Survey Partners Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education Survey Report 2017 Contents The Survey 3 Survey Methodology and Respondents’ Profile 5 Key Findings 6 Conclusion 11 Appendix 1: Full Survey Questions 12 Appendix 2: Participating Organisations 19 Acknowledgements The survey team at iGov Survey would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who were kind enough to take part – and especially to those who found the time to offer additional insights through their extra comments. We would also like to thank our partner, Brother UK, for their assistance in compiling the survey questions, scrutinising the responses and analysing the results. Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 is © copyright unless explicitly stated otherwise. All rights, including those in copyright in the content of this publication, are owned by or controlled for these purposes by iGov Survey. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law or iGov Survey’s Terms of Use, the content of this publication may not be copied, produced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any way without first obtaining iGov Survey’s written permission, or that of the copyright owner. To contact the iGov Survey team: Email: [email protected] Tel: 0845 094 8567 Address: FAO Sandra Peet, Pacific House, Pacific Way, Digital Park, Salford Quays, M50 1DR Page 2! of 20! Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 The Survey Traditional methods of teaching are fast becoming obsolete. Gone are the days of chalkboards and textbooks. The modern classroom must now cater to changing expectations, from staff, students and parents alike, as pupils prepare for the digital world of education and beyond. The 2017 consumer digital index carried out by Lloyds Bank suggests that 97% of people aged 15 to 24 now have basic digital skills, up 4% from 93% in 20151. As pupils develop new skills and continue to embrace the latest digital advancements outside of the classroom, the pressure to adapt inside mounts. And it’s not just changing pupil expectations that is driving this shift. A poll carried out by the app TeacherTapp found that 60% of teachers state they are unhappy with the balance between their professional and personal commitments. Moreover, research conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) suggests just under a quarter of teachers (23%) are now considering leaving the profession due to workload2. Today, UK schools spend over £900m on educational technology every year3. Further research also suggests that 67% of educators believe technology enables them to engage better with students by using a familiar medium, whilst more than half use online technology to learn and work remotely4. With this in mind, iGov Survey partnered with supplier of technology solutions for business, Brother UK, to examine the ways in which institutions across the UK currently use web and video technology to aid in teaching and learning, and how this is being used to foster increased collaboration not just for students, but for staff as well. About Our Survey Partner OmniJoin HD web collaboration from Brother UK is a cost effective, easy to use and network-friendly hosted/on premise platform perfect for today’s universities and further education institutions. Brother's intelligent video offers up to HD quality at typically a third of the bandwidth footprint of competitor technologies, providing reliability for web conferencing even on challenging network connections. 1 Lloyds Bank (2017) ‘Lloyds Bank Consumer Digital Index 2017’ [Online]. Available at: http://www.lloydsbank.com/assets/media/pdfs/lloyds-bank- consumer-digital-index-2017.pdf (Accessed 7 November 2017) 2 Allen, R (2017) ‘Stop shooting silver bullets and learn to trust our teachers again’ [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/nov/ 07/trust-teachers-auditing-performance (Accessed 7 November 2017) 3 Manning, E. (2017) ‘Out with the old school? The rise of ed tech in the classroom’ [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/small-business- network/2017/aug/01/schools-slowly-edtech-sector-cubetto-kahoot-firefly (Accessed 7 November 2017) 4 Classflow (2017) ‘The State of Technology in Education’ [Online]. Available at: https://resourced.classflow.co.uk/app/uploads/2017/08/ CF_StateOfTech_Infographic-1-e1474195491671.png (Accessed 7 November 2017) Page 3! of 20! Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 A true immersive collaboration experience with file sharing, real-time document working, annotation, video playback and recording, while offering a simple and intuitive user interface. Used extensively for remote learning within universities, with cross platform support and integration into existing solutions (LMS) via our free APIs. To find out more, visit: https://www.brother.co.uk/business-solutions/web-conferencing Page 4! of 20! Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 Survey Methodology and Respondents’ Profile This survey was conducted by iGov Survey in partnership with Brother UK. The project ran from Friday 14 July 2017 to Monday 2 October 2017. Survey respondents represented a broad cross-section of roles across UK education institutions. This included: Administration, Business Development, Business Management, Chief Executive/Deputy, Childrens Services, Contract Services, Corporate Services, Digital, E-Government, Education, Finance Management, General Manager, Head teacher, Information, IT Management, IT Technical Lead, Operations, Organisational Planning, Performance, Procurement/Purchasing, Project, Public Relations, Quality Assurance, Research, Senior Manager, Service Delivery, Shared Services, Technical Services, and Transformation/Change Management. 154 individuals from 134 unique organisations participated in the survey, each of whom will have received a complimentary copy of the findings report. There was no inducement to take part in the survey, and Brother UK was not introduced as the survey partner. The results displayed throughout this report are based on those who fully completed the questionnaire and are displayed as a percentage of this group, unless explicitly stated otherwise. 22% FIGURE 1: Sector Breakdown Colleges of Further Education 48% Primary Schools Secondary Schools Universities 29% 1% Page 5! of 20! Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 Key Findings The vast majority of participants (84%) state that it is very important for their institution to allow staff and students to communicate better, regardless of location or device It is encouraging to see many participants recognise the importance of embracing new ways of working enabled by technology, as new devices and software alter the way in which we interact with the world, both in and outside of the classroom. Just 1% of survey participants said it was not important to them at present, suggesting that for the majority, technology is a vital catalyst in improving the way in which staff and students communicate. 1% 15% FIGURE 2: How important is it for your institution to allow staff and students to communicate better, regardless of location or device? Very important Slightly important Not important Not at all important 84% Looking at the current level of technology adoption across the sector, 92% of participants enable their students to access course materials via multiple devices, including onsite computers, mobile devices or external personal devices. 85% allow their students to bring their own devices, such as tablets or laptops, and a further 62% offer staff and students the ability to engage, share collaboratively and work with others from a remote location via web and video conferencing. FIGURE 3: Current levels of adoption among ability to use multiple devices, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schemes, and web or video conferencing. Yes No Don't know Are students able to access course materials via multiple devices? Does your institution allow your students to bring their own devices (BYOD)? Are students and staff able to engage, share and work with other via web/video conferencing from a remote location? 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Page 6! of 20! Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 Over half of participants (52%) state that they use web or video conferencing to provide remote online learning courses A further 48% use the technology to enable the delivery of training courses for staff and 39% conduct video-based interviews in this manner. It is encouraging to see that many participants are using web and video conferencing for a diverse range of purposes, highlighting an awareness across the sector of its flexibility. FIGURE 4: For which of the following do you currently use web or video conferencing? Please tick all that apply. Video-based interviews Internal staff meetings Training courses for staff Remote online learning courses Remote parent/teacher meetings Facilitating student group sessions Recording learning sessions Not in use Other 0% 15% 30% 45% 60% Importantly, almost three quarters of participants (71%) highlighted web and video conferencing technology as a means of achieving their goal of enabling new ways of learning, teaching and working within their organisation. A further 63% cite improved communication and collaboration between students, teachers and wider staff as another significant benefit of the technology. Page 7! of 20! Web & Video Conferencing Trends in Education 2017 FIGURE 5: Which of the following do you consider to be a key benefit of web/video conferencing? Please rate