Developing an Institutional Strategic Plan for Open, Distance and eLearning

February 2013

ICT Leadership in Higher Education

Stylianos Hatzipanagos & Mark Russell

Centre for Technology Enhanced LearningKing’s College London

Overview of presentation

• Dimensions of Open and Distance Learning: implications for strategy development

• Developing a TEL strategy: The King’s example• What’s next? An emerging landscape in TEL

provision and how it is affecting ODL

Dimensions of ODL

• System design• Programme design, approval and review• The management of programme delivery• Student development and support• Student communication and representation• Student assessment

(Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning), QAA 2010

Models of ODL?

Autonomy or collaboration?

Consortia-type ventures in which a number of universities join forces, either within national higher education systems or as an international enterprise. Establishing local franchises to support student learning and students–staff interaction. Mode of operation depends on the technological infrastructure of various national settings.

Consortia, as partnerships between universities and the corporate world, such as publishing houses.

Understanding and managing change

• Development of an organizational vision, and a strategy by which to reach it is a critical step.

• Link TEL to the need for institutional transformation (HEFCE 2009).

• Flexible institutional strategic plan that recognizes the importance of TEL as a necessary prerequisite to the successful implementation of TEL (Bullen, 2013)

King’s College profile

• King's College London is England's fourth-oldest university institution. It is also one of the 20 leading UK universities which make up the Russell Group.

QS International Ranking: 26

•A research-led university •more than 24,000 students (of whom nearly 10,000 are graduate students) from 150 countries •6,100 employees.

King’s College London: constructing a strategy

Objectives:

•Construct a regularly updated TEL Strategy•Should be integrated with Learning & Teaching Strategy and related Distance Learning strategy. •TEL strategy with an implementation time plan that could have a positive impact on TEL uptake.•Influenced by HEFCE's revised approach to strategy for e-learning (2009)

Collecting evidence to inform strategy and planning:

Benchmarking exercise

Based on the HEFCE-funded e-learning benchmarking and pathfinder programme led by the HEA, UK and the JISC. Main goal for the benchmarking of TEL was to undertake a fundamental analysis of

(a)e-learning processes

(b)provision and

(c)practice, upon which future development decisions could be based.

The King’s College Strategy

Vision

By 2015 all students and staff in the College will experience the benefits of technology enhanced learning.

King’s TEL strategy

Constructing a TEL strategy

Principles of the strategy•Staff•Staff and students •The Institution

Dimensions of the strategy:

Resources

Reward and recognition

Staff and student development

Using technology enhanced learning in the curriculum

Research

Culture

Future Innovations

Institutional partnership for ODL

• Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning• Academic development unit: King’s Learning

Institute • Distance Learning Unit• Information Systems and Services

The Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning

•Innovation •Capacity and culture •Developing digital literacy and professionalism •Future-proofing the curriculum through TEL •Stimulating and contributing to research vibrancy in TEL

An emerging landscape in TEL provision and how it is affecting ODL strategies

• Strategic alliances• Developing pedagogical models that still focus

on student centred teaching. Logistics?• Evolving adaptive short term and long term

strategic plan and business model• MOOCs as an experiment to engage huge

numbers of students.

Collecting evidence to inform future strategy and planning

• Observing learner behaviour in blended learning environments to inform the development of ODL and strategic planning.

• Learning analytics employs sophisticated analytic tools and processes in investigation and visualization of large institutional data sets, in the service of improving learning and education (Buckingham Shum & Ferguson, 2012).

Response to the emergence of MOOCs

Institutions need to consider seriously:

•How MOOCs align with strategic directions•How MOOCs fit into their existing TEL practices and infrastructure

Thank youany comments or feedback

s.hatzipanagos@kcl.ac.uk