rising to the challenge of the digital age

Rising to the challenge of education in a digital age: who are the leaders

now?Professor Rhona

SharpeOxford Brookes

University

rsharpe@brookes.ac.uk

@rjsharpe

Building on the Jisc FE Digital Student Study

Kodak by Tara R on Flickr, CC-BY-NC 2.0)

Building on the Jisc FE Digital Student Study

Kodak by Tara R on Flickr, CC-BY-NC 2.0)

The path of disruptive innovation

Christensen, C. M. and Eyring, H. J. (2011) The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the

inside out. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

What kind of digital leaders are you: knowledgeable

What kind of digital leaders are you: knowledgeableScore 6-9: Digital leaders don’t have to be geeks but you do have to know enough about technology to seize opportunities and make good decisions on behalf of your organisation. Consider trying at least two new technologies you have seen used by teachers, learners or other leaders. Soon you will be talking like an expert! Score 10-14: You have a good understanding of the technologies in current use and can find out more when you have to. But you may lack time to explore emerging technologies or break out of current ways of thinking. Consider exploring at least one new trend in terms of its potential to enhance your organisation. 

Can we build it?

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/brookes-virtual-gateway/

http://www.paconsulting.com/our-thinking/higher-education-report-2015/

Why is the pace of innovation slow in HE?Deeply entrenched culture of

conservatism

Resistance to change among large parts of ageing academic workforce

Constraints of inflexible organisational structures, systems and processes

Risk aversion of leadership teams and governing bodies.

Can we build it?

“The key message to emerge was that institutions felt the substantive challenge was not the pedagogical model they chose to use for open and distance learning (ODL), but planning the configuration of the supporting infrastructure, resources and business models required to support the development and delivery of ODL programmes.”

White, D., Warren, N., Faughnan, S. & Manton, M. (2010) Study of UK Online Learning: A report for HEFCE. http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2010/rd1710/rd17_10.pdf

New markets and products?

Products

Markets Present New

PresentMarket penetration

New product development

New

Ansoff’s growth vector matrix (Ansoff, 1957)

Can UK HEIs plan for growth?

https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/jan-16-deadline-application-rates-report.pdf

New markets and products?

Products

Markets Present New

PresentMarket penetration

New product development

NewNew market development

Diversification

Ansoff’s growth vector matrix (Ansoff, 1957)

Exploring the discursive construction of the ‘MOOC’ in newspapers

“the findings point to a predominant portrayal of MOOCs in relation to the massification, marketization and monetization of higher education, rather than engaging in debate of either ‘technological’ or ‘educational’ issues such as online learning and pedagogy, instructional design or student experience.”

Selwyn, N., Bulfin, S. & Pangrazio, L. (2015) Massive Open Online Change? Exploring the discursive construction of the ‘MOOC’ in newspapers. Higher Education Quarterly, 69 (2), 175-192.

What kind of digital leaders are you: enterprising

da

What kind of digital leaders are you: enterprising

da

Score 6-9: Technology is being used to make incremental changes in your way of doing things but there are structural barriers to innovation, especially a risk-avoidant culture. In this climate you will need to push for developments that have already been proven effective by others. Listen to the examples at this conference.. Score 10-14: Technology is well embedded into your organisational processes and you are generally able to bring about change when there is good evidence that it will work. You need now to develop a more agile and innovative approach so that technology trends can work to your advantage. Speak to another digital leader or to an innovator in your own organisation and ask what are the real barriers to change.

What’s the big idea?

Pockets of innovation in education and pedagogy are no longer sufficient.

Organisational responses are needed to the challenges of the digital age.

We all have responsibility for this (shared leadership).

What’s the big idea?

Pockets of innovation in education and pedagogy are no longer sufficient.

Organisational responses are needed to the challenges of the digital age.

We all have responsibility for this (shared leadership).

Prepare learners to contribute to the global, networked society (market penetration).

Ensure that new business models meet the needs and expectations of digital learners (new product development).

Make it easier to disrupt institutional practices (develop and diversify).

3 possible responses

Prepare graduates to contribute to a global, networked society

So, as far as you remember, your essay is on one of the university PCs. And, you think I should be able to find it…

Prepare graduates to contribute to a global, networked society

Photo credit: Rhona Sharpe

Prepare graduates to contribute to a global, networked society

Photo credit: Rhona Sharpe

Prepare graduates to contribute to a global, networked society

Photo credit: Rhona Sharpe

The functional access, skills and practices necessary to become a confident, agile adopter of a range of technologies for personal, academic and professional use.

https://wiki.brookes.ac.uk/display/slidacases/Oxford+Brookes

At Oxford Brookes University, digital and information literacy is defined as ..

What’s at the top of the triangle?

Beetham & Sharpe (2010)Bennett (2014), Sharpe (2014)

EngagedConnectedConfidentAdaptableIntentionalSelf-aware

Brookes Survey of Student Engagement 2014

Ensure new business models meet (and manage) learners’ expectations

Perfect. Profile picture sorted. I wonder where the hotel is?

Ensure new business models meet (and manage) learners’ expectations

92% satisfaction with VLE

Brookes Barometer 2014

Students value:ability to access materials & contact tutors out of class time

Students dissatisfied:downtimeInconsistency in use

Ensure new business models meet (and manage) learners’ expectations

Careful, empirical examination of what learners actually do is largely absent’ (Oliver, 2015, p. 367)

Oliver, M. (2015) From openness to permeability: reframing open education in terms of positive liberty in the enactment of academic practices. Learning, Media and Technology, 40 (3), 365-384.

FE Digital Student Project

http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org/

Meeting the needs of all learners

Don’t assume we are digitally

literate

We need ongoing

development

We want to work with

lecturers…

Ask us what

we need…

Prepare and support learners to study successfully with learning technology. Learners typically do not have the digital skills that are often associated with the younger generation.

Make it easier to disrupt institutional practices

Welcome to everyone who’s come in today. You’ll be delighted to know that we’re joined by Adele, on the sofa with her table Ben, In Ibiza with his smart phone..

Make it easier to disrupt institutional practices

We persistently and perhaps increasingly reinforce the very behaviours we find frustrating by responding to students’ consumers’ desire for content, structure, and especially assessment.’ (Molesworth & Nixon, 2009, p.169)

Make it easier to disrupt institutional practices

We persistently and perhaps increasingly reinforce the very behaviours we find frustrating by responding to students’ consumers’ desire for content, structure, and especially assessment.’ (Molesworth & Nixon, 2009, p.169)

OCSLD Open Online Courses

- Online mentors employed by several universities (OBHE, 2013)

- Expert participants (Waite et al, 2013)

- Certificates and badges

- Light touch quality assurance

- Shared modules and credit transfer

- Ability to negotiate staff roles, responsibilities and workload

- ‘Third space professionals’ (Whitchurch & Gordon, 2013).

What kind of digital leaders are you: enabling (score range 6-36)

What kind of digital leaders are you: enabling (score range 6-36)Score 6-9: When we are lacking in digital confidence ourselves it is difficult to empower others. You know enough to make good decisions, even if you could not implement the technical solutions yourself. Consider identifying and bringing together at least four people - in different roles - who can help you to bring about the changes you want in your organisation. Score 10-14: You already know that digital technology can change organisational practices. Take a moment to identify the potential change agents within your organisation - people with the energy and commitment as well as the know-how to do new things with digital technology.

Building digital capability at Oxford Brookes

Building digital capability

Building digital capability at Oxford Brookes

What does this mean for us?

policy makersTEL managers

practitionersresearchers

government

industry reps

learners

Some practical ideas (take your pick)Use your communications team to publicise how learners develop digital practices through their programmes and put them to use after they leave.

Offer support to course teams with aspects of digital literacy that are difficult to develop e.g. online collaboration, using technology to reflect on and record learning.

Provide faculty academic managers with more freedom to allocate funding and allocation of staff time to experimental projects, which might require staff to work outside of their usual roles

Locate TEL innovations within the third space, taking advantage of the fluidity of roles and structures which allow new educational models to be developed and implemented.

Conduct regular investigations of learners’ digital practices and integrate the findings into the key decision gateways for course design and delivery.

Developing our digital leaders

Access the course resourceswww.moodle.openbrookes.net

Register your interest in a future course

http://bitly.com/1HTQanc

Acknowledgements

Cartoons by Bob Pomfret, Oxford Brookes University

‘What kind of digital leader are you?’ quiz by Helen Beethem for the ETF/ELMAG/OCSLD online course ‘Developing Digital Leaders. www.moodle.openbrookes.net

Digital Capabilities website developed by Richard Francis and Mark Childs, and presented to Jisc Student Experience Experts Group, April 2016, https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/student-experience-experts-group-meeting-20-apr-2016#resources

ReferencesBennett, L. (2014) Learning from the early adopter: developing the digital practitioner, Research in Learning Technology, 22: 21453

Molesworth, M. & Nixon, L. (2009) Frustrated aspirations: discovering the limits of a virtual learning environment in V. Bamber, P. Trowler, M. Saunders & P. Knight (eds) Enhancing Learning, Teaching, Assessment and Curriculum in Higher Education, pp. 164-171, Maidenhead: SRHE/OUP

OBHE (2013) Horizon Scanning: What will higher education look like in 2020? , Observatory of Borderless Higher Education.

Oliver, M. (2015) From openness to permeability: reframing open education in terms of positive liberty in the enactment of academic practices. Learning, Media and Technology, 40 (3), 365-384.

Sharpe, R. (2014), What does it take to learn in next generation learning spaces?, in Kym Fraser (ed.) The Future of Learning and Teaching in Next Generation Learning Spaces (International Perspectives on Higher Education Research, Volume 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.123-146.

Sharpe, R. & Beetham, H. (2010) Understanding students’ uses of technology for learning: towards creative appropriation. In Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age. Chapter available to download from http://bit.ly/1RhiRNP

Waite, M., Mackness, J., Roberts, G. & Lovegrove, E. (2013) Liminal Participants and Skilled Orienteers: Learner Participation in a MOOC for New Lecturers, Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9 (2), http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no2/waite_0613.htm

Whitchurch, C. & Gordon (2013) Staffing models and institutional flexibility, Leadership Foundation for Higher Education: London.