Flexible Delivery Workshop

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Flexible Delivery Workshop

• Models of collaboration
• UHI Millennium Institute
• David Green.
• Principal, Lews Castle
  College
• Vice Chair, UHI Executive
  Board

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Pressures to extend HE into remote rural areas

• political (mass HE, equity the concept of
  entitlement)
• economic - (perceived benefits for local
  economies)
• social - (retention of population)
• cultural - (promotion or preservation of local
  history, cultures and languages)

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Issues to be addressed

• efficiency - (scattered population, small
  teaching groups)
• quality in LT R - (multiple locations, small
  partner institutions, H.E. new to many staff)
• access - (distances, remote locations, poor
  transport communications)
• participation - (no tradition of local HE,
  excluded groups)

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UHI approach to these issues

• use of ICT to support learning administration
  over large distances
• local colleges learning centres for easier
  access and local support
• colleges recruit non-traditional learners and
  bring them into HE
• links with other universities institutes to
  develop research
• strong staff development and QA policies

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Europes last wilderness
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Population Density
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Features of the Highlands Islands region

• huge area with low population
• low incomes c75 of EU average
• peripheral region 90 inhabited islands
• population loss from remoter areas
• dominance of small/medium enterprises
• some population growth (20 since 1960s),
• economic diversification localised growth

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Creating a University for the Highlands and
Islands

• began as a collaborative project 1992
• sponsored by regional government development
  agency
• aims
• - bring HE to a remote area
• - regional economic development
• - social cultural development

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UHI Partnership

• 14 academic partners
• community colleges
• specialist colleges
• research institutions
• gt50 learning centres
• area gt40,000 km²
• gt90 inhabited islands
• students campuses linked by ICT

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Progress

• approved by the Scottish Parliament as a Higher
  Education Institution in 2001
• granted university-level funding 2004
• target for full University title 2007?

Creating the University of the Highlands and
Islands
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Unique Features

• employs no academic staff per se
• owns no buildings or equipment except the
  Executive Office
• a Partnership/ Joint Venture
• contractual supply agreements
• built on existing institutions
• federal and collegiate in structure
• close links to local communities
• innovative networked learning model

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UHI Students

• mainly local
• full-time 48, part-time 52
• mature (25 years and over) c60
• male 46, female 54
• more with non-standard entry qualifications
• more from lower socio-economic groups

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The UHI learning experience

• traditional face-to-face lectures, tutorials and
  seminars
• flexible/supported/distributed learning
• video and audio conferencing
• paper-based materials
• web-based materials
• e-communications, including net meeting

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ICT Connectivity

• broadband connections between major centres
• linked into UK academic network
• provides
• - email, internet,VC, telephony
• student data systems

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Academic provision

• 3 main elements
• a broadly-based curriculum widely available
  throughout the network
• specialist courses and centres
• short courses tailored to CPD needs of local
  employers/professionals

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UHI research

• environmental sciences international standing
• developing capabilities in other areas
• aquaculture and mariculture
• rural development
• language, culture and migration
• archaeology and heritage
• bio-medical and health care
• renewable energy
• nuclear de-commissioning

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Lessons learned (1) collaboration issues

• clarity
• - of aims, plans, resources, agreements,
  targets, responsibilities
• communication
• - of information (as above)
• - with sponsors, staff, students, communities
• consultation
• - with stakeholders on issues that affect them

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Lessons learned (2) teaching research

• curriculum development
• - check the need
• - prioritise the activity
• - control the budget
• research
• - identify strengths opportunities
• - prioritise areas to focus on
• - research for some, scholarship for all?

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Lessons learned (3)organisation

• design simple, effective structures processes
  for development
• modify these to match changing circumstances
• minimise the risk from individuals institutions
  publish agreements maximise information flow

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Continuing challenges

• organisational
• - maintaining the partnership
• - managing tensions
• financial
• - cost of delivery across large areas
• - small teaching groups
• - maintaining infrastructure
• academic
• - gaining credibility for an unconventional
• institution

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Case Study Rural Development Studies

• RDS was first UHI networked degree, validated by
  University of Aberdeen (1994)
• Not closely identified with ICT
• Modular structure
• Inter-disciplinary studies
• Variety of learning methods
• Variety of assessment instruments
• Close links with other degrees

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How RDS courses are taught

• Face to face
• Paper based
• Telephone tuition
• Email support
• Video-conference link
• Web-based resources
• Net meeting

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Experiences with technology

• Technical problems
• Breakdown
• Complexity
• Cost
• People problems
• -inexperience
• -Fear
• -Personal touch

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Advantages of mixed format

• Distance and time flexibility
• Consistency of learning resources
• Subject and student sensitive
• Resource used in appropriate context
• Allows rapid updating
• Provides students with extra skills
• Gives students more power

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Lessons for remote delivery

• Needs to be responsive
• Needs to be interactive
• Needs to be reliable
• Needs a stable platform
• Needs to be consistent
• Needs to be networked
• Needs to be supported by training

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Case Study conclusions

• A mixed format delivery is best
• Optimum mix varies with module/course/academic
  level and individual
• Local learning centres help stability
• Needs careful management (actech)
• Needs staff development (actech)
• High or low tech must be professional