Final Publication - Enhancing Flexiblie Flexible Learning

Enhancing Flexibility in Higher EducationA Report on the Supported Flexible Learning Project undertaken by the Institutes of Technology in Ireland


Edited by

Richard Thorn, Mark Glynn & Caitríona Campbell

For an electronic copy of this publication, visit: www.ioti.ie/about-us/flexible-learning-project

Published on behalf of the SIF 2 Sectoral Project Supported Flexible Learning

First Published 2012 by Institutes of Technology Ireland.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Preface 1

Section 1: Introduction and ContextualisationIntroduction: Project Background and Policy ContextDr Kevin C. O’Rourke, Dublin Institute of Technology 5

System Performance – from Fixed to Flexible LearningDr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland 7

Advancing Flexible Learning through the Strategic Innovation FundAbigail Chantler and Muiris O’Connor, Higher Education Authority 13

Flexible Learning Capacity Building – a Perspective from the Central Project TeamDr Mark Glynn and Dr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland 19

Section 2: Student-oriented Case StudiesConverting a Course for Online DeliveryDr Marc Cashin, Luke Fannon, Eoin Langan and Seamus Ryan, Athlone Institute of Technology 21

The Impact on Student Learning of Investment in Technical Strategy – Embedding Blogs and Wikis into LearningAnna O’Donovan, Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan and Irene Sheridan, Cork Institute of Technology 28

Flexible Learning: Virtual Classrooms at IT CarlowBrian McQuaid and Dr John Ó Néill, Institute of Technology Carlow 35

Building Capacity in Online Learning through Certified TrainingBrian Mulligan, Institute of Technology Sligo 40

The Use of Minor and Special Purpose Awards to Facilitate Flexible Programme DeliveryBrid McElligott, Institute of Technology Tralee 44

The Impact in Limerick Institute of Technology of the SIF2 Sectoral Project ‘Supported Flexible Learning’Colin McLean, Limerick Institute of Technology 50

Making our Systems and Niche Programmes More Flexible through TechnologyMichael Carey, Denis McFadden and Liam McIntyre, Letterkenny Institute of Technology 54

Contents

Section 3: Systems-oriented Case StudiesLessons from Flexible Learning across Multiple CampusesDr Kevin C. O’Rourke, Dublin Institute of Technology 59

Flexible Learning: a Case Study of Transformational ChangeDr John Dallat and Dr Brendan Ryder, Dundalk Institute of Technology 65

Staff Attitudes to Pedagogical Change in Flexible Learning, with a Special Emphasis on the Use of MoodleDes Foley, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 79

Sustainability through Integration – Sustaining the Flexible Learning Approach in IADTDr Marion Palmer, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology 86

Academic and Support System Changes – Providing Equitable Services to Full- and Part-time LearnersDr Larry McNutt and Daniel McSweeney, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown 90

Student Services, a Key Aspect of the Provision of Flexible Learning in Higher Education InstitutionsTerry Maguire and Josephine O’Donovan, Institute of Technology Tallaght 97

Building Capacity through Infrastructural ChangeDr John Wall, Waterford Institute of Technology 102

New Approaches to Lifelong Learning – www.BlueBrick.ieDr Mark Glynn and Dr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland 106

Section 4: Conclusions and Lessons LearnedPart-time and Flexible Learning Provision – a Multifaceted ChallengeDr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland 111

Authors’ Biographies 114

1

The recent surge in unemployment and changing patterns of work bring new urgency and a much greater emphasis on lifelong learning and upskilling. A high proportion of the skills that we need now in the workforce are high-order knowledge-based skills, many of which can be acquired only in higher education institutions. This publication illustrates the multifaceted approach undertaken by the institutes of technology sector, under the auspices of the flexible learning project, to address the needs of people wishing to participate in flexible learning in higher education in Ireland.

Individual institutions identified a range of capacity-building activities that were integrated into their own institutional plans. The diverse range of approaches undertaken by the institutes outlined in this publication is representative of the extent of the challenge facing higher education in Ireland. Furthermore the wide variety of approaches outlined in these case studies is testament to the fact that each institute of technology is at its own stage of development in its lifelong learning strategy.

The publication is divided into four distinct sections. Section 1 provides an introduction to the project and contextualises the project in terms of national and European policy. Section 2 contains case studies that are student-oriented. Section 3 contains studies that are broadly systems-oriented. The final section, Section 4, draws conclusions from the case studies and captures lessons learnt from the project in its entirety.

Section 1Introduction: Project Background and Policy ContextKevin C. O’Rourke – DITDuring the Celtic Tiger years in Ireland, education policy emphasis tended to focus on upskilling the existing workforce for future jobs in the knowledge society that was expected to emerge. However, as the world economy plummeted to recession and the construction sector collapsed in Ireland, the scene has changed considerably since October 2007 when the Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) and DIT submitted their proposal on flexible learning to the Higher Education Authority. This chapter provides a synopsis of the project background and its context from a national perspective.

System Performance – from Fixed to Flexible LearningR. Thorn – IOTINotwithstanding the success of Irish higher education in respect of full-time school-leavers, the institutes of technology are currently focusing on the needs of adult and part-time learners. A key component of the ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project has been the measurement of institution and system performance over the course of the four-year project. This chapter illustrates the agreed performance measures that would be used to determine whether or not there has been a shift from fixed to flexible educational delivery in the institutes of technology over the course of the project.

Advancing Flexible Learning through the Strategic Innovation FundA. Chantler, M. O’Connor – HEAThis chapter illustrates the great strides taken in advancing the flexible learning agenda through the Higher Education Authority’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) and discusses how the social and economic challenges that Ireland now faces have increased the importance of its core objectives: enhancing the delivery of education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels; improving access to, and progression through, higher education; and building research capacity, all essential for economic recovery. The Strategic Innovation Fund has had a significant impact on the advancement of the flexible learning agenda which is vital to addressing the up-skilling challenges that Ireland faces and the IOTI’s ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project has made an important contribution to this.

Flexible Learning Capacity Building – a Perspective from the Central Project TeamM. Glynn, R. Thorn – IOTIThis chapter outlines the main activities undertaken by the central project team in directly supporting institute activities, including identifying educational software and roll out of training in appropriate flexible learning software solutions and the establishment of various networks. Other main activities and results, reflected in publications and projects, are also described in this chapter.

Preface

2

Section 2Converting a Course for Online DeliveryM. Cashin, L. Fannon, E. Langan, S. Ryan – AITThis chapter explores the planning and execution of the online delivery of a Level 8 course as an alternative to the traditional face-to-face delivery method. The aim was to develop a best-practice approach to online delivery, with due consideration of the pedagogical and andragogical issues.

The Impact on Student Learning of Investment in Technical Strategy – Embedding Blogs and Wikis into LearningA. O’Donovan, S. O’Sullivan, I. Sheridan – CITWeb 2.0 tools can promote interactivity and discourse within the class, providing both teachers and pupils with opportunities and challenges. This chapter outlines a study that looks at how electronic communications are transforming the way work is done and are reshaping personal communication with students, and how such technologies are being integrated into teaching. This case study specifically examines the use of blogs and wikis within a science course in CIT.

Flexible Learning: Virtual Classrooms at IT CarlowB. McQuaid, J. Ó Néill – ITCThe available online technologies now afford students increasing flexibility in terms of the opportunities to pursue part-time education. For most education institutions, launching online learning courses and programmes represents a significant cultural and operational challenge. This chapter presents outcomes from the use of virtual classrooms in IT Carlow lifelong learning programmes in the 2010/11 academic year, providing an initial assessment of the relative quality of the learner experience inside and outside the virtual classroom.

Building Capacity in Online Learning through Certified TrainingB. Mulligan – ITSIT Sligo recognised the benefits of maximising the number of academic staff competent in using learning technologies. This chapter describes the change in approach taken by ITS with respect to professional development of staff in the area of e-learning. A blended learning course was created that could be accessed in a number of modes by academic staff with different levels of interest and experience.

The Use of Minor and Special Purpose Awards to Facilitate Flexible Programme DeliveryB. McElligott – IT TraleeThe National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is designed to recognise both large and smaller packages of learning. Minor, Special Purpose and Supplemental Awards were established to ensure that there was more than one type of award at all levels of the framework. This chapter profiles the developments within the Institute of Technology Tralee over the period 2008 to 2011 in its use of Minor and Special Purpose Awards as a mechanism for flexible programme delivery.

The Impact in Limerick Institute of Technology of the SIF2 Sectoral Project ‘Supported Flexible Learning’C. McLean – LITThe flexible learning project incorporated a multifaceted approach to addressing the skills needs of adult learners. This chapter outlines the case study conducted by Limerick Institute of Technology in evaluating the impact of the project within the institute. By allocating resources to individual course teams on a case-by-case basis, the teams had the latitude to implement a flexible learning solution in whatever format the solution required. This study examines the process each team went through, highlighting the positive and negative aspects and examines the wider benefits for the institute.

Making our Systems and Niche Programmes More Flexible through TechnologyM. Carey, D. McFadden, L. McIntyre – LYITThis chapter describes two separate case studies that led to significant improvements in LYIT’s flexible learning infrastructure and programme offerings. The first case study outlines changes to the institute’s flexible learning infrastructure and systems. The second case study examines a niche programme, originally developed with a major local employer, the HDip in Financial Services Technologies. This programme was redeveloped for blended mode delivery and acts as an exemplar for similar development of other programmes in the future.

Section 3Lessons from Flexible Learning across Multiple CampusesKevin C. O’Rourke – DITAs a result of Dublin Institute of Technology being spread across the city, policies and procedures with regards to part-time provision have been defined at school level. This has lead to a rich diversity of programmes but has also contributed to a lack of cohesion in the overall approach to part-time provision. This chapter outlines the challenges associated with delivering part-time provision across multiple campuses.

Flexible Learning: a Case Study of Transformational ChangeJ. Dallat, B. Ryder – DkITThis case study discusses the experiences and achievements of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) in Dundalk IT while engaged in an ongoing transformation and change-process project, the aim of which was to enable the institute to deliver on the flexible learning agenda. In view of the pending changes within higher education, this paper provides ‘food for thought’ on aspects of the change-management process within an Irish context.

3

Staff Attitudes to Pedagogical Change in Flexible Learning, with a Special Emphasis on the Use of MoodleD. Foley – GMITThis case study looks at the nature of change in an institute, using the adoption of its virtual learning environment – Moodle. The increased use of Moodle is an indicator of change and this has implications for creating an environment for flexible learning within an institute. The case study utilises a quantitative approach, incorporating survey and system data to examine the way in which Moodle has become part of everyday life in GMIT

Sustainability through Integration – Sustaining the Flexible Learning Approach in IADTM. Palmer – IADTThe impact within IADT of the flexible learning project is considered in this case study and an overview of how flexible learning works in one school in the institute is presented. It argues that what can be integrated into the institute’s everyday work is what will be sustained. In particular the Special Purpose Awards and increased attention to staff development of teaching and learning will be seen as legacies of the flexible learning project as they have become part of the daily world of the institute.

Academic and Support System Changes – Providing Equitable Services to Full- and Part-time LearnersL. McNutt, D. McSweeney – ITBThis case study captures relevant discussions and reflections in relation to the challenge of continuing to address the needs of part-time adult learners in a system predominantly structured and resourced to cater for the needs of CAO entrants. The chapter covers two major topics: changes to student support systems and changes to academic processes, both of which were designed to improve our responsiveness and flexibility in addressing the needs of current and future students.

Student Services, a Key Aspect of the Provision of Flexible Learning in Higher Education InstitutionsT. Maguire, J. O’Donovan – ITT DublinThis case study discusses the institute’s strategy in relation to developing ‘flexibility’, describing the flexibility of student services under development and in particular focusing on the development of the web payments system and situating this in the wider context of a holistic strategy for flexible learning for students.

Building Capacity through Infrastructural ChangeJ. Wall – WITThis case study describes the rollout and integration of Moodle as the platform to facilitate flexible learning approaches within WIT; the configuration of Moodle to integrate with Banner and the further development of Moodle functionality and integration of other appropriate open source and Web 2.0 learning technologies.

New Approaches to Lifelong Learning – www.BlueBrick.ieM. Glynn, R. Thorn – IOTIThis chapter outlines the activities undertaken by the central project team in IOTI on the web portal www.BlueBrick.ie. It summarises research undertaken to identify countries, systems, experiences and lessons learned from similar shared services internationally. It gives the background to the evolution and technology underpinning BlueBrick.ie, what it means to both the learner and the academic institute. Finally this chapter details the phases, over a three-year period, of the marketing and branding of BlueBrick.ie and the communications and promotion campaign.

Section 4Part-time and Flexible Learning Provision – a Multifaceted ChallengeR. Thorn – IOTIThis chapter gathers the main findings from the various case studies and places them in the wider context of flexible and open and distance learning in Ireland. Amongst the clearest of the findings was the need for a ‘whole of institution approach’ to enhancing the capacity of a higher education institution to deliver flexible learning.

4

5

The opening decade of the 21st century will provide fertile ground for future economics students. In Europe it began with the optimism embodied in the establishment of the single currency and in the Lisbon Strategy, which sought to make the European Union the world’s most competitive knowledge economy, but the decade closed with serious questions surrounding the viability of the euro – and even of the EU itself. Ireland’s situation is paradigmatic in the unfolding drama. With low unemployment rates of around 4% for most of the decade, policy emphasis tended to focus on upskilling the existing workforce for future jobs in the knowledge society that was expected to emerge. However, as the world economy nosedived and the construction sector collapsed at home, the scene has changed considerably since October 2007 when the Institutes of Technology and DIT submitted their proposal on flexible learning to the Higher Education Authority.

Entitled ‘Addressing the Needs of the Knowledge Economy’, the IOTI proposal was in line both with then-current thinking and with the market needs highlighted in the fifth report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (Forfás, 2007). That report had been commissioned by the government in order to ‘identify the skills required for Ireland to become a competitive, innovation-driven, knowledge-based, participative and inclusive economy by 2020’. It flagged Ireland’s relatively low (7%) participation rate in continuous learning, noting an under-supply of skills at the higher levels and an over-supply at the opposite end, and predicted a need for almost one million extra new workers by 2020. In response, the Institutes of Technology and DIT agreed to work together to increase access to and participation in higher education significantly by 2012, and thereby expand the number of people engaged in workforce development in Ireland via a supported flexible-learning initiative.

Recognition of the need for educational establishments to respond to demand for ‘lifelong learning’ was, of course, not new. The 1967 Commission on Higher Education Report had noted the necessity of such education (interestingly, it pointed to submissions from the established universities outlining why such education should not form part of their remit) (Morrissey, 1990). The subsequent establishment of a committee to investigate the nature and needs of adult education produced a report in 1973 (the ‘Murphy Report’), which defined it as ‘the provision and utilisation of facilities whereby those who are no longer participants in the full-time school system may learn whatever they need to learn at any period of their lives’ (Department of Education, 1973). A decade later, the Commission on Adult Education (1984) advocated that:

Third-level institutions should, having regard to regional and national needs, and to their own special areas of expertise, commit themselves to educational provision which will contribute to the development of a comprehensive national programme of Adult and Continuing Education. We believe they have a particular contribution to make in the following areas: provision of part-time undergraduate programmes, extra-mural studies programmes, community and rural development programmes, continuing professional education, training of adult educators and research into adult education.

Third-level institutions should be more flexible in their entry requirements for mature students and should in general facilitate easier access for such students to higher education.

Third-level institutions should adopt new approaches to facilitate greater participation in part-time day and evening courses, such as modular credit systems, accreditation for experience and credit transfer between institutions. (Hyland & Milne, 1992)

Response to such calls, however, has been generally slow, as recognised by subsequent reports such as the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education (Department of Education and Science, 2000) and the OECD Report on Higher Education (OECD, 2004). In formulating its proposal for a flexible learning initiative, the IOTI and DIT were cognisant of the national context for lifelong learning and workforce development. The position was consciously developed in response to established government policy and market needs, and in line with the Institutes’ strategic vision. In addition to the 2007 document Tomorrow’s Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy (which set targets for almost half the labour force to have qualifications at NFQ Levels 6–10 by 2020), explicit mention was made of the ten-year social partnership agreement Towards 2016, published in 2006, which included priority actions on increasing participation in lifelong learning, in particular among the workforce categorised as low-skilled (Department of the Taoiseach, 2006). Reports from the National Economic & Social Forum (2006)1, the Forum on Workplace for the Future (2005) and the Enterprise Strategy Group (2004) were also noted. The Institutes of Technology and DIT committed themselves to mainstreaming flexible learning within and across the institutes as an innovative and complementary mode of delivery, co-existing with established programmes and delivery methods. The aim was to contribute to an integrated national system of lifelong learning by ensuring equity of access for learners, enabling integration and cost efficiencies across the institutions, and by responding to the national needs of business, industry and learners in the workforce

Introduction: Project Background and Policy ContextKevin C. O’Rourke, Dublin Institute of Technology

1 This report noted that just 6% of higher education participants in Ireland are mature students.

6

for flexible applied education. The project was planned to take place over four years, and the progress of each institute would be assessed using four different categories: communication, staff training, student numbers and improvement in internal systems. Regular reports and updates to all interested stakeholders were to be an integral part of the project.

Overall, a win-win situation was envisaged. For workers, the initiative was designed to offer negotiated learning opportunities and real choice in terms of programme content and structure, convenient delivery methods and more meaningful assessment. Access and equality of opportunity were noted, as well as increased participation levels, personal and professional planning, and the support of a community of like-minded learners across the country. A network of collaboration and communities of practice were planned across the Institutes of Technology sector, enhancing capability in the design, development, delivery and assessment of flexible learning, in addition to increased flexibility for academic staff and expanded skillsets in innovative pedagogy. Evolved partnership between industry and education providers was expected to emerge, while for policy-makers there was a promise of delivering on national policy in relation to workforce development, increasing access and lifelong learning. Targets and outcomes for the first five operating years were offered by way of demonstrating that the project could provide value for money in terms of increasing participation and increasing pedagogical capabilities. These included total enrolments of over 100,000 learners, generating fee-income totalling €28.8m and at least 750 academic staff trained in innovative flexible-learning pedagogy.

But the markets did not play the way they had been expected to, and during the life of the project the emphasis moved from upskilling those already in the workforce to upskilling the growing numbers of unemployed for their return to work. In 2010, the labour force contracted to 2.14 million and unemployment stood at 13.6%, or almost 300,000 people out of work (Behan & Condon, 2011). For their part, the participating institutions proceeded to put in place pilots and strategies that sought not only to achieve the original aims of the project but also to answer the more pressing demands imposed by the prevailing economic situation. This publication outlines the many ways in which the project unfolded in the period 2008–2012, demonstrating several positive outcomes and pointing towards realistic possibilities for the future of flexible learning throughout Ireland. The publication in November 2009 of a position paper on open and flexible learning by the Higher Education Authority has provided a welcome addition to the impetus that has been started by the project (O’Connor, 2009). Moreover, the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 set out very clearly its position on a more flexible system of education:

If Ireland is to achieve its ambitions for recovery and development within an innovation-driven economy, it is essential to create and enhance human capital by expanding participation in higher education. The scale of the projected widening and growth in participation over the period of this strategy demands that Ireland’s higher-education system become much more flexible in provision in both time and place, and that it facilitates transfer and progression through all levels of the system. There remain significant challenges

in this area: successive reports have recognised the relatively poor performance of our system in the area of lifelong learning, while the requirement for upgrading and changing of employee skills and competencies is becoming ever greater. Changes to system funding and operation will be needed in order to enable the institutions to respond to these needs by increasing the variety and diversity of their provision and improvements in the interface between higher education and further education and training will be necessary to support enhanced progression opportunities. (Hunt, 2011)

The efforts and drive of project participants documented here, when supported by a vision for change such as that outlined above, point to a future education system in Ireland where flexible learning will become the norm rather than the exception.

ReferencesBehan, J. and Condon, N. (2011) National Skills Bulletin Dublin: Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. Dublin: Forfás. Retrieved on 2 February 2012 from www.skillsireland.ie/publications/2011/title,8141,en.php.

Department of Education (1973) Adult Education in Ireland: A Report of the Commission Appointed by the Minister for Education Dublin. Dublin: Government Publications Office.

Department of Education and Science (2000) Learning for Life: White Paper on Adult Education. Dublin: The Stationery Office.

Department of the Taoiseach (2006) Towards 2016: Ten-Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement 2006–2015. Dublin: The Stationery Office. Retrieved on 2 February 2012 from www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Publications/Publications_Archive/Publications_2006/Towards2016PartnershipAgreement.pdf.

Forfás (2007) Tomorrow’s Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy. Dublin: Forfás. Retrieved on 2 February 2012 from www.skillsireland.ie/publication/egfsnSearch.jsp?ft=/publications/2007/title,2517,en.php.

Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Hunt, C. (2011) National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Dublin: HEA.

Hyland, Á. and Milne, K. (1992) Irish Educational Documents, vol. 2, pp. 515–16. Dublin: CICE.

Morrissey, M. (1990) ‘Mature students and continuing education in Ireland’. Irish Journal of Education 24(1): 13–14.

O’Connor, M. (2009) Open and Flexible Learning. HEA Position Paper. Dublin: HEA. Retrieved on 2 February 2012 from www.hea.ie/odl.

OECD (2004) Review of Higher Education in Ireland: Examiners’ Report. Retrieved on 2 February 2012 from HEAnet: http://heatest-drupal6.heanet.ie/files/files/file/archive/policy/2006/OECD%20Examiners%20Report%20-%20Review%20of%20Higher%20Education%20in%20Ireland%20(2004).pdf.

7

Flexible learning in IrelandThe Lisbon Economic Summit in 2000, inter alia, emphasised the integration of lifelong learning within the broader economic and social policies of the EU. Follow-up activity resulted in the establishment of five reference levels for European average performance in education and training. A key target for lifelong learning was that 12.5% of adults would be participating in lifelong learning by 2010. This reference level is defined as the percentage of the working-age population who participated in education and training in the four weeks prior to a Labour Force Survey conducted by EUROSTAT (EU, 2008). The report notes that in Ireland 7.5% of the working-age population (25–64 years of age) participated in education and training in the four weeks prior to the survey in 2006, compared to an EU average of 9.6%. The leading countries, Sweden and Finland, had participation rates of 32.1% and 23.1% respectively.

The Institutes of Technology (IoTs) were established in the early 1970s with a specific mission to provide vocational, third-level education while also meeting the developmental needs of the regions in which they were located. From the beginning, therefore, they had a specific remit to link higher education with society in practical and meaningful ways. Between the early 1970s and the present, they were a key part of Ireland’s attempts to transform itself from an agricultural economy into a manufacturing economy, and currently into a knowledge- and innovation-led society. A key component of that transformation was the growth and development of higher education. From a low of 10% of school-leavers participating in full-time higher education in the early 1970s, Ireland now has one of the highest participation rates in the world: almost 60% of the school-leaving cohort progress to higher education (O’Connell et al., 2006). At present about half of the undergraduate students registered in higher education institutions in Ireland are registered in Institutes of Technology.

Notwithstanding the success of Irish higher education in respect of full-time school-leavers, the IoTs – through a variety of initiatives, including the ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project – are currently focusing on the needs of adult and part-time learners. This emphasis has arisen as a result of a reappraisal of mission and strategy in the light of Ireland’s poor performance in part-time education, as noted above, by attempting to increase the provision of flexible learning opportunities in line with the IoTs’ long-standing mission to provide vocational higher education.

A key component of the ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project has been the measurement of institution and system performance over the course of the four-year project. At an early stage in the project, the steering committee agreed performance measures that would be used to determine whether or not there had been a shift from fixed to flexible educational delivery in the IoTs over the course of the project.

Performance-measurement system design considerationsNeely et al. (1995) define a performance-measurement system as ‘the set of metrics used to quantify both the efficiency and effectiveness of actions’. Clearly the success or otherwise of a project designed to increase the capacity of one half of a higher-education system to deliver more flexible learning can only be determined on the basis of some form of measurement system.

Perhaps the best-known performance-measurement framework is that of Kaplan and Norton (1992). They argue that a measurement system should provide:

a) a financial perspective that considers shareholder concerns and value,

b) an internal business perspective that considers what you want to be good at,

c) a customer perspective that considers how you are viewed, and

d) an innovation and learning perspective that considers how you create value.

Neely et al. (1995) suggest that a flaw in Kaplan and Norton’s model is that there is no competitor perspective. Neely et al. review other authors who propose that, rather than suggesting frameworks for the design of performance-measurement systems, it may be more useful to consider appropriate criteria. They cite, for example, Globerson (1985) who argued that:

a) performance criteria should be drawn from a company’s objectives,

b) performance criteria must make possible the comparison of organisations that are in the same business,

c) the purpose of each performance criterion must be clear,

d) data-collection and methods of calculation must be clearly defined,

e) ratio-based performance criteria are preferred to absolute-number criteria,

f) performance criteria should be under the control of the unit being evaluated,

g) performance criteria should be selected through discussions with the people involved, and

h) objective performance criteria are preferable to subjective ones.

Mills et al. (2000) propose a different approach to the design of performance-measurement systems. They argue that both the balanced scorecard approach of authors such as Kaplan and Norton and the criteria approach of authors such as Globerson pay insufficient attention to how the frameworks and criteria can be ‘populated’. They argue that a process-based approach

System Performance – from Fixed to Flexible LearningDr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland

8

reduces ‘gaming’1, because the people affected are directly involved in its design, and it also allows the system to be reconfigured more easily as production systems change.

Pollitt et al. (2007) move consideration of the design of performance-measurement systems firmly into the public sector in their consideration of the English and Dutch healthcare systems since 1980. On the basis of their findings, Pollitt et al. argue that:

a) the ‘system’ was never ‘designed’ and thus cannot be viewed as an integrated whole,

b) performance measures seldom have an agreed primary objective, so interpretation will invariably be contested,

c) the performance-measurement ‘system’ chosen will not be stable over time,

d) any measure can be manipulated or, in the authors’ words, ‘gamed’, and

e) indicator measures cannot be designed in a self-contained technical manner.

Pollitt et al. consider that the implications for the design of a system of measurement include:

a) the necessity of maintaining a strong temporal perspective (cycles, punctuations, paths etc.) and understanding the time necessary for developing the measures (e.g. setting up databases and collection systems),

b) what the scale of impact of particular events is within the system and whether or not such events are random or predictable,

c) the need to identify the key organisational players within the system and their motivations, and

d) the mixture and weighting of measures at any point in and over time.

In addition to the specific considerations attached to system-measurement design as described above, there is the more general research-design consideration that measurements chosen must be valid, reliable and generalisable – by this, the authors mean that the measures chosen must measure what they are supposed to, that if the measures are repeated they will give the same results, and that if they are applied to a different part of the same system they will work just as well.

The measures and measurement system chosenThe previous section discussed the considerations surrounding framework-based systems, criteria-based systems, process-designed systems and public-sector systems, as well as the general research requirement for validity, reliability and generalisability. With these considerations in mind, the checklist in Table 1 was developed to ensure that the measures and performance-measurement system chosen were fit for the purpose of measuring a shift in the higher-education system from fixed to flexible learning.

The flexible learning project was managed by a centrally located project team and governed by a steering committee representative of every institute involved and external members including the funding authority and a national skills planning body. The process for choosing the measures involved the development of an initial set of measures by the central team, consideration by the steering committee, amendment by the project team and final approval. Criterion 1 in Table 1 had thus been satisfied.

The measures chosen were:

1. the number of ‘part-time’ and ‘occasional’ higher education students,

2. the number of Special Purpose and Minor Awards registered for the system,

3. the number of educational offerings on www.BlueBrick.ie, and

4. the number of staff trained in flexible delivery methods.

Table 2 describes in more detail the characteristics of each of these measures, and identifies in the case of each measure the specific criteria satisfied (with the exception of Criterion 1, which had already been satisfied, as noted above).

The authors argue that the individual measures chosen do not have validity on their own terms, but through the interaction between them. For example, a measure of the number of staff trained in flexible delivery methods would not mean anything on its own, but if this was accompanied by an increase in the number of Special Purpose Awards approved, then it is reasonable to assume that the effect of the training was to increase the flexibility of provision.

Results and discussionThe number of part-time higher education students expressed as a percentage changeTable 3 shows the number of part-time (and full-time) students in the Institutes of Technology over the four-year period 2005/2006 to 2010/2011, expressed as a percentage change. This four-year period was chosen to provide a benchmark for future change-measurement. The figures show a slight increase in the proportion of the student population that is made up of part-time students over the period. It should be noted that in 2008/2009 the Higher Education Authority introduced two new categories of student: ‘Distance’ and ‘e-Learning’; clearly people studying in this manner are studying flexibly. However, the HEA categories do not make a distinction between part-time and full-time registrations within these modes of study. The authors felt that since the HEA definition of ‘part-time’ is clear and well understood, and since consideration is being given to other forms of student-registration data capture (perhaps, for example, through the use of a credit-studied system), it was best to use part-time figures in the first instance. However, since students in these other categories are clearly studying flexibly, as noted above, the data are reported separately in Table 4.

1 ‘Gaming’ may be defined as manipulating results to improve the ranking of an institution or institutions in respect of a particular measure.

9

The data show that, since the introduction of these categories, the numbers have grown dramatically: from 478 to 595 for the ‘e-learning’ category, and 726 to 1,086 for the ‘Distance’ category. If these categories were included with part-time numbers as a general indication of ‘flexible’ learning, then significant growth in the system would be recorded.

This performance measure shows a stable system in respect of numbers of part-time students within the IoTs over the timeframe chosen. However, when ‘Distance’ and e-Learning’ students are considered two points emerge. First, the numbers of students being reported for these two categories shows a year-on-year increase. Second, the number of institutes reporting in these categories has also increased since their introduction.

The number of Special Purpose and Minor Awards registered for the systemThe National Framework of Qualifications in Ireland has a number of embedded awards that are designed to help learners who wish to gain accreditation for portions of study that either do not constitute a full award (Minor) or have a particular focus in their own right (Special Purpose Awards). These award types were designed specifically with the needs of learners, rather than providers, in mind. Their use, therefore, by providers represents market awareness and a focus on the needs of learners. Figures 1a and 1b show the number of Special Purpose and Minor Awards registered with HETAC (Higher Education Training and Awards Council). It should be noted that one large Institute of Technology (Dublin Institute of Technology) makes awards in its own right and does not return information to HETAC. Although the Irish framework of qualifications was launched in 2003, it was not until 2007 that policy and criteria for the development of Special Purpose and Minor Awards became available to the IoTs as a result of the approval processes delegated from HETAC. The data shown therefore show the growth of the use of these awards from the beginning of their availability.

In summary, it is clear that there has been rapid growth in the system in the use of these awards, notwithstanding the stabilisation in Minor Awards for 2011. This suggests strongly that there is greater awareness now of the potential of these awards to meet the needs of learners, as originally envisaged when these awards were embedded in the framework as described above.

The number of educational offerings on www.BlueBrick.ieA key component of the project was the development of a portal – www.BlueBrick.ie – that was designed to improve the amount of information available to prospective learners wishing to study on a part-time or flexible basis. The presence of BlueBrick.ie offers IoTs the opportunity to increase the ‘reach’ of their marketing efforts. Increases in the number of educational offerings on BlueBrick.ie therefore imply a greater willingness to respond to the market by meeting the needs of learners, and thus demonstrate increased flexibility. When the portal was launched in September 2009 there were 260 offerings on the system. At the time of writing this paper (October 2011), there are 425 courses on BlueBrick.ie.

In summary, it is clear that the IoTs are responding to the marketing opportunities provided by BlueBrick.ie, and thereby demonstrating an increased responsiveness to the needs of learners.

Number of staff trained in flexible delivery methods in the institutions in the systemThis is a self-reported measure, designed to capture the extent to which attention within each institution in the system is being paid to developing capacity to deliver flexibly. Data on this measure have only been collected for 2009 and, according to returns submitted by each institute, 1,200 person-days of training have been taken up in this activity.

In summary, it is too early to determine whether or not this measure will prove a useful indicator of greater flexibility within the system.

The results described above suggest some movement on the part of the system towards greater flexibility as far as meeting individual learners’ needs is concerned. Pollitt and Bouckaert (2000) offer a different prism through which the results of a measurement system such as that described here can be viewed. These authors consider results in the context of system change and at four levels.

First, ‘operational results’ refer to discrete and quantifiable results. For example, the members of academic staff associated with a programme with high failure rates implement a programme to counteract this and student pass rates increase by 50%. On this basis, the use of Special Purpose and Minor Awards represents a desirable development in the system.

Second, the results could show improved ‘processes’ of management or decision-making. For example, the establishment of ‘one-stop shops’ shows how a system can improve the efficiency of information flow without doing anything different. The assumption is that improvements like this will lead to overall system improvements. In this instance, the establishment of BlueBrick.ie represents an improved process: it has improved the efficiency of information transfer.

Third, the results may indicate a broad change in the overall capacity of the system. For example, opening up senior civil servant appointments to a competitive process will probably lead to better candidates being appointed and thus to long-term improvements in the effectiveness of the system. The results from the performance-measurement system in this project do not yet clearly indicate a broad change in the overall capacity of the system.

Fourth, the results might indicate whether or not the system has moved towards some ideal or desired state. For example, deregulating the electricity-supply business may result in a more market-driven approach to energy supply, which might have been the desired political endpoint of the change process. Interestingly, in this instance, the use of Special Purpose and Minor Awards and the increasing use of BlueBrick.ie suggest that the member-institutions are becoming more market-aware in terms of meeting the needs of learners. This desired endpoint has long been a feature of analyses of the Irish higher-education system.

Conclusions and future considerationsThe performance-measurement system as described in this paper arises from a major project on flexible learning being undertaken by the Institutes of Technology in Ireland. The results from the measurement system to date suggest that there is some movement on the part of the constituent institutions from a system that is characterised by its fixed nature to one that is more flexible. Monitoring of the system over time will determine more clearly whether this change is taking place.

10

The authors suggest that future use of the system will have to take into account a number of issues including but not restricted to:

n changes in the type of student-registration data collected by the higher education authority;

n ‘granularisation’ of the system to allow individual institutions to benchmark performance against the system as a whole. Such developments will have to take into account differences in the size of institutions through the use of ratios. For example, the ratio of students to courses on BlueBrick.ie will overcome scale differences between institutions;

n the currently incomplete coverage of the higher education system in terms of the use of Special Purpose and Minor Awards; and

n measures to measure more effectively internal inputs (within institutions) that help moves towards more flexible delivery.

ReferencesEU (2008) Joint Employment Report 2007/2008. Brussels.

Globerson, S. (1985) ‘Issues in developing a performance-criteria system for an organisation’, International Journal of Production Research 23(4): 639–646. In: Neely, Gregory and Platts (1995): 80–116.

HETAC (Higher Education and Training Awards Council, Ireland) (2008) Policy and Draft Guidelines on Minor, Special Purpose and Supplemental Awards. Dublin: HETAC.

Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P. (1992) ‘The balanced scorecard – measures that drive performance’, Harvard Business Review January–February: 71–79. In: Neely, Gregory and Platts (1995): 80–116.

Mills, J., Platts, K., Richards, H., Gregory, M., Bourne, M. and Kennerley, M. (2000) ‘Performance-measurement system design: developing and testing a process-based approach’, International Journal of Operations and Production Management 20(10): 1119–1145.

Neely, A., Gregory, M. and Platts, K. (1995) ‘Performance-measurement system design. A literature review and research agenda’, International Journal of Operations and Production Management 14(4): 80–116.

NQAI (National Qualifications Authority of Ireland) (2003) Policies and Criteria for the Establishment of the National Framework of Qualifications. Dublin: NQAI.

O’Connell, J., Clancy, D. and McCoy, S. (2006) Who Went to College in 2004? A National Survey of New Entrants to Higher Education. Dublin: Higher Education Authority.

Pollitt, C. and Bouckaert, G. (2000) Public Management Reform. A Comparative Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pollitt, C., Harrison, S., Bal, R., Dowswell, G. and Jerak, S. (2007) ‘Conceptualising the development of performance-measurement systems’, paper submitted to EGPA Study Group on Performance and Quality.

Thorn, R., McLoughin, R. and Glynn, R. (2010) ‘The learner, the market, the academy – new insights, new approaches’, paper presented to the European Association of Institutional Research Conference ‘Linking Society and Universities: New Missions for Universities’ in Valencia, Spain, 1–4 September 2010.

Table 1 Checklist criteria for performance-measurement system design – fixed to flexible learning

Criterion number

Criterion

1 Have the institutions in the system participated in the process of choosing the measures?

2 Does the system chosen provide a balance of information to the key stakeholders, namely learner, funder and institution?

3 Do the measures chosen relate to the specific objective of increasing the amount of flexible learning?

4 Are the measures chosen objective and quantitative in nature, and are they clearly defined?

5 Do the measures chosen meet the necessary empirical research characteristics of validity, reliability and generalisability?

6 Are the measures chosen under the control of the institutions that comprise the system?

11

Table 2 Measures chosen, their characteristics/features and criteria satisfied

Measure Characteristics/features Criteria satisfied

Number of part-time higher education students expressed as a percentage change

There is no agreed definition of a ‘flexible’ student but the Higher Education Authority (HEA) gathers statistics on a biannual basis from higher education institutions including ‘part-time’ students; these are students (other than full-time students) attending intramural courses extending over at least a full academic year and leading to a university-level award. There is also a category of ‘occasional’ students which includes individuals taking modules for their own interests, students attending access courses that teach study skills, and students taking qualifying courses for admission to postgraduate study. Within the IoTs, occasional HE awards include Minor, Supplemental and Special Purpose Awards, and professional training qualifications; these are taken on a part-time basis.

Clearly students who fall into these categories are studying on a ‘flexible’ basis in that they are picking and choosing study options to suit themselves. The rationale for selecting this measure is that if these numbers grow then the system is experiencing an increase in flexible learning activity.

The central project team takes these data direct from the HEA’s database.

2 (collectively with the other measures), 3, 4, 5, 6

Number of Special Purpose and Minor Awards registered for the system

Special Purpose and Minor Awards are awards placed in the Irish framework of qualifications. Special Purpose Awards are defined as meeting relatively narrow, legislative, regulatory, economic, social or personal learning requirements (HETAC, 2008). They are specifically to cater for people who wish to set about gaining knowledge, skills or competence in a flexible, cumulative way. Minor awards are defined as multipurpose awards that are part of a major award (e.g. Honours Degree) and have relevance in their own right (HETAC, 2008). In respect of minor awards NQAI (2003) notes ‘Minor award-types may contribute towards the accumulation of credit for major award-types.’

The institutes validate their own Special Purpose and Minor Awards under delegated authority, but are obliged to return data on the awards generated to the Higher Education and Training Awards Council. Because of the nature of the purpose for which these awards are generated (i.e. to meet learner requirements for progression and specific educational developments), it is argued that an increasing provision of these awards is an indication that the internal course-development and academic-approval systems are increasingly designing more flexible course offerings. The criterion of validity, reliability and generalisability is valid for the Institutes of Technology, but generalisability may not apply for the universities if the project is extended to them, since they do not tend to use Special Purpose and Minor Awards.

The central team gather the data from HETAC directly.

2 (collectively with the other measures), 3, 4, 6

Number of educational offerings on www.BlueBrick.ie

The portal developed by the project has been specifically developed to meet the needs of the learner. The institutes have direct control of the placement and removal of module information on BlueBrick. Increases or decreases in the number of courses on BlueBrick.ie are taken as a direct measure of market responsiveness, given the purpose of BlueBrick. Data on the number of educational offerings can be taken directly from the website.

2 (collectively with the other measures), 3, 4, 5, 6

Number of staff trained in flexible delivery methods in the institutions in the system

This is a self-reported measure that is submitted as part of each institute’s annual operational plan review process. An increase in the number of staff trained in flexible delivery is taken to indicate an increase in interest in the development of flexibly delivered programmes, which can, in turn, be measured by the number of Special Purpose and Minor Awards approved.

3, 6

12

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

20112010200920082007

No.

of a

war

ds

Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9

Figure 1a Cumulative Special Purpose Awards in the system (Data provided by Higher Education and Training Awards Council)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

20112010200920082007

No.

of a

war

ds

Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9

Figure 1b Cumulative Minor Awards in the system (Data provided by Higher Education and Training Awards Council)

Table 3 The number of part-time higher education students expressed as a percentage change between 2005/2006 and 2010/2011 (data from Higher Education Authority database)

2010/2011 2009/2010 2008/2009 2007/2008 2006/2007 2005/2006 % change

Full-time

Part-time

Full-time

Part-time

Full-time

Part-time

Full-time

Part-time

Full-time

Part-time

Full-time

Part-time

Full-time

Part-time

62,885 15,495 59,832 15,445 54,464 15,025 51,572 15,909 52,842 14,544 52,229 15,200

80% 20% 79% 21% 78% 22% 76% 24% 78% 22% 77% 23% 20 2

Table 4 The number of ‘Distance’ and ‘e-Learning’ students between 2008/2009 and 2010/2011 (data from Higher Education Authority database)

e-Learning

2010/2011 2009/2010 2008/2009

595 539 478

Distance

2010/2011 2009/2010 2008/2009

1,086 923 726

13

IntroductionIn educational research the term ‘flexible learning’ is used interchangeably with ‘open learning’, ‘distance learning’, and ‘lifelong learning’, as well as serving as an umbrella term for a plethora of modes of delivery variously referred to as e-learning, blended learning, personalised learning, and web-based learning. These terms designate ‘approaches that focus on opening access to education and training provision, freeing learners from the constraints of time and place and offering flexible learning opportunities to individuals and groups of learners’ (UNESCO, 2002). Flexible learning facilitates the lifelong learning of adults through modes of delivery that enable the student to accommodate other commitments.

As Knapper and Cropley note, the idea of lifelong learning is ‘by no means new’ since ‘it is found in ancient writings and was emphasised in the works of […] educational theorists such as Comenius and Matthew Arnold’ (Knapper & Cropley, 2000). In modern times, the important role that higher education institutions have played in the provision of part-time learning opportunities for adults stretches back to the early nineteenth century when, in London in 1823, Dr. George Birkbeck founded the first Mechanics’ Institution ‘to provide [education] for persons who are engaged in earning their livelihood during the daytime’.1 However, it was not until 100 years later when, in 1920, Birkbeck’s Institution became a School of the University of London dedicated to the teaching of evening and part-time students, that the concept of lifelong learning was clearly articulated. By this time correspondence courses had proliferated and, since the late nineteenth century, had served as the primary means by which adults acquired education (UNESCO, 2002). In 1919, a seminal report by the British Ministry of Reconstruction’s Adult Education Committee concluded that ‘adult education must not be regarded as a luxury for a few exceptional persons here and there, nor as a thing which concerns only a short span of early manhood’, but rather that it is ‘a permanent national necessity, an inseparable aspect of citizenship, and therefore should be both universal and lifelong’ (Ministry of Reconstruction, 1919). The further development of the concept through Eduard Lindeman’s classic text, The Meaning of Adult Education (1926) and that of his contemporary, Basil Yeaxlee, Lifelong Education (1929), led to the expansion of provision of adult education across the developed world (UNESCO, 2002; Lindeman, 1989; Yeaxlee, 1929).

However, it was not until the 1970s that higher education institutions began to play a major role in the delivery of part-time and flexible course provision, and that the concept of lifelong learning became common currency internationally. As the emergence of the ‘knowledge economy’ heightened expectations that higher education institutions would engage with socio-economic challenges, lifelong learning assumed new importance as an educational policy, championed by UNESCO in its Learning To Be report of 1972 and enacted through the foundation of the Open University in the preceding year (Faure, 1972). Gestated throughout the 1960s by the BBC and the British Ministry of Education as a ‘University of the Air’,2 the Open University marked the start of a new era in open and distance learning in which a range of technologies – terrestrial, satellite, and cable television and radio – were utilised ‘to deliver live or recorded lectures to both individual home-based learners and groups of learners in remote classrooms’ with ‘limited audio or video-conferencing links back to the lecturer or a moderator at a central point’. It also ‘provided the model for the integrated multimedia systems approach to the delivery of higher education by a single mode university […] that has been emulated in more than a score of countries’ (UNESCO, 2002).

By the 1990s the mode of delivery was transformed once again by the advent of the internet, which opened up possibilities for open and distance learning previously unimagined. These possibilities were highlighted in Jacques Delors’ landmark report to UNESCO, Learning: the Treasure Within, of 1996 (Delors, 1996) – the year designated ‘European Year of Lifelong Learning’.3 Since the mid-1990s the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies has further revolutionised access to learning, both on a full-time and part-time basis, the distinction between which is increasingly blurred as e-learning and blended learning facilitate the delivery of programmes at students’ own pace. The use of interactive social media, as well as of podcasting and video-casting, creates a distance-learning experience that closely simulates on-campus provision (HEA, 2009b).

Within the Irish context a keen appreciation of the importance of lifelong learning in the context of the ‘knowledge society’ has been articulated in a wide range of reports since the 1990s (CORI, 1999; Department of Education and Science, 2000; Information Society Ireland, 1999). In recent decades Ireland has moved rapidly up the ranks of OECD countries in terms of the higher educational attainment levels of the adult population. Moreover with ‘a comprehensive architecture for learning

Advancing Flexible Learning through the Strategic Innovation FundAbigail Chantler and Muiris O’Connor, Higher Education Authority

1 The History of Birkbeck’, www.bbk.ac.uk/about-us/history.

2 ‘History of the OU’, www8.open.ac.uk/about/main/the-ou-explained/history-the-ou.

3 http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/education_training_youth/lifelong_learning/c11024_en.htm.

14

in place through the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)’, Ireland is also advanced in the implementation of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) that is a key component of the Bologna Process (HEA, 2009b). Yet notwithstanding these achievements, historically there has been very limited provision of part-time and flexible learning opportunities at undergraduate level, restricting access to higher education for working adults and for adults with caring responsibilities, as well as for school-leavers who want or need to combine study with paid employment (HEA, 2008). Thus while the institutes of technology in particular have endeavoured to cater for the learning needs of adults through the delivery of evening courses – and DCU’s Oscail has, since 1982, offered programmes via distance learning – overall the Irish higher education system has been ill-equipped to address the evolving educational needs of the workforce.

However, in recent years Ireland has taken great strides in advancing the flexible learning agenda. The National Development Plan 2007–2013 called for ‘a greater flexibility of course offerings to meet diverse student population needs in a lifelong learning context’ (Irish Government, 2007) – an ambition that has been advanced through the Higher Education Authority’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).4 This is illustrated by the progress made through the IOTI’s ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project in this area of crucial importance to economic renewal.

The Strategic Innovation FundThe Strategic Innovation Fund was first announced in April 2005 in response to the OECD’s Review of Higher Education in Ireland (2004), which called for a ‘quantum leap’ in investment in higher education and recommended that there should be ‘a Strategic Investment Fund for National Priorities along the lines of the PRTLI [Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions]’ (OECD, 2004). The implementation of this recommendation through the creation of the SIF provided the Government with a mechanism for the support of innovation and strategic change across the higher education sector. As a multi-annual fund of €510 million to be allocated on a competitive basis throughout the course of the National Development Plan (NDP), (2007–2013), the SIF was conceived as a means by which institutions could develop their capabilities in a range of areas of critical importance to their core missions (Irish Government, 2007). Specifically the programme had the following main objectives:

n to enhance the delivery of education and research;

n to prepare for the expansion and development of postgraduate education;

n to support innovation and quality improvement in teaching and learning; and

n to support access, retention and progression.

The broad range of objectives of the fund has to be understood within the context of the stage of development of the Irish higher education system in 2006 – the year in which the programme commenced. The SIF was designed to increase institutions’ capacity and their responsiveness to the needs of the wider economy and society, and to enable them to rise collectively to the challenges posed by an increasingly competitive global market-place for higher education. The SIF was also devised as a source of targeted investment in teaching and learning, addressing a perceived imbalance in this area vis-à-vis research investment. Indeed this was the first significant competitive funding available to the institutes of technology to support innovation in teaching and learning and the promotion of equity of access to higher education.5

One of the most distinctive features of the SIF is the emphasis on inter-institutional collaboration and on the alignment of institutional strategies with national priorities. Building on a trend first supported by the PRTLI, the SIF has contributed to a broadening and deepening of collaboration within the higher education sector. In terms of programme outcomes, projects funded through the SIF have contributed to advances in Irish higher education across a wide range of areas. Flexible course provision, the recognition of work-based learning and prior learning, the enhancement of engagement with enterprise and the development of regionally coherent approaches to improve access to higher education are among the many achievements of SIF projects. The development and expansion of graduate schools has been significantly advanced through the SIF and the fund has also made an important contribution to re-structuring and change management within and between higher education institutions in recent years. The SIF has facilitated the consolidation of partnerships at regional level and has led to the emergence of a number of developments which enhance the collective identity and quality of the system as a whole.6

Given the innovative nature of the SIF as a funding mechanism and the clear strategic advantages that have accrued to the sector as a result of SIF investment, it is unfortunate that, since late 2008, fiscal constraints have precipitated significant reductions in the allocation of SIF funds.7 However, despite the adverse

4 Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) www.hea.ie/en/sif.

5 Prior to the launch of the SIF, the HEA’s Targeted Initiatives and Strategic Initiatives had, since 2000, provided the universities with a decade of modest but very effective investment in centres of excellence for teaching and learning and academic professional development, and in the promotion of equity of access to higher education. The funding for these initiatives was top-sliced from the core budget for higher education.

6 The National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (www.nairtl.ie), LIN’s Academic Professional Development programmes (www.lin.ie), and the IUA’s national online repository for Irish research (www.rian.ie) provide a rich sense of the collaborations achieved under Cycle 1 of the SIF. Similarly the Shannon Consortium (www.ul.ie/shannonconsortium) and, more recently, the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance (www.drhea.ie) illustrate the deepening of cooperation on a regional basis which has emerged through the SIF.

7 Of the €510 million initially anticipated for the SIF, a total of €90.8 million was allocated to higher education institutions up to December 2011, when all SIF funding to stand-alone SIF projects ceased. An additional €4 million has been confirmed for 2012, which will be used to support the establishment of national platforms emergent from the SIF in areas of strategic importance. Whilst the effect of these reductions on projects funded under SIF Cycle 2, which commenced in late 2008, has been severe, the effect on Cycle 1 projects was mitigated by their earlier start date in 2006.

15

economic circumstances in which much SIF activity has been undertaken, institutions have demonstrated a high level of commitment to the objectives of their SIF proposals and have managed to leverage significant change in key areas of activity. As the Report of the SIF Evaluation acknowledges, the achievements of the SIF projects have been impressive and a wide range of direct and indirect benefits to the economy having been reaped from the programme (Davies, 2010). Underpinned by innovation in teaching and learning, the up-skilling, flexible learning, and access objectives of the SIF are vital to the higher education sector’s contribution to national economic renewal.

The collaborative spirit that has been a hallmark of the SIF is key to the emergence of the more efficient higher education sector that the current economic exigency necessitates. In particular, SIF collaborations provide a valuable blue-print for the development of the regional clusters that, as envisaged in the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, will be a key characteristic of the higher education landscape in the years to come (DES, 2011; HEA, 2012). Such collaboration will also ensure that the system-level efficiencies, the rationalisation of course provision and the joint-development and delivery of new programmes is optimised.8 Pooling resources, sharing ideas, establishing networks, and preventing wasteful duplication are all critical to ensure that Ireland’s higher education institutions thrive in the competitive, global environment of the twenty-first century.

The independent evaluation of the SIF undertaken by Gordon Davies was an objective and candid review of the programme that provided the HEA with a focus for the management of the declining resources available. Davies’ Report of the SIF Evaluation acknowledged the substantial achievements of the programme across the range of core objectives of the Fund. Whilst complimenting the improvement in institutions’ strategic planning and steering that has been achieved through the SIF, Davies suggested that the definition of SIF project objectives and performance indicators warranted improvement, with the clearer articulation of expected outputs and outcomes at a project’s commencement facilitating the assessment of its success on its conclusion. The Report of the SIF Evaluation called for the consolidation and mainstreaming of SIF activity and for the aggregation of projects and initiatives on a cross-thematic basis. In accordance with these recommendations, the HEA is targeting remaining SIF investments into teaching and learning and external engagement in order to foster the transition towards the formation of national platforms in these areas of strategic importance. This targeted investment will optimise the benefit of SIF investment for the sector.

Flexible Learning in Irish Higher EducationAdvancing the flexible learning agenda in Irish higher education is crucial to meeting the continually evolving skills needs of the economy. Ireland’s capacity to attract high-value-added investment and to create high-skilled jobs – both in indigenous enterprise and via foreign direct investment – depends on the quality, responsiveness, and adaptability of the Irish workforce, and particularly of Irish graduates. A recent survey of foreign direct investors in Ireland by the Economist Intelligence Unit concluded that Ireland’s educated and skilled workforce remains one of the country’s key competitive advantages ‘that is likely to grow in importance as skills-driven international services comprise a larger share of trade and investment’ (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2012). In order to provide the highly skilled, innovative, and creative manpower that industry demands, our universities and institutes of technology will need to cater for a rise in demand for higher education learning opportunities from an increasingly diverse student cohort including mature students, international students, and postgraduates (DES, 2011). These students from a range of backgrounds, of different ages and nationalities, and of different levels of educational attainment will require access to high-quality learning that will enable them to build progressively on their knowledge and experience. The National Skills Strategy of 2007 recommended that 500,000 of Ireland’s workers should move up one level on the National Framework of Qualifications by 2020 – a goal that is even more vital in today’s economic circumstances (Forfás, 2007).

Expanding and increasing the flexibility of programme provision in Irish higher education undoubtedly presents challenges for the sector, especially at a time of declining resources; and some system-level changes will be crucial to enabling institutions to meet these challenges. In particular, the HEA is cognisant of the extent to which the flexibility and responsiveness of the sector to date has been impeded by the lack of parity in the public funding of full-time and part-time courses. To address this, changes to the mechanism through which this funding is administered have now been instigated, and will incentivise institutions’ flexible delivery of programmes. The modularisation and semesterisation of all programmes of study, and the development of module descriptors and subject guidelines in terms of the learning outcomes required at each level of the NFQ, will also be vital to enable students to progressively advance their learning while moving in and out of higher education throughout their lives. Academic employment contracts will need to reflect a broader concept of the academic year and timetable to support the flexibility, adaptability, and mobility of staff; and there will need to be greater coordination of management information and online delivery systems across the sector.9 Institutional leadership will be vital to incentivise ‘the development, provision, delivery and assessment of flexible courses and modules’ (HEA, 2009b).

8 As the first financial shared services model to be utilised within Irish higher education, the Shannon Consortium’s Procurement Network exemplifies the system-level efficiencies achieved through the SIF. The Procurement Network has employed ‘best practice’ procurement tools to assist partners in maximising in an environmentally sustainable way expenditure on goods and services, and is also illustrative of the value of the wider institutional restructuring processes that the SIF has facilitated. As Davies acknowledges, ‘SIF has enabled higher education institutions to restructure academic and administrative processes, streamline management and governance structures, clarify roles, and delegate responsibility to appropriate levels’. Davies, Report of the SIF Evaluation, 9.

9 DES, National Strategy, 120.

16

While system-level developments will be essential to the advancement of the flexible learning agenda, it is technology that provides the key to addressing the considerable challenges facing the sector in transforming programme provision to meet the up-skilling needs of the economy and society (UNESCO, 2002). As Peter Bradwell has observed:

Technology is at the heart of this story of institutional change. Universities are now just one source among many for ideas, knowledge and innovation, that seems to threaten their core position and role, but in this new world of learning and research, there are also great opportunities. The internet, social networks, collaborative online tools that allow people to work together more easily, and open access to content are both the cause of change for universities, and a tool with which they can respond. (Bradwell, 2009)

E-learning is a key element of the broader shift towards the greater flexibility and responsiveness in the delivery of higher education. It facilitates programme provision that is transcendent of the limitations of time and space, and that overcomes the geographical and logistical hurdles that all too often militate against participation in higher education to make it more socially inclusive. Flexibility of provision is vital to widening access to higher education and to the broader responsiveness to the needs of the wider community and society that is integral to the mission of the sector (HEA, 2008). It also facilitates the delivery of courses on an inter-institutional basis and in partnership with community stakeholders and employers. As UNESCO remark, ‘for the student/learner open and distance learning means increased access and flexibility as well as the combination of work and education’; ‘for employers it offers high-quality and usually cost-effective professional development in the workplace’; and ‘for governments the main potential is to increase the capacity and cost-effectiveness of education and training systems, to reach target groups with limited access to conventional education and training’ (UNESCO, 2002).

Moreover, engagement with new teaching and learning technologies – and particularly Web 2.0 technologies – facilitates pedagogical innovation that can significantly enhance the student learning experience. Utilisation of social media, wikis, blogs, podcasting, and screen-casting can help ‘bring to the fore [students’] understanding and actively engage them in a communal discourse of what they already know’, thereby fostering their integration into the inclusive learning communities that Vincent Tinto has famously championed as the key to student retention in higher education (Tinto, 2003). E-learning can play an important role in providing an active learning experience that will ‘nurture in students the creativity, enthusiasm and skills required for continual engagement with learning’, as well as the technological literacy, critical thinking, communications, and team-working skills that are essential for the twenty-first-century graduate (DES, 2011). With the enhanced availability of open educational resources (OER), teaching and learning technologies foster the democratisation of learning,

challenging the absolute authority of the academic as the arbiter of knowledge, de-centering the instructor, and actively involving the student in the process of knowledge-creation (Hollander, Saltmarsh, & Zlotkowski, 2002).

BlueBrick.ieThe Strategic Innovation Fund has made a contribution to the advancement of the flexible learning agenda in Irish higher education, particularly in the institutes of technology. One of the greatest legacies of the SIF will be that it has created a sustainable, cost-effective legacy in teaching and learning capability – capability on which the advancement of the flexible learning agenda depends. This is evident in the prioritisation of innovation in teaching and learning under the fund. The SIF has also assisted in terms of the technological underpinnings and the crucial support for relevant continuing professional development. For example, the University of Limerick’s Individualised Digitalised Educational Advisory System (IDEAS) project provided the technological infrastructure on which the IOTI’s BlueBrick.ie portal was subsequently based. The IOTI’s SIF 2-funded ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project has enabled the institutes of technology to enhance their capacity to deliver e-learning (through the reform of internal systems and processes as well as through the development of supports for staff and students), and thereby to build on their strong track-record in the delivery of part-time education within a twenty-first-century global context. While much of this reform has been at institutional level, the collective endeavour that the SIF has engendered has ensured that the development of e-learning and flexible learning has been transcendent of institutional boundaries.

The BlueBrick.ie online portal is a key output of the IOTI’s ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project – and one of the most impressive outputs of Cycle 2 of the SIF.10 As a web-based admissions portal which enables prospective students to search and apply for a range of courses offered on a flexible basis in the institutes of technology, it epitomises the system-wide enhancement and modernisation that the SIF has facilitated. Described by Davies as ‘a first step toward establishing genuinely flexible learning so changes in institutional management and ways of teaching will enable more people to study more subjects, in more ways, at more institutions, and on more varied schedules’, Bluebrick.ie bears testimony to the progress made in the expansion of flexible programme provision in recent years (Davies, 2010). It provides the foundation for the establishment of a comprehensive portal for part-time and flexible learning in higher education in Ireland which will complement the entry system operated for full-time undergraduate programmes by the Central Applications Office (CAO).

10 www.bluebrick.ie.

17

Since May 2011 the BlueBrick.ie portal has played a vital role in hosting the HEA’s Springboard labour-market activation initiative, which has provided 5,875 free places on part-time higher education programmes, from certificate to master’s level, to unemployed citizens.11 As a means of enabling job-seekers to re-skill and up-skill in growth areas while retaining their income support and continuing their search for employment, the Springboard initiative is central to the Government’s strategy for economic recovery.12 Its re-launch in 2012 is testimony to its success and to the continued responsiveness of the higher education sector to the evolving skills needs of the economy. Most recently the BlueBrick.ie portal has also hosted the HEA’s ICT Skills Programme through which free places are being provided on level 8 graduate conversion programmes in ICT around the country.13 Designed to address the deficit in high-level ICT skills in Ireland, and delivered in partnership with industry, these courses equip graduates of cognate disciplines with core computing and programming skills, as well as offering a range of specialisations in niche areas of growth potential such as cloud computing and web development.

As the host of both the Springboard initiative and the ICT Skills Programme, BlueBrick.ie is serving as a shared service platform that advances effectively a number of strategic national priorities – the flexible and innovative delivery of higher education to meet the needs of all learners, as well as the up-skilling and re-skilling of the unemployed. That, through its involvement with these initiatives, it has been extended to provide coverage of programmes offered in the university sector is illustrative of its great potential as a system-wide infrastructure. The IOTI’s ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project has therefore made a very tangible contribution to the advancement of the flexible learning agenda, both in terms of increasing the institutes’ capacity for the delivery of programmes on a flexible basis and in terms of the provision of system-level infrastructure to support this.

Flexibility of provision is ‘a key indicator of the responsiveness of Irish higher education to Irish society’, and will be central to the development of the sector in the years to come (HEA, 2009a). The adoption of new and innovative approaches to programme provision will be essential to bring an increasing number of citizens up to the skill and competence levels associated with high levels of educational achievement. That engagement with new technologies will also be vital to the internationalisation of Irish higher education, and to its success in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, and is illustrated by the increasing importance that Webometrics have assumed in recent years.14 The IOTI’s ‘Supported Flexible Learning’ project – and the SIF more broadly – provides a firm foundation on which to build. The strategic reflection, honest assessment of capabilities, and collective engagement with common challenges that has characterised the Strategic Innovation Fund will be of critical importance in ensuring the system’s external responsiveness and adaptability to change in the coming years.

ReferencesBradwell, P. (2009). The Edgeless University: Why Higher Education Must Embrace Technology. London: Demos.

CORI (1999). Conference of Religious of Ireland, Social Transformation and Lifelong Learning. Dublin: CORI.

Davies, G. K. (2010). Report of the SIF Evaluation. Dublin: HEA.

Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The Treasure Within: Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.

Department of Education and Science (2000). Learning for Life: White Paper on Adult Education. Dublin: Stationery Office.

Department of Education and Skills, ICT Action Plan (Dublin, 2012), www.hea.ie/files/ICT_AP.pdf.

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Action Plan for Jobs 2012 (Dublin: DJEI, 2012), www.djei.ie/publications/2012APJ.pdf.

Economist Intelligence Unit (2012). Investing in Ireland: A Survey of Foreign Direct Investors. The Economist, 22.

Faure, E. (1972). Learning To Be: The World of Education Today and Tomorrow. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.

Forfás (2007). Tomorrow’s Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy, 5th Report. Dublin: Expert Group on Future Skills Needs.

HEA (2009a). ‘Submission to the Higher Education Strategy Group’. Higher Education Authority.

HEA (2009b). Open and Flexible Learning, HEA position paper. Dublin: HEA.

HEA (2008). National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2008–2013. Dublin: HEA.

HEA (2012). Towards a Future Higher Education Landscape, Process and Criteria for Designation as a Technological University, and Guidelines on Regional Clusters. Dublin: HEA.

Hollander, E., Saltmarsh, J., & Zlotkowski, E. (2002). Indicators of Engagement. In M. Kenny, L. Simon, K. Kiley-Brabeck, & R. Lerner, Learning to Serve: Promoting Civil Society Through Service Learning, (pp. 31-49). Boston: Kluwer Academic publishers.

Department of Education and Skills, DES (2011). National Strategy for Higher Education in Ireland 2011-2030. Dublin: HEA.

Information Society Ireland (1999). Building a Capacity for Change: Lifelong Learning in the Information Society. Dublin: Stationery Office.

11 www.bluebrick.ie/springboard.

12 See Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Action Plan for Jobs 2012 (Dublin: DJEI, 2012), www.djei.ie/publications/2012APJ.pdf.

13 See www.bluebrick.ie/ICTSkills. See also DES et al, ICT Action Plan (Dublin, 2012), www.hea.ie/files/ICT_AP.pdf.

14 www.webometrics.info. Since 2004, the biannual Webometrics Ranking has assessed higher education institutions’ presence and visibility on the internet.

18

Irish Government (2007). National Development Plan 2007–2013. Dublin: Irish Government, Stationery Office.

Knapper, C., & Cropley, A. (2000). Lifelong Learning in Higher Education, 3rd edn. London: Croom Helm.

Lindeman, E. (1989). The Meaning of Adult Education, 4th edn. Oklahoma: Oklahoma Research Centre for Continuing Professional and Higher Education.

Ministry of Reconstruction (1919). Final Report of the Adult Education Committee. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.

OECD (2004). Review of Higher Education in Ireland: Examiners’ Report. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from HEAnet: http://heatest-drupal6.heanet.ie/files/files/file/archive/policy/2006/OECD%20Examiners%20Report%20-%20Review%20of%20Higher%20Education%20in%20Ireland%20(2004).pdf.

Tinto, V. (2003). ‘Taking Student Retention Seriously: Rethinking the University of the Future’, lecture at the Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, 17th November 2003.

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

UNESCO (2002). Open and distance Learning; Trends, Policy and Strategy Considerations. Paris: UNESCO.

Yeaxlee, B. A. (1929). Lifelong Education. London: Cassell.

19

IntroductionThe preceding chapters in this section have considered the Supported Flexible Learning project in terms of the context within which it has been framed, the systems level impact in terms of specified performance measures and the introduction of a new approach to engaging with learners who wish to study in a more flexible manner; that is BlueBrick.ie. The chapters in the next two sections will deal with activity and impact at individual institution level. This chapter considers two categories of activity undertaken by the central project team, including those working on BlueBrick.ie, to support the activities of the institutes.

The first activity, described below in Direct Support of Institute Activity, took many forms: including identification of appropriate flexible learning software solutions, centrally provided training and the establishment of various networks.

The second activity, described under Publications and Projects, took two broad forms. First, those reflecting project activities and results in articles referenced in journals, conference proceedings and other publications. Second, because of the concentration of expertise within the IOTI offices, it was possible to undertake a small number of short projects not directly related to the Supported Flexible Learning project but of direct relevance.

Direct Support of Institute ActivityThe central team directly supported the work of the institutes in three ways:

Pedagogical software applications were identified and sourced, centralised rates were negotiated for group purchase and training and roll out was organised. Examples of educational software included in this activity are Mahara (e-portfolio) and Articulate (authoring software). Another significant activity was the overseeing of a tendering process for the design and roll out of a CRM application, built upon Microsoft Dynamics, which is currently active in a small number of institutes and available for wider roll out.

A wide range of training and development programmes were organised and run for individual institutions and groups of institutions. These programmes included the use of VLEs, e-assessment, various Google tools, technology-enhanced learning and group teaching.

Finally, the central team provided support in the development and management of a number of networks. In particular, with the completion of the SIF 1 sectoral project that included the establishment of a Learning Innovation Network (LIN), the ongoing maintenance of this network was assumed by the Supported Flexible Learning project. This network will continue to the end of the current project and, at the time of writing, is due to extend beyond the current project to the end of 2012.

Publications and ProjectsTwo broad areas of activity fall into this category.

First, it was decided early in the project that as significant blocks of work were completed they would be written up and prepared for publication. The rationale for this was twofold: to ensure that not all the writing up of activity be left to the end of the project and to reflect the fact that activity was taking place in and on behalf of academic institutions and that publications are a widely accepted measure of performance. See Appendix One for a full list of publications from the project. Included in this is a report prepared at an early stage of the project through a tendered process (Duggan and Oviedo, 2009). The meta-analysis of skills forecast data were considered an important source of intelligence for institutions planning their flexible learning provision. This significant report was also made available to various government agencies and educational bodies (e.g. FÁS and the VECs).

Second, the concentration of expertise and capacity as a result of the establishment of this project provided an opportunity to undertake separately funded but related projects.

Three such projects were undertaken.

The FLLLEX project, run by KH Leuven, Belgium, is addressing the challenges and implications of incorporating lifelong learning into European higher education institutions. The project (The Impact of Lifelong Learning Strategies on Professional Higher Education) is an EU-funded project under the Transversal Programme, Key Activity 1. It started on 1 January 2010 and will run until 31 August 2012. The consortium includes 24 partners from 10 European countries. The contribution from the flexible learning project was to undertake a meta-analysis of lifelong learning policies with a view to informing the development of an institutional self-assessment questionnaire. A significant report was published (Stokes and Thorn, 2010), also listed in the publications in Appendix One.

EURASHE, the representative organisation for non-university higher education in Europe, invited IOTI to participate in a Europe-wide study of short-cycle higher education (Level 5 on the European qualifications framework). Flexible learning project members were responsible for collecting and collating data but not for the final report (Short Cycle Higher Education in Europe Level 5: the Missing Link. Magda Kirsch and Yves Beernaert, 259pp. EURASHE, Belgium, 2011).

HETAC (the Higher Education Training and Awards Council) commissioned IOTI to develop an online training programme for quality assurance panellists and external examiners. The project involved identifying the knowledge, skills and competencies required by such individuals and developing a set of training materials to meet these learning outcomes.

ConclusionsWhilst much of the activity described in this section was not envisaged as part of the original project plan, it is clear from the above that the project had a range of positive, unintended consequences. Any future evaluation of the project would necessarily include these elements in the review.

Flexible Learning Capacity Building – a Perspective from the Central Project TeamDr Mark Glynn and Dr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland

20

Cleary, B., Connolly, C., Glynn, M., Thorn, R. and Murphy, E. (2011) Increasing opportunities for learners in Ireland, The Engineers Journal 65(2): 113.

Duggan, N. and Oviedo, A. (2009) Market and Skills Forecast Data Analysis for Flexible Delivery of Workforce Education Report, January 2009. 310pp.

Glynn, M. (2010) ‘Flexible Assessment in Undergraduate Chemistry’, paper presented to International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies in Barcelona, Spain, July 2010.

Glynn, M., Cleary, B., Connolly, C., Thorn, R. and Murphy, E. (2010) ‘A Technology for Flexible Learning Provision at the Institutes of Technology Ireland’, paper presented to International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies in Barcelona, Spain, July 2010.

Glynn, M., Maguire, T., Sheridan, I. and Thorn, R. (2010) ‘Proof of Concept of a National Modular Accreditation Programme‘, AISHE-C Annual Conference in Dublin City University, 26–27 August 2010.

Glynn, M., Oviedo-Garcia, A. and Thorn, R. (2010) ‘From Fixed to Flexible Learning – Measuring System Change in Irish Higher Education’, paper presented to European Association of Institutional Research Conference ‘Linking Society and Universities: New Missions for Universities’ in Valencia, Spain, 1–4 September 2010.

Stokes, A. and Thorn, R. (2010) FLLLEX Work Package 1: National Policies for the Implementation of Lifelong Learning.

Stokes, A., Thorn, R. and Glynn, M. (2010) ‘Institutional Planning for Flexible and Distance Learning – Contextualisation and Implementation’, paper presented to National Academy for the Integration of Teaching and Learning, International Bologna Summer School, Cork, July 2010.

Thorn, R. (2011) ‘Institutes of Technology in Ireland: Strategic Position, Workforce Education and Societal Need’, Administration 59(1): 69–76.

Thorn, R. and Glynn, M. (2010) ‘A Collaborative Network for Flexible Delivery of Higher Education in Ireland – Governance and Sustainability’, paper presented to UK and Ireland Higher Education and Institutional Research Network Conference ‘Institutional Research: Informing Institutional Enhancement, Practice and Strategy’ in Dublin City University, 29–30 June 2010.

Thorn, R. and Glynn, M. (2011) ‘The Use of Embedded Awards in the Irish National Framework of Qualifications to Promote Lifelong Learning’, paper presented to L5 Conference, Budapest, Hungary, January 2011.

Thorn, R. and Glynn, M. (2011) ‘Technology to Reach the Student and Meet Government Targets’, paper presented to UK and Ireland Higher Education and Institutional Research Network Conference on ‘Institutional Research, Planning and QA: Knowing to Improve What We Do’, Kingston University, London, 16–17 June 2011.

Thorn, R. and Glynn, M. (2011) ‘Technology Enhanced Learning: A Story from Higher Education in Ireland’, paper presented to International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Barcelona, July 2011.

Thorn, R., Glynn, M. and McLoughlin, R. (2010) ‘New Insights and Approaches to Lifelong Learning’, Technology Enhanced Learning: Quality of Teaching and Educational Reform, Communications in Computer and Information Science 73: 675.

Thorn, R., Glynn, M. and McLoughlin, R. (2010) ‘The Learner, the Market, the Academy – New Insights, New Approaches’, paper presented to European Association of Institutional Research Conference ‘Linking Society and Universities: New Missions for Universities’ in Valencia, Spain,1–4 September 2010.

Appendix One Publications from the Project

21

IntroductionThis case study explores the planning and execution of the online delivery of a Level 8 course as an alternative to the traditional face-to-face delivery method. The aim was to develop a best-practice approach to online delivery, with due consideration of the pedagogical and andragogical issues.

Our central research questions were:

1) Which technologies should be selected to facilitate online learning?

2) Which course design/redesign issues would arise?

3) What research methodology would be most appropriate to capture the learning experience and knowledge gained as the project progressed?

4) What impact would the blended-delivery approach have on the lecturers?

5) What impact would the blended-delivery approach have on the students?

Detailed description of the caseIn the context of the arrival of the strategic-innovation-funded flexible learning project, Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) decided to develop a process for conversion of existing face-to-face programmes for online/blended delivery. An action-research approach was adopted throughout the process, and an existing Level 8 programme from the School of Business – the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Accounting – was selected to be the pilot.

The objective of the programme is to provide an academic and theoretical foundation to part-qualified students or full members of professional accountancy bodies who have not already pursued a relevant degree qualification. It gave part-qualified professional accountancy students and members of professional accountancy bodies in Ireland the opportunity to gain a degree. As graduates, they would be able to compete more strongly in a competitive job market, with the graduates, the profession and the industry all benefitting from the programme.

Research approachAn Augmented Participatory Action Research approach was adopted as our methodology. Key stakeholders involved in the process included the head of department, lecturers, a learning technologist, IT support and the students themselves. At the beginning of the conversion process, the project team held several meetings to clearly define objectives and discuss/evaluate the available methods of delivery. These initial meetings constituted the Feasibility Phase of the project. This was followed by the programme delivery, a two-part Execution Phase (each part representing one of two semesters), and finally a Conclusion Phase. A simplified representation of the process is given in Figure 1 below.

The diagram below also identifies Toll Gates (TG) and Milestones (MS). Toll Gates are major decision points for Go/NoGo decisions, which may necessitate a partial repeat of the preceding phase. Milestones are scheduled meetings to evaluate preceding and plan following stages of the project.

Converting a Course for Online DeliveryDr Marc Cashin, Luke Fannon, Eoin Langan and Seamus Ryan Athlone Institute of Technology

Figure 1 Augmented Participatory Action Research approach

22

Based on this structured, systematic approach to delivering the pilot project, a Participatory Action Research methodology was used to ensure continuous improvement and enhance the learning experience of both the project team and the students. The generic Action Research approach, as presented by McNiff (2002), was augmented as described in the section below to exploit the project methodology synergies and embed an effective learning mechanism through each stage of the milestone review process at our team meetings.

The Action Research Model, which underpinned the pilot project, was synthesised with Shewhart’s Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) model (Shewhart, 1939) to create the Milestone Review Cycle shown in Figure 2. We abbreviated this to PDRA (Plan, Do, Reflect, Act).

PDCA, a mechanism enabling continuous improvement, was implemented in a spiral of increasing knowledge of the delivery system that converged on the ultimate goal, to deliver a completely online programme. Each milestone meeting, using the adapted PDRA process, completed an iterative cycle that reinforced the increasing level of knowledge among the team members as the project progressed.

The milestone review meetings also served as control mechanisms that mirror the Action Research Cycle, shown above in Figure 2. The synergy between these iterative processes is underlined in Carr and Kemmis (1986), who demonstrate the cyclical character shared by both Action Research and the milestone review meeting process of our project methodology.

The Feasibility PhaseThe BA in Applied Accounting was selected for a number of reasons:

1) There was demand in the market for the course.

2) The Business School had a tradition of delivering professional accounting courses and providing access to domain specialists.

3) The subjects on the course lent themselves to online delivery.

4) The material was theoretical in nature, which was considered to be more appropriate to this mode of delivery than quantitative-type material, since discussion could be used to elicit student knowledge and understanding of a topic.

There were several scheduled meetings in the Feasibility Phase. A project team was set up at TG0, which consisted of the head of department, a learning technologist, an IT support specialist and module domain experts (one for each module to be delivered). The first objective was to determine the appropriate project methodology. The learning technologist was given the task of identifying an appropriate mix of technologies to support the delivery of the modules.

The technology decisions were guided by considerations of effectiveness, cost and implementation time. A review of the literature was conducted, but most attention was paid to the advice of practitioners in other institutes. It was decided to use our existing Virtual Learning Environment (VLE): Moodle. This was because Moodle was already embedded in the institute, and lecturers and IT support staff were familiar with it. There was no evidence that the adoption of an alternative would offer sufficient benefits to cancel out these advantages.

Figure 2 Milestone Review Process mapped to the Action Research Cycle

Source: Adapted and modified from Carr and Kemmis (1986) by Dr M. Cashin (Cashin, 2008)

23

The choice of virtual classroom was more complex. AIT had previously adopted WIMBA as a virtual classroom for another project. It offered the putative advantage that it was integrated into Moodle. Our experience, however, was that it was complicated to use and insufficiently robust and reliable for our purposes. We looked at three alternatives in terms of cost and reported success in similar situations to ours, coming down in favour of Adobe Connect Pro (formerly Macromedia Breeze). Adobe had just revised their price structures to provide a ‘Named Host’ option that brought the cost down to a fraction of the price of its competitors. The feedback from colleagues in other institutions was that Adobe Connect Pro was also reliable and offered similar features to the alternatives.

Training for online delivery was provided to all the academic staff involved in using the technology. A team-constructivist approach to training was adopted, whereby weekly training sessions involving mock peer-to-peer lectures were delivered by all of the academic staff. This afforded a valuable learning experience. Having identified some minor issues following the training, the academic staff members were comfortable with moving on to the Execution Phase. Consideration was given to delivering the lectures off-campus, but for the initial phase of execution it was determined that, to avoid any technical problems, the AIT campus would be the best venue.

Course-design issues were also considered at this phase, incorporating a review of the learning outcomes and assessment strategy both at programme level and module level. While the original learning outcomes were only slightly modified, the assessment strategy was significantly altered to reflect the change in the mode of delivery. The design team felt that the assessment strategy should reflect the change in pedagogical approach. Core texts were revised so they would benefit from the availability to both academic staff and students of online instructive resources. These decisions were made at MS1, subsequent to which the project team tested and evaluated the effectiveness of these applications in terms of ease of use, flexibility and overall suitability for the chosen programme. This was given final approval at the TG1 MS2 meeting.

The original course was designed for the non-semesterised academic year, so – in order to align with the institute’s policy on semesterisation – this course was converted for delivery on a semesterised basis.

The Execution PhaseThe approved course schedule had two modules in Semester 1 (Human Resource Management, Corporate Governance) and three modules in Semester 2 (Strategic Management, Research Methods, Research Project). To assist learners, the Research Methods module was delivered in both semesters in order to provide sufficient time to prepare them for the Research Project. Delivery of the programme commenced on 25 September when the students attended AIT for induction on a Friday and Saturday. The aims of the induction were to help the students get to know each other and the academic staff, as well as overcoming some of the isolation concerns that can arise with online learning. The induction included sessions on team-building and familiarisation with the technology. Staff and students agreed on the times and dates of the synchronous lectures. The lectures commenced the following Monday and Tuesday evenings, and ran for 12 weeks in Semester 1. The Semester 1 examinations took place in December, before the Christmas break.

Learner support was provided by email and a weekly one-hour, timetabled telephone support service. Moderated forums in Moodle were provided for peer-to-peer support. For IT support, given this was the first time using the technology for online delivery and the potential consequences of technology failure, the team decided on a ‘belt-and-braces’ approach: an IT support specialist was to be on site for the synchronous delivery sessions, and a designated mobile phone was provided as a back channel for the students in case the technology failed. One form of support for learners that emerged during the semester was a learner-only online meeting room that facilitated learner interaction. This closed user-group became known as a kind of ‘virtual coffee dock’.

Programme board meetings were held at MS3 and MS4 to review progress and share experiences. The main points highlighted in MS3 and MS4 were that the technology worked well. The learners were comfortable using the technology and had engaged with the subject matter, but there was a tendency towards over-assessment, which added to the workload of both learners and staff. The level of IT support reduced gradually in line with academic staff’s growing confidence and competence in delivery online. The lack of face-to-face interaction posed challenges for academic staff, however. Lessons learnt from MS3 and MS4 were incorporated into the approach of the academic staff to Semester 2.

A second induction phase took place in early January, and lectures were held on Mondays and Wednesdays for 12 weeks. There were no final exams, as both the Semester 2 modules were 100% continuous assessment. The students had the option to submit their Research Project either at the end of June or the end of August. All students elected to submit at the end of August.

Programme board meetings were held again at MS5 and MS6 to review progress in Semester 1. Applying what was learnt at MS3 and MS4, the level of assessment in Semester 2 had been reduced and learners felt under less pressure. The original plan had been for a reduced workload in Semester 2 that would enable learners to engage with their research projects. At MS5 it was decided to trial off-campus delivery, and one of the lecturers duly delivered the synchronous lectures for Semester 2 from home. The instructional material for this lecture was preloaded while learners were on campus to make use of the campus bandwidth. There were no technical or support-related issues with this initiative.

The Conclusion PhaseThe learners submitted their Research Project at the end of August, representing the conclusion of the academic activities of the course. The online teaching had finished at the end of Semester 2 in mid-April. With no examination in Semester 2, learners were free to concentrate on their projects. MS7 marked the end of the PDRA process and learning from MS7 was discussed at the programme board meeting in September, which was used to reflect on the academic year from the viewpoint of the first venture into online delivery for the institute. MS7 marked the end of all activities, with academic staff backing up all the resources and Moodle content for future use. The learners were asked to complete the student feedback form, QA3, to give their responses to the year. This feedback was extremely positive, fully endorsing the mode of delivery.

24

A valuable learning experience? Our conclusionsA blended learning approach to education provision seems to provide a path to meeting many of the aspirations raised by the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (Hunt, 2011). The term ‘blended learning’ is, however, quite generic and can mean different things to different people. Bliuc (2007) argues that blended learning is most commonly defined, somewhat vaguely, as a mix of traditional and online methods of teaching. The article highlights in the literature a number of definitions that refer to a mix of media or pedagogies (Oliver and Trigwell, 2005; Driscoll, 2002; Singh, 2003). Significantly, Bliuc contends that ‘many studies on blended learning focus on the technological part whilst neglecting other aspects of the blend, and thus do not gain an understanding of how the technology fits in with and synergises with a greater whole’ (Bliuc, 2007).

It is important, therefore, to take a holistic view of the process of converting a traditional face-to-face course to online delivery. During the Feasibility Stage, technology dominated the conversation. It was vital to make good decisions in relation to the choice of technology and training on that technology. However, once the course got under way, the technology worked well and was no longer an issue. Non-technological issues such as assessment, student engagement, administration and cultural change came to the fore during the Execution Phase. Student feedback after the course was positive about the technology and the flexibility it offered, but the students were just as positive about the whole experience, including lecturer enthusiasm, communication, feedback and the learning that they gained.

As often happens when designing a new course (or updating an existing one), it is easy to over-assess students – as happened here in Semester 1. Pedagogical and andragogical issues arose in relation to teaching a class made up of adult learners. For example, lecturers faced the same issues around student engagement and eliciting knowledge as they would have had for a face-to-face delivery mode. The chat box and student microphones were two aspects of the technology that were very useful in these regards. As with any course, building student involvement and activities into classes is vital.

The experience was a challenging but successful one for the project team. There is a significant element of cultural change to be managed in relation to the delivery of an online course in an environment where face-to-face teaching is the norm. It is important to choose project team members who will work well together. It is more important for the lecturers to be learner-centred than technologically adept. The amount of time spent on non-timetabled student contact and administration is much greater than for a normal face-to-face course. Rules of conduct should be established in relation to communications, as the lack of face-to-face contact can cause problems around communication that might otherwise not arise. Consideration should be given to use of the VLEs as the only written communication device, as this will significantly cut down on administration.

One unexpected and significant input into the overall learning experience was the ‘virtual coffee dock’ – the student-only virtual classroom, where the class could meet informally. This arose out of informal contact between the students and the learning technologist. Students could ‘meet’ there by arrangement, which tended to happen after classes and was a significant help in the socialisation of the class.

Overall, this first venture into online delivery in Athlone Institute of Technology has been a considerable learning experience. It has provided valuable knowledge and experience that will be used as a model to inform future developments in the field of flexible learning (see checklist in Appendix 2).

ReferencesBliuc, A.-M., Goodyear, P. and Ellis, R.A. (2007) ‘Research focus and methodological choices in studies into students’ experiences of blended learning in higher education’, The Internet and Higher Education 10: 231–244.

Carr, W. and Kemmis, S. (1986) Becoming Critical: Education, Knowledge and Action Research. London: Falmer Press.

Cashin, M. (2008) The Development of Knowledge Management Roadmapping Processes to Support Work Based Learning in Organisations, a Strategic Framework. Doctoral Dissertation. Middlesex University.

Driscoll, M. (2002) Blended Learning: Let’s Get Beyond the Hype. Learning and Training Innovations. Retrieved on 14 October 2011 from www.ltinewsline.com/ltimagazine/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=11755.

Hunt, C. (2011) National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Dublin: HEA.

McNiff, J. (2002) Action Research for Professional Development. Retrieved on 25 January 2012 from www.jeanmcniff.com/ar-booklet.asp.

Oliver, M. and Trigwell, K. (2005) ‘Can “blended learning” be redeemed?’, E-learning 2(1): 17–26.

Shewhart, W.A. (1939) Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control. New York: Dover Publications.

Singh, H. (2003) ‘Building effective blended learning programs’, Educational Technology 43(6): 51–54.

Wadsworth, Y. (1998) What is Participatory Action Research? Action Research International, Paper 2.

25

Reflection on the inductionIt is important to create a relationship with the students early. More time should have been given for the individual lecturers to meet and get to know the students, as the limited number of hours each week and mode of delivery made it more difficult than normal to get to know students.

Informal/team-building exercises involving the lecturers and students together during induction might have helped.

Lecture structuren Lectures commenced on Monday, 28 September.

Human Resource Management (HRM), Corporate Governance (CG) and Research Methodology (RM) were taught in Semester 1. The classes took place on Monday and Tuesday evenings. HRM and CG were on Monday evenings 7:30–10 p.m. RM was taught on Tuesday evenings 6–8 p.m.

n All the CG classes took place from one of the IT labs in the institute.

n The Adobe Connect Pro classroom worked well. There were minor difficulties in the first three weeks with sound. However, the technology proved robust and easy to use, and the chat box and microphone facilities allowed a high degree of interactivity.

n The classes were based around a PowerPoint presentation that was linked to a chapter in their core text. Initially the students did not get a copy of the PowerPoint before class. However, they requested that they receive a copy before class, so that they could have a hard copy for notes.

n I chose to leave students’ microphones on during class, which allowed them to speak to me or each other during the class. I also used the chat box.

n I tried to use YouTube twice during classes, but it did not work well.

Reflection on the lecturesn The timing of the lectures went well. It was good to have

them early in the week, for both students and lecturers.

n It is vital to have a quiet room from which to deliver the lectures. I could not deliver from my office, as I share it with other lecturers. I did not feel confident delivering from home, due to broadband issues and there being no technical support at home.

n There was an element of fear in relation to the mode of delivery, coupled with the fact that the class was made up of qualified accountants. This resulted in me spending too much time trying to get comprehensive PowerPoint slides to cover the areas/chapters. I spent considerable time altering the PowerPoint slides that came with the book to relate them to an Irish context.

n Instead I should have pushed the work out to the students with regards to pre-reading and concentrated more on topical corporate governance issues in the news (see reflection on learning and teaching below). This would have made the lectures more interesting and allowed more input from the students.

n Lecturing using the online classroom was strange at the beginning, but I got used to it quickly. The Adobe Connect Pro technology was reliable and easy to use.

n The strangest feeling at the start was wondering if the students were still there, or if they could see what I could see on my screen. Posing frequent questions in the chat box allowed you to see if students were at the other end of the screen.

n Both the chat box and microphone facilities gave a high degree of interactivity to the classes. I think it was a good idea to leave the students’ microphones on the whole time. The level of interactivity increased as the semester progressed and students became familiar with each other, the technology and the lecturers.

n Other aspects of Adobe Connect Pro were not used. I tried the polls but did not find them useful.

n Should have experimented more with using YouTube and other options such as sharing my screen. When they did not work well in class I fell back on the tried and trusted PowerPoint option. It would have added more variety to the lecture if I had used some different options.

n Giving the classes was very draining, considerably more so than giving a normal class. This was discussed with the other lecturers and they also found this to be the case. There is much more focus on the lecturer with this mode of delivery. Perhaps this would change as experience increases and the classes are structured so as to increase student involvement. However, there was a great ‘buzz’ after classes that went particularly well.

Assessment structuren It was decided to have a consistent approach to

assessment for HRM and CG in Semester 1. Both modules went with 60% CA and 40% final exam.

n 20% written assignments for CG were due to be submitted at the end of Weeks 3, 6 and 10. These were run in parallel with a similar assignment workload for HRM, which had submission dates running a week ahead.

n For CG, the students had a 3,000-word written assignment due every three weeks. These written assignments were submitted via Moodle. This was running in parallel with the HRM module.

n Students were given the opportunity to submit a first draft ten days in advance of the final submission date for each assignment. These first drafts were emailed to the lecturer.

Appendix 1 Reflections from the project team

26

n Feedback on first drafts was given using the ‘comment’ facility on Microsoft Word and feedback was emailed to students.

n Feedback on each final assignment was given in the form of a % mark and a rubric that looked at the headings of ‘Knowledge & Understanding’, ‘Evidence & Analysis’, ‘Reading & Research’ and ‘Presentation’.

n The final exam was a three-hour exam, which was based on a case study that had been given to students two weeks before the exam.

Reflection on assessmentn Submission of assignments via Moodle was great for

administrative purposes. Using email to receive first drafts was much harder to manage administratively. All student work and student emails should be submitted/sent via Moodle. Nothing should come via email.

n There were too many assignments to do for the students (a written assignment every three weeks). It created a huge workload for both students and lecturers. If there were any more than eight students this amount of feedback and correction would have been unmanageable. However, the improvement in assignments between Assignment 1 and Assignment 3 was significant.

n Changes: reduce the number of assignments. Only give first-draft facility for the first two assignments. Use forums as an assessment tool, which would enable group discussion to take place and allow the students to learn from each other.

n The marking rubric was a very useful tool for feedback. It saved lecturer time and gave good feedback to the students at the same time.

n Final exam went well. Grades were consistent with CA averages.

Support structuren A technician from computer services was on duty

(dedicated to us) each night the lectures took place. This was invaluable, especially during the first number of weeks where he had to sort out minor technical problems at both the institute side and the student side. It was great to have someone who was helpful and knowledgeable.

n The learning technologist (LT) from the learning & teaching unit gave support in relation to choosing the online classroom technology and subsequent training and use of Adobe Connect Pro. The LT was always on hand to give support and was a huge help throughout the process.

Reflection on supportn The dedicated IT support was necessary for the first

number of weeks. It took at least until Week 5 or 6 to get rid of any glitches for the institute and the students.

n Picking the appropriate technology was vital. Adobe Connect Pro worked very well.

n Training of lecturers was vital. Perhaps we could have experimented more as a team during the semester to try new aspects of Adobe Connect Pro (as we became accustomed to the software). It is difficult to test new aspects on your own. However, given the amount of time we were devoting to preparation and administration work, it is doubtful that we would have had time for more training/experimentation.

Reflection on learning and teachingn Perhaps it would have been good to have more

involvement with the learning & teaching unit on how best to structure the course/assignments.

n Structure the classes and assignments so that students can demonstrate their considerable knowledge and experience. Forums would have been useful for this, given the mode of delivery. Group-based assignments could have been used. (Google Docs/Moodle ‘wikis’?)

n Setting some of the students to do a five-minute topical news review each week (or linking this week’s theory section to their work experience) would also have helped.

n Less PowerPoint slides, less of lecturer talking, more student involvement.

n All the students were ‘mature’/adult learners.

n Huge level of life and work experience.

n Busy lives, but the students did any work that they were asked to do.

Overall thoughtsn A challenging but ultimately very rewarding experience.

n A class of eight students with two hours face-to-face time took up considerably more time than a class of 120 students with six hours face-to-face time a week.

n More thought given to pedagogical and learning aspects in the planning stage may have resulted in a more enjoyable and better learning experience for both lecturer and student.

n Students (and lecturers) were over-assessed.

n The technology worked well and was not a major obstacle.

n Amount of administration time needed was under-estimated. There was a considerable amount of correspondence with most of the students in the class – easily 40 to 50 times more email and phone correspondence than would been required with a face-to-face class.

27

Things to consider Lessons from this project

Have you identified a suitable course?

Who are the academic staff selected to deliver the modules?

Have you considered the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that will support the online delivery?

Have you considered the technology for the delivery of the lectures online?

Have you considered the structure of the modules – which of them occur in Semester 1 and which in Semester 2?

What level of training will be provided to academic staff?

Have you reviewed the programme and module learning outcomes to ensure they are appropriate?

Have you developed a programme assessment strategy?

Have you developed a module assessment strategy?

Reviewing the resources, booklist etc. Choosing resources and books with online availability will provide ready-made materials for both academic staff and learners.

Have you got the level of IT support that is required? The support of an IT technician during the initial phase of delivery was invaluable to both staff and learners, as many of the issues resolved were on the student side. This support can be reduced to telephone support within a short period of time.

When will the lectures be delivered? This decision was left to the students at induction. It was suggested by the course director that it be certain nights, and this was agreeable to the students.

The induction process The induction process is a key element of the course for both learners and staff. It provides an opportunity for expectation-setting from both sides and is a key part of the socialisation for learners, given they will only meet face-to-face twice.

Appointment of a course director/co-ordinator The appointment of a course director is a key element of the service provided to learners. It creates a single point of contact for all learner-related queries.

Level of interaction between staff and learners outside lectures

We allowed for email support and availability of academic staff for telephone support for one hour per week. The telephone support proved very time-consuming – it could be limited to two to three times per semester rather than weekly.

Appendix 2 Checklist of things to consider when converting a course for online delivery

28

Institutional contextWhile Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) has a long tradition of incorporating e-learning in the delivery of programmes, this practice had been confined to a relatively small number of enthusiastic academic and administrative staff. In 2005, CIT undertook a detailed review to investigate the underlying issues faced by academic and administrative staff that were impeding a more widespread adoption of e-learning across the institute. The main issues raised by this review were the need to:

a) Upgrade the Learning Management System to an industry-standard platform.

b) Provide a secure hardware platform with an associated data-backup protocol.

c) Integrate the Learning Management System with the Institute Management Information System to ensure timely and efficient student enrolment on LMS classes.

d) Establish and implement a staff-development programme in technology-supported learning, consisting of a number of seminars and hands-on workshops combined with the development of a range of online resources.

e) Disseminate information regarding technology-supported learning to staff and students across the institute through a wide range of channels.

Utilising the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) together with institute resources, CIT committed a number of staff to lead and support a Teaching and Learning Unit initiative in the area of technology-supported learning. Under the ‘Education in Employment’ SIF Cycle 1 project, funds were secured to purchase the appropriate Dell PowerEdge servers, providing a secure hardware platform, and to upgrade from WebCT to Blackboard CE8. This hardware and software development was further supported by a structured commitment to accelerate the integration of the student records system. In an institution as large as CIT, it was clearly recognised that scalability would be dependent on such integration. One of the most significant outcomes of the SIF Cycle 2 IOTI-led flexible learning project was the commitment of appropriate technical resources to drive this integration.

The priorities of the institute in relation to the flexible learning project were informed by the existing structure and context for e-learning and related to:

n integration of Blackboard and Banner;

n wide communication of Blackboard and flexible learning generally;

n building of staff capability for e-learning;

n development of suitable support systems for Blackboard users;

n growth in staff- and student-user numbers across the entire learning provision;

n development of innovative uses of technology in learning.

The institute moved its Blackboard solution to a hosted environment in September 2010, resulting in updates and backups being overseen by the host provider. A considerable achievement of this development has been the technical integration of the Blackboard and Banner systems, essential to the institute-wide approach that CIT has adopted. The institute’s modularisation and semesterisation model includes a ‘free choice’ option for students, introducing an added complexity as registration must be considered at both a modular and a course level. However, this new integrated approach means students registering for a course or module are automatically entered as learners against the appropriate module on the Blackboard system.

Considerable effort, particularly on cross-listing, was necessary to ensure this level of integration. As the timetabling system was not integrated into the Banner system, a new system was developed allowing modules to be combined for a single class – the extract from this form then updates the Banner system. The script linking Blackboard and Banner runs every 15 minutes, ensuring information is up to date on both systems.

Providing appropriate support for staff and students was an integral part of the institute-wide approach. A range of specific training opportunities was made available to encourage and enable the integration of electronic support for teaching, learning and assessment programmes. The training courses offered included:

n Blackboard for New Users

n Technology-supported Learning

n Configuring Blackboard for Module Delivery

n Designing Assignments in Blackboard

n Managing Assignments in Blackboard

n GoogleApps – Technology to Support and Assist Teamwork

n Strategies to Foster Academic Honesty

n Copyright, Creative Commons and Open Resources

n Games for Learning

n Digital Images

The Impact on Student Learning of Investment in Technical Strategy – Embedding Blogs and Wikis into LearningAnna O’Donovan, Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan and Irene Sheridan Cork Institute of Technology

29

These training efforts have focused on the enhanced pedagogic opportunities provided by the appropriate use of electronic tools that reach beyond the use of a simple online ‘delivery’ learning management system. In addition to the training sessions, online support is available to staff and students through the Blackboard portal. This includes a series of PDF tutorials, frequently asked questions and a number of video tutorials on topics such as:

n Getting started

n Designing your course

n Maximising discussions

n Creating and managing content

n Using the grade book

n Creating and managing groups and assignments

n Creating and managing assessments

n Managing your course

n Safe assign tool

By adopting an institute-wide approach, all academic staff and students associated with the modules are now registered users with clear access to the Blackboard system. The impact of the work done across the institute as a whole is most evident in terms of increased usage of the Blackboard system, apparent through metrics such as system logins. In mid-2006, there were less than 15 lecturers using the WebCT system, but as the first semester of the 2011/2012 academic year was under way in early September, the Blackboard system was experiencing 1,500 logins a day. The use of the Blackboard system to support learning has now become the institute-wide norm for all learning, both full- and part-time.

Promotion of the Blackboard system has been disseminated through the normal staff communication channels, including emails, articles in the institute’s Learning City magazine, and academic papers and conferences. In this regard, CIT has been at the forefront of educational developments, recognising the scope of opportunities available to integrate technology into learning.

Another example is the CIT-led Roadmap for Employment-Academic Partnership (REAP). This project explored and communicated the use of an e-portfolio system to support and record workplace learning by students on undergraduate work placements. PebblePad is an e-portfolio system designed with the learner at the centre of the system. It provides scaffolding to help users create records of learning, achievement and aspiration, and has a reflective structure underpinning all of its core elements. The value of such a tool was highlighted particularly in relation to supporting the reflective element of practice-based learning. The most recent development in this area has been the launch of the Ed4Life structured PhD programme to support PhD education in the Life Sciences. This collaborative initiative between CIT, UCC and Teagasc incorporates PebblePad. Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan has been appointed Curriculum Development Manager of this innovative development in doctoral learning.

To exemplify the integration of emerging digital tools and their enormous potential for enhanced student engagement and learning, the institute has chosen for its case study a focus on the use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis to enhance the learning process.

Introduction to the case studyThe educational needs of learners have altered dramatically since the advent of Web 2.0. Lecture classes can no longer simply be a scripted delivery of information, but must exploit active tuition technologies to truly engage students on their own terms. The ‘tech-savvy’ nature of the current generation of students is often promoted as part of the rationale behind the thrust into online learning. Electronic communications are transforming the way work is done and reshaping personal communication. Such technology is not just another tool that can be quietly integrated into teaching; it represents a different category and mode of communication. Web 2.0 tools promote interactivity and discourse within the class. With the power of the internet, the teaching and learning process is exposed to enormous amounts of information that is attractive to teachers and pupils alike, and provides both with opportunities and challenges. The essential feature of e-learning is that it extends beyond the ability to collect and distribute information linearly; rather, it builds on communicative and interactive features to engage the student fully in the education process.

Literature reviewTeaching and learning in higher education are undergoing significant changes worldwide, and Ireland is no exception. There have been profound changes heralded by the integration of new technologies into the educational space. The availability of information, such as universal access to research databases, has had a major impact on the challenges facing students in assimilating and codifying knowledge.

At the outset, online learning seemed simply to offer universities significant economies of scale, along with the danger, as alluded to by Siemens (2006), that the educational experience would fade into the background while the focus was drawn instead to the substantial challenge of managing such a system. There is a view that online learning is a static mechanism, by which existing content can be delivered to students en masse. This sees a learning management system (LMS) as a system that focuses on ‘content delivery’ at the expense of learning development. Hotrum (2005) suggests that emerging web-based tools provide for dynamic, interactive and networked tuition. The potential of Web 2.0 tools to support active participation, sharing of knowledge and co-creation of new meaning is discussed by McLoughlin and Lee (2007), highlighting the effectiveness of these new tools to support greater learning autonomy.

In their research, Hannon and Tracey (2010) explore the ways in which learning technologies frame teaching practice. They conclude that there are three separate discourses that emerge: first, technology as a bridge to globalised opportunity; second, technology as a method of delivering education; third, technology as a tool for communication and building relationships for learning. This final discourse is seen as a means by which technology augments the educational interactions, while extending the pedagogical scope. The adoption of web-based learning tools has been enhanced by increased ease of access, reduced cost and the emergence of a net generation that is increasingly adept with evolving technologies. These factors point to a high expectation of interactivity through independent investigation and collaborative or peer-based learning.

30

Web-based learning provides integrated environments of various technologies to support the diverse needs of educators and pupils via the internet. These web-based products provide a comprehensive set of tools allowing instructors to upload class materials, syllabus guidelines and communication links. Assignments can be given and graded, and goals and deadlines set. The additional benefit of online teaching is two-way communication: the students can be emailed individually or in groups about administrative matters, they can be reminded about assessments, and all communications can be maintained and recorded.

The online management of student records, reports and assignment submission dates makes the educational use of technology significantly more convenient. The virtual classroom serves as a communication tool allowing real-time interaction between the lecturer and student, providing a forum where questions can be asked and answered and topics discussed among the students themselves. Tutors can participate and provide e-tutorials by agreeing set times at which they will be available online to discuss any issues or problems. These technological developments can also be used to structure and support reflection in the learning process.

The use of reflective journals as learning and assessment tools in higher education has arisen from recognition of the positive role that reflection plays in developing students’ ability to think critically and write creatively (Hubbs and Brand, 2005; Morrison, 1996). Reflective writing is believed to enable students to review their learning, past and future, track goals, and make connections between newly acquired knowledge and pre-existing knowledge and perceptions (Sumison and Fleet, 1996; Moon, 1999). The processes – which include reviewing experiences, decisions and actions, as well as reconsidering former views – are believed to help learners become reflective practitioners and enhance their cognition and metacognition (O’Rourke, 1998; Vockell, 2004).

Weblogs (‘blogs’) have become increasingly popular in the last number of years as a fast and easy way to share thoughts with others on the internet. The pedagogical paradigm that supports the use of blogs in educational settings is social constructivism. Vygotsky (1934) suggests that students need real opportunities to write and publish the knowledge they have accumulated over time, emphasising the importance of others as learning mediators. Having the opportunity to publish work online, write and rewrite views, and see the opinions of others can be a rich and satisfying experience. Blogs offer online locations where students can express how they feel about what they are being taught. They also enable interaction with other students, allowing difficulties and concerns to be shared and addressed. Blogs may also be used as online diaries to discuss activities and materials covered in class, thus extending learning from the classroom.

Blogs can encourage creativity in students and act as a vehicle for shared experience. The development of creativity and team-building skills are significant in bridging the student’s experiences from the classroom to the practical environment. It is important to develop a classroom environment that encourages creative thought. In addition to promoting creativity in students, they must be taught team-working skills (Reid and Petocz, 2004). Blogs can be used by the student to reflect on, learn from and share experiences in the workplace, past and present, and to develop networks.

MethodologyOver a short period of time, the institute has adopted a flexible learning model with regard to teaching strategies. This case study will document the work of one particular lecturer, Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan, over a four-year period and demonstrate how an approach to flexible learning has evolved from undergraduate level (first year through to final year) to postgraduate level. Building on strong academic teaching and learning qualifications, Dr O’Sullivan has enthusiastically pioneered Web 2.0 technologies (blogs, wikis, newsletters, e-portfolios, podcasts) in flagship courses encouraging a student-centred learning paradigm.

Dr O’Sullivan received funding from the National Digital Learning Repository (NDLR) in 2010 to develop resources in the area of Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning. The Creativity, Innovation and Teamwork (CIT) module delivered to first-year students in Biomedical Science was used as a test-bed for the incorporation of Web 2.0 tools. This module is an institute-wide, first-year module that is incorporated into all programmes. The module provides students with an opportunity to explore their chosen field of study and to develop creativity and teamwork skills in preparation for independent and reflective learning.

Initially classes were divided randomly into teams, each headed by a self-nominated team leader. The module was examined entirely by continuous assessment. Tasks designed for each team included the publication of weekly newsletters and posters, and a presentation on a biomedical topic of interest, the podcast of which could then be used as a learning tool. Teams were also required to write a blog and depict the delegation of all tasks for the project in a mindmap.

All assignments were gathered in a folder and submitted at the end of the module. In later years, the work was compiled as part of an electronic portfolio. Students were given clear instructions on the module learning outcomes and the assessment methodology. They were also encouraged to use a blog to reflect on and discuss the teamwork activities. Team leaders were coached on their role. At the end of the module, team members were asked to submit a personal reflection on the module.

One newsletter was prepared every week, for which a schedule was devised and deadline given. In total, every team had to produce two newsletters. Teams were given sample newsletters and asked to be creative in their design. A template was set up, and each team decided on the name and content of the newsletter. Brainstorming sessions were held to come up with ideas that could be used in the newsletter, the only requirement from the instructor being the inclusion of an excerpt from the blog of that particular week. Sample entries included interviews with biomedical scientists, topical news items and crosswords.

Each team was required to prepare a 15-minute presentation on a topic of interest. Students were given a copy of Howard Gardner’s paper, The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983) and asked to read and use the ideas contained in the paper in the design of their presentation. A requirement of the exercise was that the various individual contributions of the team members be made clear and explicit.

31

The blog was another group activity. Each group member was asked to contribute at regular intervals, and encouraged to use the blog as a reflective journal. The blog was used to discuss their college experience of the first year, the difficulties they were experiencing and what they enjoyed, as well as how their group work activities were progressing and whether targets were being met. It was also used by many as a means of expressing frustrations with any difficulties they were encountering in their studies.

Each group of four first-year students was assigned a mentor from the second-year class. Sessions with mentors were arranged, and students were encouraged to attend. While initial prompting was needed to help students to reflect in their blogs, a number of weeks into term the activity was well established. Work in the blog was acknowledged in a timely manner by the instructor, difficulties were addressed, and guidance and help were given when requested.

Wikis were also used as collaborative tools to support interaction and network development. A wiki is fundamentally a database for creating, browsing and searching through information. Users can add to, edit or delete its content via a web browser, using a simplified markup language or a rich-text editor. Wikis were used in conjunction with mindmapping tools to research and prepare review articles, enabling multiple contributions from students and encouraging information-sharing and synergy.

ResultsThe students adapted to the use of the electronic tools very enthusiastically and reported a very positive sense of engagement with the module and with each other as a learning group. Examples of the student-developed output are presented here as sample screencaptures of student work – namely newsletters, reflective writing (blogs) and collaborative work (wikis).

Newsletters

Blogs

32

Wikis

E-portfolios – Undergraduate

E-portfolios – Postgraduate

33

Blogs tended to focus more on college life than the team work for the module. Students discussed college activities and difficulties they were having in subject areas:

I have great love for biology but not so much for the biomed labs or cell biology labs. Everything seems so rushed into the two hours.

Overall I love my course. I was slightly apprehensive about the cell biology and the introduction to biomedical science classes at the start as I had not done biology but I am finding them a bit easier now. Chemistry is great, it’s just like revision and it makes it easier as it was my favourite subject in school. (I might not be so confident after my test next week though!) However, maths and physics are still proving to be a pain.

Certain blogs gave an insight into the challenging aspects of the course:

Today was the day we submitted our newsletter, and the relief was wonderful, but brief. We must now begin preparing our presentation so more work is on the way! I really like the course even though it’s coming with some challenges. But challenges are good things ‘cause they really test us and we get to see what we’re really made of! When a challenge is completed, the feeling is great. So even though things are tough now, I’m trying to imagine the feeling I’ll have at the end, that is, if I ever get there! We also had another biomedical lab today and I found it interesting as I do all other labs.

Students completed personal course reflections at the end of the module. Many of these were handwritten and included in the course folder. Samples are included here. The vast majority were very positive about the module and the impact that it had on their formative first weeks in college:

I loved the module; it helped me make friends at the start of the year. As a team we worked well together. Our team leader was tough; she had us working all the time.

My group was a group I feel you regret putting together. Four boys on the same team, as team leader I had my work cut out for me. I did like my group though.

As a team we got on well and were able to get things done. Each person in my group was hardworking and dedicated to getting the job done.

Hated the thought of doing this module at the start but it became one of my favourites at the end. My team were just great and I will miss the team meetings.

The satisfaction was great… meeting deadlines.

However, as might be expected, there were some dissenting voices:

Think this module is a waste of time… I prefer to study biomedical lectures, that is what this course is about!

Case study conclusionDesigning learning opportunities and assessment strategies for group work can be very challenging for educators. One of the many roles of educators is to create an environment in which students feel free to express themselves. Activities such as weblogs can provide students with an opportunity to be creative when exploring new learning and new experiences. When used as part of a team-building assessment, blogs can give insights

into how students are performing, and the creation of newsletters is a useful way of assessing team effort. While students can gain considerable benefits from these opportunities, the onus is on the higher education institution to ensure that the team-work structure is effective and provides appropriate opportunities for all members.

Educators and employers need to work together to provide a clear message to students that, while academic performance is important, graduates must also demonstrate the ability to contribute both in a group setting and as an individual. The conclusions drawn from this case study have been circulated within the institute through the Teaching and Learning Unit, and to a wider audience through publications and conference presentations. The development of an e-portfolio system to support structured doctoral learning in the Ed4Life collaborative initiative is a further opportunity to build on the learning in this area.

Overall conclusionAs leader of the Education in Employment (EIE) and Roadmap for Employment-Academic Partnership (REAP) projects, the institute is committed to developing relevant and accessible relationships with a wide range of learners, including those within the workplace. CIT-led SIF projects have built on existing strengths in the advancement of comprehensive solutions to diverse learning needs in manifold settings. These include improved structures for recognition of prior learning, the development of educational pathways (including work-based learning opportunities), and acknowledging the value of the employer as a key partner in designing and supporting the learning process.

These developments were complemented by the work of the IOTI-led flexible learning project, which focused on facilitating flexible learning provision and making that learning visible and accessible to as wide a range of individuals as possible. The institutional achievements in relation to the broad impact of the flexible learning project are most evident in the widespread use of the Blackboard LMS among staff and students alike.

In practical terms, the investment of resources into the technological and pedagogical platform facilitated development of the Masters in Cloud Computing, an innovative venture developed in partnership with industry experts. Flexible learning, in tandem with the institute’s history and capability in recognition of prior learning (RPL) and work-based learning (WBL), contributed to the development of the curriculum. Subject experts were sought from EMC, VMWare, Cisco, RSA, Greenplum, SpringSource and Microsoft. The courses are devised as a blend of classroom and work-based learning, clearly supported in a partnership model between the higher education institution and the employers.

The impact of the integration of enabling technologies, such as those made possible by Web 2.0, into student learning experiences cannot be overstated. The cultural shift in terms of student expectations and involvement has the potential to revolutionise traditional views of learning, and the remote-delivery technologies being utilised ensure that all learning is accessible, regardless of location.

34

ReferencesGardner, H. (1983) Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Hannon, J. and Tracey, B. (2010) ‘Negotiating contested discourses of learning technologies in higher education’, Educational Technology and Society 13(1): 106–120.

Hotrum, M. (2005) ‘Breaking down the LMS walls’. Retrieved on 11 December 2011 from The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 6(1, December) at www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/212/295.

Hubbs, D. and Brand, C. (2005) ‘The paper mirror: understanding reflective journaling’, Journal of Experiential Education 28(1): 60–71.

McLoughlin, C. and Lee, M. (2007) ‘Social software and participatory learning: pedagogical choices with technology affordances in the Web 2.0 era’, Proceedings Ascilite, Singapore, pp.664–675.

Moon, J. (1999) Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development. Abingdon: Routledge.

Morrison, K. (1996) ‘Developing reflective practice in higher degree students through a learning journal’, Studies in Higher Education 21(3): 317–332.

O’Rourke, R. (1998) ‘The learning journal: from chaos to coherence’, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 23(4): 403–413.

Reid, A. and Petocz, P. (2004) ‘Learning domains and the process of creativity’, Australian Educational Researcher 31(2): 45–62.

Siemens, G. (2006) ‘Connectivism: learning theory or pastime of the self-amused?’, Elearnspace blog. Retrieved from www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism_self-amused.htm.

Sumsion, J. and Fleet, A. (1996) ‘Reflection: can we assess it? Should we assess it?’, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 21(2): 121–130.

Vockell, E. (2004) ‘Educational psychology: a practical approach’. Retrieved on 14 February 2008 from http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/vockell/EdPsyBook/.

Vygotsky, L. (1934) Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

35

This paper presents some of the outcomes of the use of virtual classrooms in IT Carlow lifelong learning programmes in the 2010/11 academic session. It places them in the context of attempts to increase the flexibility of delivery of programmes, and provides an initial assessment of the relative quality of learner experience inside and outside the virtual classroom.

Purpose of the studyAs the SIF2-funded flexible learning project is demonstrating, there is a broad spectrum of activities that can be incorporated in the process of reducing the obstacles and barriers to greater participation in learner programmes. The Lifelong Learning Centre of the Institute of Technology Carlow delivers part-time undergraduate and postgraduate learning programmes at its main centres in Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow, as well as in a number of other outreach project locations, such as Kilkenny, Dublin and Shannon. Some learner programmes, such as the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care, or the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Management, are offered at three or more distinct venues, yet share an approved programme schedule, syllabuses and course team. The available online technologies now afford students increasing flexibility in terms of the opportunities to blend synchronous and asynchronous participation (e.g. Mason, 2002), both as blended learning (sensu Garrison and Vaughan, 2008) and introducing elements of distance education into conventional classroom-based learning programmes.

It has been argued that a synchronous dimension to student–lecturer interaction is essential to successful delivery of higher-education programmes (e.g. Berge, 1999), because it provides greater course satisfaction (Muilenburg and Berge, 1991) and the necessary social interaction to motivate learners (Münzer, 2003; Stewart, Harlow and DeBacco, 2011, p.359), or even due to the multi-faceted experiences a diverse group of learners can bring to classroom discussion (Park and Bonk, 2007).

In Ireland, a Higher Education Authority (HEA) position paper from 2009 on Open and Flexible Learning cited a recent report from the US that considers the implications of online initiatives: ‘For most institutions, launching online learning courses and programs represents a significant cultural and operational challenge. Online learning has the capacity to alter an institution’s administrative decision-making processes and structures, as well as its methods and modes of teaching and learning…’ (citing APLU/Sloan National Commission on Online Learning, 2009). The HEA paper also indicated the need to review the development, provision, delivery and assessment of flexible courses and modules (Higher Education Authority, 2009, p.11).

Since then, Stewart, Harlow and DeBacco have published an account of SLIDE, a California-based ethnographic study of synchronous learning across multiple centres that examines the

patterns of interaction where learners had an opportunity both to be physically present and to participate via video-conferencing and online chat. Based on learner feedback and interviews they concluded that ‘when groups such as the ones described in this study are able to meet together weekly, regardless of where they are located physically, to construct new ideas and new ways of understanding synchronously, it enhances not only the educational experience, but also the professional experience…’ (Stewart, Harlow and DeBacco, 2011, p.378). It was decided to use the opportunity of the flexible learning strand to explore the quality of the educational experience at IT Carlow with reference to the ongoing requirement to ensure that the operational challenges of expanding the delivery modes of learner programmes are being met. In the 2010/11 academic session, the Lifelong Learning Centre in IT Carlow piloted increasing the flexibility of the instructional formats with the inclusion of modules delivered via a web-conferencing platform. While Stewart, Harlow and DeBacco (2011) had put emphasis on the enhancement of the educational experience, the IT Carlow pilot was reviewed with a focus on attainment of the learning outcomes, exploring the impact of the 2010/11 instructional format (a virtual classroom) by comparison with similar data from 2009/10 (a physical classroom).

ContextThe introduction of increasing flexibility into the delivery of learner programmes at IT Carlow has been focused primarily around the activities of the Lifelong Learning Centre and the Teaching and Learning Centre, but our experiences were also shared via relevant communities of practice, such as the Institutes of Technology Ireland’s flexible learning steering group and the Learning Innovation Network. In most cases, the effects and benefits are relevant to all elements of the institute, rather than being specific to the Lifelong Learning Centre. The developments in a number of thematic areas are outlined below to give a more holistic view of the flexible learning activities at IT Carlow.

Learner supportAn issue that was addressed under the flexible learning banner was developing the provision of support for part-time students. It is well documented that part-time students receive little or no support during their time in higher education in Ireland, generally having to pay for any support they do get – an issue that was specifically addressed in the recent report on the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (Department of Education and Skills, 2011). The Lifelong Learning Centre introduced or continued to develop a number of relevant innovations throughout 2010, including a career-guidance facility for its final-year students. In 2010 this consisted only of workshops providing guidance on CV preparation and related matters. This was expanded with the provision of workshops at the open evenings

Flexible Learning: Virtual Classrooms at IT CarlowBrian McQuaid and Dr John Ó Néill Institute of Technology Carlow

36

in all centres on programme selection and relevance. These were further expanded over the academic year 2010/11 for final-year students, who were given the opportunity to attend a longer event that incorporated previous sessions but also included additional workshops on the best use of various tools, such as social networks. Further learner support is being rolled out over the course of the 2011/12 academic session. The Lifelong Learning Centre continues to provide exam and other support to learners with physical disabilities or other issues.

Lecturer supportMany of the activities arising from the flexible learning strand are led or supported from the Teaching and Learning Centre. In line with IT Carlow policy to provide training in these areas for full-time staff, the Lifelong Learning Centre has developed a twice-yearly lecturer training-day for part-time staff. As well as being provided with skills training on available resources such as the IT Carlow virtual learning environment (Blackboard), lecturers are provided with a series of skills workshops to help them enhance their pedagogic skills, including lecturing, designing assessment and delivering feedback. These workshops are facilitated by a combination of IT Carlow Teaching and Learning Centre staff and guest experts brought in especially for the occasion. During 2010/11, in addition to the standard sessions, specific training was given on thesis supervision, utilising web-conferencing platforms and plagiarism software. Lecturers on part-time programmes can also attend professional skills-development workshops and lectures over the course of the year.

Head of Flexible LearningA post as Head of Flexible Learning (and Deputy Head of Lifelong Learning) was filled in November 2010. The appointee has taken on the dual functions of developing flexible learning programmes and managing day-to-day issues in delivery of learning programmes by the Lifelong Learning Centre, including timetables, lecturers, student issues and quality assurance. The working hours of the appointee were developed to ensure that a manager is available every evening to deal with any issues and that there is also sufficient crossover between staff to ensure the necessary continuity of operations. The impact of this appointment has been immediate. Based on student feedback and forums, learners believe they now have a faster response time and that potentially difficult situations are resolved more quickly. Thus student support overall has improved, and in addition it has been possible to bring to fruition some online flexible delivered programmes (as will be outlined below).

Virtual learning environments (VLEs)Of immediate relevance to the learner experience has been the embedding in almost all developments of a virtual learning environment (Blackboard) that is mandatory across all IT Carlow programmes, including those delivered through the Lifelong Learning Centre. A single sign-on allows learners to access notes, submit assignments through anti-plagiarism software (TurnItIn) and receive announcements from lecturers or the Lifelong Learning Centre. The Blackboard VLE also allows learners to access a range of synchronous and asynchronous resources, and log into webinars, discussion forums, past papers or any of the other online resources that might be relevant to their programme.

Software supportThe Lifelong Learning Centre has also expanded its student induction training for part-time learners to include provision for lectures by the library staff on how to use library resources (both physical and virtual), the use of the IT Carlow VLE, study skills, use of TurnItIn software and referencing. Plagiarism is a potential problem with home-produced assignment work, as for all higher education providers. Thus the Lifelong Learning Centre introduced TurnItIn software on a trial basis in the academic year 2009/10, implementing it fully in the 2010/11 academic year. Information was given to users in the IT Carlow Part-Time Students Handbook (2010/11), and video demonstrations of how to use the software were developed through the Teaching and Learning Centre and distributed through the IT Carlow VLE. To date, the feedback from both lecturers and students has been positive and supportive. The development of resources on how to use anti-plagiarism software as a learning tool is ongoing.

Flexible feesThe Lifelong Learning Centre recognises that in the current downturn of the economy the payment of lump-sum fees is becoming a significant difficulty for many applicants. We developed a number of payment schemes, but even these were out of the reach of some students, so special payment arrangements have been created on a case-by-case basis. While this is beneficial to the students, it places a significant administrative burden on Lifelong Learning Centre staff. As a result, a new payment software package is being trialled. This will provide the necessary flexibility for students, but also automate many of the functions, thus releasing staff to provide learner support in other areas.

Virtualising the classroomIn January 2010, as a basic entry to online learning, one module was offered live in IT Carlow’s campus and delivered through Skype, while a second computer was used to show the lecture presentation to two students at IT Carlow’s Wicklow campus. Through Skype, they could watch the lecturer and ask questions. In addition, a Google Chat facility was set up for the class group, which went live once a week for tutorial support with the lecturer. The feedback from the students was very positive, suggesting this approach could be expanded to other modules using a web-conferencing platform to retain synchronous interactions between the lecturer and learners.

Subsequently, in the 2010/11 academic session, the Lifelong Learning Centre in IT Carlow piloted increasing the flexibility of the instructional formats with the inclusion on a number of programmes of a module delivered via a web-conferencing platform. The platform used in 2010/11 was Elluminate Inc.’s Elluminate Live!, which was made available to learners through Blackboard. A technological advantage of the Elluminate platform was that users only needed to have Java for remote access, rather than specific software.

During the development stages with the lecturers, excellent support was provided through the Teaching and Learning Centre. Demonstration clips were developed, excellent lecturer and student instructions were written, and a number of modules were delivered in the period from January to April 2011. These included modules delivered synchronously to learners in multiple IT Carlow centres, and synchronous sessions that learners could access from anywhere via the IT Carlow VLE.

37

A series of support measures for learners and lecturers were timetabled into the module delivery. Provision would be made to allow the lecturer to enter a virtual classroom with staff from the Teaching and Learning Centre and Lifelong Learning Centre, initially as a learner, to provide an understanding of the learner experience and to familiarise themselves with the functionality and graphic interfaces that the learner can access during a live session. Further sessions would provide the lecturer with an opportunity to co-moderate, then moderate, live sessions with the same participants.

Learners were introduced to the virtual classroom in a regular classroom session on campus. They were supplied with easy-to-follow instructions for accessing the online resources, and then given an opportunity to log in to the web-conferencing platform with the lecturer in attendance. This was followed by a short live session so that learners could familiarise themselves with and gain confidence in accessing and utilising the live sessions. Part of this process included getting learners to repeat the process of logging in and out of the virtual classroom, and to explore the interactive tools available to learners.

In the course of the module, all sessions (including the chats) are also recorded so that students can play them back at their convenience. Lecturers were advised to begin sessions using the live video feed as, based on informal feedback, this appeared to reassure learners that they had accessed the session correctly.

The use of the virtual classroom continued alongside the use of other asynchronous learning tools, such as the VLE for uploading notes, providing self-assessment questions and so on. As part of the quality-assurance process, usage of both virtual classrooms and VLE was monitored by other IT Carlow lecturers, and students were asked for feedback a number of times during term. It is also proposed to get an external assessor to review some of the sessions.

Measuring the learner experience in the virtual classroomAs described above, the challenge of increasing flexibility comes with the requirement also to maintain standards of assessment and programme quality. Two basic approaches were taken to assessing the overall performance of modules delivered in virtual classrooms in the 2010/11 academic session. First, learners were given the opportunity to provide feedback throughout the programme, but a specific questionnaire was used to capture data on the learner experience at the end of the module, prior to the completion of assessment. Second, from a quality perspective, the relative attainment of the module learning outcomes was reviewed to explore whether any inconsistency between the programme delivery in physical or virtual classrooms could be inferred.

Learner surveyStudents were given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire that addressed issues beyond the specified module learning outcomes by also focusing on more generic outcomes, such as increasing learning confidence with IT. The following questions were set, with students asked to rank their answers from one to five:

n Prior to the start of the online module, how nervous were you about the online delivery method?

n Prior to the start of the online module, were you happy about the online delivery method?

n How would you have rated your IT skills prior to this module?

n From regular use of Elluminate, did you notice an improvement in your IT skills during the module?

n From regular use of Elluminate, did you feel that your level of confidence in your IT skills has changed?

n Had you any previous experience of using web-conferencing platforms, or similar internet-based communications such as Skype?

n Prior to this module, had you regularly used social media networks (e.g. Facebook) or other chat-type functions (such as Instant Messenger)?

n Do you feel that online delivery enabled you to gain more knowledge than usual during this module?

n Do you feel that online delivery enabled you to gain a better understanding of the content than usual during this module?

n Would you take another online course using Elluminate?

n How would you rank an online course against a traditional classroom-based course?

n In your opinion, is Elluminate an appropriate way to deliver taught classes?

Learner responses indicated that IT skills were central to the learner’s opinions regarding the appropriateness of virtual classrooms. Around 5% were unhappy with this delivery mode, all of whom lacked either confidence in their IT skills or previous experience in the use of cognate applications. At the other end of the scale, learners who had previous experience of similar applications or well-developed IT capabilities did not have strong opinions on either the suitablity of the instructional format or any additional improvement in their technology skills or confidence. By and large, the main body of learners felt that they had improved their IT skills, increased in confidence in using technology and were positive about the instructional format over more conventional classroom-based delivery.

Relative attainment of learning outcomesThe second approach was to consider the relative attainment of the module learning outcomes as measured by the module assessment strategy. This was done by tabulating each learner’s overall academic history for the year, and comparing their relative performance in the modules delivered in the virtual classroom against their overall performance in modules taken in the same academic session. These were then plotted and sorted (as percentages) in ascending order of the number of modules in which the learner received a lower mark than the module delivered via the virtual classroom.

38

The first virtual classroom group that is considered here includes three separate cohorts of students who were enrolled on the same programme at three different IT Carlow centres. All three class groups are included in Figure 1. Two student cohorts in the same programmes in the 2009/10 academic session were tabulated in a similar fashion for comparative purposes (see Figure 2).

As the sample population is low, conventional statistical analysis of this type of data was not performed, and only a visual comparison of the results was made. In the 2010/11 academic sessions, 22% of learners demonstrated their weakest level of attainment of the learning outcomes in the module delivered in the virtual classroom, whereas only 2% achieved their strongest mark. In the 2009/10 academic session, when the module was delivered in a conventional classroom-based format, 18.5% of learners received the lowest mark in the module, while none achieved their highest mark.

Two modules that were delivered via the virtual classroom on another programme provided the data that are included as Figure 3. These results could not be compared to a previous academic session, but a basic plot of the learner’s relative attainment of the module learning outcomes can be seen. In both modules, a number of learners put in their strongest performance (measured as attainment of the learning outcomes), while none put in their weakest performance in those modules.

ConclusionsA number of aspects of the learner experience of the virtual classrooms pilot at IT Carlow were reviewed following the 2010/11 academic session. While other studies confirmed the value of synchronous programme delivery as part of a holistic learner experience (e.g. Stewart, Harlow and DeBacco, 2011), the IT Carlow flexible learning pilot attempted to review the maintenance of programme quality in line with HEA concerns over issues that might arise when increased flexibility was introduced into the delivery mode.

One issue that was explored through our questionnaire was the extent to which learners increased in confidence in their ability to use technology, and in particular their acquisition of IT skills, even though it was not specifically related to either the stated programme outcomes or module learning outcomes. As IT proficiency has become central to contemporary programme delivery, which invariably includes a blended component accessed via a VLE, the virtual classroom offers an opportunity to improve confidence levels and capabilities, which might have a wider impact on the benefit the learner derives from the programme.

Although only a small body of data is available, the results shown in Figures 1 and 2 would seem to indicate that learner attainment of the module learning outcomes (as measured by the assessment shapes and results) does not differ significantly between Figure 1 (from the 2010/11 academic session) and Figure 2 (from the 2009/10 session). This is also consistent with the findings of the SLIDE study referred to earlier in this paper, since the common element of synchronous delivery was present in both academic sessions, even though the learners were present in a virtual rather than physical classroom.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2019181716151413121110987654321

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

181716151413121110987654321

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

121110987654321

Figure 1 Relative attainment of learning outcomes 2010/11

The results shown above are for three cohorts on the same module delivered via Elluminate Live! in 2010/11 (as described above). The relative academic performance of each learner is plotted as a separate column, with the result of the online module shown in grey and the proportion of modules where the learner performance was stronger (white) or weaker (black).

39

ReferencesAPLU/Sloan National Commission on Online Learning (2009) Online Learning as a Strategic Asset. Retrieved from www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=1877.

Berge, Z.I. (1999) ‘Interaction in post-secondary web-based learning’, Educational Technology 31(1): 5–11.

Department of Education and Skills (2011) National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Retrieved from www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/he_national_strategy_2030_report.pdf.

Garrison, D.R. and Vaughan, N.D. (2008) Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles and Guidelines. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Higher Education Authority (2009) Open and Flexible Learning. Retrieved from www.hea.ie/files/files/file/HEA%20Flexible%20Learning%20Paper_Nov%202009.pdf.

Mason, R. (2002) ‘E-learning: what have we learnt? Improving student learning using learning technologies’, Proceedings of the 9th Improving Student Learning Symposium 2001: 27–34.

Muilenburg, I.Y. and Berge, Z.I. (1991) ‘Barriers to distance education: a factor analytic study’, The American Journal of Distance Education 15: 7–22.

Münzer, S. (2003) ‘An evaluation of synchronous co-operative distance learning in the field: the importance of instructional design’, Educational Media International 40(1–2): 91–100.

Park, Y.J. and Bonk, C.J. (2007) ‘Is online life a breeze? A case study for promoting synchronous learning in a blended graduate course’, Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 3(3): 307–323.

Stewart, A.R., Harlow, D.B. and DeBacco, K. (2011) ‘Student experience of synchronous learning in distributed environments’, Distance Education 32(3): 357–381.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

151413121110987654321

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

121110987654321


The results shown above are for two cohorts on the same module delivered via Elluminate Live! in 2010/11 (as described above and shown in Figure 1). The relative academic performance of each learner is plotted as a separate column, with the result of the online module shown in grey and the proportion of modules where the learner performance was stronger (white) or weaker (black).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

151413121110987654321

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

151413121110987654321


The results shown above are for two modules delivered via Elluminate Live! in 2010/11 to the same cohort of learners. The relative academic performance of each learner is plotted as a separate column, with the proportion of module results relative to the online module shown in white (stronger) or black (weaker).

40

Online learning in IT SligoInstitute of Technology Sligo launched its first online distance learning course in 2002. Over a period of about two years an approach to teaching based on communication as opposed to content development emerged. This approach, using a PC-based conferencing system for weekly live classes in each module and a virtual learning environment (Moodle) for communication between classes, resulted in a form of teaching that had more in common with evening classes than distance learning or e-learning, both in terms of instructional design and financial characteristics. Two characteristics in particular – the minimal set of new skills required by lecturers to teach online, and the minimal investment required for course development – facilitated the extremely fast growth of new online courses, to the point where, in September 2011, IT Sligo was offering 25 online programmes on which 790 part-time students were enrolled.

Lack of skills as an inhibitor to growthIt was perceived that one of the inhibitors to further growth was the fact that a significant number of staff were not using the virtual learning environment with their full-time students. The problem was not so much that they lacked the skills to teach online (the skills required were minimal), but that – because of their lack of exposure to the virtual learning environment – they were overestimating the skills required, resulting in a negative view of the merits of using the virtual learning environment, as well as a negative attitude to being encouraged to put programmes online. As well as inhibiting growth in online distance learning, it was felt that this negative attitude was also inhibiting the use of the virtual learning environment for full-time courses. If these sceptical staff could be persuaded to use the virtual learning environment in even the most minimal way, but in a way that they might find useful, this might change their views on both the effort required and the usefulness of it as a teaching tool. So the objective here was to get a very large proportion, if not all, of the academic staff to reach a minimum level of activity in the use of learning technologies, as opposed to bringing a smaller proportion to a somewhat sophisticated level of activity.

Problems with existing trainingAlthough it was felt that training could solve this problem, a number of issues were identified with the existing training:

n Courses were not necessarily available at a convenient time.

n Half-day and one-day courses often contained too much material and there was not enough time to practise.

n Staff members attending extended courses often missed parts of the courses.

n The tendency to procrastinate often led to people not using the skills after attending courses, and then applying to re-attend the same courses later.

n Many staff members were not interested in using technology at all in their teaching.

n Many staff members were interested but too busy to attend courses.

n The institute had no reliable statistics on the level of virtual learning environment skills within the academic staff.

A new training strategyTo explicitly address these issues a new strategy for e-learning training was devised as follows:

Minimise the first stepTo make it as easy as possible for academic staff to start using learning technology in their modules, a minimum first step was defined. It was felt that if this step was as easy as possible, and this could be communicated to the lecturers, a greater number would be willing to sign up for initial training. In addition, if this minimal set of functions had a significant benefit for the lecturer, the perception of the effort required to use learning technologies would improve, as would the likelihood of their taking further training beyond that. This small first step consisted of a specified set of skills in using a virtual learning environment (Moodle), which could be covered comfortably in three to five hours.

This Moodle Basic Skills course consisted of:

n Enrolling students in your module.

n Communicating with students though the virtual learning environment (posting messages, answering queries).

n Laying out the module page.

n Uploading documents and making them available to students.

n Linking to external websites from the module page.

n A small number of course settings (e.g. start date).

PressureMembers of the academic staff were put under some pressure to undertake the minimum level of training. The human resources department contacted all academic staff and stated that all would be ‘expected’ to undergo at least this basic level of training (Moodle Basic Skills course). This was also communicated to teaching staff by many academic heads of departments.

Time to practise and assignmentsRather than cram this basic training into a single session, it was spread over five weeks, with one hour of training per week and a requirement to carry out an assignment between one class and the next. Although the sessions were one hour long, many staff could cover the material in a shorter period, leaving the session early and allowing the trainer to concentrate on the others who found it a little more difficult.

Building Capacity in Online Learning through Certified TrainingBrian Mulligan, Institute of Technology Sligo

41

Assessment and certificationThe satisfactory completion of all the assignments on this course entitled the staff member to be certified in Moodle Basic Skills. This was a purely internal certification, which would be entered onto the person’s employment record. It was felt that this certification would encourage many staff to sign up for the training, as well as encourage them to carry out their assignments between classes in order to improve retention of the skills they had covered in class. As it happens, the learning outcomes are a small part of a ten-credit Level 9 module within the institute, but this was not communicated to the lecturers.

Choice of access modesFor the purpose of this initiative, staff were classified as follows:

n Beginners, who generally did not have the confidence to gain skills on their own, preferring to attend classes and have techniques demonstrated to them, then try the techniques themselves under supervision.

n Confident, who felt that they could gain these skills on their own by following self-study materials.

n Experienced, who had gained these skills already, but who might wish to be certified.

In order to address these three audiences efficiently, the following blended learning strategy was adopted:

n Beginners would be able to attend five weekly classes.

n A course area was set up in the virtual learning environment.

n Independent learning materials, in the form of notes and video demonstrations, were made available in the virtual learning environment – both to allow the beginners to review the techniques, outside the classroom if necessary, and also to allow the confident to learn in their own time. These materials also allowed anyone who was attending workshops to keep from falling behind if they missed a workshop.

n Assignment submission areas were set up in the virtual learning environment so that all who wished to be certified could submit evidence of having mastered the required techniques.

n Experienced could simply gain certification by submitting evidence of each technique in the assignment submission areas within the course in the virtual learning environment.

Figure 1 Different modes for different learners

Choice of times to attendAs it happened, initial demand for the course was quite high, so it was possible to run it at four different times during the week, thus maximising the probability that people could find a slot that would suit their teaching responsibilities. In fact, all staff were surveyed using doodle.com to determine the four time-slots that would result in maximum attendance. In addition, several single-day courses were delivered. This certainly had the effect of facilitating the maximum number of people who wished to attend, but it may be more difficult in the future as demand drops due to a certain amount of saturation. However, it is my experience in scheduling training that, once an interested audience is identified, the doodle.com tool is very powerful in quickly and easily identifying the best time for maximising attendance.

Intermediate and advanced trainingIn addition to the Moodle Basic Skills course, intermediate and advanced skills were to be certified in a somewhat similar manner. However, rather than provide extended courses covering specified sets of skills, staff could decide themselves which particular skills they wished to acquire beyond those in the basic training course. For each particular skill, a single one-hour workshop was generally provided, along with self-learning materials and an assignment. Staff could attend the workshop or use the materials and submit the assignment for any particular skill they wished to acquire or be certified for. Experienced staff could, of course, just submit evidence of having used these techniques in the assignment submission area.

On the attainment of a certain moderate number of these skills, a staff member would be certified at intermediate or advanced level for having demonstrated their possession of a larger number of these skills.

Only a small number of these workshops have been delivered so far, and no staff members have yet been certified at either of these levels. Due to lack of personnel, we have chosen to concentrate on maximising the number of staff with the minimal level of skills.

Design and construction of the courseIt should be noted that, due to lack of training staff, the issue of efficiency was an important consideration in the design of this course. It was important that the development of a course to serve three different categories of staff should not result in a significant increase in the workload of the trainer. With that in mind, the following approach was taken:

n Clear learning outcomes were defined for each week of the course.

n The materials for each week were developed on a just-in-time basis.

n An internet search was carried out each week for open-learning resources, particularly video demonstrations and, if found, these were posted to the course module in the virtual learning environment.

n Existing notes for staff training and support were edited to align with the weekly outcomes, published in Google Docs, and linked to the course area in the virtual learning environment.

42

n One or more assignments and submission areas in the virtual learning environment were created for each week. This usually consisted of the requirement that they carry out a specific action within one of their own courses and simply post the link to that course in the submission area.

n The trainer prepared one or more demonstrations for the weekly workshop. After the workshop, if no suitable open-learning videos were available on the internet, the trainer would create a screencast of the demonstration and post it to the course area in the virtual learning environment.

In this way, the approach of creating a high-quality course for beginners also automatically created as a by-product a self-teach course for confident staff and a set of evidence-submission areas for the experienced.

ProgressAs of October 2011, 165 academic staff had registered for Moodle Basic Skills certification. This represented about 54% of the teaching staff at that time. Approximately 95 of these had attended workshops (31% of academic staff) and it is assumed that the remaining 70 either intended to teach themselves using the provided materials or had these skills already and intended to submit evidence. At this time, 109 staff (35% of academic staff) had submitted the required assignments and been certified at Moodle Basic Skills level.

Impact of the initiativeOn the surface, it seemed that this initiative had increased the level of training activity significantly from what had taken place previously. However, this new initiative had a number of major differences from previous initiatives and it was felt that it was important to identify the extent to which each of these changes influenced the increase in uptake of training. In order to get this information, all staff who registered for certification were asked to take part in a very short (to maximise the response rate) survey. It should be noted that the objective of this survey was not to determine the impact of the training, but to determine the impact of the key changes in approach on the willingness of academic staff to undertake training.

The questions on the survey were:

n How important was certification to you in making your decision to take this course?

n How effective was the use of out-of-class assignments in helping to achieve the learning objectives of the course?

n How valuable was the choice of being able to attend workshops or use self-teach materials to you in gaining this certification?

n How did the stated ‘expectation’ from the human resources department influence your decision to take this course?

n The scope of the course was chosen so as to make it as easy as possible to get started in Moodle. Did you find this to be … (far too little) … (far too much)?

n How easy was it for you to submit your evidence of competencies in this course?

n How would you rate the standard of the workshops and self-learning materials supplied as part of this course?

These were marked on a five-point scale.

Main resultsOf the 109 lecturers that attended training, 39 took the survey. The diagram below shows the spread of responses of their opinions on the importance of four factors (certification, continuous assessment, access modes, pressure from management) influencing their decision to either undertake or complete the training.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

PressureAccessAssessmentCertification

Unimportant A Little ModerateImportant Very Important

Figure 2 Survey responses

Analysis of resultsThe following is a qualitative analysis of the results, comparing them to my expectations before the initiative was implemented.

CertificationThere was mild agreement that certification was an important issue in deciding to undertake training. Although this is less than I had expected, the data seem to indicate that it is worth continuing to have this certification carried out.

Continuous assessmentThe purpose of assessment was not to encourage lecturers to undertake the training, but instead to keep up the course once they had started and to practise outside the classroom, preferably on their own students. Almost 80% of the staff surveyed considered this to be important or very important. It is interesting to note that this type of training has more in common with undergraduate education than industrial training, but the result seems to be in keeping with opinions of management in industry that training should move away from ‘certificates of attendance’ to ‘certificates of achievement’.

Access modesAgain, 80% of staff stated that the variety of access modes between classroom and self-learning was either important or very important. This seems to be a vindication of the design approach taken, which allowed a high-quality learning experience for beginners to be reused for confident and experienced users of learning technologies.

43

Pressure from managementIt must be said that it was my opinion before this initiative that stating that academic staff were expected to undertake training would have a negative effect, or at least no positive effect. The results seem to disagree, in that lecturers indicated that this expectation did have a positive influence on their decision to undertake the training. Having said that, the survey does not ask if they resented this expectation in any way, and the survey does not, of course, collect the opinions of those who did not decide to undertake the training. However, the results seem to indicate that it would be worth continuing to express this expectation, but also trying to determine the extent to which it is having a negative effect on some academic staff.

Next stepsThe current objective of the institute is that 100% of staff would be trained in the basic use of the virtual learning environment. We are very pleased that this first step has attracted over 50% of staff and resulted in 31% being certified, but we are aware that we may be picking low-hanging fruit of willing and experienced staff, and that it will become more difficult from now on.

Audit of staffHaving said that, we know from our activity in managing the virtual learning environment that there are many staff using it who never registered for certification for whatever reasons. From this we conclude that there are multiple reasons why some staff have not yet engaged, and that it is important that we determine what those reasons are, and the number of lecturers in each category, then devise strategies for encouraging them in different ways. This will be started by making an audit of all academic staff and determining if each one is certified, using the virtual learning environment, or has registered an interest at any point. Once these data are collected, strategies will be considered for encouraging each group to become certified.

Change of behaviour or activity levelsOf course, as we try to get more and more staff to engage with learning technologies, it is important that we try to determine if this actually results in increased activity levels and has any pedagogical impact.

ConclusionOverall, my feeling and the feeling among management in IT Sligo is that this initiative has been very successful in encouraging people to engage with training. However, it is still not clear how successful this approach will be in moving towards 100% of staff having the basic skills to use the institute’s virtual learning environment.

44

IntroductionIn Ireland, the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is designed to recognise both large and smaller packages of learning. Minor, Special Purpose and Supplemental Awards were established to ensure that there was more than one type of award at all levels of the framework. The NFQ’s four award types are:

n Major Awards: the principal class of award made at a level, e.g. Higher Certificate; Bachelor Degree Level 7 & 8, Master Degree and PhD.

n Minor Awards: for partial completion of the outcomes for a Major Award.

n Special Purpose Awards: for relatively narrow or purpose-specific achievements.

n Supplemental Awards: for learning that is additional to that required for a Major Award.

Minor, Special Purpose and Supplemental Awards are official awards, governed by the same policies and procedures determined by HETAC that currently apply to Major Awards. This case study outlines the developments within the Institute of Technology Tralee, over the period 2008 to 2011 inclusive, in its use of Minor and Special Purpose Awards as a mechanism for flexible programme delivery.

Flexible programme delivery at IT Tralee: an overviewThe Institute of Technology Tralee, under the Institutes of Technology Ireland Strategic Innovation Funded flexible learning project, undertook to deliver a number of outcomes in terms of their approach to the development and delivery of programmes on a ‘flexible basis’. A flexible learning approach should provide

learners with real opportunities for increased choice, convenience of delivery and an opportunity for the personalisation of their study. Flexible learning provides learners with choices about where, when and how learning occurs, and flexible delivery recognises the reality of students’ busy schedules and provides them with a number of delivery modes, thereby facilitating maximum participation in the learning process, be it full-time or part-time study. Flexible learning must also recognise the requirements of the other stakeholders involved in the education process. This can include employers, sponsor organisations and indeed the educational institution itself and its approach to the management of flexible delivery.

IT Tralee has engaged in a number of activities to ensure it offers an appropriate suite of programmes, using a range of delivery approaches to appeal to a diverse client group. A significant proportion of this development has focused on the design and delivery of Minor and Special Purpose Awards. The HETAC Order of Council (2011) lists 55 Minor Awards and four Special Purpose Awards designed and offered by IT Tralee. Of the 55 Minor Awards, eight are at Level 6, six at Level 7, 24 at Level 8 and 17 at Level 9. Table 1 provides a summary of the Minor and Special Purpose Award programmes delivered by the institute since 2008. Over the duration of the SIF2 flexible learning project, IT Tralee also developed a number of full-time programmes for delivery on a part-time, flexible basis. These included:

n a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

n an MSc in Educational Technologies.

n a Higher Diploma in Computing.

n a Certificate in Advanced Professional Cookery.

n a BA in Early Childhood Care and Education.

The Use of Minor and Special Purpose Awards to Facilitate Flexible Programme DeliveryBrid McElligott, Institute of Technology Tralee

Figure 1 IT Tralee school profiles: Minor and Special Purpose Awards

45

Table 1 Minor and Special Purpose Awards delivered by IT Tralee since 2008

Academic year Programme NFQ Level Credits

2008/09 Certificate in Managing a Childcare Service 8 20

2008/09 Certificate in Youth Intervention Strategies 8 20

2008/09 Certificate in Information Technology 8 20

2008/09 Certificate in Web Development 8 20

2008/09 Certificate in Business Management 6 20

2008/09 ITT Preparatory Programme 6 20

2008/09 Certificate in Brief Solution Focused Therapy 8 20

2008/09 Certificate in Wound Care Management 8 20


2009/10 Certificate in Entrepreneurship Studies 8 20

2009/10 Certificate in Information Technology 8 30

2009/10 Certificate in Building Insulation Application 6 30

2009/10 Certificate in Engineering Technology 6 50

2009/10 Certificate in Renewable Energy 7 30

2009/10 Certificate in Environmental Science 7 20

2009/10 Certificate in Business Information Systems 9 30

2009/10 Certificate in Applied Biology and Chemistry 7 20

2009/10 Certificate in Education: Children with Special Needs 8 20

2009/10 Certificate in Psychology for Care Professionals 7 20

2009/10 Certificate in Multimedia 8 20

2009/10 Certificate in Multimedia Programming 8 30


2010/11 Certificate in Entrepreneurship Studies 8 20

2010/11 Certificate in Renewable Energy 7 30

2010/11 Certificate in Information Technology Support 6 20

2010/11 Certificate in Energy Management 7 30

2010/11 Certificate in Craft Transferable Skills 6 30

2010/11 Diploma in Nursing Leadership 9 20

2011/12 Certificate in Business Information Systems 9 30

2011/12 Certificate in Engineering Technology 6 30

2011/12 Certificate in Environmental Science 6 30

2011/12 Certificate in Applied Biology and Chemistry 6 30

2011/12 Certificate in Information Technology Support 6 30

2011/12 Certificate in Energy Management 6 30

2011/12 Certificate in Tourism Entrepreneurship Studies 6 30

2011/12 Certificate in Social Media and Web Analytics 7 30

2011/12 Diploma in Nursing Leadership 9 20

46

In addition to the 282 students who registered for the full-time programmes listed in Table 1, a total of 624 students have attended Minor and Special Purpose programmes at IT Tralee over the academic years 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012. Of the students who completed Minor and Special Purpose programmes, 47 students have progressed to full-time programmes at the institute. The majority of these students entered into Year 1 of the linked major award programme.

As Figure 1 demonstrates, the Minor and Special Purpose programmes have been developed across each of the schools that operate in the institute: the School of Engineering and Construction Studies, the School of Science and Computing, and the School of Business and Humanities.

Rationale for flexible learning developmentsThe mission of IT Tralee is ‘to excel in teaching, research and development work, for the benefit of students, industry and the wider community’.

The institute’s Strategic Plan 2008 to 2013 – Creating Our Future outlines four key goals and five priority areas to guide activities. The provision of flexible learning is embedded in many elements of this plan, which states that the role of the institute is to provide:

n in an efficient and effective manner;

n in an appropriately resourced and supportive environment;

n within a framework of equality of opportunity, easily accessible, multi-level, programmes of teaching, and research and development activity that:

l develop a deep understanding of the chosen field of study; develop a capacity for independent critical thinking and foster academic scholarship;

l provide for initial and ongoing training and development of professional, managerial, practical and technical skills;

l afford students and staff of the institute opportunities for intellectual and personal growth;

l lead to awards that are recognised nationally and internationally;

l contribute to the knowledge and human resource base relevant to, and needed for, the economic, social and cultural development of the state in general and of the region served by the institute in particular, and to cooperate and collaborate with other bodies with similar missions; and

l are of the highest quality standards and bear the hallmark of excellence.

The activities of the institute are informed by developments nationally and internationally but also regionally. The development of the extensive suite of Minor and Special Purpose Awards offered by the institute has been driven by the following key factors:

1) Demand from companies in the region who, for various reasons including staff upskilling and deskilling, required general and specific programmes to be developed to respond to particular CPD needs. These companies need access opportunities to education and training that are compatible with the working and personal lives of their employees, and the workflow of the employing organisation. In many cases, they need a timely response to a specific training requirement in addition to training and education of a more strategic nature.

‘Dairymaster had a specific requirement for training for its management team in the areas of communications, marketing, IT, instructional design and animal-welfare management. We approached IT Tralee for a solution in terms of our training requirements. They developed a 30-credit Level 9 Special Purpose Award, which is being delivered on a block-release basis over a weekend once a month. A number of modules are shared with participants from other companies, which also offers an excellent networking opportunity. We plan to pursue a further 30-credit programme at IT Tralee in the next academic year, and to also extend training provision to other employees in the organisation.’

Edmond Harty, Technical Director, Dairymaster

Diploma in Restaurant Operations Management – Special Purpose Award

Response to training requirement from food and beverage operators

‘This programme allows candidates working in Food and Beverage Operations to attend college three days a week over one academic year to gain qualifications in Restaurant Management. This innovative new programme integrates theory with practice. It has been developed to provide a relevant professional qualification for those who wish to embark on a career in Restaurant Operations Management. The programme will provide the participant with the benefits of personal attention, instant feedback, hands-on experience and the opportunity to complement college-based learning with a structured practical internship and a trained mentor in Industry. Students graduating from this programme will have developed a range of competencies enabling them to excel as a restaurant supervisor/assistant manager, and will be equipped with specialised skills in different restaurant operations.

2) Various calls for labour-market activation (through the Department of Education and Skills and the HEA). Minor and Special Purpose Awards provide an ideal mechanism for offering programmes, tailored to the skillset required by employers in the region, intended for retraining the unemployed. Such courses also improve employment opportunities for participants through the development of specific skillsets that enhance their employability and/or facilitate career advancement.

47

‘I completed my Leaving Certificate in 2001 in St Joseph’s School Ballybunion and then completed a degree in Construction Studies in Architectural Technology. Following the downturn in the construction sector, I decided on a career change and chose a programme in Professional Cookery at IT Tralee, as it offered me the opportunity to return to study through a funded course in a field I always had interest in. Even though it was a part-time course, we had the full support of college facilities like the library, student services and the team at the Lifelong Learning office. The programme provided a good balance of theory and practice. There was great support from our lecturers when needed. It was possible for me to commute from Ballybunion (where I live) to ITT. I also got the opportunity of work experience in Listowel as part of the programme. I am now going to use the course as a stepping stone to consider setting up my own food business.’

Ena Wolfe, graduate of Professional Cookery

3) Demand from community-based organisations such as North and East Kerry Development and Rapid (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment Programme) Action Teams to provide accredited ‘taster programmes’ primarily aimed at those normally under-represented in the third-level sector.

The Institute of Technology Tralee works in close collaboration with a number of community and voluntary groups. The institute has used the Special Award facility as a mechanism to develop 10- and 20-credit access programmes (Level 6) where students develop a range of generic and transferable skills (primarily in the areas of communications, personal development and IT), as well as completing modules in the areas of business, science and engineering. The Special Award programmes are then linked to particular full-time programmes at IT Tralee (across each of the schools) whereby those students who successfully complete the Special Purpose Awards are guaranteed access to certain Level 6 and 7 programmes in business, science and engineering.

4) The opportunity to provide an immediate-response mechanism for events that might occur in the region and require a structured and coordinated intervention. An example would be company closures where, in partnership with other stakeholders, IT Tralee is in a position to offer immediate retraining to those affected.

In April 2011, AETNA, a US health-insurance provider, announced the closure of their facility in Castleisland with the loss of over 100 jobs. Representatives from IT Tralee met with staff following the announcement and, via Springboard, now have 15 of the workforce currently completing a programme at the institute. A number of the students are expected to commence full-time programmes at IT Tralee in September 2012. The course commenced in January 2012 and will conclude in June 2012.

Approach to flexible learning development at IT TraleeAs previously outlined, the development of flexible learning approaches is embedded within IT Tralee activity. The following are some examples of how this process is managed:

n Annually, plans are prepared by each academic department. Central to these plans are proposed developments in each department to facilitate the expansion of flexible learning. These include targets for Minor, Supplemental and Special Purpose Awards, as well as details of how programmes will be delivered using a blended learning approach incorporating e-learning technologies.

n All new programme design (Major Awards) now incorporates a mechanism for the development of Minor Awards. The design and approval process for Minor Awards is thus embedded in the process, and the rationale of the proposed Minor Awards programme or programmes is assessed in line with the institute’s quality-assurance processes as part of the Major Award development and assessment process. For example, the Institute of Technology Tralee offers a Level 7 degree in Hotel Management in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Hotels Federation. This programme is delivered on a part-time basis over three years, with students completing 20 credits annually via work-based learning, 30 credits via traditional delivery at IT Tralee (over a seven-week block in February/March and in November) and 10 credits via online delivery. Part of the programme design included the development of a 20-credit online Minor Award in Human Resources Management for Supervisors/Managers, which is offered nationwide.

n A number of mechanisms have been developed by the IT Tralee student-services support team to assist students on the Minor and Special Purpose Awards. These include study-skills and academic-writing workshops, which are scheduled weekly on both campuses. These workshops are timetabled to coincide with the students’ timetable to ensure maximum participation. In addition, the service offers tailored one-to-one guidance on individual study, as well as being flexible enough to provide bespoke workshops to address specific class/project-group needs. Flexible learning programmes are attractive to mature learners, but mature learners are often people with a variety of experiences of education, some having left formative education before completing any state exams, others with a significant time-lapse since engaging in formal education. This can create challenges that in IT Tralee have been addressed with a comprehensive suite of pre- and post-entry supports. A six-hour ‘Headstart’ preparation programme is offered to incoming mature students in the areas of maths and academic writing. Once on board, a mature student peer-mentoring programme provides mature learners with the opportunity to be matched with a more experienced student as mentor and first point of contact. Mentors are in turn supported through training and supervision meetings.

48

Table 2 Reusable learning objects (RLOs) created by staff at IT Tralee

School Author Project description Year

Engineering Anne Marie Courtney

This is a set of learning objects that helps students acquire advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic, which can be utilised in the creation of operations management solutions. These learning objects include control function, macros, filters, database searches etc. The learning object consists of exercise templates, worksheets and self-assessment tools.

2010

Engineering Anne Marie Courtney

A complete module has been created online in Operations Management. Students work through material that has videos, quizzes, interactions and audio files added throughout, and then students connect to an online classroom for group discussions and tutorials with the lecturer.

2011

Nursing and Health Care Studies

Siobhan Ni Mhaolrunaigh

This learning object teaches students who are new to facilitating interprofessional groups/teams. It provides an explanation of IPE and gives techniques for students to learn, including a reflective corner where students can evaluate their own interprofessional skills and preparation requirements.

2010


Siobhan Ni Mhaolrunaigh

This learning object teaches students to develop collaborative ways of working by learning from, with and about each other. This resource assists facilitators in supporting learners from different professions through reflection on their practice.

2011


Gerardina Harnett and Tom Farrelly

A learning object that shows students who are out on work placement a video tutorial of two different injection techniques. Students are guided through the steps involved with a voiceover explanation.

2011


Susan Hudson

This learning object looks at reflective practice and portfolio development for students at undergraduate level in Nursing. It provides students with interactive explanations of the steps and processes involved in reflective practice.

2011

Humanities and Social Studies

Tom Farrelly This learning object focuses on paraphrasing, showing examples from sample papers and giving students an assessment to complete. A learning object on social class and poverty has also been created, which gives students an interactive way of examining this subject with the aid of videos and online discussions.

2010

Humanities and Social Studies

Tom Farrelly A complete module has been created online in Research in Social Science. Students work through material, which has videos, quizzes, interactions and audio files added throughout, and then students connect to an online classroom for group discussions and tutorials with the lecturer.

2011

Health and Leisure

Aoife Ni Mhuiri

This learning object is used to assist students develop the cognitive skills of analysis of the mechanism of injury in sport, and application of anatomical knowledge to the graphical representation of the mechanism of injury. Archive sports footage is provided as video clips for the student to analyse, with each clip demonstrating the dynamic movements and forces involved in mechanisms of injury.

2010

Health and Leisure

Aoife Ni Mhuiri

This project looked at developing an interactive online resource focusing on the conceptualisation and visualisation of exercise and coaching drills, and applying these in a model with phases for each stage of sports-injury rehabilitation.

2011

Health and Leisure

Eimear Foley and Joan Cleary

This is an online resource focusing on the statistical components of the Health and Leisure Research Methods module. The learning object shows students how to search for data and explains the key criteria needed to complete searches in SPSS.

2011

Computing Ed Sheldon This resource provides students and lecturers with a framework that introduces and supports the development of quality software. It supports teams during labs and on projects. It also allows lecturers to monitor individual contributions from students.

2011

Business Breda O’Dwyer

A complete module has been created online in Entrepreneurship. Students work through material, which has videos, quizzes, interactions and audio files added throughout, and then students connect to an online classroom for group discussions and tutorials with the lecturer.

2011

Library Tony Hanlon and Tom Farrelly

This is a set of video tutorials that explain to students the different components of the library’s search applications. It guides students through the functions with a voiceover and video tutorial.

2011

49

n A series of structured CPD events are provided by IT Tralee over the academic year to support staff of the institute in the development of flexible teaching and delivery. This training permeates all aspects of the operation of IT Tralee from admissions to teaching and learning. Three non-class contact days are set annually to facilitate maximum staff attendance at these events. IT Tralee, through the Centre for Educational Development (CED), also offers one-to-one and group workshops to assist staff in terms of any CPD requirements in the area of flexible learning.

IT Tralee has in recent years invested in both hardware and software to facilitate flexible programme delivery. The main platform used is Blackboard, with other software including Wimba, Mahara, Articulate, Camtasia and Raptivity. Staff of the institute have access to the services of an instructional designer five days a week, as well as a teaching and learning advocate to help advance developments in this area. Each year IT Tralee also showcases online development projects completed by staff, including learning objects. These developments have been supported under the NDLR and through the SIF2 IOTI flexible learning project. See Table 2 for relevant recent developments by IT Tralee.

ConclusionThe key details can be summarised as follows:

n The number of Special Purpose, Minor and Supplemental Awards reported to HETAC in 2011 was 271, of which IT Tralee accounted for 55, representing 20% of national provision.

n With 25% of all students at IT Tralee falling within the mature-student category, the institute has the highest rate of participation of mature students of all the higher education institutes in Ireland. Student enrolment in Minor and Special Purpose Awards has assisted IT Tralee in achieving success in this area.

n Development of Minor and Special Purpose Awards is now embedded in the institute’s process of academic development. In the academic year 2011/12, a further ten Minor and Special Purpose Awards will be developed by IT Tralee (a) as part of full programme developments, (b) in response to labour-market activation calls or (c) as a result of specific employer training requests.

n Staff training is central to support the development of flexible learning approaches. Since the commencement of the SIF2 flexible learning project, around 150 one-to-one staff CPD sessions have been facilitated by the Centre for Educational Development to support developments in this area.

n In addition to the one-to-one training, over 200 people have attended group training sessions on the institute’s VLE (Blackboard) and events for the development of reusable learning objects (RLOs) through NDLR projects. More than 40 individual RLOs have been developed by staff to date, and these have been integrated into student coursework.

50

IntroductionThis study was carried out to evaluate the impact in Limerick Institute of Technology of the SIF2 Sectoral Project ‘Supported Flexible Learning’. The project implementation plan adopted was that resources would be given to individual course teams on a case-by-case basis. The teams had the latitude to implement the flexible learning solution in whatever format the solution required but within the institute’s existing virtual learning environment (VLE), Moodle. This study will examine the process each team went through, highlighting the positive and negative aspects. Finally, the wider benefits for the institute will be considered.

Background to Limerick Institute of TechnologyLimerick Institute of Technology (LIT) is the fifth largest of the 14 institutes of technology, with more than 6,000 students (over 4,300 of them full-time). The institute traces its origins back to 1852, when the Athenaeum Society started a School of Arts and Crafts in Limerick. The institute developed from there through the technical education system, which was established on a statutory basis by the Vocational Education Acts in 1930. Today, LIT is established under the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and its academic awards are governed by the Qualifications (Education and Training) Acts 1999 to 2006. The main campus at Moylish Park, on the north side of the city, houses three of LIT’s schools: the School of the Built Environment, the School of Business and Humanities, and the School of Science, Engineering and Information Technology. The School of Art and Design is located in the city centre in a recently refurbished building with purpose-built studios and exhibition space.

LIT’s mission statement is contained in the institute charter 2009–2014:

LIT prepares learners for fulfilling and challenging futures, fostering the professional, intellectual, social, cultural and personal development of the individual. The hallmark of our educational philosophy is active learning through a fusion of theory and practice. We provide third- and fourth-level education, training and research, playing a pivotal role in the economic and socio-cultural development of our region.

A significant development during the lifetime of this project was the integration of Tipperary Institute (TI) into Limerick Institute of Technology, culminating in the milestone on 1st September 2011 when all campuses became LIT campuses, adding LIT Tipperary – Thurles and LIT Tipperary – Clonmel.

Background to LIT’s involvement in the projectLIT was fully supportive of the IOTI application to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for funding for this SIF2 project. From an earlier SIF1 project, LIT had secured funding for a lecturer to be seconded to become the Moodle coordinator for LIT. This role involved the development of an LIT Moodle portal and staff training. In addition, the School of the Built Environment was leading the way in the sector with the use of Diary Pro for Moodle. This is used by our third-year work-placement students to record their activities and to claim credit for learning outcomes achieved. Consequently, LIT was well placed to further develop flexible delivery when the SIF2 project started.

The main philosophy underpinning the project was that through the use of flexible learning methodologies it would be possible to broaden and extend the institute’s education and training opportunities. This in turn would ensure a continuous supply of highly qualified personnel by increasing the number and quality of graduates that pass through the IoT sector generally and LIT specifically.

Project managementThe LIT project was managed by Colin McLean, External Services Manager, who has responsibility for lifelong learning courses (part-time and evening). The project team comprised the President, the SIF project coordinator, SIF project accountant and the external services manager. In addition, heads of school attended when required.

Project work at LITYear 1LIT decided to try piloting a course in one area for its first year of development. It was felt that the process could thus be closely managed, before the experience gained from it could be rolled out across the institute. The method used to identify suitable projects was that each department was asked to propose one project, with the most suitable of the contenders then chosen by the project team. However, two strong projects were submitted, and the project team felt that both should be allocated funding. They were:

1) Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering: Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Engineering, conversion from diploma course, 6 x 5 credits = 30 credits taught, with RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) for the other 30 credits.

2) School of the Built Environment: Management Principles, 10 credits that are common to a range of courses.

The Impact in Limerick Institute of Technology of the SIF2 Sectoral Project ‘Supported Flexible Learning’Colin McLean, Limerick Institute of Technology

51

The project team allocated the funds on the basis of the number of credits being delivered, and the developers of the courses used different models in the design of their programmes.

The Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme used Microsoft Live Meeting as their medium. This suited the cohort of ten students that they had identified. One student had moved to Hong Kong, and two were on the road travelling for their company. The features of live broadcast and recording of lectures were very important, given the make-up of this cohort. There was very positive feedback from the students, and the students mentioned making great use of the time-stamping feature. As there were a number of staff involved, there was initial staff training, then peer-assisted training.

The School of the Built Environment applied a different method, using Moodle to take an existing course and develop it online. Moodle was chosen as students who had already been in LIT would have experience of it.

As part of the peer sharing aspect of the project the experiences of the Electrical and Electronic team were shared with academic staff at the annual staff-development day by Eddie O’Gorman in February 2010.

Year 2In the second year of the project, the plan was to broaden out the projects and to involve other schools and departments. The following projects were delivered:

Teaching and Learning1) Technology-enhanced Teaching and Learning in Higher

Education: a ten-credit Level 9 module, Special Purpose Award, developed with the support of LIN.

2) Becoming a Reflective Teacher through the Development of a Teaching e-Portfolio: a ten-credit Level 9 module in which participants develop a teaching portfolio, using an e-portfolio solution. The module provides an incentive for teaching staff to engage in a number of reflective practices, including peer learning, collaborative action learning sets, conference attendance, reading of journals and other theoretical sources, action research for teaching innovation, etc.

The technology-enhanced learning module was delivered to two cohorts within LIT, and will be delivered to another cohort in GMIT. The second module forms part of the Practice and Reflection in the Teaching and Learning programme.

School of the Built EnvironmentFrom the Bachelor of Science in Management (Craft) (Level 7), the following stand-alone ten-credit flexible units were developed:

1) Business Management and Administration

2) Project and Communication Skills

In addition, the project contributed funds to sustain the role of a teaching and learning champion.

Year 3In the third year of the project, the plan was to continue to broaden out the projects and get other schools and departments involved. The method used was to work with the schools and departments to develop proposals. The following projects were approved:

Department of Business and HumanitiesThe department sought funding for the development and delivery of two modules online via Microsoft Live Meeting. The proposed Level 9 modules will be offered to members of the Agricultural Consultants’ Association.

Teaching and Learning CentreThe Teaching and Learning Centre sought funding to develop learning objects and to provide a consultancy service to other lecturers who want to develop learning objects. The centre intends to take on a multimedia placement student to work on the project.

There is also a small seed-grant for lecturers to buy the hardware and software needed to introduce new technologies in their teaching, and the centre has sought further funding to buy a tablet PC, to be used initially by the placement student, but also to be available on loan for staff to develop multimedia learning objects.

Project work at Tipperary InstituteTipperary Institute were invited to submit projects during their integration into LIT, as delivery of the developed materials would be in September 2011 when the newly expanded LIT would also be in place.

They submitted an application for funding to develop two modules focused on the use of the RETScreen software model. The modules combined a mix of online delivery and content with traditional classroom-based (computer lab) teaching mechanisms. RETScreen is an Excel-based tool developed by the Canadian government in partnership with the UN Environmental Programme. It can be used to complete pre-feasibility, feasibility and project analysis of a wide range of sustainable energy projects.

MethodologyA questionnaire (see Appendix 1) was designed to assist in the evaluation of the impact of the flexible learning project. It was then discussed with SIF2 Flexible Learning IOTI staff and LIT Management, and sent to all Heads of Department and staff involved in the projects. Disappointingly, only three responses were received, despite repeated requests. The findings below are from the questionnaire, and also from subsequent discussions.

Findings

Tipperary Institute RETScreen softwareThe project sought to develop modules to teach RETScreen, a sustainable energy software package, in a distance-learning mode. It was initially envisaged that two modules could be developed: RETScreen Basic and RETScreen Advanced. However, as outlined below, only one was partially developed. This involved research and development of content. However, development of the content will be finalised via the SERVE Project, which LIT Tipperary is coordinating, and both modules should be made available for full training in 2012.

52

Some of the content had originally been developed by Tipperary Institute and Tipperary Energy Agency (TEA) staff. This was reviewed and refined so that it would be suitable for e-learning. The main content was in PowerPoint slide format. This was supplemented with additional reading materials (which were normally covered verbally in class). Discussions were held with organisations in Canada who had also completed e-learning training, and access was provided to this content, which could be used as additional learning materials. Captiv8 was also used to add some sound to RETScreen content.

The core benefit of seeking to develop the e-learning materials was that a solid understanding was gained of the extensive work involved in developing high-quality e-learning materials. By working through the initial content development, and then finding additional information that could supplement this, an appreciation of the range and type of information needed to provide to students via flexible learning was gained. In addition, discussions with RETScreen and providers in Canada highlighted the benefits of rolling out such educational material via flexible learning methods. This built up skills and allowed participants to engage at different levels.

The amount of work required to develop the content had been underestimated, and the original scope of the project was not achieved. This meant that Module 2 – RETScreen Advanced – could not be developed. Delays in getting content prepared were caused by technical problems with Captiv8, as well as not being able to create video of different technologies due to unavailability of site-owners and other problems, which became frustrating. Unfortunately, due to delays in content development, it was not possible to run the programme to test it. However, reviewing the content with other trainers in the TEA, the following points were noted:

n As RETScreen is a piece of software that is used in practical situations to complete feasibility studies, the programme is normally taught in a classroom situation where the tutor can assist students to overcome problems. In the flexible learning environment, students have to work through problems themselves. This may cause some students not to continue with the course if they cannot overcome the problem without help.

n The online content is restricted to a set selection of examples, along with appropriate student exercises, whereas in class it is usually possible to complete a number of different variants of a problem. Therefore the content is somewhat more constrained.

In the future, more time should be allocated for content development and targets should be less ambitious. In addition, it was only discovered at the end of the project that it was possible to work with other developers to get access to available content (e.g. community energy content from Canada).

The main obstacle to making the developed content available for use via Moodle was that the transition of systems from TI to LIT Tipperary did not allow for the content to be uploaded. It has therefore not yet been made available, but is pending.

Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic EngineeringThis project was to run a conversion programme for past students in electronics who had a diploma and wished to get a degree (Level 7). The respondent delivered a one-semester module on Software Engineering Tools.

The material delivered was the same as was given to the present third-year electronics students, and students on the new programme had to sit the same exams as full-time students.

Microsoft Live Meeting was used to give the lectures, host the material and make a video recording of the lectures as they happened online. This last aspect allowed students to watch the lectures at a later time if they were not available to attend online. All lectures, labs and past exams were also available on Moodle.

The following are some of the comments made about the new programme:

‘I enjoyed [the programme] as I was using new technology and because the students were very interested in doing well.’

‘The students were highly motivated and mature and were delighted that they could continue with their employment and still attend college. They could access all the material whenever they needed it.’

‘They were also delighted to be using new technology (MS Live Meeting) as some companies were using something similar for video-conferencing, etc.’

‘The students attended the college for two sessions (introduction and practical exam). That was adequate for my subject as it was software-based. If it was a subject that required specialist equipment then the students would have to attend more often. This would make it more difficult for them (one student was based in Taiwan).’

Key points for future flexible learning development are:

1) become familiar with the software for delivery (in this case MS Live Meeting);

2) run a few trial runs before going live with students;

3) confine this mode of delivery to subjects that do not require a lot of practical hands-on work with specialist equipment.

Level 9 module on agricultural taxationThis project was delivered via the internet and block classes to the Agricultural Consultants’ Association.

The software used was Microsoft Live Meeting, which allows for group interaction and shared remote lectures. Moodle was used for course notes. The course team also encouraged the use of texting and email as the preferred media for communication.

This was the team’s first venture into the realm of online delivery, and they intend to continue to offer a night-course using the internet in this academic year.

53

For the course team, the ability to reach a much broader geographical range of students really helped in the delivery process. The feature of recording lectures, so students could access the material later, was an excellent feature. Lecturing staff really enjoyed the experience after initial learning-curve issues.

The technology, while very good, still did not allow the empathetic relationship that would ordinarily occur between a student and lecturer to develop. In a classroom environment, it is easier to identify problems from students’ reactions, whereas the student is less likely to highlight issues in the context of an online group.

The team did, however, experience more flexibility and a less rigid structure. They felt that the student benefited from the blended approach, which allowed for more clarity in the weekend classes than maybe could be achieved online. Some of the positive aspects of the programme were:

n flexibility – being able to ‘attend’ lectures at home;

n cost – significant savings made due to not having to visit the campus;

n learning – the learning of the technology and method of delivery was something the students said they liked about the course.

One problem that was noted, however, was that when the lecture was viewed by a student at a time other than during the actual scheduled class, there was little possibility to ask questions.

The whole experience has been very positive and further developments in the use of online technology are ongoing. However, the support of lecturers with experience of delivering courses online is crucial, since the information they offer is not available in any handbook.

ConclusionThere is no doubt that LIT has benefited from the funding from the SIF2 flexible learning project. There has been an increase in the number of staff who have taken introductory and advanced Moodle courses. Before the project, LIT did not have any flexible learning offerings, now it has a number of courses available – with more planned. In addition, LIT is looking to international partners to explore options in flexible learning, with staff currently preparing to visit the US.

With regard to the problems outlined above, LIT will learn from them. For example, it was very difficult to estimate how long the process of developing flexible materials would take, but LIT now has a better understanding of this. In addition, the problems outlined above regarding lack of interaction will be overcome in the future by designating times when the lecturer is available online to interact with the learners. As the technologies themselves improve, features such as face-time between the lecturer and the learner could be scheduled.

Evaluation Questionnaire

Can you please complete the following questionnaire and return to Colin McLean ([email protected]) by 30 September 2011 for the Flexible Learning Project that was funded under the Strategic Innovation Fund 2?

1) Can you give a project description and what aspects of the project were you involved in?

2) Briefly describe the process you undertook to develop the flexible learning materials and what technologies you used.

3) Have you been involved in developing flexible learning materials before?

4) Can you describe what you felt were the positive aspects of this development process for you?

5) Can you describe what you felt were the negative aspects of this development process for you?

6) Can you describe how the learning process differed for the student?

7) In your opinion, what were the positive aspects of using these materials for the student?

8) In your opinion, what were the negative aspects of using these materials for the student?

9) Given the experience you had, if you were to do the same exercise again what would you do differently?

10) Did the institute systems that you encountered during the development and implementation encourage or inhibit the development? Were new systems put in place?

11) What advice would you give to another member of staff if they were going to develop flexible learning materials?

Appendix 1 LIT SIF2 Flexible Learning Project

54

Section 1: Institutional contextGeneralPrior to the start of the SIF2 Flexible Learning project the WebCT virtual learning environment (VLE) had already been in place at LYIT for a number of years. The VLE was seen as being the key enabling technology for more flexible delivery of programmes to full-time and part-time students, but uptake by academic staff was initially slower than anticipated. There were a number of reasons for this:

n Lack of sustained promotion of flexible learning techniques from institute management

n Lack of a structured ongoing training regime meant that lecturers were learning as they went along, so only the more enthusiastic technophiles were regular users of the VLE

n Lack of structured VLE-specific technical support meant that individual issues took a long time to resolve, resulting in disruption to learning and frustration for lecturers and students

n Poor integration of the various IT systems meant that there was no automatic registration of staff and students to the VLE system, and no cross-referencing to the timetabling system to ensure lecturers and students were linked to the correct module information

n No programme exemplars to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of basing a full programme around online/blended delivery

When the SIF2 Flexible Learning project was initiated in 2008, LYIT’s executive board viewed it as a major opportunity to develop the institute’s capabilities in this area. A flexible learning group, with members drawn from management, administrative and flex-active academic staff, was set up to advise the executive board on matters relating to flexible and innovative teaching and learning, including the best use of available funds. This flexible learning group comprised:

n Head of the School of Engineering (chair)

n Head of the School of Business

n Head of Development

n IT manager

n Senior lecturer in Teaching and Learning

n Three flex-active lecturers

The cross-functional aspect of this group was crucial, as the successful development of a flexible learning ethos and capability would rely to varying degrees on the efforts of management, IT services, teaching support and academics.

A number of goals were established at an early stage:

1) Integrate the various IT systems (primarily Core, Banner and Syllabus+) with the VLE system to remove any systemic obstacles to participation by staff and students.

2) Set up a regular staff-training regime with rolling training programmes at the start of each semester, complemented by one-to-one support as required.

3) Develop an existing full-time programme into an online/blended mode, on a pilot basis, to provide institutional experience and to act as an exemplar for all staff.

With these goals in mind, the institute appointed a dedicated VLE support person with a technical background to work in IT services, funding was provided to run rolling training programmes and the institute’s existing HDip in Financial Services Management was selected for development in online/blended mode.

The SIF2 project has been particularly important for LYIT in helping to address deficiencies in its technical and central support structure, and promoting a flexible learning ethos.

Systems developmentLYIT adopted WebCT as its VLE in 2002 and by 2010 this had undergone various upgrades to WebCT 8.0 Campus Edition. In spring 2010, the institute moved its VLE to an outsourced solution of WebCT CE 8.0 Enterprise, hosted by Blackboard (the parent company).

At this time, with the appointment of the VLE support person from SIF2 Flexible Learning funds, there was also a focus on automating the population of records in WebCT, which had previously been a manual process. This had meant that user accounts were created individually, as were modules, with users individually enrolled in their respective modules. With some 3,000 students enrolled in around 1,700 individual modules, the extra effort required to get all students properly enrolled was significant (approximately 30,000 individual enrolments). As the use of WebCT increased, there was an urgent need to automate these processes.

The WebCT system does not allow direct connection to the WebCT database source without using the WebCT API tools. Therefore the direct-push mechanism cannot be used with the WebCT database. WebCT provided a facility for the transfer of XML files to a predefined location, where they were picked up at scheduled periods and processed.

Making our Systems and Niche Programmes More Flexible through TechnologyMichael Carey, Denis McFadden and Liam McIntyre Letterkenny Institute of Technology

55

In order to automate this process, information needed to be extracted from various data sources and placed into one centralised staging database (Euphoria), where all information could be accessed directly for the purposes of building WebCT-compliant XML code. Required data are sourced as:

n Student records from Banner

n Module information from Banner

n Staff enrolments from Syllabus+ (timetabling system)

To facilitate the data integration with WebCT, XML files are generated that conform to WebCT XML schema specifications for importing data.

In order to facilitate these procedures, the following applications are required:

n Staging database: Microsoft SQL 2008

n Data integration: SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)

n XML code builder: Keelio XML SSIS Toolkit

n FTP file transfer: SFTP Client

To generate an import data XML file, the data-integration application first collects all student data from the staging database, where the record status-field indicates new or updated records. It then uses predefined SQL stored procedures, allowing the data-integration application to transform the gathered data records into an XML format conforming to WebCT XML import-data schema specifications. The data-integration application then sends the transformed data to a function, which exports the contents to an XML file, which is then picked up by the FTP client and securely transferred to WebCT for processing.

When these processes were built, it removed human involvement in the creation of student accounts and the enrolment of those students on their respective modules. These processes would run at various intervals of the day (10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., etc.), which would ensure that a student who registered at 9.30 a.m. on a Monday, for example, would be able within the hour to login to WebCT and have access to their module learning content. Automating these processes removed a major obstacle to the use by lecturers and students of WebCT, and paved the way for future growth in usage through sustained training and promotion.

Subsequently, Blackboard announced that support for WebCT 8.0 would end as of January 2013, prompting the institute to conduct a review in 2010/11 that resulted in Blackboard Learn 9.1 being selected to replace WebCT. In migrating to Blackboard 9.1, the primary objective for the SIF2-supported implementation team at LYIT was to complete a full move to the new system within an eight-week period during July/August 2011, closing out access to WebCT without undue disruption to users. It was determined that adopting a staged transition process would introduce additional risk, complexity and resource requirements in supporting two production systems.

The key challenges and goals facing the implementation team were:

1) Data integration: retaining the same level of automated integration with the institute’s management information systems (Banner, Core, Syllabus+). During the outsourcing process in spring 2010, considerable resources were focused on resolving data integration as detailed above.

2) Historical course content: migrating historical course content from WebCT to Blackboard Learn 9.1. A critical success factor for the continuing support by existing academic users is to have previous course content available in the new VLE.

3) Cross-listing: a key component of the WebCT product was the ability to merge multiple cohorts of students for the same taught module by recognising the same lecture on different courses. This function was automated in WebCT, but Blackboard announced that the feature was no longer available in Blackboard 9.1. A separate tool called Section Merge provided similar functionality, but its adoption required the redevelopment of the software interfaces.

4) Training: a core component of the strategy to have Blackboard 9.1 available for the start of the new academic year (September 2011) was the provision of training workshops.

The implementation of the new Blackboard platform can be described in five stages.

Stage 1An implementation planning team was set up with representatives from LYIT’s academic, management, technical support and Blackboard personnel. This team would be involved in devising the transition plan from WebCT to Blackboard 9.1.

Stage 2In July 2011, the technical team engaged with Blackboard consultants to define the technical migration plan. This involved:

n Converting the Blackboard 9.1 evaluation platform to production

n Upgrading Blackboard 9.1 with Service Pack 6

n LDAP installation, integration and testing

n Redesigning data-integration interfaces between the institute’s information systems and Blackboard 9.1

n Installing and testing data-integration interfaces

n Course-content migration from WebCT platform to Blackboard

n Agreeing milestones for the above points

Stage 3On 12 August 2011, a pilot of the Blackboard 9.1 platform was released to academic staff to enable them to familiarise themselves with the new environment and provide feedback to the technical team.

Stage 4To support teaching staff who currently use WebCT, and new users of the VLE, a training programme was designed. This included a week of training workshops, support material (video and documents) and one-to-one tuition by the VLE support person.

Stage 5On 12 September 2011, Blackboard 9.1 went fully live as the student population returned for the start of the new academic year. WebCT 8.0 was switched off on 19 September.

56

The transition plan proved to be effective, despite the short time-scale. However, a considerable amount of technical work had to be done by the LYIT team and Blackboard Inc. During the process, there were problems getting adequate support from Blackboard Inc. in relation to data integration, which affected our ability to meet some of the milestones.

Figures indicate that, with the installation of Blackboard 9.1, there has been significant expansion in the use of the VLE by lecturers. This stems directly from the institute’s commitment to training workshops, the provision of training materials online, and making available a dedicated VLE support person to assist with technical issues and training needs.

Staff developmentIn recent years, LYIT has prioritised staff training in teaching and learning, both in terms of pedagogy and the use of modern technologies. Numerous staff have obtained a formal qualification in higher education teaching or completed shorter courses in this area. Prior to the SIF2 project, training in the flexible methods associated with the institute’s VLE mainly attracted lecturers who had a specific interest in the area.

Training on the VLE has been a key element of the SIF2 project at LYIT. Throughout the SIF2 project, the focus has been on attracting a broad section of the academic staff to these methods by tailoring training and workshops specifically to their needs (whether beginner, intermediate or advanced). The introduction of automatic registration of staff and students to the VLE meant this training could be prioritised so that both a critical mass of users and an enthusiasm for the use of flexible technologies could be built up. Training has been particularly focused on getting lecturers up and running with a basic setup for their modules, and demonstrating to them the advantages and ease of use of the VLE. Since 2009, the institute has run training programmes on a rolling basis at the start of each semester (January and September).

Over five days in September 2010, for example, an experienced external trainer delivered half-day workshops on Blackboard to various groups across both campuses. The training comprised the following workshops:

Workshop 1: A Practical Pedagogyn Deconstructing an existing element/module of a course

into its component parts (lectures, seminars, discussion, testing etc.) and representing it in Blackboard

n Effective use of tools to promote teaching and learning

Workshop 2: Structure, Function, Content – Building Great Courses

n How to ‘assemble’ and ‘reassemble’ Blackboard courses

n Building an online course

Workshop 3: Assessment and Gradebookn Blackboard assessment tools

n How assessments are created, released etc.

Workshop 4: Blackboard Hands-on Workshopsn A chance to work through specific issues in consultation

with a trainer. Staff are able to bring along actual course material during these sessions, and are helped to work it into the Blackboard environment. Any issues are dealt with as they arise.

A full week of training was delivered during September 2011, in conjunction with the installation of the new Blackboard 9.1 platform. This was crucial for the transfer of existing users onto the new system, and to provide new users with the opportunity to get involved at the most appropriate time. These workshops were supplemented by individual one-to-one sessions, as required. In all, 85 lecturers attended training during this time.

Prior to the commencement of the SIF2 initiative in 2009, approximately 25 lecturing staff were using the VLE to varying degrees, with class groups and modules being registered on request. As a result of the various improvements, the level of usage among staff increased. As of October 2011, usage is as follows:

n All staff, approximately 170 full-time and 60 part-time, are registered to the VLE.

n All LYIT student groups are registered to the VLE and linked to appropriate modules.

n Approximately 130 staff members have used the VLE.

n Approximately 90 staff members have been trained and are using the new Blackboard platform, with others building up their usage.

To further embed Blackboard, workshops and training opportunities will continue to be offered, as resources allow. LYIT will continue to explore those offerings from Blackboard (training, new features, Service Packs, technical consultancy) that have the potential for significant expansion of the use and functionality of the system.

Section 2: Case study – HDip in Financial Services ManagementIntroductionThe HDip in Financial Services Technologies programme was originally developed in conjunction with a number of local companies involved in the financial services sector, primarily Pramerica Systems Irl.

Pramerica Systems Irl. is a software-development and contact-centre subsidiary of US-based Prudential Financial Inc., a financial-services leader. Pramerica Systems Irl. was founded in Co. Donegal in June 2000, and currently has more than 800 employees. Pramerica consists of two diverse business groups, Systems and Operations. The Systems group is responsible for the analysis, design, development and maintenance of ‘back-office’ systems for the mainframe and other emerging environments. Alongside systems development and maintenance, essential quality assurance of these systems is a necessity. The unavailability of essential skills nationally led the company to approach LYIT in 2005 with a view to exploring the inclusion of such skills into an LYIT programme. This led to the development of the Higher Diploma in Financial Services Technologies, a programme that would allow participants to acquire the relevant key skills for a ready-made employment market and to achieve a nationally recognised Level 8 award.

The Higher Diploma was developed as a one-year taught programme, in Mainframe Technologies for the Insurance and Financial Services Sector, focusing on topics applicable to the sector, with a strong emphasis on mainframe legacy-programming using COBOL. Its aim is to take graduate students and supplement their skills and knowledge in readiness to begin

57

a career in any mainframe legacy-programming environment, such as development, maintenance, testing and quality assurance. While the course is quite specific in focusing on the key technologies of local industries, these skills are applicable to mainframe legacy systems across the employment sector, in areas such as banking and general insurance. Inclusion of these elements not only provides skills and knowledge relevant to the financial technologies sector, but also ensures that graduates are given both a base for continuing self-development and a set of skills that are transferable to the broader software-development industry. These skill sets are reinforced with a strong emphasis on the COBOL programming language, supplemented by design and teamwork.

MethodologyThe HDip in Financial Services Technologies ran for a number of years in standard part-time mode, with students attending the institute on a regular basis during the normal working week. During 2009, LYIT used SIF2 Flexible Learning funding to target this programme for development in a blended learning mode, with the ultimate goal of bringing this niche offering to an audience beyond the region. From September 2009, one lecturer was assigned to lead this initiative, and they were released from normal teaching duties to accommodate this. The revamped programme was launched in February 2010, with an initial intake of 12 students.

The HDip in Financial Services Technologies was originally delivered over a full week schedule, which required the learner to be present in the institute five days per week. The aim of this project was to develop this into a two-day-per-week, and ultimately a one-day-per-week, programme that provided both full-time and part-time completion options. Materials were developed and delivered through the institute’s VLE, so that learners could remotely access all programme information, including course notes, videos, formative and summative assessments, and additional support materials. Improvements in the functionality and reliability of the VLE, which was the main thrust of the second element of the SIF2 project at LYIT, were crucial to the successful delivery of this programme to a discerning, mature audience.

With the reduction in direct contact between teachers and students, responding promptly to online queries and feedback from students was crucial, particularly as students at this level are highly motivated and demanding.

The programme continues to be developed through an iterative process of reflective evaluation using learner feedback, followed by instructional-design, construction and implementation, repeated year on year. Evaluating and adopting the most effective features of the flexible e-learning environment, best suited to the delivery of the course, helps to maintain an effective learning environment, but is not without its challenges – primarily the time demanded for preparation.

ResultsThe blended learning nature of the HDip in Financial Services Technologies has meant that access to this programme is much more flexible, removing the constraints that have stifled the delivery of such programmes to a broader range of students in the past. The financial services sector is an expanding market throughout Ireland, and there are numerous opportunities for

students to seek employment across the country and further afield. For example, IBM has a global shortage of mainframe skills. Numerous financial institutions in Ireland have drawn from the LYIT graduate pool.

There were a number challenges that had to be overcome in the development and delivery of the blended-mode HDip in Financial Services Technologies.

n Good-quality online content takes considerable time to construct – a five-month lead-time for developing materials had to be accommodated in advance of running the programme.

n VLE reliability and support were initially inadequate, a problem solved by the appointment of the SIF2-funded VLE support person, the start of work on system integration and so forth.

n Upgrading to Blackboard 9.1 from WebCT during the summer of 2011 could have been disruptive, but careful implementation and training planning resulted in a seamless transition to the new, improved system.

n The VLE materials and course content require constant updates to cater for improved teaching and learning methods, along with version changes across all categories of system and application software.

n Effective alignment between the course content and the demands of a dynamic global financial services sector results in a much-reduced curriculum lifespan.

n It is necessary to provide effective monitoring of student queries by lecturers, and appropriate support and guidance to students outside class-times.

n Staff training sessions or a drop-in centre for staff are essential to the success of any VLE/online initiative, and for two reasons: first, to motivate the lecturers to use the VLE to deliver their modules; second, to provide more advanced instructional-design training for experienced lecturers already using the VLE. Consistency is another issue, in that different lecturers have their own ‘style’ of module delivery.

n Programme delivery has moved from five-day-per-week attendance by the students to a two-day-per-week model, using the blended learning approach.

EvaluationThe blended version of the HDip in Financial Services Technologies has proved very popular, with plenty of competition for the 16 places available this year. This is approximately double the intake for the last running of the original standard programme.

Of those graduates from this programme who made themselves available for work, there has been complete employment. Industry partners feel that the graduates are able to ‘hit the ground running’, rather than needing to be trained, and that they are eager to learn and demonstrate a very positive attitude to and aptitude for the job. Lecturers meet with ‘their’ professional counterparts within industry to discuss programme-alignment issues, shortcomings, successes and changes. This in turn presents the academics with the challenge of constantly delivering an industry-relevant programme, reducing the life-span of the curriculum.

58

From feedback, we know that students like the self-paced nature of the programme delivery, coupled with the provision of supportive learning tools for the more challenging aspects of the learning process. This is especially true when delivering any computing-type course that requires the learner to acquire the art of software development using a programming language.

Students commented that, where they struggled to grasp the key concepts of the teaching in class, the VLE provided additional support in the key areas. The use of the discussion feature (forums and bulletin boards) helped students considerably, both during and outside college hours. Practicals followed by quizzes were an effective teaching and learning measure for students and lecturers alike.

Support for student queries outside class-time is very difficult to provide, and provides a great challenge to the lecturer. However, the students did particularly like being able to record all work carried out on the computer (‘screen-scraping’) and subsequently publish the video for future viewing by the class. Students have asked for classes to be video-recorded in future, and made available via a podcast or webcast.

Online delivery is an iterative process that requires strict discipline on the part of the lecturers. Staying abreast of emerging tools and technologies has proved very challenging for them. Continuing to provide out-of-hours support for learners and to align course materials with industry needs will require continuous improvement.

ConclusionThe original objective of modifying and developing the HDip in Financial Services Technologies for a blended mode of delivery was achieved. Because of its dependence on the virtual learning environment and related systems, this programme – to some extent – drove improvements to integration and reliability. It has acted as an exemplar for the wider institute of the potential presented by online technologies to reach a wider audience, particularly for niche programmes.

Future development of the programme will include the video-recording of lecture classes and workshops for podcast and webcast, and the employment of more virtual classroom technologies to aid distance learning. Improved methods for providing student support outside normal class-time will also be explored. Regular training for lecturers involved in these activities will be necessary to ensure the best use of existing and future technologies and methods. Given the increasing number of students now applying for the programme, it will be worth considering a pre-selection procedure, based on a number of key criteria such as problem-solving skills, mathematical aptitude and the ability to think logically.

59

Institutional contextThe Dublin Institute of Technology has been committed to the provision of flexible learning opportunities almost since its foundation as the Kevin Street Technical School in October 1887. The 1992 Dublin Institute of Technology Act, which established the institute on a formal basis, and the subsequent granting of degree-awarding powers to the institute in 1996, give DIT a unique position in Irish higher education, sitting between the traditional university sector and the institutes of technology. Its strategic plan, A Vision for Development 2001–2015, describes DIT as a ‘multi-level, technological institution, offering programmes to a broadly based clientele in a learner-centred environment and which includes a focus on responsiveness to society’s lifelong learning needs’ (Dublin Institute of Technology, 2001). Similarly, its mission statement describes the institute as providing ‘an innovative, responsive and caring learning environment for a diverse range and level of programmes to students of all ages and backgrounds’. The institute has always worked closely with industry in the design and delivery of courses, and its quality-assurance procedures emphasise the need for involvement of suitably qualified individuals from industry in the design and validation of programmes. This of necessity implies a need for a more flexible approach to programme design and delivery, and over the past decade the institute has been at the forefront in Ireland in the employment of innovation in its approach to student learning and support of staff training and development: the establishment of a Learning and Teaching Centre in 1999 was complemented by the appointment of a team to support the introduction of learning technologies in 2002. In the academic year 2010/11, DIT enrolled a total of over 19,000 students on 250 programmes, ranging from junior music through to apprentices, bachelors, masters and PhD-level, and employed 1,086 academic staff.

DIT’s involvement in the IOTI’s flexible learning project has provided an opportunity to build on the many initiatives already begun across the institute’s 27 schools, to capitalise on traditional strengths in the areas of part-time and flexible provision, and to begin to define more clearly a future strategy for its portfolio of offerings. The change in the economic situation of Ireland since the project was first proposed in 2007 has meant a change in both the numbers and type of people seeking to build on their educational qualifications, as well as decreasing public finances available to support their aspirations. The original plan to expand significantly the number of people engaged in workforce development in Ireland over the life of the project through increased access to and participation in higher education, as envisioned under the 2007 National Skills Strategy, has been replaced by labour-market activation initiatives and back-to-work schemes. DIT has responded positively to such initiatives, and attracted over 2,750 applications in response to the ‘Springboard’ scheme for the unemployed in 2011, the largest numbers by far to any higher education institute. But the project has also provided an opportunity to examine and define more clearly

the existing range of offerings: using the working definition of flexible learners suggested by the project (non-CAO applicants), DIT’s portfolio includes almost 200 programmes that fall into the ‘flexible’ category. The majority of these programmes are part-time, on-site, offered outside the regular nine-to-five timeslot and leading to an award, with over 50% of the offerings at honours degree or masters level (NQAI Levels 8 and 9). There is also an undetermined number of ‘off-site’ programmes, as well as occasional online programmes designed to meet the specific needs of industry. Recently, flexible add-on degrees for Level 7 graduates have been devised in medical instruments, hospitality management and other areas, based on a blended learning approach. Many masters degree programmes (e.g. pharmaceuticals) are being validated in such a way that their modules can be delivered either as full degree programmes or as stand-alone continuing professional development (CPD) courses.

BlueBrick.ieAs the third-level institution with the largest portfolio of part-time programmes in Ireland, DIT has a significant presence on BlueBrick.ie. At the end of 2011 a total of 101 offerings were listed on the site, with all four colleges represented. While the majority of courses are offered at the National Framework of Qualifications Levels 8 and 9, they span lower levels too, with some courses also preparing students for examination/accreditation by external professional bodies such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). A detailed breakdown of DIT’s BlueBrick.ie offerings, by college and NFQ level, is provided in Table 1.

At DIT, part-time provision is agreed and organised at school rather than institutional level. When compiling the offerings to be listed in BlueBrick.ie, it was therefore necessary to speak directly to the individuals responsible for each programme, as they could provide the information required to capture the richness of the offerings and to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date portfolio. To do this, the Learning Teaching and Technology Centre (LTTC) enlisted the cooperation and assistance of colleagues (particularly programme coordinators) from across the institute. In collating this information, however, a number of issues arose. In some cases actually getting confirmation of information provided in brochures and on the DIT website proved difficult: a programme was not included on BlueBrick.ie if confirmation of its current validity was not received from the individuals concerned. Another issue revolved around the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) system used by BlueBrick.ie, which was not always able to adequately capture the multidisciplinary nature of many of DIT’s programmes. To remedy this, programmes where the ISCED seemed inappropriate were identified and the corresponding programme coordinator was asked to select their preference from ISCED classification categories. If they considered it appropriate, lecturers were also asked to provide a qualifying note (to better reflect the programme content), which was then inserted into the BlueBrick.ie CMS. A third issue

Lessons from Flexible Learning across Multiple CampusesDr Kevin C. O’Rourke, Dublin Institute of Technology

60

revolved around accurately calculating the cost to students of individual programmes in advance of the academic year. This proved difficult in many cases, partly due to the fact that programme data were collated and inserted into the BlueBrick.ie CMS during the summer months. Most programme documents at this time still contained programme fees (and capitation fees) for the previous academic year, and many lecturers were unsure if programme fees were to increase and, if so, by how much. Additionally, many were unsure if currently cited fees included the capitation fee or not. As an interim solution, the most up-to-date programme fee was inserted in BlueBrick.ie with a qualifying note that specified the academic year to which these fees applied and noted that fees for the forthcoming year were subject to change. Learners were advised to contact the institute for further details. In total, DIT received 236 applications via BlueBrick.ie over the life of the project.

Staff developmentConcentration has also been placed on upskilling academic staff in the use of technologies that facilitate flexible learning, as well as emphasising the paradigm shift in programme and curriculum design that is necessary if the initiative is to have a lasting impact on the manner in which the institute operates. Participation in appropriately themed seminars and workshops by DIT academic staff rose by over 55% during the life of the project, from 419 in the 2008/09 academic year to 649 in 2010/11. Approximately 190 workshops relevant to the theme have been facilitated by DIT’s LTTC since the inception of the project, attended by almost 1,500 staff. Samples of relevant workshops include the following:

n Introduction to webcourses.dit.ie (DIT’s virtual learning environment)

n SMS texting to support students

n Exploring the potential of e-portfolios for student learning

n Using webinars to support student learning

n Using technology to support assessment

n Plagiarism detection with SafeAssign

n Active learning strategies

n Teaching without talking

n Encouraging all students to communicate effectively in webcourses.dit.ie

n Web 2.0: Communicating with Facebook and Twitter

n Fresh thinking for the new semester

Additionally, the DIT e-learning Summer School 2009 was themed ‘Get Flexible: Moving to an Online Environment’, while the annual DIT Showcase of Teaching and Learning Innovations – held in January each year – has included best practices across the institute in the areas of part-time support and flexible delivery.

As part of the project, DIT has sought to repackage some traditional programmes into a learning-object format that will prove more flexible for use across programmes. To that end, the LTTC began by looking at existing modules on the Postgraduate Certificate in Third-Level Learning and Teaching. Three modules have been developed to date (Reflective Practitioner and Academic Writing Skills; The Psychology of Learning; Catering for Student Diversity) with more in progress, both within the LTTC and in the colleges. Other initiatives undertaken include an examination of the application and registration processes; an initiative to provide better information for part-time and non-traditional students; and the possibility of providing more programmes in an online format. Funding provided under the initiative has been used to maintain the employment of an existing key member of the e-learning support team, who provides both technical and administrative leadership in the area for academic staff.

Table 1 DIT’s offerings on BlueBrick.ie, February 2011

College No. of courses

in BB

Level 3 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9 No NFQ level

provided

Prep for EASA

exam or equivalent

Arts and Tourism 20 1 0 2 1 12 4 0 0

Business 21 0 3 2 1 8 6 1 0

Engineering and Built Environment

29 0 0 5 0 11 7 1 5

Sciences and Health

29 0 3 5 1 10 10 0 0

Other 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 101 1 6 16 3 41 27 2 5

61

Case study: Lessons from flexible learning across multiple campusesThe Dublin Institute of Technology is currently located in six main campus locations across Dublin city centre, each with its own history. For example, the Bolton Street college opened in 1911, while the Aungier Street campus was built in the 1990s. In all, teaching and learning takes place in some 38 buildings with varying facilities. This presents challenges in various areas, from teaching and timetabling to support functions. Subjects range from music performance education for all ages from children to adults, apprenticeship and craft education in a range of skills, to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and research. Part-time flexible programmes for adult learners have always been a significant part of the DIT tradition: in fact, before the 1992 Act, part-time and apprentice enrolments constituted by far the largest cohort of students, a pattern that has gradually reversed since the 1980s (see Figure 1).

Such a change in the composition of the part-time student cohort may appear surprising, given that the issue of supporting lifelong learning has been on the public agenda since at least the early 1980s. The Report of the Commission on Adult Education, 1983 made the following recommendations for third-level education:

18. Third Level Institutions should, having regard to regional and national needs, and to their own special areas of expertise, commit themselves to educational provision which will contribute to the development of a comprehensive national programme of Adult and Continuing Education. We believe that they have a particular contribution to make in the following areas: provision of part-time undergraduate programmes, extra-mural studies programmes, community and rural development programmes, continuing professional education, training of adult educators and research into adult education.

19. Third Level Institutions should be more flexible in their entry requirements for mature students and should in general facilitate easier access for such students to higher education.

20. Third Level Institutions should adopt new approaches to facilitate greater participation in part-time day and evening courses, such as modular credit systems, accreditation for experience and credit transfer between institutions.

(Hyland and Milne, 1992, pp.515–16)

However, national response to such calls has been fairly underwhelming. This has been due primarily to the lack of a related policy with regard to funding for part-time students, and the issue of parity between full-time and part-time students continues to be unresolved. A 2007 position paper from the National Adult Learning Organisation cites calls from both the European Universities Association and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others, to have the issue resolved (Aontas, 2007). More recently, it was noted that ‘the status of part-time education in Ireland is poor and has been undermined by the absence of coherent policy or resources to develop structured provision for part-time learners’ (Darmody and Fleming, 2009, p.67). However, the situation is not peculiar to Ireland: in the UK, government policy has been described by Bennion, Scesa and Williams (2011, p.160) as exhibiting a ‘Janus factor’: ‘On the one hand, part-time study is recognised as an important and effective way of meeting the skills of the economy… On the other hand, part-time study has been less generously resourced than full-time provision’. This situation has resulted in calls at Irish and European levels to develop a knowledge economy through investment in education and training, for example by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs.

Figure 1 DIT student enrolments, 1982–2010

Academic year Full-time Part-time Apprentices Total

1982/83 4,937 11,187 7,343 23,467

1987/88 6,679 9,680 4,568 20,927

1992/93 9,299 9,551 5,192 20,042

1997/98 9,990 7,796 2,988 20,774

2002/03 10, 240 5,634 2,966* 18,840

2007/08 9,961 3,594 2,720 16,295

2008/09 10,587 4,545 2,775 17,907

2009/10 11,348 4,020 2,347 17,715

2010/11 11,784 3,692 2,388 17,844

* DIT records

Totals since 2002 taken from www.hea.ie. Earlier totals from Thomas Duff, Joseph Hegarty and Matthew Hussey (2000) The Story of the Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin: Blackhall Publishing, p.145. Note that these earlier numbers are based on an aggregate of total numbers on individual courses, a different method of counting to that subsequently used by the HEA.

62

It was in response to one such 2005 report that a study was commissioned by DIT to assist the institute to identify the strengths and weaknesses of its existing part-time offerings, to identify the areas of activity and the strengths of main competitors (in both the public and private sectors), and to identify programme areas/markets/locations that may offer potential for development. Data were gathered from among DIT staff, students and outside agencies, and the study focused on three of the institute’s 27 schools. The following definition was used:

Part-time education incorporates: ‘Those courses which are not full-time, which may or may not lead to an award and which may include short courses (less than 105 hours of classroom instruction) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses and programmes, but excluding apprenticeships’ (Dublin Institute of Technology, 2007).

The study noted that part-time study in Ireland is heavily biased in favour of CPD, as it is ‘dominated by students wishing to up-skill, upgrade or diversify into new areas of expertise’. Such a situation should place DIT’s programmes with their industry focus in a very favourable light. To this end, general levels of satisfaction among DIT students with the academic aspects of their programmes were evident, but the report noted dissatisfaction among DIT students with facilities, administration processes (lack of online application, registration etc.) and poor response rates from academic departments during the summer months. Such findings are generally in line with annual survey data collected and compiled by DIT’s student-retention office, but also with information from other institutions within Ireland and internationally (in addition to Darmody and Fleming, 2009, see, for example, Moro-Egido and Panades, 2010; Williams and Kane, 2010). The lack of a single campus was also cited as a reason for dissatisfaction, resulting in poor facilities in some locations.

The issue of fees and the lack of financial support from government for part-time students (other than tax relief in their first year of study) was also broached. However, many students reported that their fees were paid by their employers, and self-funding part-time students registered at DIT believed that their programme of study provided value for money and cost less than an equivalent course at other colleges. Among the findings made by the group that emerged from discussions with DIT stakeholders were:

n Provision that is relevant to market demand and serves the institute’s ethos is viewed by management as the way forward.

n Industry, in-company training and collaboration programmes have been identified as a key growth area. However, varied levels of engagement are apparent in this area.

n Modularisation and flexible day-release formats are under way. These delivery modes encourage resources to be shared across full-time and part-time activities, where DIT can benefit from economies of scale.

n DIT’s e-learning facilities are being utilised by some staff members: this can open new markets across the country and further enhance DIT’s brand and corporate image.

n The physical presence that DIT has around the city is perceived by some as a threat and others a weakness. As locations merge into one campus, a sentiment that most stakeholders agree on is that DIT will be better placed in the market provided resources are improved, offerings refined and one clear message communicated to tenable markets. However, a highly centralised approach to developing and promoting part-time programmes was not the favoured option.

(Dublin Institute of Technology, 2007)

The report made several recommendations around the issues of internal communications, course evaluation, administration, coordination, course offerings, marketing and pricing. In response, DIT established a part-time programmes committee with representation from all colleges and interests within the institute. Among the tasks that this group has sought to complete is to determine the full extent of DIT’s part-time offerings, to facilitate publicity and enable a coordinated approach to flexible learning across DIT’s 38 sites.

DIT’s portfolio of part-time programmes is fluid and has proven difficult to determine. In February 2011, using a combination of listings from the central registration system, the DIT website and the offerings from DIT listed on BlueBrick.ie, it appeared that the portfolio included 187 programmes across all colleges, as indicated in Table 2.

The table indicates that 28% of programmes are at postgraduate level, and that equivalent numbers of programmes are offered at Level 8. The programmes offered at Level 6 tend to be associated with labour-market activation schemes. Further work needs to be done to determine the levels at which the 47 uncategorised programmes are offered. The relationship of part-time programmes to CPD is varied. Some CPD courses are run exclusively as CPD courses, attracting an award of ECTS credits (which may or may not be transferable onto a programme leading to a formal academic award). Some CPD courses comprise modules on DIT programmes leading to DIT awards, with the students in attendance comprising both those in pursuit of an academic qualification and some who are attending in order to ‘audit’ a subject. These latter students are assessed separately and may be considered as attending at a lower level on the NFQ, if a designation is required. Some CPD courses are ‘one-off’ bespoke programmes developed and delivered specifically for a certain audience, such as off-site, ‘executive’-type programmes.

Higher-educational policy in Ireland has recently begun to demand more flexibility in the way third-level institutions offer their programmes. The November 2009 position paper by the HEA on open and flexible learning states that ‘open and distance learning (ODL)… has an important contribution to make to national objectives in up-skilling and higher education participation’. More recently, the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (the ‘Hunt Report’) noted that ‘there are isolated examples of programmes and courses in Irish higher education that are available on a flexible and online basis, but these are the exception rather than the rule’.

63

Among DIT’s academic staff there is a growing recognition of the potential of technology to provide greater flexibility for both students and staff. Already some programmes have been run online or almost fully online, with examples including:

n a five-credit module on Coordinate Reference Systems has been successfully run for students in Ireland and Cyprus by the Department of Spatial Information Sciences; DIT also hosts a series of online modules run annually by the EuroSDR organisation based in Bolton Street;

n a series of accredited online courses for assessors in Building Energy Rating have been very well subscribed, as have courses teaching Simulation in Building Design, both organised by the (now discontinued) Professional Development Services Unit;

n the School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science offers modules in cooperation with a Singapore-based tutor;

n modules for a cross-institutional European Masters in Early Childhood Education and Care have been successfully run online by the School of Social Sciences and Law;

n the School of Art, Design and Printing runs an award-winning module based entirely in the virtual world of Second Life, as well as a Degree in Visual Art to participants in Sherkin Island, which widely relies on technology.

Moreover, there is an acknowledgement among academic staff of the growing public demand for easier access to accredited learning that has more flexibility in its mode of delivery than traditional, classroom-based programmes. The School of Mathematics is currently planning to offer its MSc in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics online; the School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering is responding to industry demands by seeking to provide its BSc in Medical Device Innovation in an online mode; while the ‘Green Way’ initiative is seeking to develop and offer online programmes in Sustainability and Carbon Trading with DIT’s School of Spatial Studies and School of Marketing, in collaboration with Oscail/DCU. However, such programmes generally have been built on the initiative of one or two individuals, and their efforts have not always been recognised or rewarded. (In at least one case, an online programme has been developed but is now unused because the individual concerned no longer works for DIT.) As the Hunt

Report puts it, ‘the enthusiasm of individual teachers/lecturers and the availability of appropriate technological infrastructure and pedagogical support are not in themselves sufficient to drive the development of open and flexible learning in HEIs. At an institutional level, issues such as innovative and creative timetabling, off-campus and workplace provision, etc. need to be addressed. Institutional leadership is also a key component in the successful introduction of innovation.’

DIT’s approach to and support for part-time programmes has always been determined at school level, and the institute has never devised a single strategy as regards part-time provision. The multifarious nature of DIT’s offerings, along with the existing preference for local administration of programmes, suggests that a fresh approach to the situation should be sought if DIT is to continue to achieve its mission in responding to the needs of its students and industry. One approach is that DIT should look more to exploit the possibilities of its online provision. The establishment of a virtual campus as part of such a strategy at this time will clearly indicate DIT’s ability to respond to the current demands and to capitalise on its reputation as being responsive to industry.

Currently, up to 80% of part-time programmes utilise DIT’s virtual learning environment, webcourses.dit.ie, and it would appear sensible to begin to look at these as an indication of what could be provided in an online structure. But simply moving part-time programmes online will not necessarily provide any advantage to either students or staff. However, as DIT’s programmes are now all organised in modular format, it is possible for modules to be individually accredited and offered as short CPD programmes. (This approach is already being used successfully by some programmes made available under recent labour-market activation schemes.) A unique selling point for DIT, therefore, would be to design its online offerings so that students could enrol on individual modules as well as on complete degree programmes. In this way, subject of course to certain pre-defined restrictions, students could accumulate credits over time and acquire accreditation up to full-degree level in a manner that is truly flexible and self-paced. And, as in the US, students enrolled on full-time programmes at DIT and elsewhere may deem it advantageous to supplement their credit accumulation by enrolling on such online offerings.

From DIT’s perspective, it should not be immediately necessary to design or reconstruct entire programmes for online use: the response at programme level discussed above demonstrates that

Table 2 DIT part-time offerings February 2011

Level 3 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9 No NFQ level

provided

TOTAL

Arts and Tourism 1 3 3 3 15 11 5 41

Business 0 0 0 0 7 11 1 19

Engineering and Built Environment

0 0 11 5 13 12 39 80

Sciences and Health 0 3 4 1 17 14 2 41

Academic affairs 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 6

TOTAL 1 6 20 9 52 52 47 187

64

an appetite to engage in this kind of work already exists, although there is obviously a need to take staff working conditions etc. into consideration at every stage. Similarly, existing technology could be used as the basis to build a virtual DIT: the webcourses.dit.ie platform – which since January 2011 is hosted ‘in the cloud’ and is available 24/7 – is already fully functional for module delivery and tutor administration; the module catalogue CourseWise could be used to define online offerings; and the full potential of the Banner registration system could be exploited with regard to the administration of applications, registrations, credit accumulation and so on (preferably in a self-service manner). This latter part of the set-up poses one of the greatest challenges in establishing a virtual campus, although recent work in online registrations and applications processes have begun the necessary processes that can be developed further.

OrganisationAny attempt to establish a virtual campus should enhance existing structures and processes rather than subvert them: all developments should be such that they benefit the traditional student cohort and staff at DIT, as well as their online counterparts. As indicated above, information concerning online programmes could exploit current systems; online admissions could be utilised by all students at the institute, while enhancements to Banner will benefit all students (e.g. the full activation of the Diploma Supplement software). However, it would appear that some restructuring would be necessary, and staff would need to be redeployed to oversee the additional administration involved in the running of a virtual campus. It is important to comprehend that a new model of business organisation at all levels will need to be adopted to ensure the success of a virtual campus: existing staff roles, both academic and administrative, will need to be reconsidered and a dedicated core staff will need to be appointed to the task of establishing and subsequently running any new entity. Moreover, depending on the particular model of operation chosen (e.g. fully online, partially online etc.), it will be necessary to ensure that students receive the support necessary to ensure that they complete their studies (it is important to note that completion rates for online students run at rates of 15% to 20% lower than traditional ones, and completion rates of less than 10% have been reported by some online colleges). This will necessitate higher levels of organisation and responsiveness than are often reported by students within the current system.

ConclusionDIT’s involvement in the IOTI flexible learning project has enabled the organisation to take a broad overview of its activities to date and to look to building on its proven strengths into the future. Many of the issues experienced by part-time students are not unique to the institute: international data demonstrate that issues raised by non-traditional students are similar in many countries. Students enrol with DIT primarily because of the nature of the programmes it offers, and more than three-quarters of part-time students who respond to surveys indicate that they are either satisfied or very satisfied with the academic quality of their programmes. An issue will therefore be to maintain these levels of satisfaction in an online environment, which will entail a different approach both within and outside the virtual environments. Such issues remain to be resolved by the institute itself. As importantly, however, the issue of part-time

fees needs to be resolved in order to incentivise DIT and other third-level organisations to respond to student needs. When the financial benefits to an institution outweigh the perceived costs, then institutions will respond accordingly. For example, changes to government policies in Canada in the early 1970s resulted in financial benefits for universities such as McGill, which consequently increased its part-time student numbers at a spectacular rate (McLean and Rollwagen, 2010, p.752). However, external factors have just one role to play in understanding part-time and flexible offerings by third-level institutions: ‘careful analysis of micro-level, institutional factors must accompany structural explanations… if we are to fully understand the rise of university enrolments and part-time study around the world in recent decades’ (ibid.). With incentives coming from both within and without the institution, DIT can now respond to the needs of contemporary society in a manner that exploits information and communications technology and builds on its tradition of flexible learning.

ReferencesAontas (2007) Part-time Fees. Position Paper. Retrieved on 11 October 2011 from www.aontas.com/pubsandlinks/publications/part-time-fees-2007/.

Bennion, A., Scesa, A. and Williams, R. (2011) ‘The benefits of part-time undergraduate study and UK higher education policy: a literature review’, Higher Education Quarterly 65(2): 145–163.

Darmody, M. and Fleming, B. (2009) ‘“The balancing act” – Irish part-time undergraduate students in higher education’, Irish Educational Studies 28(1): 67–83.

Dublin Institute of Technology (2001) A Vision for Development 2001–2015. Retrieved on 11 October 2011 from www.dit.ie/media/documents/aboutdit/president/strategicplan.pdf.

Dublin Institute of Technology (2007) DIT Part-time Programmes Research Study, unpublished report prepared by Catalyst.

Duff, T., Hegarty, J. and Hussey, M. (2000) The Story of the Dublin Institute of Technology. Dublin: Blackhall Publishing.

Hyland, Á. and Milne, K. (1992) Irish Educational Documents, vol. 2. Dublin: Church of Ireland College of Education.

McLean, S. and Rollwagen, H. (2010) ‘Educational expansion or credential inflation? The evolution of part-time study by adults at McGill University, Canada’, International Journal of Lifelong Learning 29(6): 739–755.

Moro-Egido, A.I. and Panades, J. (2010) ‘An analysis of student satisfaction: full-time vs. part-time students’, Social Indicators Research 96: 363–378.

Williams, J. and Kane, D. (2010) ‘The part-time students’ experience 1996–2007: An issue of identity and marginalisation’, Tertiary Education and Management 16(3): 183–209.

65

IntroductionHigher education in Ireland is currently undergoing inordinate change. Numbers are increasing, access continues to widen, postgraduate teaching is developing new opportunities for professional development and training, there is growing diversity within the student body, and greater equality of opportunity than ever before. Recruitment and retention are, moreover, significant issues across the sector. Students today are also entering higher education with a wide range of transferable ICT skills. Many of them will look for, and expect to see, opportunities for further development in this area. Employers are also of this view. Emphasis on the role of flexible learning (Hyland and O’Connor, 2009) in extending equality of opportunity to a broader cross-section of society, including mature and access students, individuals who are in full-time employment and, indeed, those who are not, is increasing throughout higher education. In many respects, barriers that in the past may have inhibited educational opportunity are now, if somewhat slowly, being dismantled. In all of this, the role of flexible learning has been considerable. Many graduates, put off by conventional modes of delivery, have, through technology-enhanced learning (TEL), obtained a feasible alternative; undergraduates too, those for example who must travel long distances to attend class, would also benefit from flexible delivery modes. For lecturers/teachers/tutors as well, TEL provides flexibility in terms of personal research, further studies and staff development. While the role of teacher/lecturer will change in certain respects when using a TEL approach, each will still be needed to design and facilitate student learning. The importance of flexible learning in future education provision in Ireland is acknowledged in the recent National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 report (Hunt, 2011): ‘Higher education students of the future should have an excellent teaching and learning experience, informed by up-to-date research and facilitated by a high-quality learning environment, with state-of-the-art learning resources, such as libraries, laboratories, and e-learning facilities’.

Institutional contextPrior to the establishment of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) and the appointment of its Head of Learning and Teaching in May 2008, Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) had limited formal structures, processes or supports in place to assist academic staff and students with teaching and learning issues, both pedagogical and technological. The Moodle virtual learning environment (VLE) was being used on a semi-formal basis within a small number of schools and associated departments following a pilot (approximately 400 students) initiated, planned and supported by academic staff in the Department of Computing and Mathematics. The importance of formally supporting teaching and learning activities was therefore acknowledged as a key strategic objective in the institute’s

2006–2011 Strategic Plan (February 2007). Strategic objective 1 of the plan was: ‘To transform the teaching and learning process of the institute so as to create a learner-centred and empowering process in which students take responsibility for their own learning and in which the staff-student relationship is based on equality and mutuality’. The strategic action items under this strategic objective (p.25) were to:

n Develop a comprehensive institute-wide strategy on teaching and learning that clarifies goals, outcomes and anticipated deliverables;

n Identify ways of linking the practice of research, teaching and learning;

n Develop approaches to learning and pedagogy that support the development of key skills and competencies in the institute’s graduates;

n Fully utilise the programmatic review process to ensure ongoing alignment of strategy and operations within the institute. Due to the rapid pace of change and development, it is apparent that a more regular review process is now required. This process will support the introduction of student-centred approaches to learning;

n Identify and develop partnerships with other organisations, with whom we can work to develop the practice of teaching and learning;

n Increase the number of staff with qualifications in teaching and learning;

n Further develop institute-wide staff development programmes;

n Establish a learning and teaching unit within the institute to support innovation and excellence in teaching and learning, and employ pedagogic and organisational practices that promote engagement and provide accessible and helpful support services to students, e.g. tutor/mentor systems;

n Develop initiatives that support the recruitment, retention and graduation of non-traditional students, including the development of targets in relation to increased access for these students;

n Implement student-centred pedagogies and assessment methods in all programmes within the lifetime of this plan;

n Promote independent learning models and reduce class contact hours;

n Offer mandatory modules to all students on broader life skills: information, literacy, career, self-awareness, self-management and personal (including spiritual) development;

Flexible Learning: a Case Study of Transformational ChangeDr Brendan Ryder and Dr John Dallat Dundalk Institute of Technology

66

n Build an infrastructure of knowledge, e-learning and associated IT support, to encourage exchange of best practice and learning between students and staff;

n Review and redesign courses to facilitate wider learner access in the light of the requirements of their lives outside college;

n Create a culture of continuous improvement by all parties to the learning process.

The commencement of the SIF2 flexible learning project in 2008 and its associated funding was therefore timely and has been instrumental in enabling DkIT to further one of its key strategic objectives – to provide more flexible and blended approaches in its programme delivery.

This paper begins by discussing the literature that directly informed our work during the project, moving on to describe the achievements to date in ‘Instigating change: from theory to practice – Phase 1’. The next section, ‘Instigating change: from theory to practice – Phase 2’ examines steps currently being taken, and those to be taken in the future along the institute’s pathway to flexible learning provision. The move from theory to practice is discussed through the lens of a transformational framework referred to as the four Ss (Ryder and Dallat, 2010). The paper ends with recommendations and conclusions.

Literature reviewThe literature related to flexible learning, change management and building capacity were determined as the key areas that informed the work completed during the project.

Flexible learningFlexible learning is a set of educational philosophies and systems concerned with providing diverse learners with increased choice on what, when, where and how learning occurs. While the term is technology-neutral, the proliferation in the use of technology for knowledge access, distribution, communication and collaboration (e.g. blogs, wikis, social networking etc.) provides new opportunities to deliver more flexible learning. As a result of the synergy with technology, the term is synonymous with other terms such as e-learning, blended learning, open and distance learning, and personalised learning (Hyland and O’Connor, 2009). Higher education globally, and as a consequence in Ireland, is undergoing unprecedented change as a result of flexible learning. The affordances that technology brings to the learning experience are challenging accepted norms within traditional higher education structures, which tend to be overly hierarchical, introverted, guarded, precise and measured (JISC, 2009). For the most part, the incorporation of flexible learning, in whatever way it is defined, is being carried out in a very structured, incremental and realistic manner. Irish higher education institutions are in many cases providing blended learning opportunities within existing programme offerings rather than developing flexible learning as a separate or distinct activity. This concurs with observations made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2005 that ‘fully online provision at campus-based institutions will remain very much a minority in the short to medium term. Universities are more interested in improving their on-campus programmes using e-learning to offer increased flexibility and content’ (OECD, 2005). This flexible learning spans a continuum and can be

delivered in a number of different modes normally referred to as web-supported (supplemented), web-dependent (enhanced) and fully online (ibid.). A web-supported mode uses technology to facilitate course management and resources for learner support (e.g. information resources including notes, videos, audio, assessment guidelines, and basic administrative functions such as announcements and emails). It runs in parallel with face-to-face teaching, but continues as the more prominent mode of delivery. In web-dependent (enhanced) modes, technology is used to enrich the quality of the learning experience through interactive learning activities (e.g. supporting communication and collaboration, assessment and course management). Face-to-face teaching is reduced, often considerably, rendering access more flexible. Blended learning can also be used in this classification. Fully online courses are delivered online exclusively, and technology is used to support learning that is largely self-directed but will also involve the use of interactive and collaborative learning activities.

Change managementThe fundamental paradigm shift that is required to fully realise a flexible (and blended) learning strategy of the type alluded to above, requires substantial organisational change or change management. Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams and organisations from a current state to a desired future state. Garrison and Vaughan (2008) and Ehlers and Schneckenberg (2010) provide good discussion and analysis on change management in educational contexts. Fullan (2005) augments this definition with what he calls change knowledge, defined as ‘understanding and insight about the process of change and the key drivers that make for successful change in practice’ (p.54). A successful transformational process must take cognisance of this change and its associated key drivers in a holistic approach that focuses on the relationships between what Bogotch et al. (2010) refer to as the distinct constructs of leadership, implementation and innovation.

Historically, approaches to transformational change have been viewed as being either ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’. A top-down approach to change implies that the change initiatives and decision-making processes are imposed from the top, from higher levels within the organisation, with individuals lower down in the organisation being either wholly or partially (sometimes intentionally) excluded from the change process, even though they are directly affected by it. Bogotch et al. (2010) assert that ‘if we continue to frame change from traditional approaches of top-down reform, and do not ask the tough questions, then we continue to control and confine information, actions, and ideas tightly, within bureaucratic and hierarchical organisational structures that limit innovative responses’. On the other hand, ‘bottom-up’ change, a philosophy that is more appropriate where innovation is required, seeks actively to involve those affected in the process of change, thus potentially limiting, though not always fully, the problems of imposed change by allowing individuals within their working groups to come to terms with and accept it. Barth (1990) captures this sentiment very well when he states that ‘by operating within boundaries of shared values, conceptualising organisational change as a collective pursuit, the paradigm shifts away from bureaucratic and control mechanisms to emergence and adaptation’.

67

In reality, a binary approach that selects one philosophy over the other does not work and it is widely acknowledged that change should be initiated ‘bottom-up’ and sustained ‘top-down’. This combined view was aptly captured by Gould (2003) when he coined the term ‘consilience’, which means ‘jumping together’. This view further concurs with the notion of a ‘learning organisation’, described by Senge (1990) as a place ‘where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together’. A leader’s role in this collaborative process is then to ‘forge strong connections with others, to establish and promote listening systems, to engender trust that promotes meaningful dialog [sic] that leads to creative solutions’ (Bogotch et al., 2010).

Table 1 captures the key characteristics of the change process described by Fullan (1993) and Senge (1990), two of the main contributors to the body of knowledge on organisational change. People are the enablers and catalysts of change (i.e. ‘bottom-up’).The need for a shared vision, flexibility as the initiatives evolve and recognition of the pivotal role that continuing professional development (CPD) plays are common themes in the literature. Senge (1990), for example, provides a very useful continuum of possible attitudes towards a shared vision, characterised from ‘commitment’ to ‘apathy’. The taxonomy provides a very good classification system when determining who may be champions for change and those who may or do oppose it that need more support to engage with the shared vision. No matter what type of person you are dealing with, or their level of engagement with the change process, successful improvement may only occur when educators ‘learn to do new things in the settings in which they work’ or, as Elmore (2004) puts it: ‘Improvement is more a function of learning to do the right things in the settings where

you work.’ Fullan’s theory of action insists that ‘any strategy of change must simultaneously focus on changing individuals and the culture or system within which they work’ (Fullan, 2006).

Fullan (2007) has made significant contributions to strategies for coping with and influencing educational change through many years of analysing innovative processes associated with educational reforms. He observed that the educational landscape is littered with good ideas and policies that have completely or partially failed to be realised because of a lack of understanding of both the change process and the associated key drivers or premises that need to be adhered to in order to ensure success in practice. Table 2 summarises the eight guiding principles/drivers for change that were formulated following reflective action over decades by Fullan and his team.

Building capacityBuilding capacity involves supporting CPD and improving existing infrastructure. This requires an organisation to examine how these supports need to be provided for. A number of case studies provide informative insights into approaches that have been taken internationally to building institutional capability for flexible and blended learning delivery. Ooms et al. (2008), for example, provide a case study examining the impact that technology integration had on staff roles and how staff were supported during their TEL interventions. The model that was proposed supported what they termed ‘situative’ professional development where ‘e-developers’ acted as technology mentors who worked collaboratively with academic staff without them having to be taken out of their teaching to become e-developers.

Table 1 Change process key characteristics

Author Change process key characteristics

Fullan (1993, 2007) n Top-down and bottom-up strategies required

n Individualism and collectivism

n Everyone is a change agent

n Don’t mandate

n Change is a journey

n Problems are our friends

n Beginnings will be ‘bumpy’

n Premature visions and planning blind

n Learn externally

Senge (1990) n Make plans but hold ‘loosely’

n Get people intellectually ready

n Provide support and training

n Change through people

n Accept ‘implementation dip’ – problems in early stages

n Identify champion(s)

n Change takes time – don’t force it!

Sparks (1993) n Shared vision is vital

n Commitment rather than compliance is needed

n Levels of commitment and compliance

68

The ‘Carpe Diem’ process (Salmon et al., 2008), which was built on a pilot study and became a Higher Education Academy ‘Pathfinder’ project called ADELIE (Advanced Design for e-Learning Institutional Embedding), is a further example of capacity building. The team involved with the project designed, implemented and piloted a model workshop that assisted staff with the design and development of blended learning modules. The Carpe Diem model comprises a pre-workshop meeting, followed by a two-day workshop and finishes with a follow-up meeting. The model of the workshop is illustrated in Figure 1.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the first day of the workshop is concerned with writing a blueprint for a module and focuses on pedagogical considerations, while the second day implements the design from the first day. In this way participants concentrate on the pedagogical aspects without being preoccupied with, and potentially distracted by, technical considerations. The model has been used extensively with academic staff in the United Kingdom

as part of professional development for transitioning to blended learning delivery and is now stable enough to be adopted by other higher-level organisations (available through Creative Commons Licensing). The outputs of similar workshops have yielded a number of flexible (or blended) learning templates that can be used as exemplars to assist with the operational progression of a flexible learning strategy (Abbes et al., 2006).

The third step in the Carpe Diem workshop model involves building an implementation prototype that consists of e-tivities (Salmon, 2002). The term ‘e-tivity’ is used to describe a framework for facilitating active learning in an online environment. It involves learners interacting with one another and with the course tutor (referred to as the ‘e-moderator’) in an online communication environment (e.g. discussion forum/chat room) in order to complete a particular task. The term ‘e-tivity’ can be used interchangeably with the more generic term ‘learning activity design’ (i.e. designing for learning). All learning involves

Table 2 Fullan’s eight guiding drivers of change

Principle/driver Key points

1. Engaging people’s moral purposes

n To get results, the theory of action must motivate people to engage with change – individually and collectively

n Core to all other key drivers

2. Building capacity n Capacity building with focus on results – evolution of positive pressure – strategies that increase collective effectiveness

n Involves policies, strategies, resources and actions designed to increase people’s collective power to move system forward

n Develop new knowledge, skills, competencies, new resources (time, ideas, materials); new shared identity and motivation to work together for greater change

n Improve infrastructure

n Targeted support for improvement

3. Understanding the change process

n Making change work requires the energy, ideas, commitment and ownership of all those implementing improvements

n Ownership development – shared vision and ownership are natural outcomes of quality change process rather than precondition

n Establish conditions for continuous improvement to aid with combating barriers and resistance

4. Developing cultures for learning

n Develop strategies that allow people to learn from one another (e.g. professional learning communities)

n Collective commitment to improvement

n Learning occurs during implementation

n Notion of ‘lateral capacity’

5. Developing cultures of evaluation

n Coupled with 4 above

n Reflecting on new processes and interventions – constant cycle

6. Focusing on leadership for change

n Effective leadership must spread throughout the organisation

n Fostering success in others

n Seeking leaders who represent innovativeness (the capacity to develop leadership)

7. Fostering coherence-making n Involves investing in capacity planning so that 4 and 5 through 6 can create their own coherence on the ground

8. Cultivating trilevel development

n Transformation is about changing individuals and systems

Sources: Fullan et al. (2005); Fullan (2006)

69

some form of activity and a learning activity can be defined as a specific interaction of learners with others, using specific tools and resources, oriented towards specific outcomes (Knight, 2009). Conole (2012), who has written extensively in this area, elaborates on this term further, defining it as: ‘A methodology for enabling teachers/designers to make more informed decisions in how they go about designing learning activities and interventions, which is pedagogically informed and makes effective use of appropriate resources and technologies. This includes the design of resources and individual learning activities right up to curriculum-level design. A key principle is to help make the design process more explicit and shareable. Learning design as an area of research and development includes both gathering empirical evidence to understand the design process, as well as the development of a range of learning design resources, tools and activities’. The Open University Learning Design Initiative project provided a focal point for Conole’s work in this area and was concerned with two questions (ongoing): (1) how can practice, particularly innovative practice, be captured and represented and (2) how can ‘scaffolds’ or supports drawn from best practice that make use of tools and pedagogies be provided for staff creating learning activities? Outputs of this ongoing work include CompendiumLD (Brasher, 2008) and Cloudworks (Conole and Culver, 2010). CompendiumLD is a prototype tool that was designed and implemented to support practitioners through the process of designing learning activities. Cloudworks is a social networking site that aims to provide a dynamic environment for finding, sharing and discussing learning and teaching ideas and designs.

Instigating change: from theory to practice – Phase 1What the literature highlights the most is the need for a bottom-up strategy, with people as key drivers changing their practice in their daily teaching and learning activities, aided by appropriate supports, academic as well as infrastructural, combined with

appropriate top-down strategies. Here at Dundalk Institute of Technology, a strategy that incorporates this best practice has become the cornerstone of our ongoing transformational process.

A transformation implementation framework (Figure 2) entitled the four Ss (Ryder and Dallat, 2010) was formulated by the writers of this case study, building on the work of Fullan (2007), Sparks (1993) and Senge (1990) in particular, together with the building capacity work of Ooms (2008), Salmon (2008) and others. The adoption of such a framework guides the changes that are required in organisational practice and provides direction for our flexible learning strategy.

The model in Figure 2 conceptualises the four strands deemed essential for the change process to begin, and be continued, in DkIT, namely: strategy, structures and processes, supports, and synergies. Strategy refers to the strategic plan that gives direction to the change process. Of crucial importance here is that strategy cannot be viewed as a two-step process of formulating a complete plan and then simply implementing it. Rather, strategy is a continuous, fluid and evolutionary process what Fullan terms a “…process of shaping and reshaping ideas and actions” (Fullan, 2005, p. 56). Structures, including processes and supports, are the cornerstone of the change process and refer to the academic and infrastructural supports that are required to build capacity. The importance of structures and supports and their relationship to the overall strategy is captured very well again by Fullan (2005) when he states: ‘an additional element of change process knowledge involves realising that clear, even inspiring, visions are insufficient. People need the right combinations of pressure and support to become adept and comfortable with “the new right” way.’ Paying special attention to supports creates the correct conditions for continuous improvement and progress, so ensuring that shared vision and ownership are natural rather than forced outcomes of the change process. Deadlines and targets are also more likely to be met.

Figure 1 Carpe Diem workshop model

70

Synergies refer to collaborations and supports within the wider higher education community, particularly funding supports that have enabled the institute to build capacity. These are fundamental to any change initiative, especially during times of ever-diminishing budgets. Examples here would include the direct funding provided through this project (SIF2 Flexible Learning) and also the funding provided through national initiatives such as the National Digital Learning Repository (NDLR) project (NDLR, 2011). Opportunities to discuss and share practice have also been provided through groups such as the Irish Learning Technology Association (ILTA) and NAIRTL (NAIRTL, 2011).

The remainder of this section takes each of the identified strands and discusses the progress that has been made to date to ensure that the institute has the capacity to deliver flexible learning.

StrategyThe institute’s commitment to teaching, learning, research and knowledge transfer, of which flexible learning is an integral component, is embodied in the knowledge asset pillar outlined in the institute’s Strategic Plan 2011–2014. The new challenges that need to be addressed include:

n enabling flexible learning (including TEL) and delivery;

n a curriculum that offers choice to the learner;

n better support for part-time learning, enabling credit accumulation towards Major and Minor Awards to be built up over a period of time and from different sources (including other institutions, community-based learning, work-based learning and life experience).

The first evolutionary step to realising this objective involved the Head of Learning and Teaching devising an initial nine-point implementation plan, which was implemented and continuously reviewed during the course of the SIF2 flexible learning project. The plan was to:

1) develop an e-learning and flexible learning policy for students and staff;

2) develop an accredited and modularised professional development pathway for staff, incorporating a flexible/blended learning ethos and a module specifically focused on the pedagogy of e-learning: new Master of Arts in Learning and Teaching;

3) model within this Master of Arts programme the use of flexible learning strategies as the main delivery mode;

4) require programme members to initiate/develop and evaluate flexible and student-centred learning strategies;

5) provide/maintain training in flexible learning strategies/specific skills, focusing on the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE);

6) establish an e-learning/flexible learning unit to support/develop staff expertise;

7) appoint, using SIF2 funding, a coordinator to manage and develop the work of this unit;

8) identify strategic openings/interested staff, promoting flexible learning through each over time/into next phase of project; and

9) identify and support the training needs of students.

Part of this plan involved the drafting of the institute’s first e-learning policy, which was ratified by the executive management board in January 2009. The aim of the policy is ‘to embed e-learning in a manner that ensures enhanced student-centred learning, based in appropriate training and support for staff and students alike, and provision of flexible and accessible opportunities for diverse and inclusive teaching’ (Dallat, 2009).

Figure 2 Implementation framework – the four Ss

Source: Ryder and Dallat (2010)

71

Structures and processesIn keeping with the above policy-statement, point six of the nine-point implementation plan was viewed as an essential precondition of the change process; with institutional support, it was speedily implemented. A number of additional organisational structures had to be created to support flexible (and blended) learning within the institute. An e-Learning Development Unit, attached to the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), was established in 2009 with the aim of coordinating and supporting flexible (and blended) learning-related activities within the institute. An e-learning coordinator, who reports to the Head of Learning and Teaching, was appointed to manage and develop the work of this unit. Over the period of the SIF2 flexible learning project, the following initiatives and developments were undertaken by the unit and successfully implemented (ongoing):

n identifying the impact that flexible and blended learning has on the organisational culture of the institute (for example, programme design, development, quality assurance, IT infrastructure) and providing recommendations on how to facilitate the transition to flexible/blended delivery;

n chairing a newly established e-learning working group, which reports to the Learning and Teaching sub-committee of the Academic Council – this group comprises representatives from academic staff and other functional areas including computer services, library, student-support services and technology-specific user groups;

n supporting programme boards with flexible/blended learning programme design and development;

n providing support to staff in their CPD in teaching and learning, both in collaborative groups and as individuals – this is an extremely important aspect of the work of the unit;

n supporting teaching and learning technology pilots, including assisting with formulation, implementation, evaluation, dissemination and the identification of funding to support such pilots;

n forming internal communities of practice (CoPs) within schools and departments to encourage, support and disseminate teaching and learning experiences and resources;

n promoting, encouraging and supporting collaborative partnerships with teaching and learning colleagues, including NAIRTL, NDLR, LIN and the North East Further and Higher Education Alliance (NEFHEA). Regional collaborations have also been initiated and developed with a number of second-level schools, including Skerries Community College, Loreto College Swords and Sacred Heart Drogheda. Initiatives to date have involved providing Moodle VLE services and workshops in support of the continuing professional development of teachers across a number of subject areas;

n promoting educational research as a natural output of new flexible learning initiatives. Point two of the nine-point implementation plan was influential here, namely the development of the MA in Learning and Teaching;

n monitoring and tracking flexible/blended learning implementation. This involved putting appropriate processes in place that will enable the unit to measure the progress of institute staff as they migrate to more flexible modes of delivery.

An e-learning working group, which provides a discussion forum for flexible (and blended) learning, has also been created that reports to the Learning and Teaching sub-committee of the Academic Council. This group comprises representatives from both academic staff and students, together with other functional areas that are involved with technology-enhanced learning (e.g. computer services, library, student-support services, technology-specific user groups).

SupportsProviding support to academic staff and students in order to build capacity (Fullan, 2006) is essential when a bottom-up approach is adopted. Building capacity in a collective manner with a shared vision (Senge, 1990) ensures leadership is shared throughout the organisation and the change process can be driven forward. Three types of support were identified: infrastructural, academic development and students.

Infrastructural supportsIn order to provide flexible learning opportunities, robust, scalable and reliable technology infrastructure and services need to be available to both academic staff and students. Existing infrastructure and associated structures will take time to evolve in order to provide a stable and usable environment. Following consultations with the e-Learning Development Unit and computer services, and also a thorough examination of technology usage in higher education, a number of core baseline technologies were identified as being vital to flexible delivery. This delivery is monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis as needs and requirements change. The baseline technologies include an appropriate VLE (Moodle), an e-portfolio or personal learning environment (PLE) platform (Mahara), a synchronous delivery platform (Adobe Connect Pro) and also a video management platform (Kaltura). The Moodle VLE has been in use in DkIT since 2005, and is hosted and managed within the institute. The Mahara e-portfolio system began its pilot phase in the academic year 2010/11 and was hosted externally through funding and licensing arrangements negotiated by the flexible learning steering committee. This was instrumental during our development and pilot stages as it allowed the e-Learning Development Unit to promote and train staff on the system and use it with targeted groups of students without being dependent on local infrastructure. This piloting is continuing into the academic year 2011/12 with an internally managed Mahara system. The synchronous delivery platform and the video management platform are also in pilot phase in the academic year 2011/12, with the former being hosted externally and the latter internally.

Academic development supportsStaff development is of paramount importance when implementing any transformational process, with or without the incorporation of technology (see Table 1). The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 report (Hunt, 2011) recommends that: ‘All higher education institutions must ensure that all teaching staff are both qualified and competent in teaching

72

and learning, and should support ongoing development and improvement of their skills’. An extremely important aspect of the work of the e-Learning Development Unit has involved and involves supporting academic staff with their teaching practice and CPD, both as individuals and as collaborative groups. Supporting staff assists with what Fullan calls the ‘implementation dip’ which is defined as ‘the inevitable bumpiness and difficulties encountered as people learn new behaviours and beliefs’ (Fullan, 2007). This is the awkward learning period that is ‘literally a dip in performance and confidence as one encounters an innovation that requires new skills and new understandings’.

A schedule of academic staff professional development events is produced each semester and coordinated by CELT (information sessions, workshops, seminars and symposia). These events cover the broad spectrum of teaching and learning activities, and contain numerous workshops designed to assist participants with the incorporation of technology in their teaching. Academic staff are supported in one of three ways: through information sessions, workshops (both generic and targeted) and through the MA in Learning and Teaching. All of these various forms of support assist with building flexible capacity within the institute.

Information sessions or ‘taster sessions’ are designed to provide an overview of a particular pedagogy and/or technology intervention(s), and are targeted at both academic staff and management. Table 3 provides a snapshot of workshops relevant to flexible delivery currently (June 2011) being offered.

Targeted workshops are typically provided during the pilot phase of a particular intervention and are provided ‘in situ’ (Ooms et al., 2008). They involve providing support for all aspects of the development lifecycle from formulation through implementation and evaluation. We are actively working with departments within schools across the institute to pilot various flexible and blended approaches with a view to informing the next programmatic

review. Examples where pilots are occurring include Computing, Mathematics, Business, Humanities and Nursing.

CELT, as part of its ongoing monitoring of the institute’s current e-learning policy, conducted a survey with academic staff in December 2011. This survey is conducted periodically to determine how schools and departments are progressing with the implementation of flexible and blended learning. It allows CELT to ensure that both pedagogical and technological supports are deployed appropriately, and also provides academic staff with an opportunity to reflect on their own CPD. Staff were asked a number of questions related to how they were currently using technology to enhance their teaching and learning activities. As can be seen in Figure 3, which illustrates progression along the flexible/blended learning continuum (i.e. web-supported, web-dependent and fully online), there has been a steady increase, from 8.6% to 19.0% during the flexible learning project in those adopting a web-dependent mode of VLE usage, with the majority at least adopting a web-supported mode of use. It was found that 56.9% of staff use the Moodle VLE to support all the modules that they teach.

The transition along the continuum is evident if you examine the types of technologies being used by academic staff to support learning activities (Figure 4). For example, quiz use increased from 22.4% to 37.9%, discussion forum usage has gone up from 13.8% to 27.6%, the use of wikis has increased from 6.9% to 10.3% and e-portfolio adoption has climbed from 10.3% to 22.4%. Academic staff are participating in TEL workshops (Figure 5) and are changing their teaching practice to meet the demands of an ever-changing educational environment. These are all very positive developments, and show engagement and ownership in the institute’s e-learning policy implementation, all of which contributes overall to flexible and blended learning capacity building.

Table 3 Generic technology-enhanced learning (TEL) workshops

Workshop title Typical content

Designing an Online Module Forms of e-learning, format, content and guidelines for effective student engagement

Introduction to Moodle Background, basics, content and resources (text, images, video, audio), administration and class management

e-Assessment with Moodle Assessment and e-assessment, e-assessment in Moodle (assignment and quiz activities), e-assessment tools (including Turnitin)

Communication and Collaboration Tools 1

Asynchronous technologies and tools – discussion forums, blogs and wikis

Communication and Collaboration Tools 2

Synchronous technologies and tools – web conferencing (webcasting), chat and instant messaging, micro-blogging

Developing Reusable Learning Resources with Articulate

Learning design, core elements of Articulate, Creative Commons Licensing

e-Portfolios with Mahara What is an e-portfolio? e-portfolio learning model, rationale for use, e-portfolio tools; implementation with Mahara: definition, examples, framework; process: create and collect, organise, share and network, export

Classroom Response Systems What is a CRS? How do CRSs work? CRS uses and technology examples (eInstruction Clickers, Poll Everywhere)

73

0 10 20 30 40 50

Presentation software(e.g. PowerPoint, Prezi)

Videos and Screencasts

Online Quiz

Podcast (audio)

Discussion Forums

e-Portfolios (e.g. Mahara)

Blogs

Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs)

Social Networking (e.g. Facebook)

Wikis

All Other Responses

94.8%

63.8%

22.4%

15.5%

13.8%

10.3%

8.6%

8.6%

8.6%

6.9%

12.8%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Presentation software(e.g. PowerPoint, Prezi)

Videos and Screencasts

Online Quiz

Discussion Forums

e-Portfolios (e.g. Mahara)

Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs)

Podcast (audio)

Wikis

Blogs

Social Networking (e.g. Facebook)

All Other Responses

96.6%

75.9%

37.9%

27.6%

22.4%

17.2%

15.5%

10.3%

8.6%

8.6%

3.4%

Figure 4 Blended/flexible learning continuum progression – learning activity types

0 5 10 15 20 25

Designing an Online Module

Introduction to Moodle

e-Assessment with Moodle

Communication & Collaboration Tools 1(Discussion Forums, Blogs, Wikis)

Communication & Collaboration Tools 2(Chat, Webcasting)

Developing Reusable LearningResources with Articulate

e-Portfolios with Mahara

Classroom Response Systems

None

13.8%

36.2%

5.2%

19.0%

15.5%

15.5%

25.9%

19.0%

41.4%

0 5 10 15 20 25

Designing an Online Module

Introduction to Moodle

e-Assessment with Moodle

Communication & Collaboration Tools 1(Discussion Forums, Blogs, Wikis)

Communication & Collaboration Tools 2(Chat, Webcasting)

Developing Reusable LearningResources with Articulate

e-Portfolios with Mahara

Classroom Response Systems

None

31.0%

15.5%

46.6%

32.8%

24.1%

34.5%

32.8%

31.0%

8.6%

Figure 5 Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) workshop supports

0 10 20 30 40 50

Web-supported(supplemented)

Web-dependent(enhanced)

Fully online

Don’t know

81.0%

8.6%

1.7%

8.6%

0 10 20 30 40 50

Web-supported(supplemented)

Web-dependent(enhanced)

Fully online

Don’t know

70.7%

19.0%

1.7%

8.6%

Figure 3 Blended/flexible learning continuum progression

74

The final strand of support is provided through the MA in Learning and Teaching, which was validated in October 2009. It provides an accredited and modularised professional development pathway for academic staff that incorporates a flexible/blended learning philosophy. There are currently 34 Dundalk IT and 14 Letterkenny IT members of academic staff participating in the MA in Learning and Teaching programme. For a small institute, this is quite a significant number.

The programme contains a module entitled ‘Enhancing Student Learning through e-Pedagogy’ (module 2). This focuses on the pedagogy of TEL, which is of direct relevance to building flexible delivery capacity. The programme also contains a module entitled ‘Student-centred Learning: Models and Strategies’ (module 1). This module, as well as the aforementioned, is delivered using a visible flexible/blended learning approach and pedagogy. The assessment of module 2 requires that students produce an e-portfolio using the Mahara e-portfolio platform and is broken into two components. The first component requires them to redesign a single module that they teach to reflect a more flexible and student-centred approach, including amendments to the current module descriptor as appropriate. The second component requires them to plan, design, implement and evaluate a TEL initiative/intervention in the context of their teaching practice. This process of staff development and raising of institutional awareness was further enhanced through another module on the programme, entitled ‘Improving Learning and Teaching through Creativity and Scholarship’ (module 3). The assessment for this module allowed initiatives and interventions undertaken in module 2 to be researched in greater depth. It is anticipated that projects involving flexible learning will feature in remaining modules and publications will result. Table 5 provides examples of technology interventions completed by participants on the programme during the academic year 2010/11.

At the end of the TEL module (module 2) participants were surveyed (a total of 17 responded) and were asked to reflect on how they had incorporated technology into their teaching practice. Every respondent on the module indicated that the embedding of technology in their module(s) had transformed their teaching practice in terms of module design and delivery, and improved the overall student learning experience. Table 6 provides a snapshot of the qualitative data gathered. There was also a strong willingness to share their experiences with their colleagues, with a view to incorporating technology more holistically and systematically right across the curriculum.

The small-scale pilots undertaken by the students have transformed not only their use of technology in their teaching practice but also their appreciation for student-centred approaches to learning (individual, group, peer and self). The collaboration developed here could also form the basis for formal communities of practice to share experience and drive the change process further. They in turn will be catalysts for change in a broader sense within their respective schools and departments. This approach concurs with Fullan’s notion of trilevel development (Fullan, 2006), where systems are changed in tandem with individuals. As Fullan (2006) observes, “any strategy of change must simultaneously focus on changing individuals and the culture of the system within which they work” (p. 7). This will also ensure that “leadership will be spread throughout the organisation” (Fullan, 2005, p. 58). This additional experience on the MA programme has added considerably to developing the expertise of colleagues now using flexible learning approaches and strategies in their teaching. Transforming practice at classroom level needs to go hand-in-hand with transformation occurring at institute level (Fullan, 2006).

Table 5 Module 2 technology-enhanced learning (TEL) exemplars

Discipline Module redesigned Technologies used

Mathematics Mathematics 1 Wikis (collaborative learning)

Hospitality Event Planning and Supervision Wikis (collaborative learning)

Hospitality Event Internship e-portfolios, blogging (collaborative learning)

Nursing Anatomy and Physiology Wikis (collaborative learning)

Veterinary Nursing Equine Nursing Videos, screencasts, discussion forums

Veterinary Nursing Medical Nursing 1 Videos, screencasts, discussion forums, wikis, quizzes, classroom response systems (CRS)

Mechanical Engineering CAD Fundamentals Video, screencasts, online quizzes

Computing Client-Server Distributed Programming

Video, screencasts (assessment), discussion forums (peer learning)

Creative Media Multimedia Human Computer Interaction

Wiki (Booki), discussion forums, chat

Creative Media Audios Screencasts, wiki (collaborative learning), blog (reflection)

Civil Engineering Materials Technology General VLE activities for content, discussion forums, quizzes

Trades Plumbing Videos, quizzes

Business Studies Business Project General VLE activities for content, discussion forums, screencasts

75

Student supportsStudents also need to be supported during the transformation process, as new teaching methodologies and various technologies are introduced in support of the flexible curriculum. The Student Development and Learning Centre (SDLC) at DkIT currently works very closely with the e-Learning Development Unit to provide this needed support. Students are provided with workshops and tutorials as required, with the emphasis at present being on Moodle VLE and e-portfolio usage. Electronic resources in the form of quick-start guides and tutorials, together with instructional screencasts, are also provided on the CELT website, where they can be easily accessed and distributed.

Instigating change: from theory to practice – Phase 2Implementing change is a slow process that will result, as mentioned, in an ‘implementation dip’ (Fullan, 2007). The focus to date within the institute has been to support academic staff in the change process (e-Learning Development Unit and the MA in Learning and Teaching) and to consider the additional structures and supports that need to be put in place in order to develop and sustain flexible and blended learning approaches and strategies. This focus on systems change, coupled with changing the teaching practice of individual academic staff members, is timely within the institute, due to the impending programmatic and institutional reviews in 2012/13. Experiences with flexible learning can be used to inform both reviews. The next section reflects on the progress to date through the lens of the four Ss transformational framework referred to in Figure 2, and highlights directions for the future.

Table 6 Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) effects on teaching practice

Participant Technology has transformed and/or improved my teaching in the following ways

Participant #1 ‘Effective delivery of material, enhanced delivery of material, improved student interaction.’

Participant #2 ‘It allowed me to see the benefits of using technology to improve student learning outcomes and to learn of the availability and how to use a suitable range of technologies.’

Participant #3 ‘Given me an insight into more methods of engaging students and changing teaching and learning methods.’

Participant #4 ‘Technology has improved my teaching and this has impacted positively on the students. For example when students use discussion forums they are more willing to take part in face-to-face (F2F) discussion.’

Participant #5 ‘Added diversity to teaching methods in classroom.’

‘Provided links to further learning resources for students (via Moodle) and facilitated “round the clock” access to these resources.’

‘Provided a rich format for presentation of portfolio/reflective journal assessments (via Mahara).’

‘Facilitated group work and communication via a range of tools e.g. discussion forums, wikis, groups on Mahara.’

Participant #6 ‘My future plan of action is to begin designing modules with a blended delivery format in mind (i.e. F2F and online). It has opened my mind considerably – more aware of different learning tools.’

‘I can see immediate knowledge gaps in learning and can then work on the trouble areas in the following class F2F or via online discussion blogs, etc.’

Participant #7 ‘Allowed me to move from the classical white board to a more dynamic environment.’

Participant #8 ‘I am far more open to the use of technology in my teaching as I now understand the various technology applications i.e. discussion forums, screencasts, blogs etc. and how they can enhance my teaching.’

Participant #9 ‘Motivated students, the flexibility allows me to meet the students’ needs better and help the students to engage better in the learning. For example, one student in my group missed the classes for some reason, and he still was able to hand in his work online on time and keep up with the group.’

‘It also helped me to be more organised in teaching. I certainly have more confidence in using technology in my teaching.’

Participant #10 ‘Feedback, assessment and peer learning enhanced through the use of screencasts.’

Participant #11 ‘More student engagement, better lectures, dynamic delivery of material, modern technology use, empowers students.’

Participant #12 ‘I am more confident with using technology in the classroom. Initially I was using Moodle just to upload notes etc. I am now using Blogs, e-portfolios (Mahara), Prezi and discussion forums. I am eager to improve and learn more in this area.’

76

Structures and processes – Phase 2The mechanisms that are used to coordinate the activities of the e-Learning Development Unit with academic staff and students are currently being performed on an ad hoc basis. Academic staff, as individuals or groups, consult with the unit with regard to their particular flexible learning requirements. The e-learning coordinator, together with the Head of Learning and Teaching, fulfils a number of roles ensuring that staff and students are supported throughout the institute. Also, the coordinator liaises with computer services technicians to ensure that infrastructural requirements are met (e.g. VLE and e-portfolio requirements). While this situation is working satisfactorily, it may not be sustainable in the long term. Building capacity is now at an important stage in that, having laid strong foundations, the role of the e-learning coordinator needs to evolve to one that is more advisory in nature.

Processes need to be established that will clearly identify how the e-Learning Development Unit interfaces with academic and other functional areas within the institute. Also, additional resources need to be (re)deployed in order to ensure quality service delivery in support of teaching and learning so that, in turn, strategic objectives centred on flexible and blended learning are realised more readily. Structural and procedural changes will be reflected in a revised e-learning policy, which is currently being drafted but contains the essence of the original policy. The role currently undertaken by the e-learning coordinator will need to be complemented by learning designer(s) and learning developer(s) (Figure 6).

Learning designers will be required to fulfil the role of learning technologist, as envisaged by Oliver (2002). These will be based in the unit and will provide ‘situative’ professional development (Ooms et al., 2008), working within schools with academic staff, individuals or groups, to provide specialist assistance. In Phase 2 of implementation, the role of the e-learning coordinator is evolving.

The role of the learning designer will involve engaging in a range of supportive and collaborative activities including:

n staff development in both the pedagogic and technical aspects of the VLE (and other technology-enhanced learning tools and technologies);

n pedagogic support and advice to academic staff (e.g. migrating content from traditional delivery to flexible and blended delivery);

n working with relevant user-interest groups to ensure quality services are delivered to users;

n supporting and fostering the building of communities of practice (CoPs) within schools and departments;

n developing and collecting best-practice exemplars across the disciplines that can be disseminated within the institute; and

n technical support (assisting learning designers as appropriate).

Learning developer(s) will be required to support the ever-expanding technical infrastructure required to enhance flexible and blended learning, be they hosted externally or managed locally. Their role will involve engaging in a range of activities including:

n liaising with learning designers as appropriate;

n liaising with computer services as appropriate to ensure the timely and efficient installation, configuration and testing of teaching-related software and hardware;

n development related to technology platform(s) adopted (e.g. automated scripting, plug-in installation and testing);

n liaising with technology vendors and evaluating teaching-related technologies;

n targeted helpdesk support as appropriate (augmenting existing institute helpdesk activities); and

n maintaining and supporting the CELT website; and

n technical support.

TEL leaders or educational technology leaders will also need to be appointed within each school, with time allocated accordingly to liaise with the learning designer(s) and the e-Learning Development Unit. Four members of staff have recently (June 2011) been appointed, following interviews, with hours allocated in consultation with the respective heads of school and/or department for the academic year 2011/12. Their role will involve engaging in a range of activities including:

n liaising with the e-learning coordinator and learning designer(s) as appropriate;

n promoting and assisting with the adoption of TEL within particular schools and departments; and

n monitoring flexible and blended learning progress.

Moving forward, the e-Learning Development Unit of the institute will continue its focus on providing both generic and targeted support to academic staff. This targeted TEL support will include information sessions, workshops and seminars, delivered according to the specific needs identified by a specific school, department, programme board or individual. Targeted TEL requests will be facilitated through a proposed flexible collaborative consultation process (Figure 7).

The process is started by the staff member(s) making contact with the e-learning coordinator or learning designer(s) attached to the e-Learning Development Unit. A learning and teaching issue/problem that requires a solution, or an innovative TEL idea for development, is identified. Appropriate guidance

Figure 6 e-Learning Development Unit support structure (proposed)

77

and advice is then provided. Examples might include general queries about learning activities in the VLE, support for blended learning activities or discussion of pedagogical and technologies approaches to achieve particular learning outcomes.

If, after initial consultation(s), it is determined that a substantial intervention (design and/or development need for teaching) or pilot is required, the relevant academic staff, in conjunction with the nominated TEL leader, should consider the development of a School Learning Service Agreement (SLSA). The SLSA links and aligns school and department strategic objectives with staff expertise from the e-Learning Development Unit (possibly augmented with additional skill sets from CELT). The SLSA provides a formal mechanism for schools and departments to identify, implement, evaluate and monitor developmental innovation projects targeted to their needs, while at the same time meeting institute objectives. The information provided during this process can be collated and disseminated periodically with the assistance of CELT to benchmark school and department progress towards meeting institute strategic objectives.

The project idea is then discussed with the HOS and/or the HOD, and it is then either approved or rejected. If the project is approved, the HOD, or delegated staff member, completes an Expression of Interest School Learning Service Agreement (EOI SLSA). Projects will then be prioritised in the e-Learning Development Unit, based on resources available. The project then commences with the unit assisting with implementation and evaluation as appropriate.

In light of the progress made implementing the original nine-point plan, the following future actions have been determined:

n restructure the e-Learning Development Unit;

n each school, in preparation for the programmatic and institutional reviews, will work in partnership with the e-Learning Development Unit (and CELT), TEL leaders and programme boards to:

l gather information relating to current TEL provisioning along the TEL continuum (i.e. web-supplemented, web-dependent or fully online) within each department and make it available to CELT;

l review its position with regard to TEL by identifying specific projects, training needs, roll-out targets and which modules will be web-supplemented, web-dependent or fully online;

l submit SLSAs, as appropriate, to formally start projects (mainly pilot and proof-of-concept work at present);

l plan and evaluate TEL intervention identified under the SLSA process;

l review strategic plan implementation progress.

RecommendationsGrounded in our experiences, the following recommendations are offered to any organisation implementing a change process involving the introduction of flexible learning:

n Formulate a strategic plan, but be flexible in its implementation (top-down for sustainability). This includes institutional policy.

n Provide dedicated support (pedagogical and technological) for staff through CPD (bottom-up) to ensure shared vision and ownership. Teaching practice on the ground can then be transformed simultaneously with organisational culture.

n Provide modular accreditation where possible.

n Provide support for students.

n Provide sustainable incentives and recognition.

n Establish an identity for key personnel.

n Invest in and develop infrastructure.

n Implement evaluation and monitoring strategies.

n Create task groups to address issues, challenges and opportunities.

ConclusionImplementing an educational change process associated with flexible learning is a difficult and time-consuming task. This case study has described in detail the initial journey Dundalk Institute of Technology has embarked upon, with the aid of funding from the SIF2 flexible learning project, to embed flexible and student-centred learning into its programmes and ultimately its organisational culture. The key to the people-centred bottom-up approach adopted during the flexible learning project, which will be revised through subsequent iterations and reflection, is that it has encapsulated all the features of change-knowledge best practice, particularly building on Fullan’s eight key drivers for change. Transforming practice at classroom level, through CPD, must be done in tandem with transformation occurring

Figure 7 School Learning Service Agreement (SLSA) process

78

at an institute level. This ensures shared vision and collective ownership, which is required to ensure sustained change over time.

By being cognisant of the key drivers of change, we have successfully introduced the strategy of positive encouragement (a variation on positive pressure), capacity building with a focus on results, at an institutional level. Specifically, we have implemented positive ‘pressure’ with the students on the MA in Learning and Teaching, a group comprising tutors from all disciplines within the institute. These individuals will now become catalysts, change agents and, more importantly, leaders within their respective schools, who in time with their acquired knowledge will further enhance and develop the flexible learning agenda. It is hoped that our experiences will be of interest to other higher education practitioners, and will guide and inform the design and development of flexible and blended learning in places of work throughout Ireland.

ReferencesAbbes, Y. et al. (2006) ‘Design and development of a blended learning module template for on-campus and distance learning in civil engineering’, Proceedings of the 3rd WSEAS/IASME International Conference of Engineering Education, Vouliagmeni, Greece, pp.12–19.

Barth, R. (1990) Improving Schools from Within. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Bogotch, I.E. et al. (2010) ‘Leadership in the implementation of innovations’, International Encyclopedia of Education, Oxford: Elsevier, pp.128–134.

Brasher, A. et al. (2008) ‘CompendiumLD – a tool for effective, efficient and creative learning design’, Proceedings of the 2008 European LAMS Conference: Practical Benefits of Learning Design, Cadiz, Spain, pp.78–87.

Conole, G. (2012, forthcoming) Designing for Learning in an Open World: Explorations in the Learning Sciences, Instructional Systems and Performance Technologies. Berlin and London: Springer.

Conole, G. and Culver, J. (2010) ‘The design of Cloudworks: applying social networking practice to foster the exchange of learning and teaching ideas and designs’, Computers and Education 54: 679–692.

Dallat, J. (2009) ‘e-Learning Policy for Dundalk Institute of Technology’. Retrieved on 26 September 2011 from http:// ww2.dkit.ie/staff_and_admin/celt/docs/e_learning_policy.

Ehlers, U.-D. and Schneckenberg, D. (eds) (2010) Changing Cultures in Higher Education: Moving Ahead to Future Learning. Berlin and London: Springer.

Elmore, R.F. (2004) School Reform from the Inside Out: Policy, Practice, and Performance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Fullan, M. (1993) Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform. London: Falmer.

Fullan, M. (2006) ‘Change theory: A force for school improvement’. Retrieved on 23 September 2011 from www.michaelfullan.ca/Articles_06/06_change_theory.pdf.

Fullan, M. (2007) The New Meaning of Educational Change, 4th edn. London: Routledge.

Fullan, M. et al. (2005) ‘8 Forces for Leaders of Change’. Retrieved on 23 September 2011 from www.michaelfullan.ca/Articles_06/8ForcesforLeaders.pdf.

Garrison, D.R. and Vaughan, N.D. (2008) Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gould, S.J. (2003) The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister’s Pox. New York: Harmony Books.

Hunt, C. (2011) National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Retrieved on 6 June 2011 from www.hea.ie/en/node/1303.

Hyland, Á. and O’Connor, M. (2009) Open and Flexible Learning. HEA Position Paper. Retrieved on 25 September 2011 from www.hea.ie/files/files/file/HEA%20Flexible%20Learning%20Paper_Nov%202009.pdf.

Knight, S. (2009) ‘Effective practice in a digital age’. Retrieved on 3 October 2011 from www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/effectivepracticedigitalage.pdf.

NAIRTL (2011) www.nairtl.ie (accessed 3 October 2011).

NDLR (2011) www.ndlr.ie (accessed 3 October 2011).

NEFHEA (2011) ww2.dkit.ie/staff_and_admin/president/initiatives/nefhea (accessed 3 October 2011).

OECD (2005) ‘OECD policy brief: eLearning in tertiary education’. Retrieved on 30 September 2011 from www.oecd.org/dataoecd/55/25/35961132.pdf.

Oliver, M. (2002) ‘What do learning technologists do?’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International 38(4): 245–252.

Ooms, A. et al. (2008) ‘Introducing e-developers to support a university’s blended learning developments’, ATL-J, Research in Learning Technology 16(2): 111–122.

Ryder, B. and Dallat, J. (2010) ‘Flexible learning: essential considerations in implementing an e-learning strategy at institutional level’, NAIRTL Flexible Learning Conference, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Retrieved on 3 October 2011 from http://prezi.com/tdtpi9udlpcj/nairtl_flexible_learning_oct_2010/.

Salmon, G. et al. (2008) ‘Building institutional capability in e-learning design’, ATL-J, Research in Learning Technology 16(2): 95–109.

Salmon, S. (2002) E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning. London: Routledge.

Senge, P.M. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday.

79

IntroductionGalway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) is a multi-campus institute based in Galway, Castlebar, Letterfrack and Mountbellew. It offers a broad range of programmes across the disciplines, and also has some unique offerings such as those at the Furniture College in Letterfrack. The multi-campus nature of the organisation presents both opportunities and challenges to the institute – its geographical reach is further than most other IoTs but, almost inevitably, diversity in culture and approach exist on the different campuses. In addition to having cultures that evolve in different ways, our multi-campus structure must be addressed when dealing with and managing change.

Our approach to pedagogy is built on the tradition of the IoTs, where there was a high emphasis on practical skills, hands-on experience and project work. Inevitably this led to high contact hours, and therefore a full timetable, especially in laboratory-related disciplines. There was also an emphasis, which lasts to this day, on direct contact between students and academic staff from the earliest days of a programme. It could be argued these factors are exactly at odds with the characteristics we might associate with flexible modes of delivery. Therefore a cultural shift is required.

GMIT introduced a new strategic plan in 2010. This was to be a plan for the whole organisation, and as such needed to take account of the contrasting homogeneity and heterogeneity implicit in its multi-campus framework. It was felt that an overly prescriptive strategy would not suit the organisation, not just because of its internal make-up, but also because at that time the external environment was full of uncertainty.

Unlike some other IoTs, GMIT has not explicitly addressed flexible learning as part of its organisational structure. In other words, there is no single source or reference point for the development of flexible learning. This was partly a deliberate ploy, as it was felt that the growth of flexible provision should be from the grass-roots and any direction from the institute’s management should be implicit. For example, growth in the use of technology (e.g. Moodle) has been supported by the institute rather than explicitly led by clear strategy, targets and so on.

There have been several good examples of flexible programmes and delivery in GMIT. These include:

n Online delivery of a one-year add-on honours degree in Biopharmaceutical Science

n Bachelor of Business in Hotel and Catering Management by block release

n Innovative approaches to delivery in Castlebar to encourage more mature learners

n Pro bono delivery of Higher Certificate in Enterprise Development for the unemployed (prior to labour-market activation measures)

The origin of these programmes was not from within the executive board or management forums, but grew from the ideas of individuals or groups of individuals irrespective of their position within the organisation. They would have known that it was necessary to address the needs of a ‘non-traditional’ cohort of students or learners (e.g. upskilling in the workplace, mature learners, growing numbers of unemployed people), but would not have had an explicit instruction from the institute. So how does change and innovation happen in such circumstances?

This case study looks at the nature of change in an IoT, using the adoption of Moodle as the worked example (Coghlan and Brannick, 2007). We will see that Moodle is a good indicator of change, and obviously this has a link and implication for creating an environment for flexible learning. We will examine the way in which Moodle has become part of everyday life in GMIT from an institutional viewpoint, relying on survey and system data. The case study will not deal with cases or stories of individual lecturers.

Logical incrementalism‘Logical incrementalism’ is a term that was coined by Quinn (1980) to describe a methodology he saw being employed by several organisations that were trying to tread a fine line between, on the one hand, definite and detailed strategies, and, on the other, vague and ineffective strategies. The essential ingredient is to put down a strategic marker that is significant enough that it can set a direction for the organisation, and yet gives scope for emergent strategy to evolve and continuously develop.

Quinn refers to the fact that major organisations make changes to strategy that do not have their genesis in classical, prescriptive step-by-step planning. One of the drivers of logical incrementalism is what Quinn terms ‘precipitating events’, which he characterises as external or internal events over which management has no control but that shape the organisation’s future posture.

He further examines a number of sub-systems, which he argues contribute to the overall strategy or, put another way, suggests that strategies form in sub-systems. Quinn explains that in the organisations he has studied, few had cohesive strategies for dealing with government and external relations, and, in this realm, uncontrollable forces dominated. He argues that logical incrementalism is the best approach for dealing with these uncertainties, and that an experimental and politically informed approach is the key to success.

Staff Attitudes to Pedagogical Change in Flexible Learning, with a Special Emphasis on the Use of MoodleDes Foley, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology

80

It would be wrong to interpret this as a weak way of formulating strategy, or to see it as a paradise for waverers and procrastinators. Logical incrementalism is purposeful, intentional and, in a complex environment, has to be adaptive. Changes are small-scale and sometimes tentative. Strategic development becomes a process that permeates the organisation and change is gradual.

An approach to strategic planning based on logical incrementalism has its attractions. The uncertainty of our times, the suitability of the incremental method to organisations that might be described as cautious, the ability to learn and absorb before taking the next steps are three cogent arguments for advocating such an approach in a higher-level institution.

The link between logical incrementalism and the approach to flexible learning in GMIT is evident in the strategic plan. In developing the plan, the institute could have taken a number of approaches. At its boldest and most prescriptive, it could have stated that it was going to set up a dedicated, highly resourced, flexible learning unit with high levels of investment in internet technology and a virtual learning environment so that all

programmes would have a significant e-learning component. The question is whether that approach would have worked or the objective would have failed because of the way it was stated.

The actual wording in the plan was as laid out in Table 1.

It can be seen from Table 1 that there are themes the institute was seeking to explore in terms of delivery of its programmes, but the actual wording points in certain directions rather than setting out specific routes.

However, pointing the direction is not enough on its own. The institute did put resources into developing flexible learning platforms prior to the plan being published, and has continued to support initiatives since then. The intention was to create the right environment for change, so that staff could see and decide whether it was worth their time and effort. Hence the link between logical incrementalism and individual attitudes and decision-making now becomes important.

Table 1 Excerpt from the GMIT Strategic Plan ‘Your Place – Your Future’

Principle/driver Key points

Provide leadership and support for innovative approaches to Learning and Teaching

Key strategies:1. Develop more flexible programme structures and delivery options.

2. Continue the roll-out of modularisation and the flexible curriculum framework.

3. Develop ‘professional’ Masters and PhD provision.

4. Undertake annual reviews of programme offerings for currency, relevance and sustainability.

5. Develop a new programme, in association with the Students’ Union, on transitioning from education to the workplace.

6. Develop and expand work-based learning and accreditation at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

7. Assess the sustainability of SIF projects with a view to mainstreaming collaboration with NUIG and AIT in learning and teaching.

n Flexible programmes

n Flexible delivery

n Postgraduate provision

n Annual review of programmes

n Transition to workplace

n Collaboration with NUIG and AIT in teaching and learning

Figure 1 Outline of the introduction of Moodle to GMIT

81

Driver of staff attitudesAn important ingredient to the successful implementation of flexible learning initiatives in any higher education institution (HEI) is the willingness of key staff to engage with the design and delivery of programmes. This can be problematic when staff are heavily involved in the daily delivery of on-site programmes that may be viewed as the core activity of the institution. Pressure of time and priorities may influence staff in thinking flexibly.

The purpose of this case study is to review the factors that influence academic staff in changing their teaching and, from there, to see how these factors can be linked to flexible delivery of programmes. In particular, the ‘use of technology’ is investigated because:

1) it appears to be a major influence on change

2) it is a major weapon in the armoury of flexible delivery

3) it is possible to estimate the degree of change by the complexity of use by staff

In the case of GMIT, Moodle is the most obvious example. A study of Moodle usage can be assessed quantitatively (e.g. number of users, logins, modules etc.), but that only tells part of the story. It might be more beneficial to assess the typical user-profile and the level of complexity of its use. It would also be instructive to ascertain why some staff have not adopted Moodle.

We have already seen how organisations can signpost change through logical incrementalism. The introduction of Moodle was a good example of this approach. Figure 1 illustrates the four components that accompanied its introduction. In contrast to executive dictat, a more tacit approach was taken, and the supports and resources put in place to encourage uptake by staff. For example, the institute did provide a learning-support coordinator to help lecturers and provide training. The mode of Moodle’s introduction was low-key, and its promotion was in the manner of a ‘ground-up’ movement rather than a management-led initiative. This was a conscious decision within the institute, as it was thought that if the initiative was led by management it might be interpreted as managerialism.

MethodologyThe methodology for this study was largely data-driven and is outlined in Figure 2.

In 2009, a comprehensive staff survey was undertaken in GMIT. It was based on the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) faculty survey and had a prime focus on teaching, learning and assessment. The main conclusion of the survey was that, based on the Trigwell and Prosser methodology (1996), the overall approach to teaching intention is conceptual change and the overall teaching strategy employed by staff is student-centred. This gives a good starting-point to build on for examining staff attitudes to flexible learning.

Figure 2 Components of case study

The 2009 survey was very comprehensive, and it was decided for this study in 2011 to focus on questions that had relevance to flexible learning and teaching practice. It was also decided to investigate practices in one school (Science) rather than the institute as a whole. There were a number of reasons for this:

n Concentrating on one school might give a view that was more perceptive than the broad homogenous view that might emerge from an institute-wide approach.

n The school is one of the oldest in GMIT and the staff represent a broad spectrum of age and service within the sector, from new appointees to those on the cusp of retirement.

n The disciplines lend themselves to technology advancement and it would be interesting to evaluate whether lecturers believed that the same advancement in pedagogy was appropriate and relevant to their teaching.

n All programmes have a high practical, hands-on content and this might have an impact, especially in relation to distance learning.

Therefore, in September 2011, an abridged survey was circulated to academic staff in the School of Science. Some questions were identical to the 2009 survey and others were added to gain additional information. The completed surveys were collected over a two-week period and the response rate was 65%.

ResultsTypical staff memberIn order to attain some data on the respondents, staff were asked to indicate their length of service. The results, summarised in Table 2, show a good range, and agree quite well with the previous study in 2009.

Table 2 Breakdown of staff service

Years service

0–5 5–9 10–19 19–29 30 or more

% staff 12% 20% 36% 8% 24%

82

Changes in teaching methodsThe first indicator of change is to establish what has motivated staff to change their teaching methods in the past five years. This is shown in Figure 3.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other reasons

An increasingly diversestudent population

Additional resources available

Resource constraints

Decreasing student numbers

Increasing student numbers

New technology

Institute policy

Students’ demands

Concern about students’level of preparedness

Desire to refresh approach

2009 2011

Figure 3 Factors that drive staff change – the similarity between years and the importance of technology should be noted

In doing this, we can compare directly with 2009. In both versions of the survey, the top two reasons, by some margin, given for changing teaching methods were:

1) ‘Desire to refresh approach’

2) ‘New technology’

While it is difficult to measure how ‘desire to refresh approach’ transformed into action, the adoption of new technology is more accessible. This is indeed fortuitous, as most would agree the adoption of new technology is a key ingredient of any flexible learning initiative.

In the context of GMIT, Moodle has been chosen as the preferred virtual learning environment (VLE), though there is some evidence of the development and use of other platforms and software packages. In fact, in the 2011 survey, 24% responded that they use other VLEs in addition to Moodle. For the purposes of this study, we will confine ourselves to Moodle usage, which is a useful surrogate for assessing the degree of change in an area identified by the lecturing staff as one of the prime drivers for change in their own teaching.

The other factors measured in 2009 and 2011 are worth some consideration. The inclusion of the diverse student population is interesting, as – in the context of GMIT – this is predominantly referring to international or, more likely, mature students. Hence the fact that it is ranked fourth in both surveys is promising in terms of a willingness to change for this cohort, with obvious implications for part-time learners.

Moodle in 2009In 2009, the staff survey examined approaches to learning and teaching in GMIT. In relation to Moodle, 69% of respondents indicated that they used it; of these, 49% said they usually or regularly used it. In effect, this means that almost half of the staff never or sometimes used Moodle.

In 2009, the tendency was to use the environment to provide basic information (52%) and make course material available (62%). Other activities, which might be seen as more complex, were less prevalent. For example, 26% used it for coursework submission by students, and 13% for online discussion.

For non-users, time constraints (38%) and lack of relevancy (36%) were the main reasons given for abstinence.

Therefore the survey pointed to the actual uptake of Moodle by staff, its extent of use and the reasons for abstinence where it occurred.

In 2011, the survey was repeated using the same criteria within the School of Science. In addition, participants were asked how long they have been using Moodle in order to investigate if there might be a link between experience of using the system and sophistication of usage (see Figure 4).

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

To make coursematerial available

To provide basic information

To provide access to othermultimedia materials

For submission ofcoursework/essays

To provide accessto learning outcomes

To obtain students’ feedback

To assist studentgroup/project work

For onlineassessments/quizzes

To enable online discussions

2011 2009

Figure 4 Uses of Moodle by academic staff as identified in 2009 and 2011 – the complexity of use has increased

Moodle in 2011The repeat of the survey resulted in the following findings:

Uptake of MoodleThe proportion of staff using Moodle increased from 69% to 79%. A very small number adopted the system in the past year, with most users now having gained two to four years’ experience (Figure 5).

83

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

More than4 years ago

2 to 4years ago

1 year ago

Figure 5 A summary of the number of years staff members have been using Moodle in the School of Science

For non-users the reasons given were a mix of practical (e.g. time constraints) and philosophical (e.g. not appropriate or relevant to course or nature of student). Some anecdotal information from those who have not adopted Moodle suggests that some did register on the system, but did not have a satisfactory introduction to the system and withdrew from its use. This does underline the importance, as a general principle, of the first experience of a new system for early adoption. The profile of users suggests that, unless there is some other form of intervention, we have probably reached the point of maximum usage.

In the 2011 survey, respondents were asked for the main reason that they had adopted Moodle. The results are shown in Figure 6. These results are quite surprising in that they show how institute promotion was the main factor, even though (as we have seen previously) there was a low-key approach to its introduction. Clearly the manner of this introduction, as shown in Figure 1, had an impact. Other reasons such as student request or influence of peers are evident to a lesser extent. Again, there may be lessons on introducing new initiatives to a higher education organisation where a number of approaches are required.

6%22%

11%33%

28%

Peer lecturerStudent requestInsitute promotionOwn curiosityOther reason

Figure 6 Reasons why staff in the School of Science adopted Moodle

Complexity of useGiven that most respondents now have at least two years’ experience of Moodle, it is hardly surprising that the level of sophistication in usage of its functionality has increased markedly (though it is still not optimal). Hence, there is now almost universal usage for baseline activities, such as making available course material and basic information. All forms of usage have increased. The interesting increases are in activities requiring student interaction (e.g. discussions, submission of work and so on). Strikingly, the lowest increase is in providing access to the learning outcomes, which may be worth further investigation in its own right.

Table 3 A model to quantify the complexity of use of Moodle in 2009 and 2011

Task Complexity factor (C)

% 2009 % 2011 C x % 2009 C x % 2011

To enable online discussions 4 13% 26% 52 105

For online assessments/quizzes 4 17% 26% 68 105

To assist student group/project work 4 16% 26% 64 105

To obtain students’ feedback 3 15% 32% 45 95

To provide access to learning outcomes 2 27% 32% 54 63

For submission of coursework/essays 3 26% 58% 78 174

To provide access to other multimedia materials 2 42% 63% 84 126

To provide basic information 1 52% 74% 52 74

To make course material available 2 62% 89% 124 179

621 1,026

84

It is possible to give a rudimentary measure of complexity of use by assigning a complexity factor to the various types of tasks that can be carried out on Moodle and then multiplying this by the percentage of participants carrying out that task. Finally, a complexity value is calculated by finding the sum of these products.

In carrying out this operation, we see an increase in complexity from 2009 to 2011. Features such as online delivery, assessments and discussion groups are now more prevalent and commonly used, which suggests that migration to online delivery is now a step closer, both culturally and from the viewpoint of staff expertise.

There seems to be an emergence of ‘super-users’, whose use of Moodle is now highly sophisticated and whose expertise has been built up over a number of years. The institute could now capitalise on their expertise by organising staff-development events that can be delivered or facilitated by these staff members.

Moodle metricsUntil now, we have only dealt with survey data. An independent means of verifying these findings would be useful. It was felt that statistics from the Moodle system itself would show the level of uptake and activity, and would be useful to use in conjunction with the survey data.

The metrics shown in Table 4 show the extent of use of Moodle by students during the academic year 2010/11. There are two general points to be made. First, there is a huge amount of activity on the system and it was predicted that this would top one million logins by the end of the academic year. Second, the nature of the activity shows many students online outside teaching hours, at weekends and even on Christmas Day!

Table 5 isolates the lecturer activity. Lecturers are responsible for creating modules on Moodle and so the number of modules is a good indicator of lecturer activity during the year as a whole. Taking the week of 7 March and that day itself, it is clear that lecturers are engaging with the system throughout the year, which would suggest that many are using it as more than a repository for lecture notes.

A cybernetic model to describe changeBirnbaum (1988) has described an applied model for higher education institutions, introducing a cybernetic model for managing change in higher education. In the context of higher education, this is possibly a more provocative model than Mintzberg (1988). Successful leadership requires that the four constituents of the cybernetic model (bureaucratic, anarchic, political and collegial) be kept in balance. This suggests that modes of change can be effected by careful utilisation of the different ‘buttons’. For example, budgeting is a largely bureaucratic exercise, whereas academic council belongs predominantly in the collegial sphere. Implicit in this model is the idea that transformational change should only occur in limited circumstances or else the balance of the four buttons disappears.

Table 4 System data from Moodle showing student usage of the system

Item Number Comment

Total logins since September 605,033 1 million by end of academic year

Total logins at weekends 71,051 Saturdays and Sundays only

Total logins outside working hours 179,595 Outside Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

% of logins outside teaching hours ~41% Does not take holidays into account

% of logins between midnight and 9:00 a.m. ~5.5%

Logins on Christmas Day 2010 381

Table 5 Modules uploaded by lecturers on Moodle and active lecturers on the system during the week of 7 March and on 7 March itself

Item Value Comment

No. of modules 1,156 Active modules for 2010/11 academic year

Active modules week of 7 March 1,014 Active = some activity occurred

Active modules on 7 March 782 Active = some activity occurred

Active users on 7 March 2,853 Active = some activity occurred

Active lecturers on 7 March 146 Active = some activity occurred

85

Figure 7 is a pictorial representation of the how the introduction of Moodle in GMIT might be described in the cybernetic model, based on the survey results and actions that were taken at various times. The size of each of the buttons (excluding cybernetic) is a representation of the influence of that characteristic in the overall change. Though largely qualitative, based on the evidence from the surveys and the method by which Moodle was introduced, we can say that the order of influence was:

1) anarchic

2) bureaucratic

3) political

4) collegial

It is also useful to consider the ways in which this profile should change if the continued implementation of Moodle is considered. In summary, these are:

n There still needs to be a significant bureaucratic influence, but the nature of this will alter. For instance, when Moodle was introduced, the technical assistance was at a basic level (e.g. helping users to log on to the system for the first time). Nowadays, help with instructional design might be more appropriate.

n There is now scope for a greater influence of collegiality and evidence of this is already to the fore in GMIT. The development of user-groups is a good example.

n The political dimension was never really to the fore and is unlikely to become so.

n Finally, the anarchic influence will probably remain constant, as lecturers’ autonomy drives that aspect of Moodle development.

ConclusionChange in an institute of technology comes in many and various forms. One of the greatest changes to the lecturer’s job in recent years has been the development and roll-out of Moodle. We have seen that GMIT took a firm decision to facilitate its roll-out in the institute but did not attempt to be dictatorial about it. Survey data have shown the extent of uptake and complexity of use.

A cybernetic model can be used to describe the introduction of Moodle and to predict how the continued evolution of the system might evolve.

ReferencesBirnbaum, R. (1988) How Colleges Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Coghlan, D. and Brannick, T. (2007) Doing Action Research in Your Own Organisation. London: Sage.

Mintzberg, H.A. (1998) Strategy Safari. London: Pearson Education.

Quinn, J. (1980) Strategies for Change: Logical Incrementalism. Homewood: Irwin.

Trigwell, K. and Prosser, M. (1996) ‘Changing approaches to teaching: a relational perspective’, Studies in Higher Education 21: 275–284.

Figure 7 A cybernetic model for introducing Moodle

86

IntroductionThe SIF2 Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) and Dublin Institute of Technology flexible learning project aimed to explore flexible learning. Each institute was funded to develop a range of initiatives in flexible learning. The project began with a consideration of flexible learning and agreed that flexible learning:

n expands choice on what, where and how people learn;

n is a term used to describe a variety of ‘non-traditional’ courses provided by academic institutions;

n applies to part-time, evening, online and distance courses.

Essentially it was agreed that any accredited courses run outside the teaching day and applied for through the institute could be considered flexible learning. A key aim of the project was to increase the number of learners in the system through flexible modes.

Flexible learning in IADTIADT is an institute of technology in Dun Laoghaire with the vision to:

be at the forefront of teaching, research and innovation at the convergence of the arts, technology and enterprise, and to contribute to Ireland’s development as a creative knowledge economy.

(IADT, 2008, p.10)

In IADT, a head of department (the author) was assigned the flexible learning project. An e-learning project officer post was developed and the institute educational technologist was seconded from ICT to the Department of Learning Sciences from May 2009. The project drew on staff across the institute as required, particularly from ICT, Student and Academic Affairs, Finance and the Development Office, as well as from the schools – Creative Arts, Business and Humanities, and Creative Technologies.

The flexible learning project ran in parallel with other SIF/HEA projects such as the SIF2 Dublin Regional Higher Education Alliance (DRHEA) Enhancement of Learning project (in which IADT was participating in the area of enabling e-learning and blended learning work) and the SIF1 Learning Innovation Network (LIN) and the HEA National Digital Learning Repository project. Two of the projects – DRHEA and LIN – were assigned to the same head of department, who also chaired the institute teaching and learning committee.

The aim at the start of the project was to develop, run and evaluate programmes and modules in a flexible learning mode. The project began with a review of flexible learning provision.

There was a history of part-time courses, such as portfolio preparation for admission to the art and design programmes, as well as a range of short non-accredited programmes in fine art and design. As these are not accredited, they could not be considered as flexible learning programmes.

At the start of the project in 2008 there were few flexible programmes. There were postgraduate programmes, a part-time access programme in visual arts (Level 7, 180 credits) and one Special Purpose Award in Cyberpsychology (Level 8, 10 credits). This was better than expected and it provided a snapshot of the flexible learning opportunities provided.

It was decided to develop additional Special Purpose Awards, and in 2011/12 there are three postgraduate diplomas, seven masters’ degrees and 12 Special Purpose/Supplemental Awards available (HETAC, 2011), a considerable increase on the flexible learning offering in 2008/09. Regrettably, the undergraduate visual arts programme is no longer available in flexible mode for resource reasons. All these programmes run in the evenings or weekends. Special Purpose Awards run for 20 weeks from September to March, for two hours per week, a total of 40 hours’ contact time for a ten-credit module/programme. These programmes are advertised on BlueBrick.ie, as well as through the institute.

The development of a model of flexible learning took some time. A call for proposals was circulated to the schools in March 2009, and a number of modules/programmes were suggested. Three modules were selected – Creative Writing (B&H), Introduction to Psychology (CT) and the Internet (CT). The selected lecturers worked with the e-learning project officer to develop a VLE course to support flexible learning. With the courses prepared, it was decided to pilot in the Certificate in Creative Writing and Introduction to Psychology at a reduced fee. Introduction to Psychology had 11 applications, with a minimum requirement of 14 applicants, and so did not run.

Creative Writing had 20 applicants, with a minimum requirement of eight. The course ran from January 2010 to May 2010, with five face-to-face sessions and online work using Blackboard, the institute virtual learning environment (VLE). The programme lecturer was Katie Donovan, a published author. The flexible learning project recruited the students, processed the applications in association with the lecturer and supported the start of the programme, particularly the student induction into Blackboard. The programme was then handed over to the School of Business and Humanities for day-to-day running and programme assessment. It was supported fully by the e-learning project officer. The certificate was completed by 19 students; one had to leave for personal reasons.

Sustainability through Integration – Sustaining the Flexible Learning Approach in IADTDr Marion Palmer, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology

87

The evaluation of the pilot flexible learning programme considered feedback from stakeholders (particularly students), module development, staff feedback, student recruitment, admissions and registration, as well as the fees participants would pay. It was clear that the flexible learning model suited many learners – the combination of face-to-face and online communication worked well. The programme required basic computer skills, as Blackboard was integral to it. The development of the programme took considerable time. The development of a flexible learning curriculum and materials was one aspect. The setting up of the programme in IADT – costs and break-even numbers, MIS, Banner and Blackboard, etc. – was very demanding, and the support of staff across the institute in all areas was crucial to development and implementation. It was clear that staff workload for flexible programme development is the same as for a full-time on-campus programme. The management of a flexible learning programme academically needs attention – for example, there was no programme board meeting for the programme, as required by the institute quality-assurance procedures. The major difficulty was the costs incurred and fees that could be charged. Staff time allocated to meet the practical requirements of a flexible learning programme – both the face-to-face sessions and the online work – was 60 hours. However this leads to either high fees or a high break-even number. This was unsustainable and it was difficult to develop a more streamlined model of staff working that maintained academic quality. The flexible learning model was not run again, as it was not financially viable.

A further aspect of flexible learning at IADT was staff development for flexible learning. Staff were encouraged to attend workshops, participate in seminars, and attend and present at teaching and learning conferences. IADT staff regularly attended the AISHE conference and the LIN conferences, as well as EdTech and other educational conferences in Ireland. The use of Blackboard to enhance the flexibility of the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes was supported by the e-learning project officer (in association with the DRHEA Enhancement of Learning: Enabling e-Learning work area). In order to share teaching and learning practice and support across the institute, a Teaching Showcase was started in 2010. Staff presented posters on some aspect of teaching and learning, particularly any innovations. The Teaching Showcase ran in 2011 and is becoming an annual event.

Through the Learning Innovation Network (LIN) Academic Professional Development (APD) programme, IADT took part in the pilot for the ten-credit Certificate in Learning and Teaching from Athlone Institute of Technology. An IADT programme team was put together, all with qualifications and experience in teaching and learning, and the programme team ran the Certificate in Learning and Teaching. There were eight participants in the pilot; all eight completed the programme. It was run again as a 15-credit programme in 2010/11, with ten participants, and is running in 2011/12. The programme team has worked well together, and the programme has been superb as staff development for both the participants and the programme team. The programme was developed and run in collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Centre in Athlone Institute of Technology (Harding and Palmer, 2011).

Parallel to the workshops and seminars and the accredited programme staff, through the support of the NDLR, was the development of digital learning objects. These were developed

by staff, displayed at the Teaching Showcases in 2010 and 2011, and uploaded to the NDLR website (www.ndlr.ie/institution/dun-laoghaire-institute-of-art-design-and-technology). These digital learning objects supported the development of a flexible curriculum. At present, the flexible learning project is supporting a further 15 projects that are due to be displayed at the 2012 Teaching Showcase and then uploaded to the NDLR. Overall staff development for teaching and learning has shown increased uptake since the flexible learning project started in 2008.

Flexible learning at IADT – a reviewThree features of the project are considered: internal systems, communication, and outcome measures. In terms of internal systems, a wide range of institute departments and committees were needed for the project. Managing the project required working with the Finance Office, Academic and Student Affairs, the Development Office, Human Resources, as well as the three schools and the institute committees. In terms of communication, it was demanding to keep the many different participants informed and to give them a picture of the project, particularly as the project changed and developed over the three years. Communication was through regular teaching and learning newsletters to all staff, and the academic management group, management team and institute executive were briefed regularly.

Throughout the project, outcome measures were monitored. However, they changed and developed: initially flexible student enrolment was monitored, then participation in staff development for flexible learning and Blackboard use. There were additional unplanned outcomes. Flexible learning required the institute to develop and implement policies to support flexible provision. The development, implementation and review of the Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL) policy was essential to enable appropriate student recruitment. This took place during the project. Similarly academic quality processes had to be adapted for flexible learning provision.

The flexible learning project made many demands on the system. At the beginning of the project we assumed that we would develop and run a wide range of short accredited programmes for students in the workforce through developing a flexible learning model. However, such courses have to be financially viable, cover costs and generate sufficient income to be sustained. This was not possible in the cost model. The demands of the project on institute internal systems had to be considered and identified. Student and Academic Affairs had to manage student admission and process student assessment. The schools had to develop the programmes, admit students (including through the APEL policy), teach and assess the students, as well as manage the appropriate quality-assurance procedures. Staff development for flexible learning required the staff training and learning development office to plan, in association with the project manager, the workshops, seminars and particularly the accredited programme. Finance had to manage the use of the allocated funds and monitor the matching-funding requirement from the institute. Allocation of the management of information on BlueBrick.ie about IADT’s flexible learning programmes was difficult; fitting in with institute systems took some time. The project-management workload, as one of a number of projects, had to be handled appropriately.

88

Impact of flexible learning – October 2011Overall the project has had considerable impact on IADT. Flexible learning, particularly through the suite of Special Purpose Awards, is integrated into IADT and there are more students. There has been a significant increase in staff development for teaching and learning through awareness of other modes of learning, and sharing of resources and ideas; there is beginning to be research into teaching and learning that is of immense value to the institute. There is increased communication internally through the teaching and learning newsletters, as well as through the seminars and workshops. The cross-institute communication developed through the AIT Certificate in Learning and Teaching is particularly worth noting. Staff from across the three schools and functional areas studied together and developed an understanding and appreciation of each other’s work that has had an impact on how we as an institute proceed. This is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify but it is evident (Palmer, 2011). It echoes earlier work on teaching and learning (Palmer and Heagney, 2008).

Sustaining flexible learningAs the project finishes, the question of sustainability arises. Boyer (1990, pp.18–21) proposes a scholarship of integration to give ‘meaning to isolated facts’, to make connections across disciplines, and argues that the academy needs to consider interdisciplinary, interpretive, integrative scholarly trends. This argument for integration strikes a strong chord: we propose that integration is a necessary condition for sustaining initiatives post-funding. By this, we mean integration of flexible learning into institute systems, quality assurance, teaching and learning, staff development and, most importantly, into institute culture.

Reviewing IADT’s path through flexible learning, it is evident what has worked and what has not worked. The development of Special Purpose Awards has been of value to the institute. It has enhanced the programme offerings of the institute at a time of decreasing resources, and enabled us to increase student numbers with practical, short accredited programmes. The approach to teaching and learning support, particularly the LIN APD programme, has been successful. Staff participation has increased during the years of the project, and staff see teaching and learning as an important area of professional development and seek out appropriate support. One unanticipated benefit has been developing cross-institute understanding of what we do: i.e. develop programmes, enrol students, teach and assess students, and graduate them. This, as has been mentioned earlier, has had an impact on how we work as an institute, and was recognised in the 2011 Institutional Review (IADT, 2011a).

A model of flexible learning has been developed that supports student learning with reduced attendance at the institute. However, the financial model for such flexible learning programmes means that break-even numbers are too high, and it was not possible to run more than the pilot flexible learning programme.

Flexible learning programmes provide an opportunity to review and revise appropriately institute procedures. The programme development and approval process is a key part of institute quality assurance. This has to be applied just as stringently to flexible learning programmes. Flexible learning programmes in IADT require that programme documents (including programme-

assessment strategies) are validated, have an associated financial plan with break-even numbers and are set up on Banner. There are workload issues: a ten-credit Special Purpose Award has similar programme-development procedures as a 240-credit programme. This can militate against the development of flexible learning programmes.

The second stage is that of student recruitment and admission. The marketing of flexible learning programmes is essential, but constitutes additional workload and cost to the institute marketing budget. Admission to programmes is by the institute admission officer, who single-handedly manages all admissions to the institute in consultation with the schools. Screening of applicants is done in conjunction with the programme lecturers to ensure that anyone admitted to such programmes has a chance of success. It is at this stage that the APEL policy has to be applied. Developing the institute APEL policy to suit ten-credit Special Purpose Awards has been a challenge, particularly the identification of appropriate academic work that matches the admission requirements and volume of the award. This stage requires a commitment to process and detail that can seem demanding for programmes of such volume.

Integration of flexible learning work into the work of the schools has been crucial to their smooth running. The Special Purpose Awards (SPAs) start later in the academic year: towards the end of September. This gives time for the development of the programme handbook. In the School of Creative Technologies, the SPAs are all run on a Wednesday evening, have a single programme handbook, and have an assessment schedule that fits into the academic year and lecturer workload. There is an SPA coordinator who manages the process and coordinates the work of the lecturers.

The assessment is by assignment – there are no examinations. Each programme has an external examiner appointed, and the assignments are generally approved prior to issue to students in the programme handbook. Students start flexible learning programmes with a clear outline of the programme, including aims and learning outcomes, the two assignments and submission date, and the assessment procedure (IADT, 2011b). Assignments are submitted in early December and early March, assessed by the lecturer and moderated by a second lecturer, and feedback is given to students. The results are considered at the annual Exam Boards in June. This means that these flexible learning programmes are integrated into the work of the school. Lecturers have time to assess student work as part of their overall workload.

Institute quality-assurance procedures were developed for the full-time programmes and require three programme board meetings a year, with appropriate student representatives and an annual report to academic council. It proved impractical to run programme board meetings for each SPA, and a model was developed and agreed by the institute quality-enhancement committee for these awards. The suite of SPAs is considered as a programme, and there are two programme-board meetings a year, chaired by the SPA coordinator with the lecturers and two student representatives per programme as members. This has worked well and provides an opportunity for students and staff to review and develop the programmes. Students are invited to take part in the departmental quality-assurance survey as well. This development of institute quality-assurance procedures has been

89

essential to ensure that flexible learning programmes adhere to relevant quality-assurance mechanisms. It has also meant that management of such programmes in a department is consistent with other programmes in the department.

There has been some detail about the practicalities of running flexible learning programmes to support the argument for integration. Sustaining flexible learning beyond the project requires a transformation of what we do to include such programmes. Cannon (2005) argues that participating in a project such as the flexible learning project is a transformative process and that through the project ‘all the groups and individuals whose sense of themselves and the sense that others make of us is changing in unforeseen and unpredictable ways’.

The argument for integration and developing a changed sense of what we do is evident in the elements of the project that will be sustained at IADT. We will keep running Special Purpose and Supplemental Awards. Three more were validated this academic year (2011/12), and more are in development. The running of the programmes will be monitored, as will the associated quality-assurance procedures. Staff development for teaching and learning will continue with the LIN APD, as well as a range of workshops and seminars. The Teaching Showcase is planned as an annual event. There has been a cultural shift in terms of technology, with the institute VLE now part of the teaching and learning culture of all programmes. For those lecturers working on the Special Purpose Awards, use of Blackboard was seen as an essential element and has provided the ‘way in’ for staff. The smooth transfer from WebCT CE8 to Blackboard 9 in September 2011 was evidence of how it was now taken for granted in terms of teaching.

The flexible learning project has enabled IADT, a small institute of technology, to take part in a national project on its own terms, to collaborate with IOTI and other institutes of technology. The network and relationships thus developed contribute to the transformation of IADT and to our ‘continuous co-creation of identity’ through the conversation with partners (Cannon, 2005). It is this that will enable IADT to develop and sustain the learning from this project.

This has been an interesting journey. Change makes many demands on the system. Managing multiple projects requires a synthesis of those projects and institute strategic plans. This project has not met its original objectives – that of multiple flexible learning offerings – but has achieved a considerable transformation. It has been open to possibilities – especially staff development – and enabled both flexible learning programmes and staff development for teaching and learning to become a routine part of the day-to-day work of the institute. This integration of projects into the everyday routine is what will sustain the changes and transformations. Cannon and Brennan (2008) summarise it very well:

‘Organizational change takes place in the swamp, in which informal, unconscious and shadow themes play important roles. To focus exclusively on the formal, conscious and legitimate themes on the high ground is to overlook transformations taking place in the very interactions in which we participate.’

ReferencesBoyer, E.L. (1990) Scholarship Reconsidered, Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Cannon, S. (2005) ‘Continuous professional development as continuous creation of identity’. Paper presented at ESAI Theme Conference 2005.

Cannon, S. and Brennan, J. (2008) ‘Exploring the possible futures of an education centre: a complexity perspective’. Paper presented at ESAI Annual Conference 2008.

Fitzpatrick, N. and Harvey, J. (eds) (2011) Designing Together: Effective Strategies for Creating a Collaborative Curriculum to Support Academic Professional Development. Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology.

Harding, N. and Palmer, M. (2011) ‘Embedding core values in practice: the AIT/IADT experience’. In: Fitzpatrick and Harvey (2011): 91–105.

HETAC (2011) Order in Council 2011–2012 Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Available at www.hetac.ie/docs/ACC-A23-8.2.1.3%20%20OinC%20Dun%20LIADT.pdf.

IADT (2011a) IADT Institutional Review Response, Implementation Plan and Timeframe. Dun Laoghaire: IADT. Available at www.hetac.ie/docs/IR%20IADT%20IR%20Response%20to%20Panel%20Report%206%20July%202011%20(Final).pdf.

IADT (2011b) School of Creative Technologies Special Purpose and Supplemental Awards Programme Handbook 2011–2012. Dun Laoghaire: IADT.

Palmer, M. (2011) ‘Academic professional development in IADT – the pilot Certificate in Learning and Teaching with Athlone Institute of Technology’. In: Fitzpatrick and Harvey (2011): 140–155.

Palmer, M. and Heagney, C. (2008) ‘Reflections on conversations as a catalyst for change 2003–2007’, in Higgs, B. and McCarthy, M., Emerging Issues II: The Changing Roles and Identities of Teachers and Learners in Higher Education. Cork: NAIRTL.

90

IntroductionAfter a period of expansion and development the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) engaged in two major projects during the academic year 2010/11: a programmatic review and an institutional review. The output from our programmatic review was submitted as part of the institute’s self-assessment report to HETAC in December 20101. It is important to note the wider context in which these reviews were carried out, which included the impending review of higher education structures (the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, or ‘Hunt Report’) and the difficult economic circumstances facing the country. Both contributed to an atmosphere of uncertainty and concern within and beyond the institute. However, these challenges also presented an opportunity for the higher education sector and ITB to respond to the increase in demand from both CAO students and adult learners for many of our programmes.

This case study captures relevant parts of these discussions and reflections in relation to the challenge of continuing to address the needs of part-time adult learners in a system that is predominantly structured and resourced to cater for the needs of CAO entrants. The period of this case study also witnessed the culmination of a number of SIF (Strategic Innovation Fund) projects2, which underpinned and supported the expansion and development of flexible programmes designed in response to these needs. Two major topics will be described: (1) changes to student support systems and (2) changes to academic processes, both of which were designed to improve our responsiveness and flexibility in addressing the needs of current and future students.

Who are we?Third-level education in the greater Blanchardstown area is provided by the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB). The institute opened in 1999 with an investment of €75 million. The development of the institute is taking place as a single campus, in phases. A student population of 3,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) is projected on completion of the third phase of development. The institute first received delegation of authority to confer awards from HETAC in June 2006. Since then, the institute has offered a broad range of academic programmes, and offers taught programmes mainly between Levels 6 and 9 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).

The mission of the institute is to serve its students and the community by meeting the skills needs in the economy and increasing the level of participation in third-level education and training by adopting admission and student-support policies to ensure that a relatively high proportion of its students are ‘non-standard’ entrants such as:

n mature students;

n applicants without Leaving Certificate qualifications who can meet entry requirements in other ways;

n students with disabilities; and

n students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Our student profile for the academic year 2009/10 reflects this diversity:

Item Comment

Student numbers Total: 2,910 (2,096 FTE) Full-time: 1,569 Part-time: 1,341

First-year intake Standard (Leaving Certificate) 59%

Non-standard (mature, FETAC, medical/disadvantage) 41%

Origin of FT first years From Dublin 15 24% From Dublin 1 to 24 82%

From Leinster 93%

The core activities of the institute are, first, the provision of third-level education, through full-time programmes and continuing education programmes in a variety of modes, and, second, knowledge transfer to industry through research and innovation activities (see Figure 1).

Academic and Support System Changes – Providing Equitable Services to Full- and Part-time LearnersDr Larry McNutt and Daniel McSweeney Institute of Technology Blanchardstown

1 Both reports are available at www.itb.ie/AboutITB/QualityAssuranceReports/qar.asp.

2 The Higher Education Authority – Strategic Innovation Fund (http://heatest-drupal6.heanet.ie/en/sif).

91

Figure 1 Core activities

How do we approach our mission?The internal structures and systems at ITB have evolved in a number of ways. Some are legally determined, such as the role of the president and secretary of the institute and the composition and function of the governing body. Monitoring processes have been developed to meet the requirements of regulatory agencies such as HETAC or the HEA.

Also, many of the systems and the management structure to direct them were put in place when ITB was established. The establishment board that oversaw this process mainly comprised people who were in management in other third-level institutions, and the systems and structures that they recommended were based broadly on their experience.

The overall outcome of their contributions is a common form of systems and structure between ITB and other institutes of technology, with some minor variations. A simple description

of that structure at operational level is one of discipline-based schools and academic departments (largely responsible for the development, delivery and assessment of academic courses) working in conjunction with support functions (responsible for resource allocation to academic departments or specific services to students). These operations are presided over by management teams representative of the academic and support-function departments and reporting through the president to the governing body.

However, we recognised, as the institute developed and the complexity increased in terms of both the delivery of programmes and the diversity within student cohorts, that our existing structures were somewhat misaligned. This is of course symptomatic of a young, growing higher-education institute, and it has been noted in the literature (Srikanthan and Dalrymple, 2003, 2009) that in the initial phase of development:

n It is predominantly provider-centred with emphasis on supply rather than responding to student or other stakeholder needs.

n There can be a misalignment of processes (in terms of priority, timing or resource demand) between academic and administrative activities partly due to the varying nature of these functions or more simply because of the time lag between the academic and administrative annual work cycles.

n The broad base of the management team can result in the local control of resources within both academic and administrative functions, thus fragmenting the strategic direction of the organisation.

Following a period of reflection, research and consultation, we reached consensus about where to focus our efforts and what to prioritise for the next phase of development and growth. Our strategic plan placed diversity and inclusion as core values in choosing strategic priorities. Its first priority pledged ITB to increase substantially the number and diversity of students with the twin aims of making most efficient use of the state’s investment in the physical and support facilities at ITB and pursuing the goals contained in our mission statement.

Figure 2 Croi group membership

92

The next section of this case study will describe in the wider context three important changes that have been introduced to address these weaknesses. It will also describe the impact of their introduction on the institute’s capacity to continue to develop its flexible learning programmes.

Aligning systems – three examplesPlanning weekThe misalignment between academic and administrative processes was addressed by introducing an annual planning week, held in November, which involves all members of Croi (middle management) and TMG (senior management) (see Figure 2). This provides an opportunity for all departments to present their plans for the coming year and to address cross-functional issues.

These engagements reflect the key dependencies that exist between the various functional areas within the institute. The successful delivery and management of courses requires the optimal interaction and cooperation of these internal stakeholders. The complexity of these interactions is captured in Table 1.

There are a number of tangible outputs from planning week, including (1) a marketing plan for each department, (2) cost plans for each activity, (3) space requirements, (4) staff requirements, and (5) IT support needs. An extract from the pilot planning-week session is shown in Figure 3.

In combination, the strategic plan, TMG’s team-development plan and planning week all contribute to aligning the activities of academic and administrative departments with the institutional goals. They also ensure that resources can be directed at specific initiatives in a timely and professional manner.

Figure 3 Planning week

Table 1 Key cross-functional dependencies

Key tasks LIN

C

HR

CSM

Fina

nce

Esta

tes

Offi

ce

Libr

ary

Adm

issi

ons

Mar

keti

ng a

nd

Dev

elop

men

t

Aca

dem

ic C

ounc

il

Hea

d of

D

epar

tmen

t/Se

ctio

n

Gov

erni

ng B

ody

Pres

iden

t/TM

G

Staff recruitment and development √ √ √ √ √ √

Course design and development √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Course marketing and promotion √ √ √ √

Course management √ √ √ √

Student admissions √ √ √

Examinations and assessment √ √ √

Student appeals, reviews and rechecks

√ √

Timetabling √ √ √

Workshop and laboratory specification and setup

√ √ √ √ √

Industry partner consultation √ √ √

93

The marketing and development unitThe marketing and development unit was established to support the academic department’s efforts to achieve enrolment targets. A core feature of this strategy was to unify course development and promotion activities for all students. Emphasis was placed in our communication and promotional activities on targeting:

n local primary and second-level schools, with an emphasis on developing long-term relationships;

n pupils, teachers and guidance counsellors – innovative initiatives have included summer robotics schools, language courses and horticulture classes;

n adults working or living in the area, both those with an expressed need to upskill within a specific discipline and those with a more general desire to return to education.

Marketing material in print and online was specially designed to meet the needs of each constituency. This was also a critical component in allowing the institute to respond quickly to national initiatives under the various labour-market activation schemes. The ability of the marketing team to develop regional and local profiles of potential learner cohorts has been a key component in ensuring that programmes are designed that address national priorities with an available population of learners who can avail themselves of the opportunity.

A recent example of the success of this partnership process was the Business Intelligence and Data Mining course development team. They began investigating the possibility of offering a Level 9 programme in the area in September 2008. In conjunction with the marketing department, interviews with potential companies were organised, culminating in an industry seminar delivered in conjunction with key industry representatives.

This initiative, organised jointly by the ITB’s LINC (Learning and Innovation Centre) and the marketing and development unit, provided a mechanism to gauge interest and demand (see Figure 4).

Data Mining seminar in conjunction with LINC

Figure 4 Marketing approach

Marketing unit publicity material for Data Mining

Figure 4 Marketing approach (continued)

The programme was subsequently accredited and launched as an online offering for the academic year 2010/11 and as part of the national ‘Springboard’ initiative. This approach addresses the ‘provider lead’ criticism regarding the development of programmes by ensuring that there is early and regular involvement of key stakeholders, both internal and external, in the decision-making processes. The joint efforts of the marketing and the academic teams to ensure their environmental scanning activities are effective create an optimal combination of relevant programmes that are recognised by industry and of interest to potential part-time learners. Attracting students to academic programmes is a critical and important activity – it is also recognised that once students are registered and part of the institute’s community, regular reviews and appraisals of our internal services and supports will help retain them and enable us to address their ongoing needs. This approach led to the establishment of the student information desk, which is described in the next section.

The student information deskAn external consultant report on student services conducted in 2009 (Martin Duffy ASA Consulting, 2009) revealed a strong commitment to student welfare among support staff. A survey of student experience confirmed that commitment, but also pointed to deficiencies in information on academic or administrative processes and on where to access this information. ITB responded to the findings of the report by establishing a student information desk (SID) to act as ‘one-stop shop’ for student queries and provide direction to appropriate services. This initiative, currently located in the library, is an example of putting the student needs at the centre of service provision and endeavouring to streamline their interaction with key processes and procedures. Students on flexible learning courses who may not be able to visit the campus are able to contact the SID via phone or email.

94

The SID provides a wide range of functions of special interest to flexible learning students, including:

n helpdesk support (logins, passwords, network access, VLE usage guides etc.)

n timetables

n contact details of the course coordinators

n general information and answers to queries on all student services

In parallel with the development of SID, there is also a range of ongoing projects within the IT domain that are designed to further increase the flexibility of access to student services. For example, the introduction of a new mechanism to allow students to change network passwords has replaced the scenario whereby a student who had forgotten their ITB network password was unable to log on to the VLE, email or remote ITB services until they visited the campus with proof of identity and requested in person a password change from a technician. This posed problems for part-time and distance-learning students who rarely came to campus or made it to the technicians’ support desk during opening times. In response to the support needs of flexible learners, the IT services department introduced a new password recovery system, which now lets users recover and change passwords without the need to visit campus. Similarly, in response to increases in the numbers of flexible courses and learners, the institute has introduced online course-registration and -payment systems that now allow prospective flexible learners to register and pay for courses and modules without necessitating travel to the campus.

The three examples presented above have all had a marked impact, both internally and externally. Planning week and the marketing and development unit provide a flexible framework that enables a strategic and timely response to national initiatives such as ‘Springboard’. The student information desk enables all student groups to access help and advice on operational and administrative tasks. In parallel to these developments, there has also been a sustained increase in the deployment of technology in the delivery of academic programmes. In addition, the introduction of a sector-wide project on flexible learning initiatives has helped the institute to make a number of key advances in the range and nature of flexible academic programmes on offer. It has also allowed the institute to examine and improve on its back-office support and administration processes that assist students engaged in flexible learning. This has seen the institute make advances and improvements in a number of key areas, including (1) the range of programmes on offer, (2) staff training and development, and (3) the technology infrastructure.

Flexible academic programmes – critical success factorsIn 2008, the Department of Engineering first registered 15 students onto a BEng (Ord.) in Mechatronics, the first programme to be delivered in ITB via synchronous virtual classroom technology. The delivery format involved broadcasting lectures ‘live’ online to students using the online classroom software Adobe Connect and then bringing students into ITB three times per semester to complete any practical work. Since that time, the institute has continued to broaden its range of flexible online courses, and now offers a range of courses and modules in a flexible manner.

These include:

n BN903 – Higher Certificate in Engineering in Mechatronics

n BN306 – Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics

n BN039 – Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Electrical and Control Technology

n BN518 – Masters in Computing in Information Security and Digital Forensics

n BN518 – Master of Science in Computing in Business Intelligence and Data Mining

n BN512 – Master of Science in Computing

n BN509 – Higher Diploma in Science in Computing

n BN523 – Master of Science in Technology Entrepreneurship

The institute continues to extend and expand its portfolio of flexible learning offerings. The curriculum design model now incorporates consideration for part-time flexible delivery in all phases of course development. In some cases, programmes are designed for part-time delivery in the first instance to address an adult-learner audience, rather than as a full-time programme repackaged for part-time delivery.

Staff training and awarenessTo underpin the increase in demand for flexible learning offerings, the institute has engaged in a staff-training initiative. The number of staff engaging in opportunities for training in the development and delivery of flexible learning has increased substantially since 2008. The institute has been able to offer a range of workshops on topics such as:

n using VLE to support flexible learning

n using learning objects and digital media for flexible learning

n creating e-learning resources for online and flexible learning

n using electronic assessment submission and management software

n understanding learning styles

Workshops were either wholly or partially funded by the initiative, but these training opportunities are a crucial foundation in sustaining the growth and future development of new programmes, designed to exploit the increasing functionality of educational technology resources. There must also be a concomitant investment in the underlying hardware and software architecture infrastructure.

95

Improvements in technologySIF funding has allowed the institute to make investments in the following core technologies, which underpin the delivery of flexible learning (see Figure 5).

Online classroom environmentThe institute uses Adobe Connect Professional to deliver online lectures to a range of students. Through a standard web connection, students can connect to live lectures, engage in collaborative learning, share learning resources and engage in rich online learning experiences. The system has allowed the institute to offer courses to students outside the traditional catchment areas and to reduce the amount of time students need to be on campus. The system allows staff to create synchronous or asynchronous learning sessions, and lets students engage in learning in their own time.

The system is administered by the full-time e-learning coordinator and maintained by the institute’s IT support department.

Course management system (Moodle)The institute has continued to promote the use of Moodle across all of its course offerings. Moodle usage has grown from approximately 300 supported modules in 2008 to almost 700 supported modules in 2010. All students in the institute have Moodle access and approximately 80% of academic staff are Moodle users.

While a virtual learning environment (VLE) is an essential tool for offering part-time and distance courses, the VLE usage in ITB is now allowing staff to offer traditional face-to-face courses in a more flexible manner. This has seen an increase in initiatives such as:

n problem-based learning

n self-directed learning

n group learning and peer review

ConclusionsThe institute recognises flexible learning as a key driver in its continued growth and success. While emphasis is placed on the development of new flexible course offerings, equal emphasis must be placed on the continued training and support of staff and improvements in our back-end and administrative processes used to support the needs of new learners.

While the institute, like others, faces challenges relating to funding and resources, the demand for flexible offerings in the current economic climate ensures that continued emphasis will be placed on continuing and mainstreaming these initiatives.

The continuing economic difficulties and collapse of the construction sector provides an opportunity for higher education to respond with innovative offerings that target regional and local needs.

To support the trajectory of a learner who is not a full-time CAO student requires a significant change to the overall structure and services that characterise a traditional third-level HEI. However, many structures and procedures mirror national education policies.

Our experience has shown that, with targeted refinement in these structures and procedures, the benefits for all student cohorts can be significant. But ultimately the most important ingredient in responding to the needs of our fellow citizens is the resolve, motivation and dedication of the staff in our institute. We must ensure that the endeavours of these innovative practitioners can be mainstreamed and sustained in the long term and not revert to isolated short-term initiatives.

Figure 5 Foundations for the successful deployment of educational technology at ITB

96

AcknowledgmentsWe would like to acknowledge the continued assistance of the HEA in supporting these initiatives, as well as the staff and students at ITB who continue to ensure that the institute provides the opportunities and public spaces to allow them to achieve their potential. To all of our stakeholders, both internal and external, who contributed so willingly to our institutional review process, the resulting output from this process has contributed significantly to this case study.

ReferencesIiyoshi, T. and Kumar, M.S.V. (eds) (2008) Opening Up Education: a Collective Advancement of Education through Open Technology, Open Content, and Open Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Martin Duffy ASA Consulting (2009) Report on Student Services at ITB (internal report).

Srikanthan, G. and Dalrymple, J. (2003) ‘Developing alternative perspectives for quality in higher education’, International Journal of Educational Management 17(3): 126–136.

Srikanthan, G. and Dalrymple, J. (2009) ‘A conceptual overview of a holistic model for quality assurance in higher education’, International Journal of Educational Management 21(3): 173–193.

97

Nationally, there is a move in higher education institutions to provide a more flexible approach to teaching and learning for students. In the main, the focus of developments is on the provision of academic ‘flexibility’, e.g. the provision of learning management systems (LMS), choice in timetabling, availability of podcasts, distance-learning opportunities and the use of webinars.

However, the student experience is not only determined by the academic interface, but also by the level and quality of the student services that are available. At ITT Dublin, over 40% of the student cohort are part-time learners. Consequently, ITT Dublin has taken a more holistic approach to the development of ‘flexible’ provision for students. The institute has adopted a strategy that develops the flexibility of teaching and learning and student services in tandem.

This case study will discuss the institute’s strategy in relation to developing ‘flexibility’. It will describe the flexibility of student services that are under development; in particular it will focus on the development of the web payments system and situate this in the wider context of a holistic strategy for flexible learning for students.

IntroductionThe development of flexible-learning provision is a key strategic objective of ITT Dublin. This strategic objective has been driven and supported by the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), in particular the institute’s lead role in the CONTINUE SIF1 project. This project focused on expanding the use of new technology to support teaching and learning and the integration of new innovative technologies. ITT Dublin has also played a leading role in the National Digital Learning Repository (NDLR) and has supported the use and development of reusable learning objects. The institute hosts the Community of Practice in Mathematics and Statistics Service Teaching. Furthermore ITT Dublin, through the SIF2 flexible learning project, has supported innovation around flexible timetabling, distance learning and the development of opportunities for blended learning. These developments were initiated to meet the needs of part-time students at the institutes. This student cohort forms approximately 40% of the total student cohort annually. These students in the main are in employment and need flexibility to complete their programmes. This flexibility must extend beyond the classroom to include flexibility in student services.

The perfect student experienceRecognising that a negative experience with student services could have a negative impact on the overall student experience at the institute, a commitment was made by senior management to improve the flexibility of the institute’s student services. This task is challenging in any higher education institute. Organisational processes are often cross-functional and spread across multiple departments, making them challenging to manage.

Experience has shown that the reason for inefficient services (based on student complaints, low productivity etc.) is fundamentally a result of ineffective business processes. Business services are provided via business process, which Muller (2010) describes as ‘an activity which takes place over time and which has a precise aim regarding the result achieved’.

Figure 1 Flexible student experience

Business Process Management (BPM) can assist organisations achieve process optimisation. According to Gartner (2010), BPM ‘provides governance of a business’s process environment to improve agility and operational performance.’ Araro (2010) states that ‘Business Process Management (BPM) attempts to shrink the business and Information Technology (IT) divide…’ and ‘allows businesses [to] manage business change before the fact’. By decreasing the gap between the IT and business functions, communications are improved, decisions are made by the right people, and a platform for change is provided. With BPM, the focus is not just on technology but also on the organisational structure and personnel.

Student Services, a Key Aspect of the Provision of Flexible Learning in Higher Education InstitutionsTerry Maguire and Josephine O’Donovan Institute of Technology Tallaght

98

ITT Dublin management supported a project to pilot the use of a BPM methodology to improve an existing business process within the institute. Rather than centring the BPM pilot on a core business process during this initial pilot phase, it was agreed to focus on a web-payment project that would build flexibility into the part-time student payment processes. This project was considered to add value to the applicant/student/graduate and to adminstrative processes within the institute but also to solve a business problem. The perceived benefits are summarised in Table 1.

BPM in actionFor the purpose of this project, the authors used the TIBCO (2010) methodology, summarised in Figure 2. In brief, BPM incorporates six distinct steps.

Step 1: Develop visionIdentify the long- and short-term goals of BPM and a business case in support of these goals (in this instance the web-payment project).

This project had the following key objective: ‘to ensure early and full payment of fees by students in the next academic year’. Historically, at the end of each term, there is still a significant outstanding balance of fees owed to the institute. A review of fee payment in past years highlighted that students required more payment options to ensure their fees were paid in a timely fashion. Failure to pay the fees due had resulted in the following sanctions on students: access to institute services were removed, a hold was put on individual accounts, and exam results were withheld.

Step 2: Define and implement organisation foundationIdentify roles and responsibilities needed to achieve the strategy. Ensure that the organisational structure will support effective execution. Identifying the roles needed to support this structure and then assigning these roles and responsibilities to staff will lay a good foundation for the process changes to follow.

In order to support the new BPM methodology, the institute formed business-process teams to manage and implement the new ‘to be’ processes that will be drawn up as part of the BPM process (see Step 4).

Step 3: Define and implement technical foundationDefine and implement a foundation for BPM tools, methodology, best practices and standards.

The ITT Dublin project team made use of the TIBCO Business Studio, which is freely available and easy to use.

Step 4: PlanningIdentify the first BPM project. Model the ‘as is’ process and ‘to be’ process. Establish process-success metrics and measure the current process performance to establish a baseline from which to measure success.

In order to document the ‘as is’ process, a working group was established, which consisted of staff from all the key functional areas. This group was responsible for documenting both the functional requirements of the new system and the current business process. During this phase, several payment options and mechanisms were used in the institute. These payment options are summarised below:

n part-time applicant cheque or postal order payment

n part-time applicant credit card or laser card payment (manually processed by staff in the office)

n part-time student pays balance of fees by cheque or postal order

n part-time student pays balance of fees by credit card or laser card (manually processed by staff in the office)

n part-time student pays for Access English exam by credit card or laser card

Table 1 Perceived benefits of the web-payment project

Benefits to applicant/student/graduate Direct benefit to the institute

Secure storage of card details Secure storage of card details

Applicants and students can make payments anytime from anywhere

Printing card top-up: real time, anytime. Coins won’t need to be counted by the registrar’s office, and finance won’t have to physically lodge the money

Payments can be made anytime and from anywhere, taking the pressure off frontline staff during core office hours

Student payment details will be up to date on their Banner account

Eliminate manual processing of card details by administration staff, therefore more efficient process and less resource-intensive

Every financial transaction will be made online – secure, available and reliable

Finance department won’t need to balance the receipts and the cash, and won’t need to physically lodge the cash in the bank

Real-time transactions Eliminate the need to print off giros for students

Facilitate ‘one-step’ refunds to students, if required

Clear, transparent and fast process for replacement student cards

Replacement student cards and replacement transcripts: students/graduates can pay online and have both posted out. No receipts need to be written out, fast turnaround on replacements, cash not stored in office

99

Figure 2 TIBCO BPM execution model (TIBCO, 2010)

Figure 3 Part-time fee balance process – ‘as is’ process

Figure 4 Part-time fee balance process – ‘to be’ process

100

The process team documented the ‘as is’ process and agreed a visionary ‘to be’ process for all the processes that could potentially incorporate web payments. Consequently the pilot web-payment project reviewed all business processes that required students to make a payment, e.g. Access English, replacement student cards, transcript payments, tuition fees etc. For the purpose of the case study, the ‘as is’ and ‘to be’ process relating to the part-time fee balance process is described in detail below as an exemplar. This process is only one small element of the overall project.

The ‘as is’ and ‘to be’ process flows for this one element of the web-payment project clearly show that the automation of payments has eliminated several steps in the process, reducing the cycle times significantly and providing an improved student service.

Part-time fee balance processThe times taken to process payments in the ‘as is’ system were measured and catalogued. A summary of the results is given in Table 2.

Based on the timings in Table 2, the average processing time per student paying a balance of fees with credit card or laser card is 7 minutes. In 2009/10 there were approximately 1,500 part-time students. If we factor in that a small percentage still pay with postal order or some other payment method, it is estimated that the savings on a total of 1,000 students is ~17 days (1,000 students x 7 minutes = 7,000 minutes = 116.667 hours = ~17 days’ work). In addition, the finance office has gained 1 hour 15 minutes per session under the new process.

In addition, other benefits – both to the student and to the institute – were observed as a result of implementing the new ‘to be’ process. When a student makes a payment to the institute, the student is registered on Banner, and the charges for the programme and the payment made by the student are put on their account. When the part-time student registration and fees data for 2009 and 2010 are compared (Tables 3 and 4), it is clear that student registration was completed in a shorter time for a greater number of students. The new process allowed charges to be applied to a student’s account earlier in the term, thus giving a clearer picture of the money owed to the institute. In Table 3 (2009), the fee balance for the part-time programmes was –€452,072. This figure indicates that a number of students had paid fees but had not been fully registered and charges had not been applied to their accounts yet.

However, in 2010 (Table 4), following the business process re-engineering exercise, it is clear from the high positive balance (€794,917) that the registration process was completed quicker and students’ charges were raised earlier.

This improved use of an ever-reducing administrative resource within the institute in this one aspect of the project highlights the more efficient use of resources that was obtained from the entire project. This has resulted in a number of benefits for students, including faster registration and access to institute services, and more choice in how payments can be made.

Table 3 Fee and registration data, 2009

Outstanding fees, part-time

Term School Sum of balances

2009 School of Business and Humanities

–€483,683

School of Engineering €223,710

School of Science and Computing

–€192,099

2009 Total –€452,072

Table 4 Fee and registration data, 2010

Outstanding fees, part-time

Term School Sum of balances

2010 School of Business and Humanities

€213,866

School of Engineering €235,370

School of Science and Computing

€345,681

2010 Total €794,917

Table 2 Time to process payment types – ‘as is’

Steps in the part-time fee balance process ‘As is’ ‘To be’

PTO (part-time office) receives payment details over the phone ~1min 0

PTO processes sale on machine ~1min 0

PTO posts copy of credit card or laser card receipt to student ~1min 0

PTO records payment and checks details in system ~2mins 0

PTO checks and closes session ~1min 0

PTO sends details to finance department ~1min 0

Finance reconciles and updates the system (per session) ~1hr–1hr 30mins ~15mins

101

Steps 5 & 6: Transformation and ExecutionOnce a BPM has been implemented it is essential that a set of arrangements are put in place to ensure that the now-implemented ‘to be’ process can itself be reviewed and move as the demands of the business require.

To ensure that the business process, developed as part of the web-payment project, would remain up to date and would meet the changing needs of students into the future, individual process-leaders have been identified whose responsibility it is to initiate a review of each element of the entire business process and maintain its currency.

These established web-payment process teams are now fully embedded in the institute. The success of this implementation has provided the foundation for future projects.

ConclusionThe project provided benefits to the students in terms of increased flexibility in student services (web payments). The project also improved communications between departments and enhanced understanding of the linkages between and responsibility of different departments. Together, these improvements have resulted in less of a silo-type approach to student services. Furthermore, a more united interface for students has led to improved customer service, as each link in the business process clearly understands its own role and those of the other key players.

As the IoT sector is working in an environment with more and more limited resources, improvement in business process is essential.

A broader definition of ‘flexibility’ should be adopted across the sector to ensure that developments in student services keep pace with those in teaching and learning. Without there being flexibility in both areas, there will be an obvious incongruence and the system as a whole will fail to perform. This case study has described how a business-improvement-process approach was used to support the development of flexibility in student services in ITT Dublin.

ReferencesAraro, S. (2010) ‘Why BPM cannot be ignored’. Retrieved on 22 February 2010 from www.bpm.com/why-bpm-cannot-be-ignored.html.

Gartner (2010) ‘Business Process Management’. Retrieved on 16 April 2010 from www.gartner.com/it/products/research/asset_129488_2395.jsp.

Muller, G. (2010) ‘What is a process?’. Retrieved on 18 February 2010 from www.gaudisite.al.

TIBCO (2010) ‘TIBCO BPM execution model’. Retrieved on 21 April 2010 from www.tibco.com/software/business-process-management/value-of-bpm/default.jsp.

102

IntroductionWaterford Institute of Technology (WIT) currently has over 10,000 students and 1,000 staff. The institute offers programmes from Level 6 to Level 10 across Science, Engineering, Business, Humanities, Health Science and Education. The institute strives to deliver programmes to full-time and part-time students across all its schools. WIT’s strategic plan for 2007–2010 stated that the learning environment would be harnessing the interface between staff, the learner and the institute, strengthening the culture of learning, enabling learners through communications and information technology, and creating opportunities beyond the traditional boundaries of the institute. These opportunities include the use of new delivery mediums and setting up a regional network of learning and research, creating an output-based quality system and continuing to strengthen the required support services.

In endeavouring to deliver on WIT’s 2007–2010 strategic plan, the institute facilitated students’ engagement with online support for learning through the use of the WebCT virtual learning management system. The engagement within the institute by both students and staff with the learning management system,

from its introduction in 2003, was encouraging. The WIT e-learning steering committee, which comprises staff at various levels across the institute, is tasked with enabling WIT to achieve its strategic objectives with regard to e-learning. In 2008, one of the major themes dominating the activities of this committee was the choice of the virtual learning environment within WIT. This was due to the expiry of the support from WebCT in 2009 for the version of the software that was then in use in WIT. Several alternative systems, including the WebCT/Blackboard product line and open-source equivalents, were evaluated by the committee. Two departments within WIT elected to use Moodle on a pilot basis before a final decision could be reached.

Establishment of the e-Learning Support UnitAt the commencement of the 2008/09 academic year, responsibility for the support of technology in the delivery of the curriculum was widely spread within the institute. With the funding provided through the SIF2 flexible learning project, the institute recognised that there was an opportunity to roll out and embed the integration of Moodle as the platform to: (1) facilitate

Building Capacity through Infrastructural ChangeDr John Wall, Waterford Institute of Technology

Figure 1 Integration of the e-Learning Support Unit within WIT

103

flexible learning approaches within WIT, (2) configure Moodle to integrate with Banner, (3) further develop the functionality of Moodle and (4) integrate other appropriate open-source and Web 2.0 learning technologies, such as voiceover IP and application sharing.

In accordance with WIT’s strategic plan, the e-Learning Support Unit was established effectively as scaffold for the provision of technical and support infrastructures to help staff maximise the potential of various ‘new media’ for future WIT students. The e-Learning Support Unit plays a key role in enhancing WIT’s capacity to: (1) develop the WIT e-learning infrastructure, (2) support staff and students to capitalise on the opportunities offered by effective utilisation of e-learning infrastructure, (3) continue researching best practices in e-learning and (4) seek funding and disseminate information on the work of the e-Learning Support Unit. Figure 1 outlines how the e-Learning Support Unit was established within WIT to support the effective integration of technology into teaching, learning and assessment practices (TLA).

The goal in establishing a dedicated e-Learning Support Unit was to formalise the approach to using technology to support the delivery of learning using flexible learning technologies. The funding provided by the sector-wide project helped in putting a dedicated manager in place and augmenting this person’s role with the allocation of time to assist the work of the unit. The structure put in place is captured in Figure 2.

There were a number of challenges faced by the institute in the migration from WebCT to Moodle. Some of the key ones were: (1) migrating all users and data between systems, (2) gaining buy-in with the WIT community to engage with the new VLE, (3) building an adequate technical and support infrastructure for e-learning, (4) providing training and support for all users of the new VLE, (5) integrating Moodle with other core systems within WIT, such as registration and authentication systems.

WIT overcame these challenges and successfully migrated all users and data to the new VLE. The group successfully created and built the Moodle technical and support infrastructure, integrated Moodle with the student registration system, provided e-learning-related training opportunities, seminars and workshops for all staff, and introduced WIT to a global community of sharing and practice. Engaging with staff, informing, involving and supporting them in all stages of the migration was a key contributor to the success of this project. The e-Learning Support Unit have disseminated their experiences at international conferences such as the United Kingdom Moodle Moot in 2010.

The successful migration of all content and users from WebCT facilitated the full utilisation of Moodle by staff and students from the commencement of the 2009/10 academic year. Savings due to non-payment of the renewal of licence for WebCT were reinvested in building further capacity in WIT to augment the e-Learning Support Unit. The team, under the guidance of the e-learning steering and strategy group, focused on building a technical support infrastructure to support staff in embracing e-learning. A web-based project-tracking system for managing all team project work was put in place and a repository of web-based training and support information (text and video tutorials, FAQs etc.) was developed and made available for all staff across the institute. A web-based helpdesk ticketing system was also added into the mix to reduce the administration and tracking of user-support queries. The integration with student registration is continually reviewed and refined to facilitate the automated creation of student accounts, module areas and associated enrolments in Moodle. The team actively seeks feedback from all of the user community (both staff and students) and is continually improving the systems according to their feedback. Various training opportunities are available to the WIT community, ranging from one-to-one or group introductory training, mentoring to lunchtime seminar series.

Status of Moodle at the end of 2010At the end of 2010, Moodle was available on all WIT programmes to all staff and students. There was an increase of 56% in visits recorded for the first semester of the 2010/11 academic year when compared to the same period in 2009, with visits surpassing 7,500 on several days. In the first semester of 2010, staff training and support was provided to more than 150 attendees, with over 31 seminars and more than 26 hours of training provided. Over 90% of staff are now assigned as teachers to one or more modules in Moodle. To further integrate the use of flexible learning methodologies within the institute, a series of lunchtime seminars on various aspects of flexible learning were offered within the institute. The expertise now captured within the e-Learning Support Unit helped secure NDLR funding, which was distributed to 15 learning innovation projects within the institute to develop reusable digital learning resources.

The infrastructure is now developed to the point of having an increased virtual presence as well as a physical helpdesk space. For example, from December 2009 to January 2011, the team resolved in excess of 3,000 email queries generated by WIT staff and students. This figure does not include phone queries or personal support provided to people visiting the physical helpdesk.

Figure 2 e-Learning Support Unit structure

104

Future plansMoodle is now available to all WIT programmes across the institute. The continued work of the e-Learning Support Unit will be key to underpinning the building of capacity and the realisation of WIT’s strategic plan. To enhance the work of the e-Learning Support Unit, the institute will strive to redeploy resources to augment the existing resources of the unit. Future development work will focus on building further capacity within WIT, so that programmes can be delivered flexibly through: continued development of the VLE system to support flexible learning delivery, further training of staff in using technology to deliver flexible learning, and the continued development of an e-portfolio infrastructure to support flexible and reflective learning.

Operationally, the institute plans to move to Moodle 2.0, which will facilitate mobile deployment of online learning support. We have currently deployed Adobe Connect in phases on pilot programmes across the institute. In the next iteration of the strategic plan, embedding further the ability to deploy real-time synchronous classes virtually will enhance the institute’s capacity to meet learners’ needs in a flexible manner. The various online aspects of WIT’s strategic development and embedding of technology to deliver programmes using technology flexibly are outlined in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Environment for online developments in WIT

The pattern of integration of technology to support delivery of the curriculum within the institute in many respects follows the typical institutional model of deployment of learning using ICT, described as a series of ‘discrete stages’. This is best captured by Zemsky and Massy (2004), who lay out a four-stage process: (1) enhancements to traditional course configurations, (2) new course-management tools, (3) imported learning objects and (4) new course configuration, as outlined in Table 1.

Table 1 Cycles of adoption and uses of technology

Stage of the adoption cycle Typical traits Examples

Enhancements to traditional course configuration

Inject new materials into teaching and learning processes without changing the basic mode of delivery

n Use of email

n Students access information on the internet

n Use of off-the-shelf software

n PowerPoint presentations

Course-management systems Enable instructors and participants to interact more effectively, providing better communication with and among participants

n WebCT

n Blackboard

Imported course objects Enable instructors to embed a richer variety of materials into their courses than is possible with traditional ‘do it yourself’ learning devices

n Compressed video presentation

n Complex simulations

New course configurations Faculty and their institutions re-engineer teaching and learning activities to take full and optimal advantage of new technology; instructors and participants accept new roles with each other and with the technology and support staff

n Focus on active learning

n Combine face-to-face, virtual, synchronous and asynchronous interaction in novel ways

Source: adapted from Zemsky and Massy (2004)

105

Typical examples of the uses of technology for each of these stages are also illustrated in Table 1.

According to Zemsky and Massy (2004) the adoption of e-learning follows the classic S-curve for technology adoption (illustrated in Figure 4). On account of the overlapping nature of the adoption cycles of innovations, it results in a complex situation.

Time

Diehards

Late majority

Perc

enta

ge o

f pop

ulat

ion

adop

ting

Early majority

Innovators

Early adopters

Figure 4 Adoption of ICT in the deployment of learning

ConclusionIn many respects the experiences of WIT in adopting technology to deliver learning mirrors this technology adoption cycle, with some staff members quite sophisticated in using Web 2.0 technologies, podcasting and real-time live synchronous classes. Further integration and embedding of these technologies is a key objective of the continued work of the e-Learning Support Unit.

In the next phase of the deployment of flexible learning approaches within the institute, key actions will include: (1) continuing to build capacity through continued development of the e-learning infrastructure, (2) using digital resources as the ‘spine’ or ‘shareable content’ to encourage collaboration and module-sharing within the institute and across institutions, and (3) building staff capacity from a pedagogical perspective to effectively integrate technology into their teaching, learning and assessment practices.

ReferencesZemsky, R. and Massy, W. (2004) Thwarted Innovation: What Happened to e-Learning and Why. Final report for the Weatherstation Project of the Learning Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania in cooperation with the Thomson Corporation. Retrieved on 16 August 2006 from http://kn.open.ac.uk/public/document.cfm?docid=5166%20.

106

IntroductionThe flexible learning project involved two main strands of activity:

n funding was provided to institutes, enabling them to instigate local, flexible learning initiatives within their own institute;

n several sectoral initiatives were conducted by the central project team within IOTI.

This chapter outlines the central project team activities undertaken as part of the project for the web portal www.BlueBrick.ie. A separate chapter in this report details the other central project team activities.

Background to BlueBrick.ieThe Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) at the University of Limerick received (€1m) from the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and the Department of Enterprise to research the future educational needs in Ireland in the 21st century (2004–2007). Arising out of this research the Modular Accreditation Programme (MAP) was adopted as formal policy by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in 2007.

The HEA, under Strategic Innovation Fund 1 (SIF1), awarded the ERC €6m to develop the systems, architecture and technology required to make the MAP process a reality. The IP associated with this technology is jointly owned by a consortium consisting of University of Limerick (UL), NUI Galway, Limerick IT, Cork IT, Tralee IT and Dundalk IT and is held by UL on their behalf.

The Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) were awarded a substantial research programme under SIF2 and, working closely with the ERC, became a test site and beta users for the technology resulting in the web portal, www.BlueBrick.ie, enabling a learner to search, compare and apply for flexible learning courses in all institutes of technology.

This subsequent development of BlueBrick.ie involved a multi-stage process: the initial research into flexible learning and collaborations in higher education, the branding and marketing of BlueBrick.ie and finally the sustainability of the project beyond the lifetime of the project.

How does BlueBrick.ie work?This section describes the technology underpinning the web portal BlueBrick.ie. The technology comprises two distinct elements – the student user interface and the academic interface.

What is BlueBrick.ie – for the learner?The web portal provides information on academic programmes, modules and accredited professional courses suitable to future career/business needs. The availability, costs and means of access to the relevant modules, modes of delivery and a payment mechanism are also provided through BlueBrick.ie. BlueBrick.ie does not teach, deliver, accredit or evaluate any academic modules. It is exclusively an information and access portal, with the autonomy of the individual institute sacrosanct.

BlueBrick.ie, from a student’s perspective, is designed around three core features: search, compare and apply. These were identified from extensive user requirements analysis and acceptability testing as the most important features that users want in a site like BlueBrick.ie. A typical user journey through BlueBrick.ie would see the learner search for courses that interest them, then review and compare those courses. Finally, if happy with the selection, the learner can apply online through BlueBrick.ie.

The system also uses technology that is capable of automatically providing learners with recommendations on learning items that might be appropriate to their needs. Essentially the recommendation system lets the learners themselves identify similarities between learning items and share them automatically with other learners.

What is Bluebrick.ie – for the academic institute?The second element of BlueBrick.ie focused on the back-end systems integration with existing systems within the various IOTs. The technology and back-end of the portal in supporting the user searches and requests is vital to the success of the project. There are two critical components in a database of course information – a Content Management System (CMS) and an Applications Management System (AMS).

Content management systemBefore a learner can search for a course that course description has to be uploaded to BlueBrick.ie by an institute. This required a system that would allow institutes to upload new course descriptions to a BlueBrick.ie database and edit course descriptions already on this database. This database is a web-based interface through which an educational provider can populate the educational resource descriptor database by manually entering information on the educational resources they want listed on the BlueBrick.ie website. With an eye to future-proofing the solution, the project team have also implemented a web-service through which an institute can automatically populate BlueBrick.ie directly from their internal course database system.

New Approaches to Lifelong Learning – www.BlueBrick.ieDr Mark Glynn and Dr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland

107

Applications management systemBlueBrick.ie allows users to apply online for all courses listed on the website. To accommodate the different application forms in use at the different institutes a customisable applications workflow was developed that would allow institutes to customise the application form that learners applying to their institute would have to complete. This applications workflow allows institutes to indicate which fields are required or optional and to add or remove fields. Institutes can also customise notices and information given to the applicant when filling out the application. The system is also capable of customising the application form on a per-course basis, allowing for example certain information to be requested only for a certain course or group of courses.

ResearchThe technology behind BlueBrick.ie is only one element of the project. A key part of the project has been to establish a shared service (www.BlueBrick.ie) that makes it easier for lifelong learners to find out about part-time courses within the institutes and then access them. The establishment of BlueBrick.ie required all 13 institutes of technology and DIT to agree to collaborate in the development and management of this shared service. Underpinning BlueBrick.ie was a review process that considered the ‘value proposition’ and governance lessons learned by similar networks around the world. All the collaborative ventures identified have been established since the early/mid 1990s. In all cases, while the details may differ, the overarching intent of each network is to increase the reach that the participating institutions have with regard to flexible education. The results showed that market focus, inclusivity in membership, respect for institutional regulations and business processes, tailoring of shared service

integration and long-term strategic intent are prerequisites for success of these types of networks. These lessons have been incorporated in the development and management of BlueBrick.ie.

Table 1 Preliminary identification and description of collaborative networks

Name of Network URL (If applicable)

Oncampus GMBH www.oncampus.de

Virtual University of Applied Sciences

www.vfh.de

Baltic Sea Virtual Campus www.bsvc.org

Finnish Online University of Applied Sciences (FOUAS)

www.amk.fi

Finnish Virtual University www.virtuaaliyliopisto.fi

BCCampus www.bccampus.ca

Ontario Learn www.ontariolearn.com

Open Universities Australia www.oua.edu.au

The Swedish Net University NA

UHI Millennium Institute www.uhi.ac.uk

UK eUniversity (UKeU) NA

A preliminary investigation identified a number of countries/regions/systems that were host to collaborative ventures, as shown in Table 1. From these, a limited number were selected for a much more detailed analysis (Thorn & Glynn, 2010).

Table 2 Lessons learned and decisions taken

Category Lessons learned Decision taken

Governance Academic and business processes unique to the institution must be respected

The web portal should not enter into competition with the participating institutions

Institutes are responsible for maintaining the currency of their courses and once applications are made by the learner the QA systems of the institute apply

BlueBrick.ie would not offer courses in its own right

Management Being pragmatic about choice of courses

There must be a strong market focus

Institutes make the decision to put up courses provided they are Level 6 on the NFQ or higher and provided the sole means of entry is not through the Central Applications Office

Detailed and comprehensive market analysis and branding took place that has a very strong learner focus. The steering committee had external market-focused members.

Operation Web portal integration with institutional systems must accommodate different stages of institutional development

Communication and branding must respect the participating institutions’ brands

Technology should not dominate

Whilst the web portal itself has been heavily branded it is clear on the portal who the participating institutions are

Technical integration has been tailored for each individual institution

Whilst the web portal itself is technically sophisticated, the courses offered are ‘technology-neutral’

Sustainability Clarity on long-term future

Do not close off options for growth

A sustainability plan has been put in place. At the time of writing (March 2012) the HEA has approved funding for a further two years pending mainstreaming of the portal.

By December 2011 three universities were participating on BlueBrick.ie

108

The lessons learned in each of the networks have been considered and incorporated appropriately, and where relevant, into the governance, management and operation of www.BlueBrick.ie. Table 2 summarises the lessons noted in each of the foregoing sections under the general headings of governance, management, operation and sustainability. The table also shows under each of the headings what the response/decisions taken, if any, have been in respect of BlueBrick.ie.

These lessons, as Table 2 indicates, have included clarity on long-term intent, respect for participating member processes, respect for member brands, pragmatism on course choice and learner and market focus. The lessons have been incorporated into the governance, management and operation of BlueBrick.ie.

With the technology designed, and lessons on governance identified, the next step in the process was the branding and design of the web portal www.BlueBrick.ie. A desk-based research exercise was conducted analysing regional, national and international reports with respect to lifelong learning and access to higher education. This analysis was followed up by meetings with key stakeholders involved in adult learning in Ireland. Further research was conducted into the area of personal development – specifically relating to personal professional development.

In terms of branding the site and devising a marketing plan the target audience was career-motivated learners who were referred to as ‘Dave and Joan’. A vital stage of developing an effective brand is obtaining consumer insight. Therefore eight separate market research focus groups were conducted in three different regions across Ireland. There were six participants in each focus group. The groups were from a variety of age ranges, (25–29, 30–39, 35–44, 50–59 years old), and socio-economic backgrounds (Glynn, Thorn & McLoughlin, 2010).

The research showed that ‘Dave & Joan’ want to strengthen their career prospects without unbalancing their lives. The promotional tag-line of Open University Australia, ‘your pace and your place’, personifies flexible learning and this essentially is what this project aimed to provide to ‘Dave and Joan’ in Ireland. The following points summarise the findings from several focus groups with adult learners in the ‘Dave and Joan’ category at the time of the survey (2009):

n People’s concern is for their jobs and their career prospects, not their lifelong learning;

n Learning is a tool – a means to an end;

n In fact there is little enthusiasm for the idea of lifelong learning. It sounds very long! Only for the few that continuously do courses;

n However, most are positive about the need to further their learning and qualifications. Most see it as important in order to get in position when the economy picks up again;

n Others are disillusioned and see no point in investing in further learning if there are no jobs;

n Also, people in their 30s and 40s feel at a disadvantage to young college leavers;

n The start point for most education searches is Google. After that people contact colleges directly or look out for the book of night courses in September;

n People are looking for intelligence on where future opportunities will be and what they can do to get in position for them.

A key aspect of the findings was the range of barriers, both real and perceived, that exist and that act as disincentives to ‘Dave and Joan’ taking up lifelong learning. Intriguingly these included, but were not restricted to, discomfort with the idea of ‘going back’ to college (a regressive step), the concept of lifelong learning (seems like a life sentence) given that their concern was keeping up-to-date professionally rather than their ‘lifelong learning’, whether they would get a return on their investment and whether or not they would be able to manage the time commitment. Results from this element of the research directly influenced the approach for the communications and promotion campaign for BlueBrick.ie.

The strategy to access the target market via the media was that people would respond very positively to human interest stories that were inspirational and similar to their own stories in relation to overcoming difficult or challenging circumstances in further learning and to highlight success stories. The marketing involved a multi-faceted approach, incorporating traditional print media, TV and radio campaigns and social media marketing. The social media marketing included using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and writing a BlueBrick.ie blog. Other strategies involved pavement stencilling, information stands at a variety of exhibitions and career fairs and a video competition on YouTube.

The strategy involved staggering the coverage throughout the year to maintain a consistent profile in the media for BlueBrick.ie. The rolling PR plan incorporated extensive media engagement in the form of one-to-one meetings, dissemination of high-impact press releases, pitching interviews, commentary and expert opinion from BlueBrick.ie representatives, extensive research into upcoming education features and supplements, securing business profiling for key BlueBrick.ie personnel and pitching feature articles in print, broadcast and online media outlets for human interest case studies in order to directly access our target audience.

Regional media activity was essential for the success of the communications and PR plan and weekly communications with various regional media were disseminated. Regional media outlets, both print and radio, have significant impact within the community, and in order to access the identified target audience, regional media coverage was vital to an effective PR strategy. Through a variety of press releases, interviews, feature items and photo-calls, Limelight secured a substantial amount of media coverage across media outlets in each of the 26 counties. The impact of these, and national media coverage, could be identified by an increase in traffic to the site when coverage appeared. For example, following coverage on Ireland AM on TV3 the daily coverage for that day quadrupled relative to the same day in the preceding weeks. The average daily visits to the BlueBrick.ie web portal during the radio campaign was just over 2,000, whereas they averaged at 6,000 daily during the TV campaign. Interestingly, following coverage on the Marian Finucane radio show, traffic increased by a factor of 20 relative to the same day the previous week (see Figure 1).

109

Number of visits

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Sep0

9-N

ov09

Dec

09-F

eb10

Mar

10-M

ay10

Jun1

0-Au

g10

Sep1

0-N

ov10

Dec

10-F

eb11

Mar

11-M

ay11

Jun1

1-Au

g11

Sep1

1-N

ov11

Dec

11-J

an12

Figure 1 Site traffic to BlueBrick.ie

In addition to targeting traditional media as outlined above, the novel marketing technique of pavement stencilling was used. This involved using a stencil to brand a pavement by laying down the stencil, power-hosing the pavement and leaving ‘BlueBrick.ie’ stencilled clean on the pavement and not by using permanent paint or any similar marking product. The technique had been used very successfully by Limelight in a previous campaign. The stencils (200 in total) were placed on pavements in five locations around the country in prominent, high-footfall locations. These proved to be conversation points and raised awareness of the portal through a clever and innovative avenue.

The final element of the marketing strategy involved the extensive use of online marketing and social media activities. Online advertising was secured in 2010 on RTE.ie, Independent.ie and Facebook. Facebook proved to be the most effective and it was solely this activity that was continued in 2011. The impact of this advertising was measured using Google Analytics.

Social media activity was driven by Facebook and Twitter pages developed by Limelight Communications for BlueBrick.ie. At last count in November 2011, the total views of the Facebook

page were over 113,000 (shown in Table 3). Both social media platforms were used to alert users to news items, interviews, media features, new courses available, upcoming promotions, or new features available on the site. This was further developed through a very successful series of blogs. All blog postings were flagged on the Facebook and Twitter accounts, with a number of the blogs having views in excess of several thousand – a notable achievement for a new blog.

In addition to measuring the increase in social media activities and the traffic to the website through Google Analytics, an industry-recognised standard to quantitatively measure the coverage obtained in the media was also used. This standard measurement is referred to as advertising value equivalent (AVE)1. The total AVE of media coverage secured during 2010 and 2011 was in excess of €800,000.

The AVE values in Table 4 illustrate that the campaign, although expensive, was cost-effective with the AVE value for 2011 alone exceeding the total value of both the branding and marketing campaigns. Additional return on investment can be obtained if the technology behind BlueBrick.ie can be utilised by other elements within the education sector.

Within the lifetime of the project two avenues to exploit the technology elsewhere within the education sector were and are being developed:

n The labour market activation scheme – Springboard

n Marketing courses in the institutes of technology to international students

The use of BlueBrick.ie technology to support the Springboard initiative was widely accepted as being a success by both policy makers and management within the HEA and this was confirmed by a formal evaluation (HEA, 2012). The fact that live data could be generated on demand allowed the HEA to adjust funding and support to optimise the distribution of funding for this initiative. Springboard 2011 offered 5,875 free, part-time course places in higher education, with course delivery getting underway from July 2011. By the end of December, 7,608 people had made a total of 18,305 applications to Springboard, an average of 2.2 applications each, and 4,305 people ultimately took up a Springboard place. The online system, available through BlueBrick.ie, ensured that such data were available upon demand by the HEA. BlueBrick.ie also enabled the HEA to monitor demand for courses and overall progress in implementing the

Table 3 Social media activity

Social media activities 01-11 02-11 03-11 04-11 05-11 06-11 07-11 08-11 09-11

Facebook Likes in month 11 9 13 4 52 71 106 123 61

Facebook Likes total 197 204 216 215 264 342 448 557 612

Twitter tweets (approx) 13 34 81 124 176 238 278 332 398

Twitter followers (approx) 53 38 59 159 86 100 99 181 124

1 AVE is the equivalent cost to BlueBrick if advertising space in the newspaper equivalent to the size of space occupied by the article on BlueBrick in that paper was purchased.

110

initiative. This information helped to steer the local and national marketing and awareness-raising campaigns, and prompted a number of additional marketing interventions in July and August, including an extended radio ad campaign, a TV ad campaign, and bi-weekly press releases. Access to up-to-date data also enabled resources to be re-allocated quickly where there was particularly high demand for a course and individual providers were able to accommodate more students. By the end of November 2011, the HEA had agreed to twenty-one individual amendments to the allocation of places and resources to meet participant demand, a facility that also helped to maximise use of the available funds.

Table 4 Advertising value equivalent (AVE)

Date Media Value

10.02.2011 Irish Independent €4,509

13.02.2011 Sunday Business Post €1,359

April 2011 Marian Finucane Show, RTÉ Radio 1

€42,000

15.05.2011 Sunday Independent – Life Magazine

€96,540

26.05.2011 Irish Farmers Journal €97,200

31.07.2011 Sunday Business Post €9,702


15.08.2011 Irish Examiner €1,044

24.08.2011 Waterford Today est. €1,500

1.09.2011 Irish Daily Mirror €53,550

5.09.2011 Metro Herald €1,856

6.09.2011 Silicon Republic €7,500

13.09.2011 Carlow People est. €700


Sept 2011 Public Sector Times €2,201

The online aspect of Springboard was also beneficial for participants. Feedback was obtained from participants via an online survey, which highlighted that the online system proved to be a significant strength. 87% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the online system was user-friendly.

Although there were a number of clear strengths in incorporating Springboard into BlueBrick.ie, there were also some weaknesses. For course providers, the online application and offers system was not fully fit for purpose. From February to May 2011, the BlueBrick.ie team spent as much time as possible developing the part of www.BlueBrick.ie/springboard that applicants would use, and with positive results. However, there was less time for the dimensions of the system that connected applications and people to the IT systems in Springboard colleges, and in practice, the system struggled to cope with the subsequent volume of applications. In addition, the Springboard system was not integrated with course providers’ individual

systems and this added to the administrative workload. It is planned that significant improvements as well as substantial integration work will be effected in advance of roll out of Springboard 2012.

The second potential development, currently in the early stages, is the use of the technology to build a web portal for recruiting international students.

ConclusionStudents’ needs have changed dramatically in recent years and higher education institutions need to adapt to satisfy those needs if national and European education targets are to be realised. The necessary changes will result in significant demands on internal systems within the institutes. Significant effort will be required to ensure that systems such as Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL) are in place without compromising the high standard of quality assurance. BlueBrick.ie is widely accepted as one of the most successful initiatives to emerge from SIF2. The statistics on traffic to the website prove there is a significant interest in lifelong learning in the concept of BlueBrick.ie. The establishment of BlueBrick.ie marks a significant change in the mindset of higher education. BlueBrick.ie is a student-oriented web portal that is learner- rather than institution-focused. Nevertheless, it is vital that the autonomy of each institution and the neutrality of BlueBrick.ie is maintained. Each institution should maintain their own marketing campaign and BlueBrick.ie should not give preference to one institution over another.

The time of year is influential on the traffic to the site. Analysis of traffic on specific Google searches relating to lifelong learning and part-time education illustrates that there is a significant increase in interest in the months of August and September. This significant increase is replicated on traffic to BlueBrick.ie indicating that, despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, the general public do not yet have the mindset for training in higher education outside traditional times. In order to take advantage of the public’s general interest in part-time education at this time of year, significant effort should be invested in future media campaigns at this time of year.

BlueBrick.ie, while targeted at the learner, illustrates that 14 autonomous institutes of higher education can collaborate successfully.

ReferencesGlynn, M., Thorn, R. and McLoughlin, R. (2010) ‘New insights and approaches to lifelong learning’, Technology Enhanced Learning. Quality of Teaching and Educational Reform, Communications in Computer and Information Science 73: 675.

HEA (2012) Springboard 2011 First-stage Evaluation. Dublin: Higher Education Authority.

Thorn, R. and Glynn, M. (2010) ‘A collaborative network for flexible delivery of higher education in Ireland – governance and sustainability’, UK and Ireland Higher Education and Institutional Research Network 2010. Dublin: HEIR.

111

The growth and development of the Irish higher education system since the early 1970s has been characterised by increasing participation by the school-leaving cohort and, in recent years, a much greater emphasis on postgraduate activity. At the same time, the plight of and opportunities for the part-time learner or the learner wishing to study more flexibly became, during the period since the early 1970s, less obvious. Ireland’s performance in respect of these learners drifted towards the middle and lower end of the OECD and EU performance tables; these performance issues are dealt with elsewhere in this report. While in recent years participation by part-time learners in Ireland’s higher education system has improved somewhat (see System Performance – from Fixed to Flexible Learning), much remains to be done to address the needs of part-time learners and, in particular, the needs of adults over the age of 40. This chapter attempts to place the conclusions drawn from each of the 14 case studies along with the chapter ‘New Approaches to Lifelong Learning’ in the context of Irish policy.

From a policy perspective, the drivers of high performance in lifelong learning are many and varied. These various drivers were analysed in a project that, although not part of the Supported Flexible Learning initiative, was run by IOTI in parallel with it. The FLLLEX project, run under the EU’s lifelong-learning programme, was designed to provide tools that would help institutions to consider their capabilities for delivering lifelong learning. As part of that project, IOTI undertook a meta-level evaluation (Stokes and Thorn, 2009) of lifelong-learning policy drivers across a number of European countries. Stokes and Thorn concluded that while the adoption of particular policies was not a prerequisite for success, high performance against lifelong-learning benchmarks correlated with high performance across a range of policy imperatives, including funding, legal frameworks, public perception, involvement of stakeholders and the use of qualifications frameworks.

That success in lifelong learning should be multifaceted is not surprising: lifelong learners are not a homogenous group; higher education systems and the institutions within them have developed mainly to meet the needs of school leavers and not, largely, adult learners; and national governments have traditionally incentivised the increase in participation by school leavers, only recently and in response to changes in demographics recognising the need for a more broadly based upskilling of the workforce.

The need to have a multifaceted approach to increasing the capacity of the Irish higher education system and the institutions within it in order to deliver more lifelong and flexible learning opportunities was recognised in the Higher Education Authority’s position paper on open and flexible learning (HEA, 2009). This position paper identified the challenges to be overcome and tasks to be undertaken under several different headings:

n Creating a funding model that gives parity of esteem to part-time students;

n The need to provide leadership at a central level to support and foster developments in flexible learning;

n The need, because of the small size of our HE system, to consolidate national resources for flexible learning;

n The establishment of a national database of courses and modules;

n The establishment of a national database of open educational resources;

n The need to consolidate infrastructural investments in flexible learning, including the development of technical infrastructure, and ensuring the compatibility of delivery systems and management information systems;

n At the institutional level, the need to consider policies and practices in respect of staff involvement, academic regulations and practices that support flexible learning, access to support facilities and services for part-time learners.

Addressing some of the challenges identified in the HEA position paper was beyond the scope of the Supported Flexible Learning project (e.g. national funding issues), but many challenges could be met. The early planning stages of the project focused on ensuring that there would be a multifaceted approach to building the capacity of the Institutes of Technology to deliver flexible learning. Two mutually supportive initiatives were specifically developed to this end.

First, the collaborative promotion of part-time and flexible learning within Irish society was highlighted as an opportunity to place part-time and lifelong learning opportunities, as provided in particular by the Institutes of Technology, in a much more prominent position from the perspective of the public. At an early stage, the development of BlueBrick.ie (and all the branding, marketing and PR activity associated with it) became the centrepiece of this first initiative. The setting up of BlueBrick.ie and the impact and policy developments associated with it have been dealt with in the previous chapter.

Second, individual institutes of technology sought to identify a range of capacity-building activities that were integrated into institutional plans. These plans were, in turn, included in the flexible learning project funding allocations to the institutes. In the case of this second initiative, the institutional capacity-building activity was planned by the individual institutes and jointly funded by the project and the institutes themselves. In all cases, the institutes were requested to ensure they adopted a broad-based approach to the building of capacity and that pedagogical, staff development, and systems and process issues were dealt with as far as possible. The 14 case studies presented in this report, along with the chapter dealing with BlueBrick.ie, show the wide range of approaches to capacity-building that were adopted, and

Part-time and Flexible Learning Provision – a Multifaceted ChallengeDr Richard Thorn, Institutes of Technology Ireland

112

the lessons learnt within each institute. This report has grouped the institutional activity, as exemplified by the case studies, into two broad categories: those activities that were broadly systems-oriented and those that were broadly student-oriented.

Two subcategories can be identified within the systems-oriented case studies: those in section 2 deal with the deployment and use of learning technology and those in section 3 are concerned with broader systems (or administrative processes).

In the first subcategory, Waterford (WIT), Galway-Mayo (GMIT) and Blanchardstown (ITB) Institutes of Technology focused on the deployment and use of learning technologies by both staff and students, although it should be stressed that the impact of these projects was much wider, and not confined to this deployment and use. Each of these three systems-oriented case studies emphasises the need for continued and focused investment in the training and development of staff in the use of new learning technologies. The WIT case demonstrates the real parallel between technology-adoption models and staff uptake of learning technologies in a higher education institution, and the necessity of maintaining an ongoing emphasis, in a structured manner, on staff development in the use of the technologies. The GMIT experience was similar, with the adoption of the Moodle VLE mirroring a cybernetic model. Both these cases demonstrate the need to learn from the experience of technology adoption in parallel situations when planning the roll-out of staff development programmes. The report of ITB’s experience clearly demonstrates the need to use a ‘whole of system’ approach to the development of flexible learning opportunities, and that training and support of staff and mainstreaming of innovative staff practices in flexible learning and improvements also requires the development of back-end and administrative processes to support the needs of new learners.

ITB’s experience in improving back-end processes is matched and perhaps even deepened in the cases of the institutes of technology in Tallaght (ITT Dublin), Dundalk (DkIT) and Dublin (DIT), and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). As reported in their case studies, the emphasis was on learning how a focused approach to the improvement of business or administrative processes could increase the capacity to deliver flexible learning.

In the case of ITT Dublin, the bringing of increased flexibility to student services was achieved by developing a web-payments facility. In order to work, the team behind this project had to have a clear understanding of the interrelationships between different departments. This has resulted in less of a silo-type approach to student services, together with improvements to customer service as each link in the business process develops a clearer understanding of its own role and those of the other key players. A significant lesson learned in the case of ITT Dublin was that the term ‘flexibility’ must be extended to include the full range of student-institute interactions, not just be confined to teaching and learning.

As at WIT, GMIT and ITB, the experience at IADT of overlapping staff and system development is particularly useful. Here, the mainstreaming of the project is characterised by the ongoing development of staff and the use of Special Purpose Awards from the National Qualifications Framework. This experience emphasises yet again the benefits of a ‘whole of system’ approach. DIT has been a large provider of part-time education

in the Dublin region for many years, and the project enabled the institute to reflect on that activity. Its case study looks at the need to understand how provision in this large institute was organised, and to improve the processes for managing and improving delivery while at the same time moving from a traditional evening-programme model to a flexibly delivered model. As with the WIT and GMIT experience, recognition that ‘others have trod the path’ was important: DIT’s experience emphasises that lessons can be learned from the experiences of others.

DkIT’s approach to the building of capacity in flexible learning is not unlike that of ITB, in that attention to both people and process has been central to their approach. The institute’s experience also reflects that of WIT and GMIT in that grounding the approach in a clearly understood transformational process – Fullan’s eight key drivers for change – is central to the process. The DkIT case study suggests that much can be learnt from the experience obtained elsewhere and from frameworks founded on solid evidence.

The case studies broadly categorised as ‘student-oriented’ show a wider range of approaches than the systems-oriented case studies. Three institutes – Athlone (AIT), Letterkenny (LYIT) and Limerick (LIT) – concentrated on the experience of converting traditionally delivered programmes to an online format. The use of certified training for staff members – a ‘staff-as-student’ approach in Sligo (ITS) and the use of a ‘modular’ awards approach for students by Tralee (IT Tralee) – show the importance of considering the credentialisation of learning. The approaches by Carlow (ITC) and Cork (CIT) represent the end-spectrums of the online learning world, with a whole virtual-classroom analysis at ITC and the embedding of blogs and wikis into online learning at CIT.

The conversion of traditionally delivered programmes to an online format offers, in an action-learning setting and in a relatively constricted environment, the opportunity to test the impact on staff and students of the challenges of moving online. AIT’s experience demonstrates the significant cultural changes involved, the importance of the make-up of team membership, the necessity of remaining focused on pedagogy and not being technology-centric, and the need for non-timetabled contact and support, and for the ‘rules’ associated therewith. The benefit of using a single-programme approach as an exemplar is confirmed by the experiences in both LIT and LYIT, where ideas could be tested and refined before being rolled out more widely.

The role of certification for staff and students in promoting flexible delivery has been tested in ITS and IT Tralee respectively. ITS, who have been significantly involved in online delivery, have devoted considerable effort to mainstreaming the approach within the institute. Certification of staff who undergo the training was considered a possible way of encouraging its further roll-out. The lure of certification for students, in this case the use of Minor and Special Purpose Awards, has been a feature of IT Tralee’s strategy in the area of flexible learning for several years. For both institutes, certification has proven to be a considerable attraction to participation. In Sligo’s case, 80% of staff considered that assessment of their learning was important in them making a decision to undergo training in the use of online delivery technology. IT Tralee has a very high rate of mature-student participation (25%) and the institute’s internal evaluations show that a key attraction for such students has been the availability of Minor and Special Purpose Awards.

113

Internationally, the shift to more flexible delivery of learning is frequently accompanied by the voicing of concerns about quality. Conscious of this perception, ITC assessed the attainment of learning outcomes by students participating in online programmes. The results show no difference between those students participating in traditionally delivered programmes and those in programmes delivered online. While the sample was small, it did confirm other data from within ITC. CIT’s focus in their case study on blogs and wikis was within the wider context of the institute’s development of much closer ties to the world of work. Their use of blogs and wikis was seen as a vehicle for the development of team building and contributions to group setting, provided that the approaches allow all members to contribute.

The HEA position paper on open and flexible learning referred to earlier (HEA, 2009) draws attention to the need for any institutional approach to flexible learning to consider policies and practices in respect of staff involvement, academic regulations, and practices that support flexible learning and access to support facilities and services for part-time learners. The lessons that can be drawn from the case studies presented in this report definitively support these contentions: flexibility must be used to refer more broadly to the student-institution interaction and not be confined to the teaching and learning dimension only, and a ‘whole of system’ approach that encompasses teaching and learning as well as administrative processes should be adopted within an institution. This conclusion should not be surprising, since Ireland is a relative late-comer to the part-time and flexible element of higher education provision, which means these lessons have been learned elsewhere and can be applied in Ireland. Consequently, for institutions considering developments in the area of flexible learning, growing pains can be overcome quickly by diligent planning and the use of experience from elsewhere. Within our institutes, specific lessons have been learnt. These include the use of action-learning approaches to the development of flexible learning programmes and the proactive use of certification as a lure to both staff and students.

The lessons above are among the most obvious ones. However, beyond the scope of this project are wider system-level issues that arose constantly during the project’s lifetime. These include, but are not restricted to, the necessity of having parity of treatment of part-time students and full-time students (this need has been met to some degree by the introduction of the Springboard programme) and the necessity of having much better sources of information and guidance for part-time students (met in part by the development of BlueBrick.ie, but the guidance requirement still remains).

ReferencesHEA (2009) Open and Flexible Learning. HEA Position Paper. Dublin: Higher Education Authority.

HEA (2012) Springboard 2011 First-stage Evaluation. Dublin: Higher Education Authority.

Stokes, A. and Thorn, R. (2009) FLLLEX Work Package 1: National Policies for the Implementation of Lifelong Learning.

114

Michael Carey is a Lecturer in Business Studies and Computing at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). He is involved in promoting the use of learning technologies at LYIT and assists with the rollout and training of virtual learning environment (VLE) users. Previously he spent 25 years working in Information Systems and Technology with nine different companies throughout Ireland. He holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) from the NWIHET in Derry, a BSc (Hons) degree from the Open University and an MSc from Magee University of Ulster Derry Belfast, both in Computing and Information Systems.

Marc Cashin MBA PhD has worked in a number of multi-national organisations in telecommunications and information technology for over 25 years, e.g. Ericsson, Tecnomen (Irl.) and Western Wireless Corporation (Meteor). He has considerable technical and managerial experience having held positions in finance, technical development, programme management and business development. Marc is a Doctoral programme advisor. He holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University and a Research Doctorate in Knowledge Management from Middlesex University, where he explored and developed strategic knowledge management frameworks and knowledge roadmapping processes for application in industry. He is also a member of the Academy of Management and the Chartered Management Institute. He has been a lecturer in the Business School of Athlone Institute of Technology for the past seven years. He is also a Director of the Centre for Advanced Professional Studies, part of Middlesex University’s Institute for Work-based Learning.

Abigail Chantler PhD is a policy analyst in the Higher Education Authority. She administers the Strategic Innovation Fund and has had a role in drafting reports on performance evaluation, student progression, and the arts, humanities and social sciences in Irish higher education. Prior to commencing employment in the HEA in 2005, Abigail held two lectureships and a postdoctoral research fellowship in the School of Music in Trinity College Dublin. She holds a BA (Hons) in Musicology and a PhD in Music from Lancaster University, where she lectured on a part-time basis while also teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She is the author of a monograph, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Musical Aesthetics (2006), as well as of numerous articles in books and journals on aesthetics and the history of ideas of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries.

John Dallat MA PhD has been Head of Learning and Teaching at Dundalk Institute of Technology since 2009. Prior to his appointment in Dundalk, he was a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Ulster, which awarded him a Distinguished Teaching Fellowship and where he was an elected member of the University’s Social Policy Research Institute. John has published in the region of fifty journal research papers covering teacher professional development, the beginning teacher, videoconferencing and the history of education. John has successfully supervised many undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and 35 doctorates.

Luke Fannon is a lecturer in the School of Business in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). Following his undergraduate studies at AIT, Luke worked for ten years in a number of senior finance roles before returning to AIT as a full-time academic in 2005. Luke is a member of both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Irish Tax Institute. Luke was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Third-level Learning and Teaching in 2008. His current research interests include learning enhancement through technology-enhanced learning and to this end he has been in receipt of funding from the NDLR for the development of learning resources.

Des Foley joined the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) as Head of Strategic Planning in 2003 and by the end of that year was appointed Head of the School of Science. He currently holds this position and is chairman of the Association of the Heads of Science. He retains special responsibility for strategic planning on GMIT’s Executive Board. He has also served on a number of sectoral national working parties and committees in Ireland concerned with the changing role of institutes of technology. Prior to joining GMIT, Des held roles in the pharmaceutical sector in R&D, operations and human resources.

Mark Glynn PhD Following a PhD in Organic Chemistry Mark spent just under five years working in IBEC (Irish Business and Employers Confederation) building relationships between the education sector and the pharmaceutical industry. Mark then worked as a lecturer for both ITT Dublin and Hibernia College, lecturing chemistry to all levels, from first year to masters’ students, both face-to-face and online. Mark has a Certificate in Teaching and Learning and is currently completing an MSc in e-Learning. Employed by Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) on the SIF2 sectoral project on flexible learning, his main role is to support the institutes in increasing their capacity to deliver modules and courses in a flexible manner.

Eoin Langan is Head of AIT Business School. His background is in accounting and IT (SAP) Consulting, having worked in the US, Europe, Australia and the UK for many years in varied roles as senior finance manager/project manager for a number of multinational companies. Eoin completed his undergraduate studies in RTC, Galway (now GMIT) and in 2008 completed an MSc IT in Education in TCD. Prior to taking up the role as Head of Business in January 2011, Eoin served two terms as Head of Department of Accounting and Business Computing and as Head of Academic Development & Administration.

Authors’ Biographies

115

Brid McElligott is Head of Development at the Institute of Technology Tralee. A graduate of the University of Limerick, Brid completed a Bachelor of Business degree with a specialism in Marketing in 1991. She also completed her Masters by Research in Business at UL. Since joining IT Tralee in 1996 Brid has assumed a number of roles in the areas of lecturing and management. While in the position of Assistant Registrar, Brid was responsible for managing the institute’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) initiatives, including the establishment of the Centre for Educational Development. This centre was responsible for achieving the deliverables of the IOTI Flexible Learning Project. All part-time programme delivery is managed from the Development Office in partnership with the many academic departments at the institute.

Denis McFadden is Head of School of Engineering at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). He is involved in promoting the use of learning technologies at LYIT and chairs the institute’s cross-functional flexible learning group, which advises the executive board on funding and development in this area. Previously he spent periods as a lecturer and head of department in electronic engineering. He holds a BE degree from University College Dublin and an MSc from Queen’s University Belfast, both in electronic engineering.

Liam McIntyre is IT Manager at Letterkenny Institute of Technology. His role primarily involves managing and delivering IT services to the staff and students at LYIT. In 2011, Liam was responsible for project managing the implementation of Blackboard 9.1 learning management system. Liam has 15 years’ experience working in information technology within the private and public sector, and spent periods as a lecturer at the Institute of Technology Tallaght and Letterkenny Institute of Technology. Liam holds a BSc in Applied Science from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc in Internet Systems from Dublin City University.

Colin McLean is now Head of LIT Tipperary School. During this SIF project he was External Services Manager in LIT with responsibility for lifelong learning and for industry interactions. Prior to this he was a lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He has a Masters in Computer Integrated Manufacture and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Technology. He started his teaching career in Scotland, where he was a lecturer and senior lecturer.

Larry McNutt EdD is Head of School of Informatics and Engineering at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB). Prior to joining ITB, Larry was Senior Lecturer in ITT Dublin and has lectured in Southern Cross University Australia, Letterkenny IT, DCU and Capella University. A Fellow of the Irish Computer Society, his research interests and publications include distance education, educational technology, instructional design and computer science education. Larry studied computer science in University College Dublin (UCD) and holds a Masters Degree in Education from the University of New England, Australia and an EdD in Education from NUI Maynooth.

Brian McQuaid is a graduate of National University of Ireland, Galway (BSc) and Trinity College Dublin (MSc, MAI) and spent 36 years in the defence forces in a range of engineering appointments, rising from the rank of lieutenant to Director of the Signal Corps for the final four years of his service. From 1987 to 2000 he was also involved in communication and technology modules at Dublin City University as a tutor and course leader. He joined IT Carlow as Head of Lifelong Learning in 2007 and has overseen the increase in part-time students from 6% to 25% of enrolments in the institute over that period.

Daniel McSweeney is currently e-Learning Co-ordinator for the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. Daniel is responsible for the institute’s e-learning technologies and solutions as well as guiding the institute in the development of its e-learning strategies. Daniel is also a lecturer in informatics and digital media across a number of the institute’s programmes. Prior to joining ITB in 2001, Daniel spent several years working in the e-learning industry for a variety of leading companies. His last industry post was Head of Research and Development at Educational Multimedia Corporation (EMC). During his time at EMC he was responsible for the technical design and development of over 200 e-learning solutions. His research interests include software engineering, digital media technologies, e-learning, educational technologies and distance education.

Terry Maguire PhD is currently Head of Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Technology Tallaght. She has been involved in adult education for almost 25 years. Previously she held the position of Head of Rural Development at Lews Castle College, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland until returning to Ireland in 1997. Prior to her current appointment, Terry worked with the Programme for University Industry Interface at University of Limerick. Her research interests include capturing the recognition of prior learning, identifying good models of professional development for tutors of adult mathematics, uncovering the hidden mathematics of the workplace and contributing to setting up a coherent framework for adult mathematics in Ireland.

Brian Mulligan is a Programme Manager in the Centre for Online Learning in IT Sligo, where he has lectured since 1984. A civil engineer, with a background in simulation, he has been instrumental in the success of online learning at IT Sligo since 2000 and was a founder of the Irish Learning Technology Association in 2002. His main areas of expertise now are in web-casting, webinar management, synchronous online learning, instructor-led online learning, lecture capture and the rapid development of online learning.

Muiris O’Connor has worked in the Higher Education Authority (HEA) since 2006. He began as Senior Policy Analyst, served as Acting Head of the National Access Office for a year between July 2007 and July 2008 and is currently Principal Officer in the Policy and Planning Section. Prior to joining the HEA, Muiris spent five years as Statistician in the Department of Education and Science. Prior to his work with the Department, Muiris worked with the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and with the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). He is a member of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and is on the Editorial Board of Irish Educational Studies. Over the years, Muiris has written reports on a wide range of subjects, including social entrepreneurship, homelessness, lifelong learning, fees, access to higher education, gender in Irish education, flexible learning, student progression and performance evaluation in higher education. He currently manages the Strategic Innovation Fund, the ICT Action Plan and works on the implementation of the National Strategy for Higher Education.

116

Anna O’Donovan works as a Senior Technical Officer at Cork Institute of Technology. She is the system administrator of Blackboard CE8 and is responsible for dealing with all queries in relation to the LMS platform. There has been a large uptake of Blackboard in the past few years since its integration with Banner, plus the ability to apply for cross-listing requests online as well as the availability of online resource material.

Jo O’Donovan began working in the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin) in the Registrar’s Office in 2001, and in 2006 made a career move into the IT department joining the MIS team at the institute. While working as part of this team, she returned to part-time study and graduated in 2010 with a first-class honours degree in IT Management. Her final-year project focused on business process management and its use in the sector to improve efficiencies and streamline student service processes to benefit the institute, its staff and its students. Jo has recently moved from ITT Dublin and is working as an MIS Analyst with Eircom.

John Ó Néill BA PhD is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and spent eight years working in the heritage planning and consultancy sector in Dublin before returning to Belfast to join the staff of Queen’s as a director of the newly formed Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork in 2002. From 2005 to 2009 he was a Lecturer in Archaeology at UCD, with specific emphasis on adult learning and part-time programmes, and served on an advisory committee to the Minister for Environment (NI) from 2003 to 2009. John was appointed to his current role as Assistant Head of Flexible and Lifelong Learning in IT Carlow in 2010.

Kevin C. O’Rourke PhD is currently Head of e-Learning Support & Development at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Siobhán O’Sullivan BSc MA PhD is Curriculum Development Manager for a new Structured PhD programme in CIT in life sciences called Ed4Life and also a member of the institute’s Teaching and Learning Unit. Her education background is in biochemistry and biomedical science and in recent years science education, learning resources and teaching and learning. She has a huge interest in the area of technology and teaching and has been a champion in this area for several years, promoting use both in CIT and at national and international education conferences.

Marion Palmer EdD is Head of Department of Learning Sciences at IADT and chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee. Marion is the IADT representative on the IOTI Flexible Learning Steering Committee and is the Chair of the LIN Coordination Group – www.lin.ie – and was a 2011 NAIRTL Award of Teaching Excellence winner. Marion is a member of the Council of the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) Ireland and was awarded a doctorate in education at Queen’s University Belfast on teaching in institutes of technology. Marion was a founder member of WITS (Women in Technology and Science) and was chair of the Educational Developers in Ireland Network (EDIN) 2009–2011. Prior to working in IADT Marion was a teacher at schools in Dublin and London and worked on curriculum development with the NCCA.

Seamus Ryan has lectured in the schools of Business and Engineering in Athlone Institute of Technology since 1993. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working in various engineering roles in the electronics manufacturing industry. Seamus has a BEng (in Production Engineering) from NIHEL (now UL) and an MBA from NUIG. In 2005 he was awarded an MSc (IT in Education) by TCD. His research interests include pedagogically appropriate technology in the classroom and the development of effective blended learning programmes. Seamus has been involved with the Teaching and Learning Unit since 2007 and is currently Learning Technology Co-ordinator.

Brendan Ryder MSc PhD is a lecturer in the Department of Computing and Mathematics and also e-Learning Co-ordinator in the e-Learning Development Unit at Dundalk Institute of Technology. He is responsible for technology-enhanced learning (TEL) within the institute, where his role requires substantial cross-functional co-ordination and collaboration related to TEL strategy, structures and processes, supports for both students and staff and the development of synergies with the broader teaching and learning community. Brendan’s research interests lie in the areas of TEL and knowledge management and he has published in the field of computing education. He also teaches and supervises projects on the MA in Teaching and Learning.

Irene Sheridan is Head of the CIT Extended Campus – a unique facility designed to support and stimulate engagement between CIT, enterprises and the wider community. She has been responsible for leading the Education in Employment and REAP (Roadmap for Employment–Academic Partnerships) Strategic Innovation (SIF) projects and was previously Head of Electronic Engineering in CIT.

Richard Thorn PhD is a graduate of TCD and the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin. He has held teaching/research and management posts in Dublin Institute of Technology, Trinity College Dublin, Institute of Technology, Sligo and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and has held visiting lectureships in Coventry and Middlesex Universities. He has a broad range of research and writing interests having published over 140 scientific, technical, travel and higher education management publications covering areas as diverse as waste management, strategic planning and scuba diving travel articles and has supervised/is supervising around 20 Masters and PhD students in both environmental science and management areas. He is currently on secondment from the Institute of Technology Sligo to work for Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) on the implementation of a national project on flexible learning and with the Higher Education Authority, where he is Project Manager for the National Strategy for Higher Education Implementation Project.

John Wall PhD is Head of School of Education and Professional Development in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). John and his colleagues are responsible for leading the institute in its provision of part-time and flexible learning opportunities as well as championing the use of e-learning to support the delivery of the curriculum across the institute. The School of Education and Professional Development offers an exciting and diverse range of courses, from postgraduate teacher education to adult education; undergraduate, Masters and PhD programmes; specialist programmes in work-based learning, management, lifelong learning and community studies and an extensive part-time evening programme.


In line with current government and market needs highlighted in the National Skills

Strategy (2007), the 13 Institutes of Technology and DIT worked on a collaborative

project entitled ‘Addressing the Needs of the Knowledge Economy’, funded by the HEA

under the second round of the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). The aim of this project

was to significantly expand the number of people engaged in flexible learning and thus

support workforce development and up-, re- and transkilling in Ireland through increased

access to and participation in higher education. Through this sectoral project in flexible

learning, the Institutes of Technology committed to mainstreaming supported flexible

learning within and across the 13 Institutes of Technology and DIT as an innovative and

complementary mode of delivery, co-existing with established programmes and delivery

methods. This represented a large, collective undertaking that significantly enhanced

the institutes of technologies’ capabilities in delivering supported flexible learning, while

simultaneously addressing established workforce development needs and other latent

demand.

This final report from the SIF2 Sectoral Project in Flexible Learning sets out the various

initiatives undertaken by the individual institutes in order to obtain the overall project goal.

Date post:	07-Feb-2017
Category:	Documents
Upload:	richard-thorn
View:	32 times
Download:	8 times