1. UK eUniversities: eLearning Research Centre and the Community Professor Paul Bacsich Director of Special Projects UK eUniversities Worldwide Limited

2. Special Projects General: to oversee… Educational evaluation of courses Quality linkage to Committee for Academic Quality Research into e-learning relevant to our mission Specific studies: Mid-band services including TV-like Residual role of f2f in “pure-play” e-learning propositions Best practice analysis of MLEs, e-universities and HE-focussed ASPs

3. Evaluation tasks Analysis and interpretation of data collected, by the platform, questionnaires, and by other means, on each offering of UKeU Close liaison with all partner HEIs engaging in their own evaluations Liaison with members of the Research Centre at UKeU/Mter/Soton, respecting UKeUconfidentiality, partner sensitivities, and research ethics of the HE sector Development and modification of evaluation methodologies and materials as required, in collaboration with the Research Centre, managers and evaluators in partner HEIs. Keeping abreast of new evaluation methods, materials and studies, across HE and with JISC/LTSN and DfES

4. eLearning Quality Coordinator Co-ordinate the quality process for learning programmes, in consultation with Committee for Academic Quality Support the Committee Set out a viable operational direction for the UKeU quality process for learning programmes delivered from HEIs Analyse input primarily from the QAA and quality processes in partner universities, but with regard to other sources such as quality experts, the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, international agencies, and national agencies Liaise on quality aspects with partner universities, overseas partners, and the eLearning Research Centre The overall quality process must include: the development of appropriate programme selection, approval, monitoring and evaluation processes, the development of key educational and technical performance indicators that best illuminate education quality (including due consideration of student satisfaction issues and other output measures), the development of transparent and open reporting mechanisms.

5. Research Centre Aim (PR of 2 Sep 03) “to establish a leading Centre of Excellence, with an international reputation, to support the enhancement of learning within the HE sector” Prefigured in HEFCE 21/2003: “We propose to support an e-learning programme in UKeU and partner HEIs to explore insights from that project and other aspects of e-learning” “[this] may also support the work of UKeU’s Committee for Academic Quality…”

6. Structure and staffing University of Manchester Dr Jim Petch, Head of Distributed Learning Two researchers University of Southampton Professor Grainne Conole, Professor of Educational Innovation in Post Compulsory Education Two researchers UK eUniversities Worldwide Limited Professor Paul Bacsich, Director of Special Projects Research Centre Project Manager In association with Evaluator and eLearning Quality Coordinator

7. Core research aims Manchester: mainly HEI-facing Models of learning programme development and delivery For both UKeU and other large-scale eLearning systems Southampton: mainly student-facing Evaluation of UKeU programmes Focus on multi-cultural aspects of student learning UKeU Project management and coordination Standards (FP6 project will help) Costings (China grant) Dissemination of results Including earlier HEFCE research and the “Impact of the Internet” studies

8. Additional research aims Growth via EU and other grants Costing is back! Partnership model with other Centres of Excellence world-wide Topics under discussion: T-learning M-learning Conformance testing Multi-lingual eLearning systems Ambient intelligence/pervasive computing

9. Other issues requiring study/research Accessibility issues are starting to inhibit innovation in mass deployment Will get worse if a UK compliance culture spreads out Multi-standard services (PC/Mac/Unix) are getting harder to do and more restrictive in functionality Lack of clear view on “mid-band” is inhibiting service development

10. Conclusions from (other) Research European research: FP3 set the scene; FP4 added little, FP5 we shall soon see Canadian work more integrated, but lacks evidence of scalable approaches and has a discontinuity with TL-NCE Too much gap between theorists and industrial- strength pedagogic practice theorists are usually in universities and not seriously active in e- learning services US still too synchronous and transmissive Australia fragmented but some key institutions Big players need convincing that research is directly relevant

11. Implications for collaborative research Focus on co-operative learning Start with basic asynchronous (BBS) model Allow new models to be supported, especially those with business potential But be cautious on new models Develop scalable approaches More focus on assessment Support multiple media and devices including mobile and TV for special purposes