1. Open and flexible learning opportunities for all
Open and flexible learning opportunities for all? Findings from the 2016 UCISA TEL Survey on learning technology developments across UK HE
This workshop will draw on data from the UCISA 2016 Survey of Technology Enhanced Learning as a stimulus to support discussion on the progress that the UK HE sector is making with open learning and the institutional adoption of learning analytics to enhance teaching and learning.
Richard Walker (University of York)
UCISA Academic Support Group workshop
ALT-C 2016:
6th September 2016

2. About the UCISA TEL Survey
National survey into TEL undertaken by UCISA, with backing from the UK Heads of e-Learning Forum.
Running biennially since 2001:
2016 report addresses open learning and deployment of learning analytics systems across UK HEIs
In response to the growing interest by HE providers in metrics for tracking the quality of learning, the 2016 UCISA TEL Survey question-set invited responses on how higher education institutions are approaching data collection and the management of their TEL services. A number of questions also addressed open learning provision and how this is being supported within institutions.
The findings reveal the extent of open course delivery and also shed light on the analytics tool-sets in use and the degree to which they have been embedded / integrated with key learning systems, as well as the extent to which they are being used at the course level. The survey also reveals how institutions are using analytics to review the impact of TEL on the student learning experience……

3. The 2016 Survey
110 responses from 160 HE institutions (Response rate 69%)
Good spread of responses across the UK (by country, by mission group and by type of institution, i.e. Pre-92, Post-92 and Other specialist HE institutions)
Sent out to institutional Heads of e-Learning in January 2016
Not getting same cohort each time; but results do show consistency
A representative sample was secured: e.g. 49 Pre-92 institutions; 52 Post-92’s and 9 Other specialist HE institutions (e.g. art institutions and business schools whose courses are validated by universities with full degree-awarding powers. 91/132 English institutions; 4/10 Welsh institutions; 13/15 Scottish institutions; 2/3 Northern Irish institutions.
Additional breakdown of results by university mission group: results are presented for 4 groups: Russell Group (18), University Alliance (17), GuildHE (13), Million+ (9).
We are not getting the same cohort. N.B: new institutions and mergers affecting responses.
For this year: 7 new institutions; 10 have completed all surveys dating back to 2003.

4. Workshop outline & resources
Theme 1: Open Learning:
YouTube summary video:
Theme 2: Learning Analytics:
2016 TEL Survey Report:

5. Theme 1: Open Learning
What does the TEL Survey reveal about institutional open learning activities across the UK HE sector?
What is the scope of open learning activity and what modes of delivery are being supported?
What strategic value do HEIs attach to open learning activities?

6. Key conclusions on open learning
(1) Growing adoption of open learning platforms, but no commensurate increase discernible in course delivery.
- Less than half of institutions supporting open course delivery
(2) Internal OOCs represent most popular open delivery format (41% of sector), compared with public and boundary courses.
(3) Open delivery tends not to be integrated with campus-based teaching / resources
- Delivered on separate platform to main institutional VLE

7. Key conclusions on open learning
4) Limited institutionally-led staff engagement with MOOCs and open badges to encourage TEL development in teaching and assessment activities.
(5) Open learning (OERs and course delivery) not seen as a strategic driver for institutional TEL development;
- Lack of institutional support not seen as barrier to TEL
(6) Only 17 institutions have a committee/working group with a remit for open learning / MOOC development
- 11 institutions have an open learning strategy

8. Open Learning Group discussion
#TELSurveyOpen
(1) How is open learning interpreted and supported at your institution?
(2) How can open learning activities be given a higher profile as part of the institutional TEL agenda?
(3) What changes in institutional open learning provision do you foresee taking place over the next 2 years?

9. Theme 2: Learning Analytics
What progress have HE institutions made in establishing learning analytics services in support of learning and teaching?
What technologies are institutions using to build these services?
How are these services being used to support student learning?

10. Key conclusions on learning analytics
(1) Only 20 institutions appear to have established services which are used by students - 17 have linked their services to the main VLE (2) Services tend to be ‘in-house’ developed or VLE-based (3) Only 2 institutions have deployed their service across 75% or more of their taught courses - typically institutions are using some form of analytics across 1% - 4% of courses

11. Key conclusions on learning analytics
(4) Key evaluation focus appears to be on levels of student satisfaction / take-up with TEL services - only 7 institutions have assessed value of TEL in relation to student performance (5) Case study research reveals lack of institutional focus for analytics services (role and metrics that should be used) - Focus on attendance monitoring, retention & achievement data (6) An increased number of institutions (n=29) will be reviewing analytics systems over the next two years.

12. Learning Analytics group discussion
#TELSurveyAnalytics
(1) How far has the implementation of an analytics service progressed within your institution?
(2) What role should an analytics service play in supporting student learning? (e.g. predictive; real-time dashboards; retrospective analysis). Does your institution have a vision?
(3) What are the key challenges to realising this vision? Who owns the analytics agenda? What are the implications for learning technologists and TEL support staff?

13. Theme 3: Other key findings
Review of new services and innovative practices

14. TEL tools - centrally supported
2016
2014
2012
2010
VLE
99%
95% -
E-submission
93%
85%
87%
89%
Text-matching
90%
92%
Formative e-assessment
71%
79%
80%
Asynchronous communication
Summative e-assessment
81%
Blog
76%
73%
72%
74%
Document sharing
45%
51%
E-portfolio
78%
Media streaming
65%

15. TEL tools – VLEs Main institutional VLE Overall VLE use
88% of respondents use either Blackboard or Moodle as their main institutional platform (unchanged since 2012).
Blackboard Learn remains the leading enterprise solution (45%); Moodle has increased in usage (up from 39% in 2014 to 43% in 2016).
Overall VLE use
Moodle is the most commonly used VLE platform (53%); followed by Blackboard Learn (46%).
FutureLearn is the leading open learning solution (24%), followed by Open Education by Blackboard (9%): Canvas usage has increased, but SharePoint is on the decline
44% of institutions are using hosted services for their VLE provision.

16. VLEs (ALL) currently used in UK HEIs

17. Types of courses
Blended learning: lecture notes and supplementary resources for courses studied in class are available;
Blended learning: parts of the course are studied in class and other parts require students to engage in active learning online (e.g. engaging in collaborative or assessed tasks);
Fully online courses;
Open online learning courses for all students at your institution: internal access only;
Open online boundary courses: free external access to the course materials for the public, but assessment restricted to students registered at your institution only;
Open online learning courses for public: free external access

19. Proportion of courses using tools
100%
75% - 99%
50% - 74%
VLE
42%
50% 1%
E-submission
20%
38%
Text matching
16%
19%
Content management system
11% 9% 2%
Reading list software
21%
12%
Digital / learning repository 6%
Mobile apps 5%
Asynchronous collaboration 4%
10%
15%
Lecture capture
E-portfolio 3% 0%

20. TEL developments making new support demands
Recent and prospective TEL developments making new support demands
1. Electronic management of assessment (e-submission / marking / feedback)
2. Lecture capture
3. Mobile technologies / BYOD
4. Multimedia (use / provision / management / support)
5= Distance learning / fully online courses
5= Learning analytics
EMA, lecture capture and mobile technologies all retain a position in the top 3 developments making new demands.
Fewer institutions are reporting demands from MOOCs but there has been a growth in demand from fully online courses.

21. Challenges to TEL development
Challenges over the next two to three years
1. Staff development
2. Electronic management of assessment (e-submission / marking / feedback)
3. Lecture capture / recording
4. Technical infrastructure -addressing growth, new technologies
5= Lack of support staff / specialist skills / resources
5= Mobile technologies / BYOD
Lack of support staff has dropped from first place in 2014 to 5=.
EMA is now the second biggest challenge, behind staff development which has risen from the 3rd most commonly cited challenge in 2014 to first place in 2016.
Lecture capture has grown as a challenge, whist mobile learning has decreased since the last Survey.

22. Barriers to future development
Lack of time (still the most significant barrier)
Longitudinal view of the top 7 of 16 rankings
Barriers – lack of…
2016
2014
2012
2010
2008
2005
Time 1
Departmental/school culture 2 5 3 -
Internal sources of funding
Academic staff commitment 4 7 6
Institutional culture 8
Staff knowledge
Recognition for career dev.
Support staff 10 9
Mean averages for the barriers are lower than in Only 3 items with mean above 3.00.
Time remains top barrier, and culture is also a key barrier with departmental/school culture moving up to second place in rankings and institutional culture staying in top 5.
For this year’s Survey, money was split into internal and external funding as response options. Internal sources of funding ranks third in the list.
‘Too many standards’ and ‘inappropriate policies and procedures’ are at the bottom of the list.

23. Accessing the Report
The 2016 TEL Survey report is available on the UCISA website at:
Case studies of institutional TEL developments will be published in a companion report, targeted for publication by the end of the year.
Feedback on the Report (question-set and findings) would be greatly appreciated to inform future surveys.

24. Acknowledgements and thanks
To the Survey team: Martin Jenkins (Coventry University); Elaine Swift (Nottingham Trent University); Jebar Ahmed (University of Huddersfield); Phil Vincent (York St John University); Julie Voce (Imperial College London) & Richard Walker (University of York), with help from Nick Smith (The Research Partnership).
To the UCISA Executive & Operational Support Team.
To UK Heads of e-Learning Forum (HeLF) members
To UCISA Academic Support Group members