Open and flexible learning opportunities for all?

Findings from the 2016 UCISA TEL Survey on learning technology developments across UK HE

Richard Walker (University of York)UCISA Academic Support Group workshop

ALT-C 2016:6th September 2016

About the UCISA TEL SurveyNational survey into TEL

undertaken by UCISA, with backing from the UK Heads of e-Learning Forum.

Running biennially since 2001: https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/tel

2016 report addresses open learning and deployment of learning analytics systems across UK HEIs

The 2016 Survey110 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

Workshop outline & resourcesTheme 1: Open Learning: YouTube summary video: http://tinyurl.com/open-learning-summary

Theme 2: Learning Analytics: YouTube summary video: http://tinyurl.com/learning-analytics-summary

2016 TEL Survey Report:https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/tel

Theme 1: Open LearningWhat 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?

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

Key conclusions on open learning4) 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

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?

Theme 2: Learning AnalyticsWhat 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?

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

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.

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?

Theme 3: Other key findingsReview of new services and innovative practices

TEL tools - centrally supported Tool 2016 2014 2012 2010 VLE 99% 95% - - E-submission 93% 85% 87% 89% Text-matching 90% 95% 92% 92% Formative e-assessment 87% 71% 79% 80%

Asynchronous communication

85% - - -

Summative e-assessment

81% - - -

Blog 76% 73% 72% 74% Document sharing 76% 45% 51% - E-portfolio 74% 78% 76% 72% Media streaming 73% 65% - -

TEL tools – VLEsMain institutional VLE

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 useMoodle 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.

VLEs (ALL) currently used in UK HEIs

Moo

dle

Blackb

oard

Futur

elear

n

Open E

duca

tion (

Bb)

Other

VLE

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

TotalPre-92Post-92

Types of coursesa) Blended learning: lecture notes and supplementary resources

for courses studied in class are available;b) 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);

c) Fully online courses;d) Open online learning courses for all students at your

institution: internal access only;e) Open online boundary courses: free external access to the

course materials for the public, but assessment restricted to students registered at your institution only;

f) Open online learning courses for public: free external access

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

TEL developments making new support demandsRecent 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

Challenges to TEL developmentChallenges 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

Barriers to future developmentLack of time (still the most significant barrier)

Longitudinal view of the top 7 of 16 rankingsBarriers – lack of… 2016 2014 2012 2010 2008 2005Time 1 1 1 1 1 1

Departmental/school culture 2 5 3 - - -

Internal sources of funding 3 - - - - -

Academic staff commitment 4 7 6 5 - -

Institutional culture 5 4 8 7 4 8

Staff knowledge 6 2 5 3 2 7

Recognition for career dev. 7 8 4 4 6 4

Support staff 8 10 9 8 5 3

Accessing the ReportThe 2016 TEL Survey report is available on the UCISA

website at:https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/tel

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.

Acknowledgements and thanksTo 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) membersTo UCISA Academic Support Group members