University Strategies towards the Integration of ICT in the Teaching/Learning Practice

1. University Strategies towards the Integration of ICT in the Teaching/Learning Practice Joe Cullen, Tavistock Institute Mario Barajas, University of Barcelona MASSIVE Seminar Barcelona, November 2005

2. 1. Introduction Key issues • Re-structuring of Higher Education Enterprise • Evolution of Virtual Learning Environments • Organisational practices and re-engineering

3. 1. Introduction Re-structuring of Higher Education Enterprise • ICTs secondary to radical re-shaping of HE enterprise • Performativity – shift from enlightenment to knowledge utilisation • Shift towards more student-centred teaching and learning • Rise of ‘consumerism’ – ‘learning rich settings’

4. 1. Introduction The ‘new pedagogy’ • Shift from psychological (black box) learning paradigm to constructivist Scaffolding; reflective practice; communities of practice • Tension between ‘consumerist’ and ‘societal learning’ agendas

5. 1. Introduction New Service Needs • Rise in ‘assessment and learning outcomes’; decline in ‘curriculum and content’ • Shift to management of knowledge • Employability agenda • Managed Learning Environments

6. 1. Introduction Organisational issues • Key component not covered: technical and support staff • New roles imply new competences • ‘Evolving’ knowledge – how to capture it • Job and organisational re-engineering: de-skilling and re-skilling • Cross-boundary management

7. 2. List of projectsand reportsreviewed • BENVIC: Benchmarking of virtual campuses • IVETTE: Implementation of virtual environments in training and education • Other projects from the MINERVA Programme (SETTT and NETCAMPUS) • Report Virtual Models of European universities

8. 3. Main developments found in the area in the last few years… • Report Virtual Models of European universities carried by the Danish consultancy Ramboll Management for the European Commission, DG Education and Culture during 2002-2003. Aim: to analyse the current and potential future use of ICT by European universities for educational and organisational purposes (Survey done in 200 European Universities) • …Four university clusters concerning their current use of ICT in the organisational and educational setting: 1. the front-runners universities 2. the co-operating universities 3. the self-sufficient universities 4. the sceptical universities

9. 4. Main developments found in the area in the last few years… An ICT strategy should be developed at the management level… • the absence of conspicuous support and priority allocated by the university management to ICT integration and e-learning is a critical obstacle in many EU universities … • In the years to come, ICT integration and e-learning will tend to evolve from project-based and experimental ventures into integrated features of the normal functioning of all university activities. • The study illustrated that experimental and pilot projects are a key driver in the developmental process…but, it concluded that most universities still face a severe challenge in terms of incorporating and anchoring the results and experiences gained from development projects into their overall strategy and activities

10. 3. Main developments found in the area in the last few years… • Lack of an overall support structure for e-learning… In 77% of the universities participating in the survey, technicalsupport for integrating ICT into their teaching is available to all or a majority of teachers, not for the students… • Incentives should be developed … In the years to come, incentives for the individual faculties, institutes and teachers to push the development of ICT further must be developed. The motivation to do so might be based on an awareness of the benefits obtainable from the integration of ICT, and on the availability of extra time for teachers to develop course material. • The use of ICT to redesign education is at the very beginning… most universities are still at the stage where the use of ICT consists of treating the computer as a sophisticated typewriter and as a means of facilitating communication via traditional pedagogy and didactics…only a minority of universities have yet reached the stage of using ICT as a tool to redesign educational programmes

11. 3. Main developments found in the area in the last few years… Four key obstacles … • Absence of a coherent and comprehensive management approach to ICT integration with a degree of resistance to change in the university culture. • Most academic staff lack knowledge concerning the potential of ICT and new ways to use it. • Shortage of high-quality ICT-based teaching material. • Regulations concerning intellectual property rights and payment systems aimed at increasing the sharing and re-use of learning resources.

12. 4. MASSIVE: key aspects to consider for the peer-review • Consider the model of universities promoted: a traditional model, a business model, etc • Compare strategies for the integration of ICT among institutions (benchmarking approach) • Map out the services currently provided and emergent (not consolidated), within the models for the integration of ICT and virtual learning. • Look at the transferable elements of the different strategies analysed. The same can be said with respect to the sustainability of solutions. • Look for coherent and comprehensive management approaches to ICT integration: strategic plan, business plan (if any), networking strategies, scalability, etc.

13. 4. MASSIVE: key aspects to be considered for the peer-review • Quality assurance and assessment procedures of the virtual components at all levels: checklist of issues to take into account in developing the quality assurance • University incentives to teachers in the development of ICT integration • Evaluation and examination procedures when using virtual learning • Role of staff training within nthe overall strategy • Organisational and material conditions that are supporting virtual learning

14. 5. Initial hypothesis for a service approach to ICT strategic integration • a strategy for the integration of ICT in learning, • a long-term financial commitment to e-learning at every level, • a coherent and comprehensive management approach to ICT integration, • quality assurance and assessment procedures of the virtual components at all levels • university incentives for teachers in the development of ICT integration, • organisational conditions supportive of e-learning,

15. 5. Initial hypothesis for a service approach to ICT strategic integration • staff training support programmes and staff development • integration of academic and administrative technologies • on and off-campus delivery • e-learning platform selection • a plan for national and international partnerships, consortia membership, etc. • a plan for interoperability and flexibility of systems.

16. 5. Massive proposal for a support service: Institutional Audit • the levels of ICT use in teaching and learning, including areas of innovation • evaluate integrated e-learning platforms (top-down) and local platforms (bottom-up) in use. • how, if at all, the use of ICT is evaluated, and how the evaluation results are used to enhance teaching and learning • the perception of students' of e-learning needs • staff development needs and barriers • the emphasis on ICT and e-learning in any corporate strategies and policies, and the institutional barriers to innovation • relationship between the use of ICT in T/L and related central services and structures (e.g. central computing, human resources, library, etc.)