Staffordshire University Distance-Learning Project Final Report December 2012

Staffordshire University Distance-Learning Project Final Report December 2012 The purpose of this report is to summarise the findings from the Distance-Learning Project Working Group which met between April and December 2012. In addition to an exploration of the current practice in distance-learning, recommendations are also made as to how the University might effectively deliver this type of provision in the future. Preferred scenarios and focussed options are highlighted, with a view to finding discernible pathways to achieve a sustainable solution for future distance-learning provision. Marj Spiller Distance-Learning Project Manager Contents Executive Summary Page 3 Definition of terms Page 4 The external environment Page 4 The internal environment-current distance-learning at the University Page 5 Finding a way forward Page 7 Project structure and membership Page 8 Auditing and exploring existing institutional practice Page 9 Capturing the student voice Page 11 Learning from external practice Page 13 Task and finish group recommendations Page 14 Summary of the emergent issues Page 19 Key recommendations: suggested ways forward Page 22 Conclusions Page 24 References Page 25 Distance Learning Project Plan Appendix 1 Inventory of Distance Learning Resources Appendix 2 Inventory of A to Z e-Learning facilitation within the University Appendix 3 Audit of Current Institutional Practice Appendix 4 Survey of Current Distance Learning Students Appendix 5 Distance Learning-Student Quotes Appendix 6 Distance-Learning Practice Within Other Universities: Desk-top Research Appendix 7 External Intelligence Gathering Appendix 8 Task and Finish Group Summary Reports Appendix 9 Scenario Planning Appendix 10 Options Appraisal: Emergent Views Appendix 11 2 Executive Summary In order to understand distance-learning provision within the University, a Project Working Group and a Project Board were established. The membership of these groups was representative of all Faculties and relevant Services, bringing together a number of academic and professional support staff involved in distance-learning. This in itself was a significant achievement, paving the way for a partnership approach to the project from staff who had hitherto worked quite separately. These groups met between April and December 2012, and as a result of a number of tasks which they agreed to undertake, a collective approach to the analysis of data was achieved, leading to the production of a final report. Essentially the report seeks to make sense of the current practice in distance learning within the University, set in the context of both institutional academic policy and national trends for this type of provision within the HE sector. From the early stages of evidence collection for this report, it became apparent that despite some pockets of excellent distance-learning practice within the University, a cottage-industry approach had evolved, with an obvious lack of consistency in how a number of administrative and pedagogic tasks were undertaken. Duplication of resources also became apparent, with limited sharing of good practice and an in-built systems inertia to cope with the growing student demands for greater flexibility, transparency and accessibility. In addition, a lack of institutional definition of what distance-learning meant was coupled with a student-record system which produced confusing data-coding and therefore little help to staff in the accurate monitoring of student retention and achievement. Through this project, task and finish groups were established. This structure provided opportunities for staff from different parts of the University to discuss how distance learning could be improved. Tracing the student life-cycle within the University and focussing on staff and student support, finance, protocols, standards, and technical infrastructure, a number of suggested developments were made. Superimposed on these, scenario-planning and options appraisal exercises were undertaken, leading to the outlining of key recommendations not only for how distance-learning can be taken forward within the University but also indentifying which groups of potential students to target. The conclusions outlined in this report highlight that in order to secure future growth in distance- learning provision, continuing with the current localised approach to curriculum planning, administration and management is not an option. Instead, a strong institutional commitment to 3 centralisation is needed. This will require up-front investment to secure greater efficiency and effectiveness, enabled by the introduction of institution-wide policies and practices to put the distance-learning student at the heart of every decision and process. If the Executive Team decide to adopt an in-principle agreement with the recommendations within this report, the next stage would be to commission a fully-costed business-plan. Definition of terms Before exploring the current state of distance-learning within the University, a clarification of the terminology in use is necessary. Undoubtedly there exists a wide range of terms for this type of provision, both within the University and in the wider HE sector. Phrases such as on-line learning, flexible learning, technology-enhanced learning, e-learning and work-based learning are often used to describe learning which is not enabled through face-to-face delivery but instead where the student and the tutor are separated. HEFCE allude to distance learning as a regime whereby attendance at lectures is not necessary but can, instead, be replaced by electronic or paper-based engagement with students. Similarly, HESA highlights the non-attendance nature of this form of learning, whereas QAA focus on the way in which learning materials are transferred to the student’s location rather than the student moving to the location of the resource provider. Therefore, for the purpose of this report, distance-learning refers to any form of learning which separates the student from the tutor, and the provision of learning materials is predominantly through electronic rather than paper-based mediums (even though this still occurs on some awards). It does not include blended learning which combines face-to-face with on-line learning. The external environment Across the HE sector, distance-learning provision is becoming an attractive proposition to individual institutions seeking to counterbalance a capped and diminishing under-graduate population with a new-found (and mainly post-graduate) pool of learners. Furthermore, in an era of squeezed campus- based accommodation, distance learning offers a plausible solution to the problem of how to increase capacity without putting undue strain on resources. It also enables universities to reach into global markets, compensating for the tightening of UK Border Agency restrictions which now limit the number of overseas students accessing traditional campus-based learning. This growth of distance-learning provision within universities has not, however, been the result of sector or institutional strategic development. Instead, it has tended to be localised, piecemeal and the result of atomistic endeavour. Indeed, whilst White et al. (2010) claim that 37% of UK FE and HE institutions offer one or more distance-learning, they also suggest this expansion “has taken place 4 on an ad hoc basis, often at the departmental level, and this has led to a situation where it is difficult to assess the overall level of ODL (online distance-learning) across the sector” (p. 11). Traditional models of higher education are under threat by the rise of the information society. There has been a transformation in regards to how information can be accessed (e.g. the Cloud, Open Educational Resources and Mobile Learning) and the physical constraints on learning are no longer tied to a physical location in manner that they once were. The classroom is no longer a three dimensional space, the library is no longer a building of books. There is a now a level of maturity in technology-supported learning, with an understanding of the factors that influence successful educational outcomes in online distance learning. In addition, the digital environment is now an effective place for social interaction and collaboration and one that provides expanded options for the educational experience. Indeed, there is now a sufficient body of evidence that online distance learning can produce as effective and indeed stronger student learning outcomes than traditionally delivered courses. Despite the growing popularity of distance-learning as a preferred way to study in a number of universities, completion statistics are significantly lower than in awards using face-to-face teaching. These indicate that many students find distance-learning a challenging way to study, leading to nationally low retention and graduation rates. Furthermore, international distance education graduation rates are very low compared with conventional face- to-face higher education. These are sometimes in single figure percentages. The OU’s graduation rates are currently at 22% which equates to only about a quarter of full-time (82%) and half of part-time (39%) UK Higher Education graduation rates. Most drop-out occurs very near the beginning of a course or module. In the OU nearly 40% of new students leave before the first assignment. There are also substantial differences in dropout rates between modules. The internal environment-current distance-learning at the University a) Regime adopted To date,

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