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Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education

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Clare Holden, Loughborough College. Claire Bradshaw, Loughborough University ... Investigate restrictions on staff access to ICT-based communications in FE and HE ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education


1
Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in
Further and Higher Education
  • A JISC-funded study
  • Louise Cooke and Helen Greenwood

2
About the Day
  • Introductions and welcome
  • Programme for the day
  • Project findings
  • Peter Falconer, Lauder College
  • Clare Holden, Loughborough College
  • Claire Bradshaw, Loughborough University
  • Discussion Forum and JISC update

3
Aims of the Project
  • Investigate restrictions on staff access to
    ICT-based communications in FE and HE
  • What groups of staff are affected by restrictions
    on access?
  • What factors contribute to restricted access?
  • What impact do restrictions have on the
    efficiency and effectiveness of institutions and
    individuals?
  • Identify examples of best practice.

4
Methodological Approach
  • Desk research
  • Questionnaire survey
  • Survey design and piloting
  • Target population
  • Case studies
  • Selection of sites
  • Semi-structured interviews
  • Review of policies

5
The Questionnaire Survey
  • Response from one third of both sectors
  • Typically received from Heads of IT/ IS or ILT/
    e-learning / Learning Resources Managers
  • Data analysis
  • By sector
  • Presentation of data

6
Questionnaire and Case Study Themes
  • Institutional communication and access policies
  • Electronic and hard copy information
    dissemination
  • Who has restricted access to ICT?
  • What effect does this have for the individual and
    for the institution?
  • ICT training and skills
  • Current initiatives to improve access and
    institutional communication.

7
The Case Studies
  • Six sites were visited
  • Causeway Institute
  • Lauder College
  • Loughborough College
  • University of Wales, Bangor
  • University of Chichester
  • Loughborough University

8
The Case Studies cont.
  • A range of personnel were interviewed, including
  • IT and/or Information Services
  • Estates Department
  • Equality and Diversity
  • E-learning Champion
  • Staff Development and Human Resources
  • Teaching staff
  • Trade Union representative

9
Findings Communications Policies
  • Many do not have a formal policy, but strategy
    documents commit to increased use of
    e-communication
  • FE significantly more likely to have policies
    than HE
  • LC has Electronic Communication Policy,
    Chichester has Internal Communication Policy
  • Move toward electronic information dissemination,
    but hard copy is still popular people like
    paper.
  • In around 80 of responding institutions,
    corporate documentation is made available on
    paper, but often only on request

10
Communications Policies cont.
  • Reliance on line managers to cascade information
  • Development and promotion of intranet
  • Use of portal solution (Chichester)
  • Appointment of Director of Corporate
    Communications (Bangor)

11
Findings Access to PCs
  • Policies governing principles of access are more
    common than communications policies

12
Access to PCs cont.
  • PC provision is generally good, with increased
    use of laptops for loan or home access
  • Schemes for staff purchase of PCs
  • All staff entitled to user a/c and email and open
    access facilities are available to all
  • Recognition of needs of users with visual
    impairment
  • Recognition of need for all staff to use ICT

13
Access to PCs cont.
  • BUT part-time and/or community-based teaching
    staff often experience access difficulties
  • Staff employed by contractors are not usually
    given access
  • Devolved PC purchasing can lead to inequalities
  • Manual staff usually have low specification PCs.

14
Questionnaire Findings Factors affecting access

15
ICT Skills and Training
  • Totally inclusive staff development policies
    vs. institutions where not all staff groups have
    access to ICT training
  • Training for staff in manual occupations may have
    low take-up
  • Skills levels of teaching personnel are variable
  • Use of ILT champions
  • Information literacy skills as important as IT
    skills
  • Induction is key opportunity

16
ICT Skills and Training cont.
  • New systems drive training needs
  • Time constraints limit opportunities for
    training, especially for PT and non-desk-based
    staff
  • Peer mentoring/buddying
  • Good examples of special initiatives for manual
    staff
  • Importance of leadership and culture of learning

17
Drivers of wider ICT use
  • Government funding initiatives and quality
    reviews, e.g. DEL e-learning strategy in N.
    Ireland, IiP
  • Increased use of ILT
  • Impact of implementation of new e-systems (e.g.
    e-registration, facilities management and
    finance)
  • Information overload

18
Technological Initiatives
  • Electronic Independent Student Learning
    Agreements (ISLAs), e-registers, e-finance
    systems, e-facilities management systems etc.
  • Potential of mobile, handheld and wireless
    technologies
  • VoIP technology
  • Personalisation of the learning environment via
    SMS, podcasts etc.

19
Other Initiatives
  • ICT training initiatives
  • IT Awareness Week
  • Targeting of information dissemination
  • Initiatives to achieve upwards communication

20
Challenges and Barriers
  • Fear, apprehension and inverse snobbery
  • Lack of motivation or perception of need
  • Intranets can become bulging and difficult to
    navigate
  • Reliance on line managers can lead to patchy
    information provision
  • Line managers attitudes, especially with regard
    to trust

21
Challenges and Barriers cont.
  • Lack of systems integration
  • Geographic location especially distributed
    estates
  • Financial considerations
  • Manual staff and PT staff face particular
    barriers
  • 24/7 culture
  • Need to retain personal touch

22
Emergent Themes
  • Motivation is a bigger issue than PC access
  • Need to secure support and engagement of
    managerial and supervisory staff at all levels
  • How information is communicated is more important
    than what technology is provided

23
Implications and Further Work
  • Methods appeared satisfactory to achieve aims and
    objectives
  • Potential to learn from existing examples of good
    communication practice
  • Managing information overload
  • Policy development, dissemination and
    implementation guidelines
  • Longitudinal approach to measure improvement over
    time

24
Acknowledgments
  • JISC
  • Questionnaire pilots
  • Questionnaire respondents
  • Case study participants
  • LISU staff
  • PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS!

25
DISCUSSION POINTS
  • JISC Future directions
  • Observations and questions from todays sessions
  • How do these findings compare with your own
    experience and practice?
  • Do you have any examples of initiatives in your
    own institution to add to those already
    discussed?
  • What should be the balance between hard copy and
    electronic information provision?
  • Would it be useful to have guidelines for policy
    development in this area?
  • How can we evaluate progress in this area?
  • Has today been useful for you?
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