Its NOT about the content, stupid

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Its NOT about the content, stupid!
Prof Mark Stiles Head of Learning Development
Innovation Staffordshire University
eLit 2006
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Two thoughts to dwell on

• The philosophers have interpreted the world
  the point is to change it (Karl Marx)
• Build it and they will come (Field of
  Dreams)

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eLearning

• When push comes to shove its just learning
• When we stop labelling it, well have it
• It offers
• Chance to innovate pedagogy
• Chance to improve the learning experience
• Chance to really widen participation

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eLearning

• Is about the WHOLE learning experience
• It challenges
• The nature of the institution
• Organisational and academic culture
• Policy, Process, Role and Responsibility

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The P word

• Pedagogical issues need to be incorporated, to
  ensure the academic validity of teaching and
  using information online. These issues have a
  history of being ignored by librarians in
  particular, but for academics to accept the close
  library input necessary, this must change.
• Inspiral Report , 2001

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The P word

• 2003 JISC MLE Landscape Study of UK HE and FE
  found
• little evidence of enhancement of learning and
  teaching pedagogic issues had not in general been
  addressed
• It could be said that HE has never addressed
  pedagogy Until now, pedagogy has traditionally
  barely figured in planning or professional
  development.
• MLEs not embedded in institutional strategic and
  operational frameworks.
• MLE activities rarely an integral part of the
  philosophy, policies and practice of the
  institution

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Lots of

• Work on ePedagogy (JISC programmes, HEA, etc)
• Work on eSkills
• Staff development both teaching and support
• And the result?

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And the result

• From 2005 JISC MLE Landscape Study of UK HE and
  FE
• the results also show two thirds of modules of
  study being web supplemented which would seem to
  indicate that the stuff your notes into your
  VLE model is prevalent and increasing

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Distinctive or what?
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Nowt new under the sun?

• "By attempting to push all of a student's
  university education onto the Net and retaining
  conventional pedagogy, universities simply risk
  making inaccessible all the valuable insights
  into communities that students previously
  gathered by default.(Brown Duguid, 1996)
• It is as absurd to try and solve the problems of
  education by giving people access to information
  as it would be to solve the housing problem by
  giving people access to bricks.(Laurillard,
  1996)

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A traditional course

• Content driven
• External resources separate from internal
• External resources grouped
• Lectures can be physical or electronic (virtual
  or e-content)
• Resources can be physical or electronic (embedded
  or links)

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A more active course

• Output driven/activity led
• Lectures are resources
• External resources targeted at activities
• Lectures can be physical or electronic (virtual
  or e-content)
• Resources can be physical or electronic (embedded
  or links)

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eResources vs eLearning

• The eLearning world tends to focus on the
  intention of resources
• The library world tends to focus on the content
  of resources
• (John Paschoud, LSE)

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eResources vs eLearning
A question from the JISC SURF X4L Project Ive
got a first-year biology field trip coming up
has anyone good anything useful to support some
small group work? Id like suggest our current
eLearning AND library systems would have trouble
answering this request (A good subject librarian
or eLearning development specialist might not!)
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eResources vs eLearning
A point made from the JISC SURF X4L Project I
dont want to just take other peoples stuff and
reuse it, I want to be able to repurpose it to
tailor it to my students needs and exercise my
own teaching skills This poses all sorts of
rights issues for eResource providers See
Introducing the Reuse and Repurposing of Content
in the Context of the Introduction and Embedding
of eLearning http//www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/X4L/SUR
FX4Lmain.pdf
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Repositories

• Come in all flavours, I want one that
• Can serve the same content to multiple VLEs
• Can expose content to specific individuals and
  groups
• Can expose content outside of a VLE
• Will enabling sharing and repurposing
• Can handle Reference Objects

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The challenge of LLL WP

• Multi-institution e.g. Foundation Degrees
• Work-based Learning and Flexible Learning
• Non-traditional learners who bring
• Amplified employment and career focus
• Constraints time, money, location, dependants
• Non-completion issues
• Unprepared for higher education
• Changing circumstances or interests
• Finance
• Undertaking paid work
• Dissatisfaction with course or institution

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The challenge of LLL WP

• Impact of workload increased by external factors
• Leads to strategic or achieving approach as
  coping mechanism
• Many factors not under control of institutions?
• Change of course design in response?

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What we need

• Given the diversity of modern learners, and
  agendas for lifelong learning, inclusion and
  widening participation, that learners require
  access to resources (and all the other
  information that impacts on their learning
  experience)
• Just in Time or, At point of need

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How do we avoid the sheep?
Dont panic - but dont kid yourselves
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We need to embed good practice
This takes change
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Strategy is not enough

• Institutions are good at writing strategies, but
  less good at putting them into practice!
• Strategies tend to be about introducing eLearning
  e-Environment not their normal operation

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eLearning, culture practice

• Much of staff and learner cultures are formed by
  the context in which they operate
• If eLearning is seen as something different
  much staff development on practice will not
  take
• Orgainsational practice can undo staff
  development
• eLearning can be considered embedded when
  policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities
  pertaining to eLearning are integrated with
  those applying to normal practice.

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Reinforcing the Message

• The place of eLearning Policy
• Vertical coherence
• Policy
• Horizontal coherence
• Policies, Procedures, Roles Responsibilities

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Integrative Development

• Making development part of production
• From Academic Planning through development to
  delivery and monitoring
• Staff development delivered at point of need
• IS (LDI and LS) work in partnership with course
  teams
• Facilitates effective dissemination of good
  practice
• Creates a Learning Organisation

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Holistic Quality Assurance

• Integrative Development depends on this
• Applies QA at planning, validation and
  pre-delivery
• Enables enhancement by requiring review and
  reflect on repeat delivery
• Differentiates between eLearning and eSupport

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Organisational Cultural Change

• eLearning embedded in Strategies eg Information,
  Learning Teaching and Assessment
• eLearning Policy acts as change enabler
• Operational Policies, Processes and procedures
  being aligned eg Quality Assurance, WBL
• Goal - eLearning just part of normal practice e
  disappears

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In conclusion

• Institutions, Teachers and Services cannot be
  insular
• Traditional roles and practice must change
• eLearning is just learning
• All parts of institutions need to join together
  in a planned way - not just by rhetoric
• Technology is NOT the biggest problem
• The learning experience MUST be the focus

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In conclusion

Thank you for your time and patience m.j.stile
s_at_staffs.ac.uk www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/cosenew/repor
tsandpapers.html