Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education

1. Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education A JISC-funded study Louise Cooke and Helen Greenwood 31st October 2006

2. About the Day • Introductions and welcome • Programme for the day • Project findings • Peter Falconer, Lauder College • Clare Holden, Loughborough College • Claire Bradshaw, Loughborough University • Discussion Forum and JISC update 31st October 2006

3. Aims of the Project • Investigate restrictions on staff access to ICT-based communications in FE and HE • What groups of staff are affected by restrictions on access? • What factors contribute to restricted access? • What impact do restrictions have on the efficiency and effectiveness of institutions and individuals? • Identify examples of best practice. 31st October 2006

4. Methodological Approach • Desk research • Questionnaire survey • Survey design and piloting • Target population • Case studies • Selection of sites • Semi-structured interviews • Review of policies 31st October 2006

5. The Questionnaire Survey • Response from one third of both sectors • Typically received from Heads of IT/ IS or ILT/ e-learning / Learning Resources Managers • Data analysis • By sector • Presentation of data 31st October 2006

6. Questionnaire and Case Study Themes • Institutional communication and accesspolicies • Electronic and hard copy information dissemination • Who has restricted access to ICT? • What effect does this have for the individual and for the institution? • ICT training and skills • Current initiatives to improve access and institutional communication. 31st October 2006

7. The Case Studies Six sites were visited: • Causeway Institute • Lauder College • Loughborough College • University of Wales, Bangor • University of Chichester • Loughborough University … 31st October 2006

8. The Case Studies cont. A range of personnel were interviewed, including: • IT and/or Information Services • Estates Department • Equality and Diversity • E-learning Champion • Staff Development and Human Resources • Teaching staff • Trade Union representative 31st October 2006

9. Findings: Communications Policies • Many do not have a formal policy, but strategy documents commit to increased use of e-communication • FE significantly more likely to have policies than HE • LC has ‘Electronic Communication Policy’, Chichester has ‘Internal Communication Policy’ • Move toward electronic information dissemination, but hard copy is still popular: ‘people like paper’. • In around 80% of responding institutions, corporate documentation is made available on paper, but often only on request … 31st October 2006

10. Communications Policies cont. • Reliance on line managers to cascade information • Development and promotion of intranet • Use of portal solution (Chichester) • Appointment of Director of Corporate Communications (Bangor) 31st October 2006

11. Findings: Access to PCs • Policies governing principles of access are more common than communications policies 31st October 2006

12. Access to PCs cont. • PC provision is generally good, with increased use of laptops for loan or home access • Schemes for staff purchase of PCs • All staff entitled to user a/c and email and open access facilities are available to all • Recognition of needs of users with visual impairment • Recognition of need for all staff to use ICT … 31st October 2006

13. Access to PCs cont. • BUT part-time and/or community-based teaching staff often experience access difficulties • Staff employed by contractors are not usually given access • Devolved PC purchasing can lead to inequalities • Manual staff usually have low specification PCs. 31st October 2006

14. Questionnaire Findings: Factors affecting access 31st October 2006

15. ICT Skills and Training • ‘Totally inclusive’ staff development policies vs. institutions where not all staff groups have access to ICT training • Training for staff in manual occupations may have low take-up • Skills levels of teaching personnel are variable • Use of ILT champions • Information literacy skills as important as IT skills • Induction is key opportunity … 31st October 2006

16. ICT Skills and Training cont. • New systems drive training needs • Time constraints limit opportunities for training, especially for PT and non-desk-based staff • Peer mentoring/buddying • Good examples of special initiatives for manual staff • Importance of leadership and ‘culture of learning’ 31st October 2006

17. Drivers of wider ICT use • Government funding initiatives and quality reviews, e.g. DEL e-learning strategy in N. Ireland, IiP • Increased use of ILT • Impact of implementation of new e-systems (e.g. e-registration, facilities management and finance) • Information overload 31st October 2006

18. Technological Initiatives • Electronic Independent Student Learning Agreements (ISLAs), e-registers, e-finance systems, e-facilities management systems etc. • Potential of mobile, handheld and wireless technologies • VoIP technology • ‘Personalisation’ of the learning environment via SMS, podcasts etc. 31st October 2006

19. Other Initiatives • ICT training initiatives • IT Awareness Week • Targeting of information dissemination • Initiatives to achieve upwards communication 31st October 2006

20. Challenges and Barriers • Fear, apprehension and ‘inverse snobbery’ • Lack of motivation or perception of need • Intranets can become ‘bulging’ and difficult to navigate • Reliance on line managers can lead to patchy information provision • Line managers’ attitudes, especially with regard to trust … 31st October 2006

21. Challenges and Barriers cont. • Lack of systems integration • Geographic location especially distributed estates • Financial considerations • Manual staff and PT staff face particular barriers • 24/7 culture • Need to retain ‘personal touch’ 31st October 2006

22. Emergent Themes • Motivation is a bigger issue than PC access • Need to secure support and engagement of managerial and supervisory staff at all levels • How information is communicated is more important than what technology is provided 31st October 2006

23. Implications and Further Work • Methods appeared satisfactory to achieve aims and objectives • Potential to learn from existing examples of good communication practice • Managing information overload • Policy development, dissemination and implementation guidelines • Longitudinal approach to measure improvement over time 31st October 2006

24. Acknowledgments • JISC • Questionnaire pilots • Questionnaire respondents • Case study participants • LISU staff PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS! 31st October 2006

25. DISCUSSION POINTS • JISC – Future directions • Observations and questions from today’s sessions • How do these findings compare with your own experience and practice? • Do you have any examples of initiatives in your own institution to add to those already discussed? • What should be the balance between hard copy and electronic information provision? • Would it be useful to have guidelines for policy development in this area? • How can we evaluate progress in this area? • Has today been useful for you? 31st October 2006