1. eLearning at the Cusp Living with the Uncontrollable Prof Mark Stiles - Staffordshire University eLearning at the Cusp

2. Outline Institutional strategy & policy are challenged by technological change –Issues around Managing and Sustaining Innovation –Some Personal Experiences - from Revolution to Stalinism to Perestroika –Freedom vs Control –Loosening the Bonds - a Local View –The new factors –Ownership –A New World –A Decision-Making Framework –Conclusion

3. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “Build it and they will come…” (“Field of Dreams”)

4. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “Build it and they will come…” (“Field of Dreams”)

5. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “Let a thousand flowers bloom”

6. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “Let a thousand flowers bloom”

7. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “The philosophers have interpreted the world – the point is to change it” (Karl Marx)

8. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “The philosophers have interpreted the world – the point is to change it” (Karl Marx)

9. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “Seed change by funding innovative projects”

10. eLearning at the Cusp The Strategy game… “Seed change by funding innovative projects”

11. eLearning at the Cusp Sustaining Innovation Positive and negative organisational features: Vision Functional and authority structures Management and organisational culture –Rewarding behaviours –Barriers “Learning Organisation” –Adaptive, Agile, Learns from others & own mistakes, Accelerates developments, KT & Continuous improvement, Uses people effectively at all levels

12. eLearning at the Cusp Sustaining Innovation Innovation and Technology: Diffusion approach most common –Danger of assuming “it’s a good thing” –No best solution Communities/Networks of practice –Most effective when “natural” –But can constrain innovation by enclosure –“Planned” communities problematic Clash with formal structures Provoke protectionism

13. eLearning at the Cusp Staffordshire 1996 - 2002 “Transformational” Strategy with: –first, “seeding change” projects by bid –then, “seeding change” projects by departmental plan

14. eLearning at the Cusp By 2002… Significant Cultural Change Many modules using e-learning for “real” Successful distance e-learning awards Good “width” of penetration across institution Strategies “quite” well joined-up Recognition and QAA success Staff getting rewards

15. eLearning at the Cusp But... Not learning at an organisational level Breadth but not depth (“not all parts reached”) Wheel reinvention Not learning from others mistakes eLearning not embedded Innovations not being sustained enough

16. eLearning at the Cusp Staffordshire 2002 -2006 “eL-P2R2” - Focus on Policy, Procedure, Role and Responsibility: –The integrative approach to course development –Holistic quality assurance and course development planning –Addressing “vertical” and “horizontal” organisational coherence –SURF partnership working With thanks to Jenny Yorke

17. eLearning at the Cusp Reinforcing the Message The “rules of engagement” ‘Vertical coherence’ –Policy ‘Horizontal coherence’ –Operational Policies, Procedures, Roles and Responsibilities With thanks to Jenny Yorke

18. eLearning at the Cusp eLearning Policy Designed to address/achieve: flexible and independent learning; informal and individual learning. equity of opportunity and alignment of student support provision of a learning environment encompassing all of the learning experience supporting the independent and lifelong learner and continuing professional development access to eResources from point of need; repurposing and reuse robust quality assurance/enhancement with scope for innovation and employment of professional skills

19. eLearning at the Cusp eLearning Policy Designed to address/achieve: encouragement of research, scholarship and development in eLearning appropriate staff development, to ensure understanding of others’ roles practice, policy and strategy are responsive to lessons learned and new opportunities; removing barriers that impede or restrict effective eLearning. resources and support are appropriate to requirements and understood pricing of eLearning is both competitive and appropriate to the target populations.

20. eLearning at the Cusp So 2005… eLearning embedded in Strategies e.g. Information, LTA eLearning Policy “should” act as change enabler Operational Policies, Processes and procedures being aligned eg Quality Assurance, WBL Goal - eLearning just part of normal practice “e” disappears

21. eLearning at the Cusp But… Rate of increase of use high but mainly eSupported or “mundane” Mainstream possibly now less innovative than before Still problems with processes not aligned P2R2 focus seen by some as “Stalinist” Enthusiasts “subverting” policy

22. eLearning at the Cusp Freedom vs Control How to “loosen the chains” to encourage innovation without losing organisational control?

23. eLearning at the Cusp Freedom vs Control Nature of Universities promotes regulation & control Funding, audit & inspection promote the same Academic culture tends to be conservative University as “Professional Bureaucracy”

24. eLearning at the Cusp Freedom vs Control excessive hierarchy and over-heavy bureaucracy, the comfort of ingrained routines, strong vertical command structures and weak lateral and bottom-up communication, unbalanced and non-integrated authority across professional domains, conservatism and risk aversion, territoriality, defensiveness and insecurity as well as wilfulness (Middlehurst, 1998) The individual experts may be highly innovative within a specialist domain, but the difficulties of coordination across functions and disciplines impose severe limits on the innovative capability of the organization as a whole. (Lam, 2005)

25. eLearning at the Cusp Loosening the Local Bonds Staff Development Strategy: Explicit embedding of TSL in PgCHPE Integration with accreditable bespoke opportunities Models of good practice With thanks to Jenny Yorke

26. eLearning at the Cusp Loosening the Local Bonds eLearning Models Develop and share good practice, promote uptake and quality Successful local and national community Representations and case studies How to guides and Ask the experts Embedded in Modules and Integrative Approach (Theory to practice and practice to theory) Fastracking of development using “badged” approaches With thanks to Jenny Yorke

27. eLearning at the Cusp Loosening the Local Bonds Diversifying delivery Repository based Extraction of QAed resources Promote reuse and repurposing Include “novel” resources Delivery to VLEs, Portals, Portfolios and Web 2.0 tools Being tested by JISC Projects (SURF WBL-Way) Intend to start series of evaluated pilots With thanks to Jenny Yorke

28. eLearning at the Cusp JISC and SURF Strengthening partnership through projects: Portal and Services SURF WBL-Way SURF X4L SURF WBL SUNIWE Reuse & Repurposing Generic WBL Resources

29. eLearning at the Cusp The vision… Employers Mentors Tutors Learners PortalPortal Services Other Tools & Systems SURF MIS Systems SURF VLEs RepositoryRepository

30. eLearning at the Cusp The “new factors” Service-Oriented Architectures and the e-Framework Systems such as ePortfolios “Web 2.0” All of these pose challenges for institutions around ownership and control of processes, systems and information

31. eLearning at the Cusp What is ownership? Ownership includes: possession - “right to determine the uses of assets“ authority - a variable aspect of ownership control - roles and responsibilities - refines ownership of systems and their interoperation Who owns the relationship between interoperating systems? Someone must have the right to alter or sever a relationship.

32. eLearning at the Cusp A New World? Tutors and learners will build their own toolsets from: what is provided by the institution what they have on their own (personal) computer what is available on the Web. Learners will “opt out” of systems institutions and tutors might prefer them to use for formal learning activities initiate “sharing” and “community” activities outside of formal learning using tools they have chosen. engage with wider and more diverse communities.

33. eLearning at the Cusp A New World? How will learning strategies will be articulated? How will they be communicated to learners? How will learning be managed and facilitated? How can learners use outputs from self-generated activity? Blurring between informal and formal learning? Understanding the “intermediate zone”? Institutions and practitioners need to consider what (and how) they need to control and/or influence and what might be “let go” or exploited.

34. eLearning at the Cusp A Decision-making Framework The world will consist of: Institutional systems External systems – both web and organisational “Private” toolkits And interoperating mixtures of these! It will require a cultural shift in how IT management view risk and control the use of systems by tutors and learners. Some form of decision making tool is need to inform strategy & policy and hence influence & guide practice.

35. eLearning at the Cusp A possible framework? Control level Institution Initiated Tutor InitiatedLearner Initiated ControlEnrolment Progression Summative assessment Course structure Submission of work for assessment ManageTutor led discussion Lecture Course Resources FacilitateGroup ProjectCourse/Group Discussion EnableFormal Peer discussion Blog of learning experience RecogniseInformal peer discussion Personal Blog Demonstration

36. eLearning at the Cusp Thank you for your time - and patience m.j.stiles@staffs.ac.uk

37. eLearning at the Cusp Information… This talk has been based on: Stiles, M and Yorke, J, “Technology Supported Learning – Tensions between Innovation and Control and Organisational and Professional Culture”, Journal of Organisational Transformation and Social Change, In Press For access to the the eLearning Models Community: http://crusldi1.staffs.ac.uk/moodle/http://crusldi1.staffs.ac.uk/moodle/ Project Websites http://www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/X4L/ http://www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/SUNIWE/ http://www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/SURFWBL/ http://www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/WBLWAY/ Also available on request access to the SURF WBL Moodle evaluation site: http://crusldi1.staffs.ac.uk/moodle/ registration code “smileforme” http://crusldi1.staffs.ac.uk/moodle/ Other papers and project reports: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/cosenew/reportsandpapers.html