Malcolm Hunt: Assistant Director, Evidence

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Malcolm Hunt Assistant Director, Evidence
Evaluation
Closing Remarks Ways Forward
Becta Research Conference, 2005
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Presentation Outline

• Some Emerging Research Themes- Partnerships
  Co-operation- Dissemination Communication-
  Clarifying the added value that ICT can bring
  to learning
• Bectas Research Activities Priorities, for
  2005-06

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Partnership Co-operation

• For Educational Research to inform policy
  practice, joint activities will be required
  between- Policy makers - Practitioners -
  Researchers - Industry
• Becta can usefully facilitate such partnerships
  (ImpaCT2, Test Beds)
• Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research
  teams (In teams methodology)

- Learners Parents
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Bectas Priority Activity 05-06

• Industry funded pilot projects around an
  education issue
• Becta funded evaluation

• Development Research Programme- Partnerships
  with Industry- Industry Consultation Event 20
  June
• Consultation with the research community over
  an ICT Research Agenda
• Developing partnerships with industry
  researchers practitioners through the Awards
  work ICTRN

• Creating communities of knowledge through the
  ICTRN
• Theoretically informed grounded in real
  practice

• Developing a Library of Effective Practice-
  practitioner institutional profiles

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Effective dissemination communication

• Bectas remit is about providing timely,
  evidence informed advice about the use and impact
  of ICT to inform policy practice
• We need a range of outputs capable of informing
  policy, improving practice and contributing to
  theory
• Dissemination needs to make a difference-
  Awareness of audience- Use of appropriate
  communications channels/media- Awareness of how
  people use research

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How do practitioners use research evidence?

• Research from the Social Care Sector
• Research for the Social Care Institute for
  Excellence
• Investigated how the use of research could be
  improved in social care practice
• Could it inform our thinking in education?

Walter, I and Nutley, S 2004 Improving the use
of research in social care practice. Knowledge
Review 7, SCIE.http//www.scie.org.uk/publication
s/knowledgereviews/kr07.asp
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Models of research in Social Care

• What leads to a research informed practitioner?
• Practitioners engaged in post graduate studies
• Practitioner CPD

• The research-based practitioner model-
  Practitioners have a personal commitment to using
  research,- Personal belief in the need to keep
  up to date with research apply it to
  practice,- Belief that professional education is
  important in enabling the use of research its
  application to practice
• The embedded research model- Responsibility for
  informing practice lies with policy makers -
  Research is embedded through systems processes
  eg Standards policies- Funding restrictions,
  inspection appraisal are the vehicle for
  encouraging the use of research in practice
• The organisational excellence model-
  Institutions are the vehicles by which to develop
  a research-minded culture,- Institutions create
  partnerships with local universities adapt
  research findings to local settings encourage
  ongoing learning

Work of the Strategies, other NDPBs, evidence
informed policy
Role of professional linksSLICT programme
work with NCSL
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Bectas Priority Activity 05-06

• Strengthen our evidence knowledge base
  especially for post 16- PeLE database analysis
  work for DfES post 16 e learning programme board
• Extend and review our publications to make them
  more problem focussed
• Through the Awards work to provide- Exemplars
  case studies of innovative practice- Develop a
  framework for pedagogical quality that can inform
  practitioners in making decisions about ICT
  resources

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Clarifying the value that ICT can bring to
learning

• Despite significant investment ICT is a limited
  resource
• There has been considerable improvements on
  infrastructure provision, yet impact is variable
• In understanding how ICT supports learning, there
  is a continuing challenge to get underneath
  statistics to understand better the processes,
  factors and specific uses of ICT which
  consistently relate to positive impacts on
  pupils learning institutional standards, and
  to understand which of these add most
  value. Becta Review 2005

Helping the education system be smarter in the
way it uses ICT
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Bectas Priority Activity 05-06

• Test Beds Evaluation
• Curriculum Online Evaluation
• E Learning survey in FE
• ICT and the productive time of teachers

• Ongoing new large scale managed research
  projects
• Review the progress of ICT in education through
  an update of the Becta Review.
• ICT in Practice Awards - Institution Award

Provide hindsight, insight foresight against
the e-Strategy priorities

• To identify ICT activities of the whole
  institution rather than just looking at
  individuals
• Help inform the development of the ICT Mark

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Conclusions

• Introduced Bectas Research Strategy
• Heard from some expert speakers in the field of
  ICT research
• Started a process of consultation about the ICT
  Research Agenda
• Raised some important issues added to the
  debate about ICT research, theory and practice

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Thank You