Positing Learning Technologies in Higher Education:
Debating the Differing Demands of Pedagogy and the IT
Business Case
Designs in Elearning (DeL) 2013
Wilmington, NC
Dr. Paula McIver Nottingham
Middlesex University
Mr. James Nottingham
Regents University
DISCLAIMER: the two presenters are using
their draft work on UCISA’s Social Media
Toolkit to stage a mock debate that relates to
how staff in universities might view the use
of social media.
The role-playing positions are:
the hard-working conservative
and enterprise-centered CIO
whose job is to ‘protect’ the
university
the hard-working innovative
student-centered academic
whose job is to develop
learning capabilities and
employability skills
DEBATE – MAKING THE CASE
CIO
•Higher Education
•Learning and Teaching
•Customer Service
•Infrastructure
•Framework – planning
•Institutional policy
•Information governance protecting university
•Decision making
•New technologies – including
social media
•Supporting learning
•The business case
‘Come back to me with a
business case.’
Practitioner
•
•
•
Exciting possibilities to engage
students necessity for 21st
century learner
Use of pedagogical theory
Using flexible learning practice to
create learners who incorporate
social media skills for
employability during their
university education
‘Do you understand what I’m
trying to do?’
What do I know?
A Framework
Information Governance
The Executive
COO
Information Systems
Service Group
CIO & HoD ITS
Senate
CIO/Deputy CIO
CIO
Senate Student
Affairs Committee
Deputy CIO & HoD ITS
Senate research
Committee
Deputy CIO
College Professional
Services Group
Deputy CIO & HoD ITS
Senate Academic
Affairs Committee
Deputy CIO & HoD MIS
Learning Resources
Committee
Deputy CIO
Office of the CIO
Chief Information Officer
Management Information Services
Learning Resources
Information Technology Services
Faculty Learning &
teaching Committees
Deputy CI0
Better Regulations
Group
HoD MIS
Senate Academic
Development
Committee
Deputy CIO & HoD MIS
New Learning Opportunities
Supporting Learning
The Learner
&
The
Academic
The Business Case
•Clear links to strategy & Plans
•Keep it simple!
•The value proposition
•Fully costed
•Options analysis
•Net present value
•Easy to do
•BA’s SA’s et al…
‘Come back to me with a business case.’
The business case?
http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk
Centre for Learning and
Teaching = ALEX - Moodle
Following government policy for academics – E-learning (HEFCE), JISC +
HEA. The guidance is to incorporate digital technologies into learning
(including social media).
•‘A Practical Guide to Providing Flexible Learning in Further and Higher
Education’ that “the ‘value’ in flexible learning is in the teaching and
interaction with students and creating the right conditions in which they
can learn” (Casey and Wilson, 2005, p. 3).
•In a blended learning environment communication is now carried out
through multi-modal conveyances (Jewitt, 2009). Pictures and words –
sometimes pictures, audio or audio visual come first (the written word
may not necessarily be privileged anymore in communication).
Digital literacy – what does it mean for
students using Web 2.0?
Learning in a ‘disruptive’ environment
Christensen, Clayton M. (1997) ‘The innovator's dilemma: when new technologies
cause great firms to fail’.
Explained two stereotypes of disruptive innovation:
“Low end disruption” occurs when a simpler, cheaper and lower-performing
offering that still meets customer needs enters the market and undermines
ostensibly more sophisticated offerings.”
“New market disruption” occurs when an innovation enables a new or emerging
market segment that is not being served by existing incumbents in the industry.”
(observatory.jisc.ac.uk)
Pedagogical models exist but using these models can mean changing
conventional content-led approaches.
Barnett (1999) realizing the
university in an age of
‘supercomplexity’ creating
an environment that is
appropriate for learning in
higher education
Brabazon (2007)
The University of Google
Siemens (2005)
connectivity
Conole (2010)
working with cloud
technology
Solomon, Boud and
Rooney (2006)
everyday learning at
work
Argyris and Schön (1974) ‘espoused’
theories and ‘theories in use’ to examine
existing practice AND POLICY.
Do you understand what it is that I have to do?
REBUTTAL
CIO
• Yes I understand the needs of the
end user – ideally the the tools
are available behind the firewall
where it is safe via VLEs and
tech enhanced tools (this is
informed by the L&T staff) – IT
policies generally say that you
should work within the confines of
the enterprise
• Protecting the university entity by
assuring government’s data
protection and quality assurance
procedures - QAA
• Planning is an18 -24 month cycle
• Cost implications of engagement
• The new CIO – a change in
management
Practitioner
• So provision is based on the
policies of the corporate entity but
the options for student-centered
learning need to be taken into
consideration by IT related
policies for academic work
• Student life is very fast-paced and
social media technologies keep
up with that way of working, it is
the academic who needs to
facilitate and inform how students
think to promote academically
sound engagement with social
media.
• Students working exclusively
behind a firewall may may not
understand current business
practice
Decision Making Workflow
The Executive
Strategy
& Plans
COO
The Executive & Trustees
Institutional Resources
The Faculties
Groups & Individuals
Business Proposals
v
CIO
Support Departments
Supporting
Innovation
Faulty Projects
Office of the CIO
Supporting the Business
Chief Information Officer
Management Information Services
Learning Resources
Information Technology Services
Innovation
Business Case
Decision Making
• The ‘new CIO’ negotiates between the enterprise
and the academics
• A combined service structure
• The plan is ‘live’
• Decisions to be taken by the CIO
• Cost benefits
Making a Difference
Developing practice that uses social
media
•as a way of communicating
•developing digital literacy that
appreciates the private/public issues as a
point in the learning process – fluency
and responding to change
•ethical aspects of learning in a Web 2.0
and beyond
Martin Weller
The Digital Scholar
Diane Laurillard
Teaching as a Design Science
Salmon (2003) E-tivities
Practitioners and students are providing an argument for working with
social media within higher education.
Sources upon request.
CLOSING REBUTTAL
CI
O
Okay, that’s why UCISA is doing the
Social Media toolkit to give IT leaders
clear guidelines for their institutions.
Practitioner
Okay, I get it. It would be good for
everyone to understand that I am
developing pedagogy based on the
needs of the students.
I think there needs to be a clear link
between the IT department, the L&T
central staff, and the academics for
best practice. Maybe the UCISA
toolkit will provide an inclusive
template that benefits practitioners.
Points of view from the floor…