rsc northwest's senior managers newsletter: dec11
DESCRIPTION
December 2011: JISC RSC Northwest's eLearning Focus for Senior Managers. Including "Technology changes how we do things", "Additional overhead or supersaver", "Good News for Sixth Form Colleges", "eSafety", "Shared Services" and The influence of the RSCTRANSCRIPT
JISC RSC Northwest eLearning Focus for Senior Managers
“Welcome to the December 2011 issue of
the JISC RSC Northwest Newsletter for
Senior Managers”
Andrew Quarmby, RSC Northwest Manager
eLF-4SMs
December 2011 RSCs - stimulating and supporting innovation in learning
Christmas Greetings First of all – Christmas greetings from the JISC RSC Northwest Team – and a welcome to our three new members: Mark Ayton, and Anthony Beal as eLearning Advisers, and Michelle Hyland as Information Officer. We also say a rather belated thanks to Chrissie Turkington, who moved from the service to another post in the summer, and Sandra Harris, in our administration team, who left us last week. Last year the RSC celebrated 10 years of service to the FE and Skills and HE sectors. We continue to thrive in these uncertain times and, although JISC is currently undertaking a major review of its services and the way it will provide for FE and Skills and HE in the coming years, it is good to see that the RSCs are
assumed to be a strong part of the mix. The RSC Team therefore looks forward to building on our strong relationships with you and working with you to get the best from the power of technology in the extremely challenging circumstances we all face. From us a ‘Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year’ is a greeting without irony – we truly believe in our partnership with the sector and that prosperity (with a little help from technology) can be re-established from the current adversities we face.
Changing Times – a personal reflection. I am retiring as Manager of JISC RSC Northwest at Christmas, so please indulge me with my ‘personal reflection’ on what I believe will still count when I have gone. (continued on page 3)
In this Issue Technology changes how we do things - Page 2 Additional overhead or supersaver - Page 4 Good news for Sixth Form Colleges - Page 4+5 e-safety - Page 6 Shared services - Page 7 The influence of the RSC - Page 8
Technology changes how we do things
Banking and shopping patterns have been transformed by technology – and the trading of stocks and currency is thought by some to have exaggerated downward and upward trends because of the immediate and sometimes automated nature of responses and interactions within the market – the ability to lose money so quickly has had a massive impact on our lives – maybe not the best example of why we should be enthusiasts! So – we have lived and still live in rapidly changing times – we continually adopt technology and then adapt to the environmental changes it brings with it. Bandwidth and processing power have been transformed in our colleges
-I recall in the year 1998, when JANET was something only universities had, that it was common to have the equivalent of a twin ISDN link out – and if more than half a dozen computers tried to access the internet things ground to a halt – that is not long ago; it is also the case that Virtual Learning Environments have been readily available for only ten years or more; devices such as interactive whiteboards and tablets and the whole expansion of wireless capability have only recently opened up a world beyond the classroom in the classroom. Yet what seems to be massive change in a short time, (from the perspective of the length of a human life) can be all that a young person knows – and can have a significant effect on their expectations of the learning experience.
Small interactions in large frameworks
Technology is not just about the ‘grand scale’– it is about interactions at an individual level which have reshaped the way we communicate and have the potential to reshape the way we learn and the way we organise learning. Online and mobile interaction is now the staple of the way individuals communicate and of how communities form. Much of this takes place within ‘cloud’ services which are either freely available or worked on a subscription model. It has become almost a common place that, when there is pressure on resourcing and efficiencies are called for, solutions are to be found in the use of these technologies. This is one reason the RSCs are in continual demand. The greatest changes in our lifetimes have come about through the speed of development of technology, the enabling power of networks and increased processing power and mobility.
Changes afoot for Regional Support Centres
As part of the JISC Advance group of services (JISC RSCs, JISC Techdis, JISC Procureweb, JISC Legal, JISC Mail, JISC Digital Media, JISC Infonet, JISC Netskills), the RSCs have developed a common service catalogue and are now moving to a common website, which launched on 5th December. The regional responsiveness on which our reputation is based will be enhanced by the development of a common web presence. There are clear efficiencies to be gained from a single website, with strong regional elements, rather than the previous twelve very separate entities. Increasingly, RSCs are working together to deliver what is a very wide remit and this online presence is the latest evidence of the creative synergy between them.
Evolution – can we adapt quickly enough? In contrast, the adoption and availability of technologies in colleges has often had an unexpectedly low impact on the models of learning adopted – though there are some signs that this is beginning to change. ‘Blended learning’ is an approach finding real support – capturing the best of the virtual and physical worlds—but often without an evaluation of whether the ‘physical’ logistics of learning can therefore be modified as a result. I have often speculated on the reasons for this – whether it is risk-aversion, a lack of conviction and understanding amongst
Senior Management Teams, an unfamiliarity with the world our learners live in, conservatism in technical teams, or lack of skill and confidence amongst some teaching staff. Whatever the causes, they are not technological – there appears to be in some arenas a collective failure of imagination to fully embrace the enabling capabilities of what is happening all around us.
Changing Times (continued from Page 1)
I have enjoyed leading the JISC RSC Northwest Team for the last four years – a period during which the use of technology has gained pace across the full spectrum of organisational activity. Recession has hit us despite technological advance. Some may argue that a concern with things and profit rather than with people and values may
well have contributed to our difficulties. It is also easy to see from the failure of a number of ambitious projects, that commissioned corporate technological solutions on the grand scale do not have a strong track record of delivering their promises.
Additional overhead or supersaver?
Of course, there are many college environments where the enhancing power of technology is being used to full effect, where learning is therefore more interesting and students better motivated; where excellent practice is being eased out from enthusiasts to those who still lack confidence or do not see the possibilities. Nevertheless – I still stand by my comment that the teaching and learning paradigm remains in most cases essentially unchanged. There are not many instances where classroom contact hours have been reviewed to take account of what technology and virtual learning can now offer, or where a baseline judgment of the skills and competencies of staff in managing technology, from recruitment right through
the staff development and appraisal programmes of the organisation, is central to the drive and values of the college. Technology is, therefore, an additional overhead in this economic model – maybe essential for enticing students in a competitive environment – but not part of the raison d’être of the pedagogy, business processes, and management practices of the organisation.
RSC Impact The JISC Regional Support Centres are a UK-wide service which receive consistently high ratings through independent Customer Service Surveys. We produce an annual Impact assessment, which was released this year on 5th December. This coincides with the release of the new national website for the RSC service. You may be interested to visit both of these - the urls appear below: http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/about-us/our-impact-on-the-sector.aspx http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk
Good news for sixth form colleges We have been informed that JISC services to Sixth Form Colleges (which in-clude JANET, the RSCs and JISC Collections) are on a secure funding basis for 2012-13 and 2013-14. You may recall that there was some initial concern that these services would not be funded when Sixth
Form Colleges moved from the aegis of BIS to DFE. Discussions between BIS and DFE have now estab-lished a clear way forward on this issue. It is likely there will also be longer term security of ser-vice, but this will be bound up with an overall imple-mentation plan for the sec-tor arising from the JISC Review. (Continued on page 5)
An exception to this is (in most colleges) the management of data, which has been driven by funding and audit requirements. It would be interesting to speculate whether similar pressures in terms of the expectations of learning would have produced a greater systemic response.
There is a counter-argument : our Ofsted colleagues would emphasise that the use of technology in a learning situation can be detrimental to learning if there is no clear pedagogical purpose or skill in applying it – a view with which the RSC Team would fully agree. Technology is subservient to a larger purpose which drives the quality of learning.
However, what many colleges still lack is a clear and shared understanding of the pedagogical significance of technology. If teaching and learning is the core business, (and infrastructure the core investment), it is not an unreasonable expectation that there be a clear, contextualised rationale in every curriculum area for the use of technology in developing student learning and aptitudes.
Fundamental to this is the
ability of technology to individualise learning and enable communication and collaboration, rather than simply to launch content.
Sadly, in many cases, this is still very imperfectly represented. There are ILT Strategies which do not even mention pedagogy, focussing instead on systems, acceptable use policies and other ‘service-driven’ features which, although important, are not the core business of the organisation. Equally, there are many high level strategic documents that do not mention technology at all, probably because there was no requirement in the funding, governance and inspection world for them to do so.
The experience of the RSC is that most impediments to the effective and efficient use of technology in learning are in the management, staff development and cultural domains of organisations, not in the technical infrastructure. This is why the job of the adviser is about individual engagement - and values - as much as technology.
Sixth form colleges (continued from page 4) It has always been apparent to us that, despite the differing funding accountabilities of Sixth Form Colleges, there is a common community of interest and a great benefit from the sharing of good practice. We are aware that, in the North West, there is considerable innovative practice in Sixth Form Colleges, which benefits from and contributes to the overall understanding of technologies and look forward to working with a sector which may well be divided by funding but is integrated by purpose.
The power of Expectation
One of the RSC Northwest services currently in the most demand is e-Safety training. Initially we viewed the Ofsted Safeguarding limiting grade, which includes e-Safety as an important area, as a potentially conservative influence on the development of online resources. However, it is now clear that a ‘locked down’ approach to the online experience does not meet the expectation that a college’s environment should be about the development of responsibility and understanding in students and staff. The focus therefore is on risk management, not risk aversion.
All the RSC Northwest Advisers have been trained in e-Safety by CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) and are therefore ‘Ambassadors’.
On request, we will train your staff in the current risks (and rewards) of a coherent approach to e-Safety, based on a firm understanding of the controls available. This is a free service. It is an important duty of a college to prepare young people to manage the risks inherent in online activity in their lives outside the classroom, as well as in college. Protection is about the instilling of appropriate behaviours and self-awareness and not about lock-down. This includes the use of mobile devices, which are ever-present, whatever
desktop systems are used. We are also very happy to join you in supporting any decision-making at a policy level on
e-Safety, to work with you at an appropriate management level, or to give technical support on the control of access or the use of social media.
Collaboration with LSIS In line with the concordat agreed nationally between LSIS and JISC Advance, there is a regular exchange of ideas between the LSIS Regional Development Manager and JISC RSC Northwest. We have participated in a number of events jointly and benefit from a common presence, where the ‘technology-focussed’ skills of the RSC Team can support the drive for continuous sector improvement, which is the LSIS brief. We recently ran a session as part of a joint event where we explained the e-Progress Review Service which we offer to Colleges and its relationship to the Generator Online Tool which LSIS took on from Becta. If you are interested in receiving information about our e-Progress Review service, (which is free) please contact Anita Holt [email protected].
E-Safety
There is a large political imperative, driven by the need to reduce costs and increase efficiency, for the adoption of Shared Services. This is territory which is well supported by the Association of Colleges and by a number of recent high profile and well-funded projects, some of which have been in the North West. So what interest does JISC RSC Northwest have in Shared Services? Part of the RSC remit is to assist organisations with the technological implications of developing a shared service. There are also other members of the JISC Advance group of services who provide resources relevant to their development – JISC Legal and JISC InfoNet, for instance. JISC infoNet has just launched an infoKit – part of the wide range of management-related, free-access, materials it provides: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/ infokits/shared-services This gives an insight into the wide range of possibilities and approaches to the sharing of services.
From an RSC perspective, I would prefer to talk about ‘Sharing Services’ rather than ‘Shared Services’. This might seem picky and a little unorthodox – but the slight change to terminology is significant. ‘Shared Services’ suggests either something which has already happened (and most projects will tell you there is some way to go!) or something which is done for you – which is decidedly not the nature of the process. ‘Sharing Services’ suggests a rather more organic process where there are a number of willing and proactive players who actually want to share and realise that there is a complex set of human reactions involved in sharing. It is the understanding of these, as well as the financial and legal issues, on which the success of the project will be predicated. Why, then has the RSC a view of this? After all, our remit is technical. Our experience shows us (continued above)
that whilst no sharing can be achieved without the appropriate use of technology, particularly in the handling of data and the sharing of management responsibilities across organisational boundaries, the ‘killer question’ is usually about trust - building a network of loyalties and accountabilities which are supra-organisational. Whilst we would not pretend to be experts, we would willingly
admit that the very same factors come into play in the deployment of technologies at every level in organisations. If we undertake an eProgress
review, much of what we assist with in self-development is to do with organisational culture as it is with technology. So if you want some free assistance with the development of Shared Services, do not neglect the wisdom and resources of JISC infoNet and the local knowledge which lies within your RSC team.
Shared Services
RSC Northwest
team... Manager Andrew Quarmby
Administrators Christine Hulme [email protected] Michelle Hyland (Information Officer) [email protected]
eLearning Advisers John Dalziel (Adult & Community Learning; PCDL & OLASS) [email protected] Colin Gallacher (Work Based Learning) [email protected] Kevin Hickey (Inclusion) [email protected]
Anita Holt (Further Education) [email protected] Judy Bloxham (Further Education) [email protected]
Hilary Thomas (Higher Education) [email protected] Mark Ayton (eLearning Adviser) [email protected] Anthony Beal (eLearning Adviser) [email protected] Keith Wilson (Technology & MIS) [email protected]
JISC Regional Support
Centre—Northwest
www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/northwest
2nd Floor Bailrigg House,
Lancaster University
Lancaster. LA1 4YE
Phone: 01524 510067
Fax: 01524 593798
Email:
Twitter: @jiscrscnw
All JISC RSC Northwest staff contribute to the online newsletter.
Please send any feedback about the
newsletter to Michelle Hyland, Editor,
at:
"please don't print this unless you really need to!"
Over my period as Manager, the RSC has had massive support from managers and staff in colleges in the North West. Our most recent Customer Service Survey, independently managed, was the best in the country. Our events are very well attended and our consultation service in great demand. We are the first port of call for a wide range of managers and staff who want advice or to be guided to where best practice can be found in the region. My parting thought is that Colleges thrive because
they are creative and adaptable and so able to take advantage of new opportunities which are opening up – particularly if technology is integral to their solutions. The best teachers and managers are proactive in the face of adversity – and there is certainly quite a lot of that about at the moment – the RSC is with you in this process. The RSC doesn’t just respond to changing times – it changes times – and the team will still be working with you when I have gone – in a very individual way.
The influence of the RSC