Thames Valley University
Thames Valley University
Expression of interest
Higher education e-learning benchmarking exercise
Context
Thames Valley University (TVU) operates from three main campuses stretching along the Thames corridor, Ealing, Slough and Reading. The University has over 45,000 student registrations making it one of the largest universities in the UK. It is extraordinarily diverse, both in the range of subjects and in the levels of provision, which ranges from further education and access courses through to doctoral research work. Diversity also exists in terms of the rich and complex student profile: over 126 nationalities, 45% ethic minorities, 60% female students, 60% part-time students and 50% of students over the age of 30.
Mixed mode approaches to learning provision have been an important part of many TVU learning programmes for at least a decade. Since 1999 when the University first offered an online course for Intensive Care Nursing there has been a gradual growth in the uptake of e-learning provision. Three years ago TVU set up an online learning system based on Blackboard and this was taken up by a number of enthusiastic staff.
From September 2005 TVU adopted a more strategic approach to the implementation of e-learning centred on Faculty based e-learning development projects. We have appointed Faculty E-Learning Coordinators and set up a central E-Learning Unit to support this development work.
TVU is committed to developing its staff and provides a mandatory teaching qualification for all new teaching staff. Certain elements of the course are also available to non-teaching staff. An important component of the curriculum is e-learning methodology and the delivery of the first part of the programme is approximately 40% online.
Within a few months we need to take stock of our more strategic approach to embedding e-learning once systems have bedded down and projects have started to demonstrate outputs.
We would therefore like to apply for the benchmarking exercise starting in December 2006.
Rationale
Thames Valley University sees e-learning as a means to an end and not a technology to be exploited because it exists. Like other learning methods it has strengths and weaknesses and needs to be used in appropriate circumstances. We have adopted e-learning because we believe it can offer our students additional support, easier access and new communication options.
Over 60% of our students study part-time and most of these students are in employment. Many experience difficulties in attending TVU at specified times or on a frequent basis. We see e-learning contributing to the increased flexibility that is necessary in our programmes.
Through our Faculty e-learning development projects we are putting together learning programmes that incorporate e-learning and hope to enrol new categories of students who will be attracted to these blended learning programmes. By reconfiguring existing taught programmes to include e-learning we aim to improve retention rates for our students. The richer learning experience and more diverse tutor support will engage learners more strongly in these new programme modes.
Why do we want to take part in the benchmarking exercise? We are committed to embedding e-learning as a mainstream approach to delivering TVU learning programmes. We need to monitor how successful we are in this aim and will be establishing in the next few months systems to take stock of progress. However, an external specialist perspective would provide us with a more independent view of the progress we are making and advise us on the tools that can be used to measure qualitatively and quantitatively our progress. The key outcome will be a refined strategy and action plan for embedding e-learning in the Institution as an integral part of the broader teaching and learning strategy.
A second outcome will be an e-learning operational model for collaborative ventures with our programme delivery partners. TVU’s programme portfolio includes a significant number of professional programmes that are jointly delivered by TVU and a partner organisation, frequently with the involvement of an external accrediting body. Potentially, e-learning has an important role to play in these programmes due to the logistic considerations of operating programmes at various locations and with the involvement of tutors, mentors, employers and other parties. A refined operational model would benefit TVU staff who are looking to design new collaborative programmes or reconfigure existing taught programmes.
A third outcome will be the full integration of e-learning systems across the whole University. TVU merged with Reading College of Art and Design in 2004. Up until September 2005 the Reading campus adopted their own VLE and e-learning systems. Since that time the Reading campus has moved to TVU’s online learning system based on Blackboard. This migration has involved much planning and staff development and we would expect that in 2006 e-learning development and implementation will become fully harmonised. The benchmarking exercise will help us to reflect on how successful this harmonisation has been and what else needs to be done.
Potentially there are other outcomes that we would hope to achieve. A costing model for e-learning provision that would allow comparisons with taught programmes. More effective collaboration strategies with VLE and MLE vendors that results in products that are more responsive to the higher education sector with its diverse student population. E-assessment strategies that do not compromise standards.
Institutional readiness
Thames Valley University does not have experience of systematic benchmarking in e-learning and wishes to learn how to adopt good practice in benchmarking and use appropriate benchmarking tools.
For us the benchmarking exercise is a device to enable TVU to reflect on how well we are embedding e-learning with the main aim of improving the quality of the learning experience for our students.
Although we do not have experience in benchmarking we have a clear institutional vision of the role of e-learning within our overall teaching and learning strategy and a commitment from senior staff to support e-learning development. We also have an e-learning organisational structure with individuals who will engage fully in the benchmarking exercise.
Those with a direct responsibility for e-learning development in TVU include the following:
Directorate Deputy Vice Chancellor Neil Garrod
Faculty based E-Learning Coordinators
Faculty of Health and Human Sciences Jim Adams
Faculty of Arts Andy Lapham
NB: E-Learning Coordinators are due to be appointed in the Professional Studies Faculty, Faculty of Technology and 14-19 Academy.
Educational Development Department
Head of Educational Development Bruce Macfarlane
Head of E-Learning Unit Tad Leduchowicz
Principal Lecturer – Educational Development Gwyneth Hughes
Senior Learning Technologist Graham Sedgwick
ELU Administrator/Learning Technologist Maureen Brown
Learning Technologist Teresa Burton
Learning Technologist Sue Badger
Learning and Information Services
Director of LIS Maggie Stephens
Online Systems Manager Andy Turner
Corporate Systems Manager Yiannis Seglias
Blackboard Administrator Najib Maan
Electronic Information Manager Sue Wood
As already mentioned, we see e-learning strategy as an integral part of our wider teaching and learning strategy. The coordinating mechanism for educational development in TVU rests with Faculty based Learning, Teaching and Assessment Committees who in turn are represented on the University- wide Learning, Teaching and Assessment Committee (LTA) which reports to Academic Board. These committees give consideration to e-learning issues and facilitate the adoption of e-learning methodology where this is appropriate. In the preceding three years we operated a central Blended Learning Steering Group which considered both pedagogic and technical matters. Its role in relation to pedagogic issues has largely been incorporated in the LTA Committees and specific technical considerations are addressed by the E-Learning Development Group consisting of the Faculty E-Learning Coordinators, E-Learning Unit and Learning and Information Services staff.
The perceived strengths that we have in e-learning include the following:
¾ Commitment from senior managers to embed e-learning across all TVU Faculties.
¾ Staff specifically allocated to e-learning development and support roles in the Faculties, E-Learning Unit and Learning and Information Services.
¾ Experience of operating TVU’s online learning system based on Blackboard for around three years.
¾ E-Learning development initiatives in Faculties that relate directly to Faculty strategic priorities.
¾ Staff development provision in aspects of e-learning and the use of Blackboard.
¾ A large e-repository of TVU open learning materials that lends itself to conversion into e-learning materials.
¾ Staff engagement with relevant external bodies such as HEA, ALT, JISC, SEDA, Subject Centres and the Open Learning Foundation.
Of all the TVU Faculties, the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences is the most advanced in embedding e-learning. It also benefits from the fact that e-learning within the NHS and Local Strategic Health Authorities is well developed. However, the two sectors have differing experiences of e-learning and more work needs to be done in bringing together practices and systems.
Areas where we feel development would be useful include the following:
¾ How to adopt emerging national and international standards for the development of e-learning materials.
¾ Developing strategies that reduce our dependence on any one VLE vendor, especially in relation to being able to migrate e-content to other platforms.
¾ Establishing effective business relationships with external suppliers of e-learning content.
Intended approach
There are a number of specific areas that we would want to address to improve or enhance our e-learning infrastructure.
¾ A review of the technical support currently provided and potential strategies for improvement.
¾ How to make best use of e-assessment processes while ensuring confidentiality.
¾ Improving the quality of statistics available from our VLE.
¾ Implementation of Content Management Systems linked to VLEs and the use of e-repositories.
How to construct and manage work-based learning opportunities is a particularly important issue for TVU. Many of our learning programmes, such as the Foundation Degrees, have to be delivered largely off campus and this requires a fundamental rethink of programme design and in particular how effective use can be made of e-learning. We would like to pilot a number of new learning programmes, including in Healthcare and Clinically-based areas, to determine what constitutes good practice in programme design. Significant numbers of students might be attracted to these programmes and we need a robust operational model that could be applied across TVU Faculties.
Commitment to the benchmarking exercise
We are fully committed to work with the Academy consultants and to share data and information, when it is not commercially sensitive, with the UK higher education sector.
The senior management and staff with e-learning responsibilities have been involved in the process of constructing this submission and will engage with the Academy consultants in the benchmarking exercise. The initiative will provide us with a stimulus to carry out more systematic reflection and will provide sound data on which to base our planning decisions.
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