

• Tiny amount of HR strategy funds

• Learning technologists forum

• Audit of current e-learning operation

• Exemplar showcase

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development School strategies

• Template to aid strategic thinking and develop action plan

• Covering memo explaining why

• Linked to staff development planning process

• Linked to LT&A strategy

• Promoted discussion and debate

• Short turnaround time


Mode 1 – baseline course administration and learner support (e-LearningStrategy Action 6a)

Baseline course administration and learner support (chosen from thefollowing): use web to distribute course information and carry out courseadministration, e.g. aims and objectives, assessment criteria/proformas, pastexam questions and model answers/assessment sheets, timetablingannouncements, reading lists, tutor contact details, course evaluation tools,FAQs, additional web resources, links to field level resources, course/modulehandbook, lecture notes.

Mode 2 – blended learning leading to significant enhancements to learning andteaching processes

Communication Assessment and feedback

Provide improved tutor-student,student-student communications,mainly using discussion boards oremail. Enable students, especiallyin disparate groupings andlocations, to exchange information,ask questions and discuss issuesrelating to the course.

Provide improved feedback tostudents on their learning viacomputer assisted assessment foreither formative (self-assessmentand monitoring of progress) orsummative (examination andgrading) purposes or both. Mayinvolve electronic setting,submission and return of studentassignments using digital artefactsand proformas where objectivetesting inappropriate.

Collaboration Quality learning material

Provide a platform for collaborativestudent projects, involving sharedresponsibility for resources andoutcomes. Students usecommunication tools and shareddirectory to collaborate on taskprocesses and outcomes.

Develop flexible access to highquality, reusable learning content,which may include structuredgateways to web and otherresources with accompanying self-paced independent learningactivities, interactive tutorials withfeedback, simulations, study andlearning skills resources andactivities fostering independentlearning.

Mode 3 – on-line course/module

Develop course/module primarily on-line, incorporating all or most of theabove, for flexible delivery, allowing learners to learn at times and places oftheir choosing. Likely to include learning materials, communication betweentutor and students, assessment and monitoring of progress, learner supportand course administration.

Mode 1: baseline admin and support

Mode 2: Blended learning

Mode 3: Fully online/flexible

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development School supported projects

• Business school - diagnostic testing of large, first year cohorts to improve module selection & team challenge

• School of Health & Social Care - to enhance two very large multi-professional courses with online activities

• Technology - to introduce large scale CAA for formative feedback and diagnosis

• Theology - to convert paper-based DL MA to online

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Targeted staff development

• The course (re)design intensive

• On-demand in response to specific needs

• Course teams involving learning technologists, teaching fellows and administrators


Planning tools

• Blue skies checklist

• Risk analysis template

• Critical friend prompts

• Storyboarding

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Storyboarding

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Monitoring and evaluation

• Annual cycle of revisiting school strategies linked to school staff development plans

• Annual interviews with e-learning champions

• Support in designing, conducting and analysing course evaluations, e.g.

• Focus groups with Business Team Challenge students

• Interviews with PiP staff and analysis of student feedback

• JISC learner experience scoping study

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Summary of benefits

• Schools thinking more clearly about how to use e-learning

• Stimulating the growth in the use of the Brookes Virtual Learning Environment (WebCT) from fewer than 250 learners in 2002, to nearly 15,000 today

• E-learning activists now working on key ‘school supported’ initiatives

• Enabled us to reach and involve parts of the uni who have been difficult to engage before

• Made explicit effective staff development

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development What have we learnt?

Find opportunities to work with academics earlier

Work in wider (no – wider!) course teams

Use setting of absolute targets wisely

Allow for lumpy development e.g. through schools setting their own agendas

Take the support of individuals and their career development seriously

Use developers time in targeted staff development.

Find some from inside or outside the institution

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Revised E-learning strategy (2005-8)

Supporting e–learning

through curriculum design and

development

Developing, enabling and

valuing e–Learning

practitioners

Improving and

expanding environments for e–learning

Researching and

evaluating e–learning

aims to apply Learning Technology to the provision of flexible, active, collaborative and professionally authentic learning

5 key projects

Widening participation and creating effective e–

learning partnerships


Dr. Rhona SharpeOxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development

Oxford Brookes University

[email protected]

implementing the strategy

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