Author: Chris Hall, c.m.hall@swan.ac.uk

JISC e-Learning Activity Area: Technology-enhanced Learning Environments

This case study illustrates...staff support, an effect on learning, innovation in learning and teaching, staff satisfaction with e-learning, staff personal development, an influence on policy, modifications to learning spaces, management of learning assets, use of blogging

Tangible Benefits

What tangible benefits did this e-learning approach produce?

Although it is still early days and the project is very much a work-in-progress there have already been some tangible benefits.

One of the main goals of the Learning Lab was to build and expand the community of e-learning practitioners within the University. While we have by no means reached a situation where the use of e-learning is embedded in learning and teaching we have managed to increase the community beyond the initial group of learning technologists and a few keen academics. Whilst the original group are still at the core of the community, it now involves a much larger and wider range of academics as well as library and support staff.

At the moment staff are beginning to look towards the next teaching block and we have started to see more interest in using 'Web 2.0' technology in innovative and interesting ways. In addition we have seen an increase in the number of staff using blogs for information, teaching and self-reflection.

There has been a great deal of sharing of resources as can be seen on the resources wiki. Staff have been sharing useful tools they have found for a whole variety of teaching and research related tasks as well as useful websites and reference material. Staff have also begun sharing their experiences of various aspects of e-learning.

A good community is all about people, in our online presence we facilitate ways in which people can connect with each other, share and collaborate. However, we are very aware that social elements are important to communities, and facilitate occasions where people can get together and talk in an informal environment. We hold regular 'e-learning and cakes' gatherings where people can meet face-to-face to discuss topics of interest related to e-learning in an informal environment (and there is cake!). These sessions were originally attended by learning technologists but have now expanded to include academics from a wide range of departments, librarians, staff development staff and IT support staff. This year we have also run short 'Lunch and Learn' sessions, where lunch is provided, alongside information about e-learning in general as well as specific topics such as Wikis and Blogs. They have been so popular, with each session for 25 people full sometime in advance, that we are scheduling more.

Did implementation of this e-learning approach have any disadvantages or drawbacks?

It is one thing to work with a few keen academics and some techies on a small project but it takes much more time when attempting to embed e-learning across the curriculum. As a result the initial stages were very slow and it took a while for the Learning Lab to grow and develop, which was frustrating at times. For the community to flourish the initial core group need to release control to the community as a whole, which can be difficult. This is particularly the case when there is still a need for encouragement for the community to grow. As we are attempting to put as few barriers as possible in the way for staff who want to experiment with e-learning, there is limited authentication required for the communicative areas of the website. Whilst this was done to encourage those with less confidence in using IT to take part, it has also encouraged spammers into the discussion board!

How did this e-learning approach accord with or differ from any relevant departmental and/or institutional strategies?

The first objective of the 2006-07 e-Learning Strategy is to:

'Create a virtual centre for e-learning at the University to support collaboration between schools and departments on all aspects of e-learning. To discuss, formulate and disseminate ideas and best practice and a forum where learning and teaching rather than technology drive the process.'

The University e-Learning Strategy states:

'e-Learning is just one of a selection of tools in the teaching toolkit and as with all learning and teaching should be guided by learning and teaching considerations rather than technical demands. Its success or otherwise depends on how these tools are used; how their use is planned, implemented and evaluated.'

'The use of e-learning should not be tied to specific proprietary systems and tools but related to learning processes which such tools facilitate.'

Thus the Learning Lab is not about technology as such but about providing information experiences to enable staff to decide which tools, if any, are appropriate of their use.