ABSTRACT

Title: Exploring social networks in order to understand the diffusion of networked learning in a campus-based university

Author: Janet Hanson

Institution: Bournemouth University

Session Type: Research paper

Theme addressed: Institutional innovation and sustainability

Contact details:Janet Hanson

Associate Head of Academic Services

Bournemouth University

Library and Learning Centre

Talbot Campus

Fern Barrow

Poole, Dorset

BH12 5BB

Tel: 01202 595044

Email:

ABSTRACT

In common with many other higher education providers, Bournemouth University is engaging with the challenges offered by e-learning to enhance the flexibility of its provision and to enter new markets with distance learning programmes. But what change strategies will facilitate lecturers teaching in a campus-based, vocationally oriented, university to move from face-to-face to online teaching? This paper seeks to explain the nature of the diffusion of innovation within an academic community, identifies concerns held by lecturers about moving to online teaching and examines strategies that might address these and sustain innovation.

The research is being undertaken in a University in which funding has been made available to support e-learning in a number of ways for several years, however, the impact of these initiatives has been mainly local to the academic School rather than university-wide. Although the number of lecturers using e-learning learning is growing, they are still mainly the innovators and early adopters. Bourner and Flowers (1999) suggested that the way for UK higher education to meet the new challenges was to combine ‘high tech with ‘high touch’ but research suggests that successful and widespread implementation of e-learning learning depends on a number of complex factors, including easy to use technology and supportive professional development (Collis et al. 2000; Somekh 1998). It has also been recognised that lecturers’ conceptions of teaching and learning play an important part in its acceptance (Thompson and Holt, 1996). However, given the devolved nature of universities as organisations (Kezar, 2001) it is important to consider what aspects of diffusion theory might be applicable to explaining the pattern of adoption of e-learning within them. One aspect under consideration is the nature of the social networks influencing adoption (Abramson and Rosenkopf, 1997). In addition to inquiring into the factors influencing lecturers’ use of learning technologies, the research is also investigating their conceptions of teaching and learning with a view to evaluating the impact these may have on their perception of e-learning. The findings will be used to inform university strategies and policies for implementing e-learning.

The overall approach is based within an action research framework and uses semi-structured interviews, with questions prompted by conceptions of teaching (Prosser and Trigwell 1999). Some early analysis indicates that a ‘sense of loss’ is an important concept underpinning lecturers’ concerns. The paper will examine this and its implications in greater detail and also provide an opportunity to discuss the research methodology. Action research is an accepted approach where the purpose is to understand situations with a view to making helpful interventions, however, the fact that the researcher is based within the organisation in which the research is being carried out, and is also in a senior position in a central support service, leads to a range of further considerations which will be explored in the paper (Coghlan and Brannick, 2001; Holian, 1999).

REFERENCES

ABRAMSON, E. AND ROSENKOPF, L., 1997. Social network effects on the extent of innovation diffusion: a computer simulation. Organization Science, 8(3) 289-309.

BOURNER, T. and FLOWERS, S., 1999. Teaching and learning methods in higher education: a glimpse of the future [online]. Available from: [accessed 31st January 2003].

COGHLAN, D. AND BRANNICK, T., 2001. Doing action research in your own organisation. London: Sage.

COLLIS, B., PETERS, O., AND PALS, N., 2000. Influences on the educational use of the WWW, Email and videoconferencing. Innovations in Education and Training International, 37(2) 108-119.

HOLIAN, R. (1999) Doing action research in my own organisation: ethical dilemmas, hopes and triumphs. Action Research International, Paper 3. Available from:

Accessed 28 Feb 2003.

KEZAR, A., 2001. Understanding and Facilitating Change in Higher Education in the 21st Century. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, Washington, DC. (BBB15669)

PROSSER, M., AND TRIGWELL, K., 1999. Understanding learning and teaching: the experience in higher education. Buckingham: Open University Press.

SOMEKH, B., 1998. Supporting information and communication technology innovations in higher education. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 7(1) 11-31.

THOMPSON, D., AND HOLT, D. M., 1996. Tertiary pedagogy encounters the technological imperative. Distance Education, 17, 335-354.