Invitation to Tender for a Supporting Study of Managed Learning Environment Activity in UK FE and HE on behalf of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and the Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA.

Funding 1/02: Supporting Study of MLE Activity

Background

  1. JISC has committed substantial resources to defining Virtual and Managed Learning Environments through its MLE Briefing pack.
  2. JISC has also recently funded a series of projects that explore issues related to Virtual and Managed Learning Environments in further (FE) and higher education (HE).
  3. In 2001,UCISA funded a survey of VLE implementation and use in Higher Education. The results indicated that many universities have already purchased VLEs and that there is a growing interest in their use. This Supporting Study will provide an opportunity to re-visit some of the areas that were explored in the 2001 survey and find out how the VLE landscape has changed.
  4. JISC recently funded a Scoping Study ‘Learning Environments support in the FE and HE community’ which outlined many of the requirements for VLE and MLE support within FE colleges and universities.
  5. The Managed Learning Environments for Lifelong Learning programme is looking at Building MLEs across FE and HE and has funded two major projects to explore the issues related to developing learning environments to support the seamless movement of the learner between and across sectors and institutions.
  6. There is, however, no clear picture at present of the level of MLE activity in the UK FE and HE sectors outside the JISC-funded programmes. Whilst we are aware from anecdotal evidence that many HEIs are undertaking some of the activities that could be described as contributing to MLE (for example, universities are starting to produce portals that give access to student record data) we do not have a clear picture of the activity that is underway in FE and HE.
  7. This call is for proposals is for a study to identify the range of current and planned MLE activities that have, or will have been, undertaken by institutions across the FE and HE sector.
  8. The study will also analyse the approaches taken to MLE development and investigate whether there are consistent patterns of MLE use according to specific factors. For example, the type of institution or model of learning and teaching that is employed in the institution. Through case studies, the study will identify the different approaches to MLE that are being taken, and determine which approaches seem to be most successful.

    Scope

  9. The study will focus on four areas:
    • Provide a definition or set of definitions of what constitutes MLE activity.
    • Undertake a general survey of current and planned MLE activity (adhering to the agreed definitions) across a wide range of institutions across the UK FE and HE sectors including small and large colleges, new and old universities to build up a general description of the progress towards MLE across the UK. As one part of this, the 2001 UCISA survey of VLE use will be revisited and used as part of the survey to allow for longitudinal comparisons of data (though this analysis will not form part of the Study).
    • Provide an analysis of the outcomes of the survey to investigate whether there are consistent patterns of MLE use according to specific factors such as the type of institution.
    • Developing a series of in depth case studies of successful and unsuccessful MLE implementation that covers the range of institution types identified above.
  10. It is intended that the study will provide information that will be useful and timely for all institutions implementing MLEs. The analysis should also aim to identify activities that may be worthy of further study by the JISC or other organisations.
  11. The data collection and analysis tools created for the survey should be in a format that can be made available for follow-up surveys. The data formats for the survey data also need to allow for the data to be re-analysed as part of future activity by JISC and UCISA.

    Resources

  12. Given the current high rate of implementation of MLEs across institutions and the need to identify relevant examples to inform projects in this programme it is crucial that the outcomes of this work are available with minimal delay. It is, therefore, intended that this work should start in August 2002 and will not last for longer than 12 months from inception to final report.
  13. Funds of up to £85,000 are available for the successful bid. Reasonable costs for travel, subsistence, phone etc. will be supported, as will reasonable costs covering the publication of the final outcomes. Please note that equipment purchase is not supported.
  14. The project budget should include payments to be made to external colleges or universities apart from the in order to free up staff time to participate in the study, in particular the case studies.

    Methodology

  15. The definition or set of definitions that describe MLE activity will provide a basis for the study as many organisations may be carrying out MLE activity but not using this label, so agreed definitions are an important starting point.
  16. It is expected that the survey will cover a significant proportion of FE colleges and HE institutions in the UK and consider the views of different stakeholder groups. The survey will incorporate an updated version of UCISA VLE survey of 2001 but will have a much broader focus to encompass MLE activities UK rather than just VLE usage, and will be addressed at a broader group of stakeholders.
  17. The focus should be on the activities that are supporting the implementation of MLEs, with an aim to achieving integration of MLEs across the UK. The survey should be designed to gather a wide range of data including information on MLE components (including but not limited to VLEs and Management Information Systems), supporting activities, organisational structures, implementation strategies, impact on the institution, etc.
  18. One focus of the analysis should be looking for consistent patterns of MLE use according to type of institution. The analysis of the survey outcomes should also identify key MLE activities taking place in individual institutions and across groups of institutions.
  19. The institutional case studies should be identified from the analysis of the survey data, forming a representative sample of examples across the different types of institutions. The institutions chosen should preferably not have been funded under the JISC MLE programmes or at least not duplicate existing reporting from these projects.

    Outcomes

  20. The work will lead to the production of a written report to the JISC Committee for Learning and Teaching (JCLT), produced to a high standard, which will present an analysis and summary of the survey data, the findings of the analysis and the outcomes of the case studies. The report should suggest priority areas for further study and examples of institutions that are significantly advanced in one or more aspects of MLE implementation. The data relating to the UCISA VLE survey elements must be made available to the Learning and Teaching Working Group for a longitudinal survey of VLE use.
  21. Following approval from JCLT, it is intended that this report will receive a wide circulation, within the JISC and within the UK FE and HE community. It is intended to be useful to the JISC to inform future project funding allocations, to senior managers to inform the development of MLE. The report must, therefore, be written and presented in an accessible manner. An interim report, not for dissemination, will also be required part way into the project.
  22. Dissemination of the outcomes of this analysis, through workshops, presentations and other means will be expected.

    Applicants

  23. The successful bid will be from a consultancy team, consortium or individual institution who can demonstrate:
    • Experience and awareness of MLE development in both the FE and HE sectors.
    • An ability to undertake the work described within the time period, probably August 2002 – May 2003, and to be able to deliver to deadlines negotiated at the outset.
    • An ability to produce a report of the type and quality required.
    • Awareness of the strategic aims of the JISC and the components that make up the JISC, especially the MLE Programmes.
    • Awareness of other national and international work in this area.

    Bidding Process

  24. In the first instance interested parties are requested to submit an outline description of their intended work programme, to include methodology, resource requirements and project management procedures, including a Gantt chart clearly indicating milestones, deliverables and dependencies. This description must be sufficiently detailed to allow the Evaluation Panel to understand the proposed programme and judge how well it is likely to meet the requirements of the call. However, at this stage the outline description should not exceed 5 sides of A4.
  25. Accompanying the outline description should be information demonstrating how the applicants meet the criteria detailed above. The Evaluation Panel will select a number of proposals for further development. Following discussion and negotiation a successful proposal will be funded before August 2002.
  26. The outline description should be submitted for the attention of Sonja Bisset at the following address:

    JISC Executive
    Northavon House
    Coldharbour Lane
    Bristol BS16 1QD

    Tel: 0117 931 7385
    Fax: 0117 931 7255
    Email: s.bisset@jisc.ac.uk.

  27. Any queries relating to this request for proposals should be addressed to:

    Paul Bailey
    MLEs for Lifelong Learning Programme Manager
    JISC Office
    University of Bristol
    Tyndall Avenue
    Bristol BS8 1UD

    Email: Paul.Bailey@bristol.ac.uk.

    Timescale

  28. The timescales for the submission and selection process are outlined below:
    • Deadline for submission of proposals: 12.00 noon on 12 July 2002
    • Decision of the Evaluation Panel within two weeks and invitation of chosen projects to present their project proposal on Thursday 25 July 2002
    • Final decision: it is anticipated that an announcement will be made on 31 July 2002.
    • Study expected to commence August 2002 and be completed by 31 June 2003.
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Summary
Submission Deadline
12 July 2002 12:00
Funding
See full call