eLearning CSF Workshop Presentation 1

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eLearning CSF Workshop Presentation 1

• Organisational Critical Success Factors for
  eLearning Implementation
• Maggie McPherson

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Why is eLearning considered important?

• It is thought to be able to
• improve teaching quality
• raise standards
• remove barriers to learning
• increase participation
• prepare for employment
• update workforce skills
• learners achieve their potential

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Imperative for Lifelong Learning

• The pace of both social and technological change
  means that education, including higher education,
  can no longer be confined to the early years of
  life. This is truly an era of lifelong
  learning.
• Department for Education and Skills (2003)

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UK Government Vision of eLearning

• The Government wants eLearning to
• Empower learners
• Be more creative and innovative teaching
• Provide flexibility to meet needs of learners
• Achieve better value
• Improve quality and economies of scale
• Generate professional workforce
• Fulfil the needs of its citizens

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Why is an eLearning Strategy Needed?

• Should eLearning be technology led?
• New pedagogy required?
• Are resources underdeveloped?
• Resources require common standards?
• Assessment and pedagogy aligned?
• Sufficient reward for innovators?
• Collaborative support needed?
• Is HE leadership fully engaged?

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Components of (e)Learning
Pedagogical Model
Curriculum Design
McPherson Nunes, 2004
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Need to be set in Organisational Context
Organisational Context
Pedagogical Model
Curriculum Design
McPherson Nunes, 2004
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eLearning Organisational Issues in HE

• Significant aspects to consider
• Strategic Management
• Institutional Leadership
• Departmental Leadership
• Culture / Structure
• Faculty and Academic Staff Attitudes
• Change Management

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Organisational Challenges at a Cultural /
Managerial Level

• eLearning Strategy Issues
• Does national funding favour competition rather
  than co-operation?
• Do other HE institutions, ( e.g. universities in
  UK, US, Australia, etc.) seeking students
  worldwide, affect particular HE institutional
  provision?
• Corporate eLearning providers are these in
  direct competition to Higher Education providers?

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Organisational Challenges at a Cultural /
Managerial Level

• Institutional Leadership Issues
• Are there explicit eLearning strategies?
• Is there expertise in creating strategies?
• How is positioning of university decided?
• Do human resource procedures provide
  opportunities / constraints?

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Organisational Challenges at a Cultural /
Managerial Level

• Departmental Leadership Issues
• Do senior departmental staff have appropriate
  change management skills?
• Are staff motivational issues being adequately
  addressed?

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Organisational Challenges at a Cultural /
Managerial Level

• eLearning Cultural/Structural Issues
• Do academic and other contracts impede
  innovation?
• Are reward system aligned with innovations in
  teaching?
• Do legalities, customs and practice erect
  barriers to change?

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Organisational Challenges at a Cultural /
Managerial Level

• Faculty and Staff Attitudes
• Are HE systems too slow to change?
• Do cultural assumptions present wariness of
  new methods?

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Change Management Why is it Needed?

• If eLearning initiatives are not fully aligned
  with institutional interests, will they receive
  the support they need to succeed?
• Are traditional academics easily able to make
  transition from lecturing to facilitating
  learning?
• Do teaching staff actually require more
  organisational assistance?

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Educational Management Action Research Model
Organisational Context
Evaluation
McPherson Nunes, 2004
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References

• McPherson, M. A. and Baptista Nunes, J.M. (2004)
  Developing Innovation in Online Learning An
  Action Research Framework. London
  Routledge-Falmer.
• McPherson M.A., Henderson, L. and Kinshuk (eds.)
  (2003) Proceedings of the Workshop on the
  Changing Face of HE in the 21st Century Critical
  Success Factors for Implementing eLearning. New
  Zealand, Massey University. Also available
  online http//icce2002.massey.ac.nz/icce2002_wor
  kshop1_post_proceedings.pdf.