Implementing ICT for flexible learning: a change process

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Implementing ICT for flexible learninga change
process?

• Presentation at the Flexible Learning Conference
• University of Oslo
• 15 November 2007
• Petra Fisser
• University of Twente
• Curriculum Development Educational Innovation

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Flexible learning

• Your experiences 2002-2007

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Flexible learning

• My experiences
• Research 1997-2001
• Work-related activities (2001-2004)
• Head department ICT in Education, University of
  Amsterdam
• Programme Manager, Digital University
• Research and teaching (2004-)
• Educational innovation and implementation
• Projects Courses
• Example course Pedagogies for Flexible Learning
  supported by Technology

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Pedagogies for Flexible Learning supported by
Technology

• Course in the Master Programme of Educational
  Science and Technology
• Book by prof. Betty Collis prof. Jef Moonen
• First chapter Flexible Learning its notjust
  about distance

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Pedagogies for Flexible Learning supported by
Technology

• Example of a discussion
• What kinds of flexibility options are there in
  this course?
• What kinds of flexibility options are there in a
  master program?
• What kinds of flexibility options are there in a
  University?
• What kinds of flexibility options are there in
  the (educational) world?

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Flexible learning

• It's not just about distance (Collis Moonen)
• Flexible learning is not just distance learning,
  there is more than distance that can vary
• For example options in course resources, in types
  of learning activities, in media to support
  learning
• Key idea of flexible learning the learners
  choice in different aspects of the learning
  experience

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Flexible learning

• Flexible learning is a movement away from
• a situation in which key decisions about learning
  dimensions are made in advance by the instructor
  or institution,
• toward a situation where the learner has a range
  of options from which to choose with respect to
  key dimensions
• Key dimensions time, content, entry
  requirements, instructional approach,delivery
  and logistics

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Challenges flexible learning

• From the perspective of the instructor
• choose from more approaches, material, etc.
• alter own times of working, responding to
  students late in the evening, at their homes,
  with a cup of tea in hand instead of at a fixed
  time in the day
• different pedagogical patterns
• /- increasingly required to respond and
  individualise
• -- the time burden on the instructor will become
  larger
• -- more-tailored training is more time and effort
  consuming than standardised approaches for the
  instructor
• -- the more choices the learner has, the more
  demands and thus challenges there are for the
  instructor

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Challenges flexible learning

• From the perspective of the learner
• new choices but also new responsibilities
• instead of being told what to do, the learner
  becomes more like a client in a supermarket
• not all students want to make their own choices
  or be responsible for the quality of their
  choices
• more flexibility brings with it more independence
  but also the need for more self-direction and
  more self-motivation
• these traits are not automatic in many learners
• own choice of time, content, method, media,
  route, and pace will mean less chance of group
  interaction and peer-to-peer communication

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Challenges flexible learning

• From the perspective of educational institutions
• flexibility options will have significant
  organisational impact on the institution
• if students are to be promised time flexibility,
  for example, at what times is a lecture
  scheduled? how can time-tabling of rooms occur?
  when are extra sittings of final examinations to
  be held, where, and with who supervising?
• logistical aspects can quickly become
  unmanageable
• complaints from instructors
• complaints from students

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Who wants flexible learning?

• So many challenges and barriers!
• Why continue?
• Who is it that wants flexible learning?
• Main answer
• educational institutions and their competitors
• technology specialists
• but especially students
• If higher-education institutions do not respond
  to this changing demand from students, other
  service providers will

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Flexibility scenarios
Where local and face-to-face transactions are
highly valued
Where global and network-mediated transactions
are the norm
The institution offers a program and ensures its
quality
Scenario A Quality control of a cohesive
curriculum, experienced in the local setting
(current situation) Back to the basics
Scenario B Quality control of a cohesive local
curriculum, available globally The Global Campus
The learner chooses what he wants and takes more
responsibility for quality assurance
Scenario D Individualization and
globalization The New Economy
Scenario C Individualization in the local
institution Stretching the Mold
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Support for flexible learning

• How to support this demand?
• Changing education
• Changing the way we use technology
• Changing beliefs
• Implementing ICT in education,a process of
  change!

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Implementing ICT in HE

• Implementation is a change process
• Change processes are dynamic
• Change processes are complex
• Change processes take several years
• Change processes cause concerns
• But someones got to do it!

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My focus

• The process of implementation
• The actors involved
• The role of the academic middle manager
• Combining implementation, actors and roles

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Theoretical perspectives

• Many theoretical perspectives in relation to the
  implementation of innovations
• Rogers diffusion of innovations
• Trowlers academics responding to change
• Halls concerns-based adoption model
• Bacsishs cost of networked learning
• Trigwells conceptions of teaching

Will it happen?
How will it happen?
How will it happen?
How will it happen?
Will it happen?
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The implementation process
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The implementation process

• Stages of change
• Incidental and isolated use of ICT (pilot)
• Increasing awareness of ICT relevance for
  education (scaling-up)
• Coordinated and supported activities
  (implementation)
• ICT integrated in teaching and learning
  (integration)

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Example

• Incidental and isolated use of ICT for flexible
  learning (a pilot)-gt a try-out in one course
• Increasing awareness of ICT relevance for
  flexible learning (scaling-up) -gt more
  instructors use a flexible learning approach
  supported by ICT
• Coordinated and supported activities
  (implementation) -gt the whole department uses
  a flexible learning approach supported by ICT
• ICT integrated in teaching and learning
  (integration) -gt the whole university uses a
  flexible learning approach supported by ICT

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Who is involved?
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Who is involved?

• The list gives an indication about which actors
  could or should be considered during the
  implementation process
• This does not mean that all actors are always and
  all the time involved in the whole process

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Combining the findings

• A combination of
• the steps in the implementation process
  initiation, piloting, advising, decision-making,
  implementing, and integrating (based on Fullan
  (1998), Collis and Moonen (2001) and the figure
  with the simplified overview of the
  implementation process)
• the categories of actors
• the roles and activities of the actors
• Leads to a descriptive model

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Descriptive model
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The academic middle manager

• The academic middle management is involved in all
  the stages of the implementation process
• Leadership is an important role and activity in
  the implementation process
• It is assumed that these two are connected to
  each other

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Descriptive model
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Leadership

• Leadership is needed in all stages of the
  implementation process
• Tasks
• Creating commitment
• Creating a shared vision
• Support of the implementation process

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The academic middle manager

• The middle manager plays a key role in the
  implementation process, this should be accounted
  for in the whole implementation process
• This can be done by not only assuming that the
  middle manager plays a crucial role, but by
  involving him or her in all steps of the process

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The academic middle manager

• So, now we know who is responsible!
• How many of you are academic middle managers??? ?
• The middle manager is the key factor
• This puts a great burden on this person
• He/she will be held responsible for all stages in
  the implementation process
• He/she may not be aware of this role...

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The academic middle manager

• He/she influences the innovation process in the
  organisation both up and down
• He/she has several strategic roles
• understanding the need for change (synthesizing)
• preparing for it (facilitating)
• stimulating it (championing)
• and ultimately, managing the process
  (implementing)(Kallenberg, 2004)

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Are we expecting too much?

• Many expectations from the middle manager
• Vision
• Strategy
• Leadership
• Projectmanagement
• Educational background
• Background related to content of study
• ..
• How does he/she do it?

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Strategies

• Top-down or bottom-up?
• Top-down the management decides
• Bottom-up initiative from the teacher

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Top-down and bottom-up!
Board
That is nice!
All of the university should do this!
Look what my teacher did!
I will give you support and money
Oh no.. I have to puzzle
That is nice
Manager
I want this too!
Maybe you like?
Show!
Look at colleague!
Oh no.. Now I have to show everybody
This is nice!
I will use it
Idea!
Teacher
Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too
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Other strategies

• Concerns-based Adoption Model
• The Colour Theory

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Concerns-based Adoption Model

• Stage of Concern Expression of Concern
• Awareness What is it? or.. I am not concerned
  about it.
• Informational I would like to know more about it.
• Personal How will using it affect me?
• Management I seem to be spending all my time
  getting materials ready.
• Consequence How is my use affecting learners? How
  can I refine it to have more impact?
• Collaboration How can I relate what I am doing to
  what others are doing?
• Refocusing I have some ideas about something that
  would work even better.
• Stages of concern and typical expressions of
  concern about an innovation (CBAM) (Hord,
  Rutherford, Huling-Austin, Hall, 1987)

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Concerns-based Adoption Model

• This model applies to anyone experiencing change
  (policy makers, teachers, parents, students)
• The model holds that people considering and
  experiencing change evolve in the kinds of
  questions they ask and in their use of whatever
  the change is

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Concerns-based Adoption Model

• In general, early questions are more
  self-oriented
• What is it? and How will it affect me?
• When these questions are resolved, questions
  emerge that are more task-oriented
• How do I do it? How can I organize myself? and
  Why is it taking so much time?
• Finally, when self- and task concerns are largely
  resolved, the individual can focus on impact.
• Is this change working for students? and Is there
  something that will work even better?

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Concerns are real

• Identify where people are and answer the
  questions they are asking when they are asking
  them
• It will take at least three years for early
  concerns to be resolved and later ones to
  emerge...
• Everyone has concerns and acknowledging these
  concerns and addressing them is critical to
  progress in a change process

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The Colour Theory

• Based on change theories
• 5 strategies with different colours
• Yellow
• Blue
• Red
• Green
• White

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The Colour Theory Yellow

• Yellow power!
• Discover collective interests
• Play a power game
• Reach a win-win situation
• Goal change beliefs and policy

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The Colour Theory Blue

• Blue blueprint
• Thinking and planning
• Rational / logical process
• Knowing the outcome
• Result guaranteed success!

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The Colour Theory Red

• Red passion and temptation
• Bring together organisational individual goals
• Give people a stimulus and motivate them
• Human resource management important

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The Colour Theory Green

• Green growing and nature
• Bring people in a learning situation
• Stimulate the learning process
• Find the solution together
• Keyword the learning organisation

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The Colour Theory White

• White the colour of light and openness
• Offer freedom for spontaneous revolution
• Breaking through existing patterns
• Dynamic and self-regulated process
• Outcome unpredictable!

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The Colour Theory

• Always yellow (commitment) and red (combination
  of people and organisation)
• Choice Blue, Green or White
• Recommendation
• Blue (result-based) routine problems
• Green (project-based) non-routine problems
• White (creativity-based) vague problems

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Strategies for academic managers

• Strategies
• Top-down / bottom-up
• Concerns-based adoption model
• Colour theory
• Important
• now your own style..
• ..and the concerns and styles of the others!

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Support for the academic manager

• Projects in the Netherlands
• Train the manager ?
• Do projects with the manager ? -gt ?
• Support the manager ????

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Support the manager

• Find the learning technologist / educational
  support person
• Support him or her to support the academic manager

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Supporting the manager

• Briefcase with instruments, or actually.

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Supporting the manager

• A DVD with instruments, such as
• How to develop a vision on learning with
  technology
• Workshop to involve others
• List of stakeholders
• Strategies (Trojan horse Temptation)
• Case studies on video with comments from people
  involved

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The result?

• The DVD is ready (in Dutch unfortunately)
• First reactions are positive
• Will it work in practice?
• We think so..

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Questions or comments?

• Petra Fisser
• p.h.g.fisser_at_utwente.nl
• http//users.gw.utwente.nl/fisser
• http//users.gw.utwente.nl/fisser/Dissertation