Supporting further and higher education JISC Regional Town Meeting on Distributed e-Learning Pilot Projects

Agenda Morning session – briefing on the circular 10:30 Introduction and overview of the Distributed eLearning Programme Overview of the circular Building on existing work – Paul Bailey and Sarah Davies, JISC 11:00 Setting the regional scene – Kate Murray, HEFCE Regional collaboration and coordination – Tina Egan, North West Universities Association 11:30 The bidding and selection process – Richard McKenna, JISC 11:45 Question and Answer Session 12:30 Lunch

Agenda Afternoon session – workshop 13:30 Introduction to workshop. Presentation of priority regional themes identified by delegates in pre-meeting questionnaire. 13:45 Group discussions on ways of exploring the themes in the circular within the regional context Groups will share ideas on themes and potential projects, and begin to prioritise these in preparation to feed back to the rest of the group. 14:45 Tea 15:00 Plenary – feedback and discussion on priority themes identified by each group Participants prioritise the themes which have emerged during the day Close

Supporting further and higher education JISC e-Learning Programme Paul Bailey Programme Director Distributed e-Learning

JISC activities Aims –To explore the concept of MLEs –To share effective practice £5 million Managed Learning Environments development programmes –Programmes in HE, FE, across sectors Awareness-raising Surveys and studies

Overview of the e-Learning Programme Four strands –e-Learning pedagogy –e-Learning framework and tools –Innovations in e-learning –Distributed e-learning Process of consultation, strategic networking, review and analysis, around a range of short studies, pilots and larger projects…

Supporting further and higher education Distributed e-Learning April 04 – Mar 06

Distributed e-Learning ( a definition ) Distributed e-Learning is the effective use of technology to assist learners to access, piece together and manage the learning they do throughout their life, in a range of institutional, informal and work-based settings.

Distributed e-Learning …will facilitate lifelong learning and wider participation in HE by providing learners with: A more seamless learning experience Better learning tools Easier access to personal learning information such as portfolios Access to greater quantities of quality- assured learning materials

Work Plan Regional Pilots of Distributed e-Learning Year 1 (Apr 04 –Mar 05) Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Year 2 (Apr 04 –Mar 06) Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Repositories Pilots e-Learning Tools Supporting Studies HE Academy Projects Reviews and guidelines on distributed e- learning Consolidate tools E-Learning Infrastructure

Work Packages WP1: e-learning infrastructure (£1M) WP2: Repositories for e-learning (£1M) WP3: E-learning tools (£3M) WP4: Exploring e-Learning HE Academy and Subject Centres (£1.3M) WP5: Studies/Collaboration (£2M) WP6: Regional Pilots (£3.6M)

For more information Paul Bailey

Supporting further and higher education Circular 7/04: Regional e- Learning Pilot Projects around Distributed e-Learning Sarah Davies Programme Manager

Aim of the distributed e- learning pilot projects To explore the use of e-learning systems and tools across a number of institutions within a region to facilitate wider participation in HE and provide better opportunities for lifelong learners.

Objectives of the pilot projects To facilitate wider participation in HE and provide better opportunities for lifelong learners within a region through the provision of: –Regional lifelong learner records and other mechanisms to facilitate progression between institutions –Shared learning resources or services across institutions –Systems which deliver tools and information from a range of sources to the learner at home or in the workplace

Objectives of the pilot projects To explore how e-learning systems, tools and resources can be used cross- institutionally within a region To identify the issues which need to be addressed in order to offer regional, cross-institutional e-learning systems and services

Project themes 1: Facilitating progression Pilots which make it easier for learners from a wide range of backgrounds to find out about, apply for, and access HE. May also support progression from HE into further study or employment. For example: –Lifelong learner record –PDP, electronic application, online portfolios –Systems integrating HE & work-based learning –Systems facilitating enrolment and progression on collaboratively taught courses

2: Collaborative teaching & sharing of resources across institutions Pilots that extend the range of learning opportunities and learning materials available to learners by sharing learning resources or learning services across institutions For example, supporting: –Delivery of courses, modules or lessons… –Student collaboration on projects… –Teacher collaboration on course development… –Adaptation and reuse of learning resources… –Sharing of questions and tests… …across more than one institution

3: Supporting the independent lifelong learner Pilots that use e-learning technology to enable learners to access resources and manage all their learning in one place > ‘Personal learning environment’ Bringing together formal study, independent study, informal non-accredited learning and work-based learning Examples of activities: –Planning and reflecting on learning –Communicating and collaborating with peers and tutors –Assessing progress or attainment –Engaging in learning activities –Maintaining a record of achievements

Key messages about the pilots Projects need to: Be centred on a good idea that meets a real regional need Be related to lifelong learning and widening participation Use e-learning Be from partnerships of institutions Demonstrate what is achievable –So that it can be adopted and built upon by others Be funded for months Be sustainable and scalable

These projects are NOT: A complete regional solution –but rather demonstrations of what can be done in a region –They do not have to include all institutions within a region Technical development projects Research projects Content creation projects

Deliverables Pilots showing demonstrable examples of distributed e-learning Evaluation report Illustration of achievements, eg: –Use cases and scenarios –Case studies –Technical specifications within ELF –Exploration of implications, benefits and opportunities of distributed e- learning

Building on existing work Pilots should build on existing work in the following areas: Institutions’ own initiatives Regional initiatives JISC development work –See briefing document

Technical approach Service-oriented approach –Each component in the system is defined in terms of the services it provides to other components –Standards define how each service works – commands, replies, data transfer –Technology used inside component is irrelevant to system as whole –Services map onto business processes –E-Learning Framework Open systems approach –Open standards and open source

Technical approach Projects should aim to work within this approach where practicable Can incorporate proprietary and legacy software if need be In your proposal, explain what you would like to do and JISC will work with you to develop full technical plan if project is funded Demonstrate an understanding of the approach and technical ability to work within it

Using Shibboleth in pilots Open-source, standard-based technology for access management Additional funding of up to £40K per project available for acting as early adopter of Shibboleth Possible examples of use: –Students from one institution access content or services from another –Students from different institutions collaborate and share resources –Addressing the requirements of students that are members of multiple institutions. Budget Shibboleth effort separately

Supporting further and higher education The regional context Setting the regional scene Kate Murray, HEFCE Regional coordination and collaboration Tina Egan, North West Universities Association

Supporting further and higher education Bidding Process and Criteria Richard McKenna Programme Manager

Stages 1.Town Meetings to set priority areas and bidding process for your region, to be hosted on web site 2.Regional arrangements for coordination and bidding 3.Submit proposal in line with the arrangements for your region 4.Mid-December: successful bidders will be notified 5.January 2005: work with JISC to develop a detailed technical plan 6.January–April 2005: start project

Initial Scoping Stage Partnership of institutions, led by HEI to include FE Colleges Role of HE Associations –Coordinate proposals (optional) –Ensure regional focus –Avoid second stage selection Ensure your project meets –Regional criteria and bidding process(set at Town Meeting) –Theme(s) and criteria of the circular

Funding Up to £350k allocated region, 1-3 project per region Additional fund may be allocated to larger regions or inter-regional collaborations Up to £40k per project for Shibboleth early adopters BUT only fund proposals that meet criteria – even there is only one proposal per region

Evaluation Criteria Quality (20%) Impact (20%) Sustainability (10%) Partnership/dissemination (10%) Value for money (10%) Strength of the consortium (15%) Previous experience (15%)

Structure Introduction Consortium details Project description –State how you meet the regional priorities –Demonstrate an understanding of a service-oriented approach and the eLearning Framework –Include use cases or scenarios –IPR and sustainability issues Budget Key personnel Contact

Some hints Justify your project proposal Ensure it meets the criteria and regional priorities on website Identify any technologies you will use Show you have technical skills and understand what is feasible

Budget Ensure budget is clear & detailed, clarifying total cost to JISC Breakdown across partners & project activities Staff costs: proportion of time, include salary increases Travel & subsistence, consumables Dissemination & embedding Evaluation

Institutional Contribution Overheads (space, heating, lighting) Staff resources (HR time, Finance dept.) Use of equipment & software Other contributions Cost these into the bid to demonstrate the added value the institution(s) bringing

Checklist for Final Stages Deadline (12 noon on Monday 15 November 2004) Letter(s) of support from Partners, HE Association, Senior Manager Cover Sheet Main body of proposal - max. 10 single-sided A4 sheets (do not exceed) Optional appendices, e.g. staff CVs Hard copy & electronic copy by deadline Do not rely on first class post!

Relevant URLs Distributed e-Learning Copy of the Circular JISC Strategy Project Management Guidelines Terms & Conditions of Grant

Supporting further and higher education Questions Summary of Q&A Session and Regional Selection Criteria will be available at

Supporting further and higher education Lunch Don’t forget to hand in your completed pre-meeting questionnaire Please be back here at 1.30