S5.2.9

=Specialist staff support the use of e-learning design and (re)development procedures. =

Evidence
Noting that academics show resistance to educational courses, Laurillard (2002) comments that development programmes need to be optimised and ‘use the most extreme form of work-based professional updating possible….and encourage new and existing staff to gain teaching credentials’ (p. 226). Two other suggestions are made: One, to form multi-skilled development teams that motivate and support collaborative development; the other to initiate a forum where academics and designers can share ideas and experiences.

JISC - Through the DLiC programme, the institutions involved have discovered a variety of ways in which teachers can be assisted in incorporating ICT, VLE and electronic information resources in their courses in appropriate ways, to provide balanced courses for students. For example, the role of the learning technologist is crucial. • A learning technologist with some subject knowledge can be a valuable asset. • It can take time for people from different disciplinary or professional backgrounds to discover how to work together most effectively.

Liber (2005) explains how information service departments must be given sufficient support, resources and time to go through processes of change to facilitate e-learning. Only once these internal processes and structures are resolved can proper advice be given to academic and other departments. Different subject departments will have different e-learning requirements and information services need to understand and support this. This requires building of trust between academic staff and information service departments. It is the responsibility of senior management to ensure that this is indeed the case.

Hunter, Clarke & Shoebridge (2005). Describe a seven layer support structure for e-learning services. Information resources are one of these seven support layers. A well designed information resources service can support tutors by making them aware of the e-resources that are available to them. Such a service should reduce the trend for tutors to use less reliable resources. These authors describe a three faceted ‘underpinning pedagogy’ to support the development of e-courses. First, the University of Birmingham now has ‘information professionals’ who are part of ‘integrated professional teams’ working with academics and learning technologists on e-learning projects. Second, LIS staff can have substantial input into curriculum planning and the creation and integration of learning content and information resources with the VLE. Finally, learner supports including structures, motivations, assistances, and connections are required. These may include ‘learning cafes’ where LIS staff are on hand to help, there may also be a system of learning advisors as at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside.

Moretti (2005) outline the need for an additional layer of resources between information provided on the network, and learners who must use the information. Without this additional layer which makes connections for learners, the potential for interconnection of resources in appropriate ways is lost. Learners need some guidance over and above merely having the learning resources made available to them.

Stubley (2005) explains how, facilitated by a learning and teaching grant, the University of Sheffield Library undertook a collaborative project to integrate library services in WebCT. First a user needs survey was undertaken. This was particularly illuminating and caused a full reappraisal of library services, their relevance and what was needed by academic staff. This two-way process of discussion ultimately refined the library service such that academics and students were better served by VLE/WebCT in course delivery.

Resources
A significant problem is the separation of technological from pedagogical assistance. ‘What is required is a commitment to organised quality processes that transcend curricular innovation, stress technology as an important tool for improvement, and do not assume things are going well, absent evidence to the contrary’ (Zemsky & Massy 2004, p. 57). Also needed is an integrated understanding of technology and pedagogy. This may require the use of specialist educational technologists, particularly those with subject-specific knowledge.

The proliferation of technologies used in modern e-learning mean that it is almost impossible for any one person to be expert in all of them, particularly when they are employed to be expert in something entirely different. Provision of expert technical assistance is vital if institutions are to move away from ad-hoc developments and encourage the effective use of technology by staff (Butler and Sellborn, 2002). Use of experts greatly increases the likelihood that materials will be developed to support standards and will be designed for maintenance and reuse. Experts are also more likely to ensure that materials are designed with accessibility and flexibility in mind.