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JISC e-Learning programme: Improving the quality of e-Learning
JISC supports UK post‑16 and higher education and research by providing leadership in the use of Information and Communications Technology in support of learning, teaching, research and administration. JISC is funded by all the UK post‑16 and higher education funding councils.
The e‑Learning programme aims to identify how e‑learning can benefit learners, practitioners and educational institutions, and advise on its implementation. Through working in collaboration with institutions and strategic partners it aims to improve the quality of learning through:
- Practitioners developing the confidence and skills to manage and facilitate e‑learning in different contexts and with different pedagogical approaches
- A technical infrastructure that supports flexibility, diversity and extendibility
- Easy access to high quality, flexible learning materials
- Effective and responsive e‑learning policies, systems and structures in place at local, regional and national level
JISC is working in partnership with Becta and the Higher Education Academy to implement the DfES e‑Learning Strategy and the HEFCE e‑Learning Strategy.
Outputs of the programme can be found on the JISC e‑Learning programme website
What is the e-Learning programme?
The first phase of the e‑Learning programme included several strands of work and built on the outcomes from the Managed Learning Environments (MLEs) for Lifelong Learning programme:
- e‑Learning and Pedagogy
- e‑Learning and Innovation
- Technical Framework and Tools
- The Distributed e‑Learning Programme
- The Scottish e‑Learning Transformation Programme, managed by JISC on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council
A number of themes of key strategic importance have emerged as a result of this activity, and these will be taken forward in the next phase. These include:
- Personalised Learning
- e‑Assessment
- e‑Portfolio and Personal Development Planning
- Design for Learning
- The e‑Framework
Personalised Learning
The e‑Learning programme is exploring the role of technology in providing learners with a flexible learning experience that meets their individual needs.
A number of studies funded by the e‑Learning Programme are exploring how students in post‑16 education are using technology to support their learning – and what characterises effective e‑learners. This research will prove valuable in helping practitioners to design more effective learning activities that better meet learners’ current needs and expectations.
The potential for mobile and wireless technologies to support the provision of personalised learning opportunities is illustrated in the ‘Innovative Practice with e‑Learning’ guide (JISC, 2005), and the implementation of these technologies together with gaming technologies is being explored through a series of projects in partnership with Futurelab and Ultralab.
Personalising the learner’s experience can also be influenced by the design of the physical space in which the learning is taking place. ‘Designing Spaces for Effective Learning’ (JISC, 2006) is a visually‑rich publication designed to promote better understanding of what makes an effective design for the 21st‑century institution and summarises the key points to consider when approaching a refurbishment or new‑build project.
New activities from 2006–2009 will focus on providing a personalised learning experience. This will involve meeting the needs of individual learners in a range of settings through the use of technologies such as e‑portfolios, and technologies that support assessment and collaboration. Work is also planned on how e‑administration can support this kind of flexible provision.
Further information
e‑Assessment
The role of technology in supporting the assessment process is a critical issue for post-16 education. e-Assessment impacts on, and is affected by, a range of institutional, technical and pedagogical issues in the current learning and teaching environment. JISC is identifying the interdependencies and connections between these areas to ensure that future developments do not happen in isolation.
JISC has supported a range of initiatives and studies, which have examined or are currently investigating various issues around e‑assessment. Outcomes include: a wide range of tools, case studies, exploratory reports, a reference model for the e‑Learning Framework, a glossary and an e‑assessment roadmap. The ‘Effective Practice with e‑Assessment’ publication will be available from autumn 2006 which synthesises these outcomes.
JISC e‑Assessment activities
e‑Portfolios and Personal Development Planning
An important aspect of lifelong learning is the learner’s ability to assemble, demonstrate and reflect on the skills and knowledge they have built up through the many routes they may be taking through their education. One of the functions of electronic portfolios (e‑portfolios) is to support this kind of activity.
JISC‑funded projects have been investigating a number of issues around the use of e‑portfolios and personal development planning (PDP) to support lifelong learning. A particular focus includes the use of personal development planning to assist students with transitions from one institution or environment to another, such as school-college-university, and the automatic transfer of their personal data and reflections to support this. The projects are helping to surface a broad view of user requirements, both those of learners in various situations, and those of the people who support them.
Future activities include technical work building on these user requirements, and projects piloting the use of e‑portfolios in admissions and assessment.
Overview of e‑Portfolio activities
Design for Learning
Design for Learning is exploring how technology can assist practitioners in planning and delivering learning activities. Outcomes from this work will support the effective use of learning design tools and help practitioners make decisions about the appropriate use of e‑learning.
Studies, evaluations and reviews under this theme are complemented by the creation of templates used to capture examples of e‑learning practice. A selection of case studies and other outcomes from the theme are synthesised in the publication ‘Effective Practice with e‑Learning’ (JISC, 2004).
A number of technical projects have also been funded under the Technical Framework and Tools strand, which will advance the developments of learning design tools and their use of open standards.
Effective Practice with e‑Learning
Information on Design for Learning
The e‑Framework
JISC is leading, with international partners including the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), an initiative to build ‘the e‑Framework for Education and Research’. This is a common, service‑oriented approach to the development and integration of computer systems in the sphere of learning, research and education administration.
The Framework is the result of a shared conviction that it is better to expose networked functions, such as user/group data or learning content, as simple services rather than as features locked up inside monolithic systems. This approach offers institutions more flexibility, more scope for pedagogic innovation and better return on present and future investment.
The e‑Learning programme is contributing to the development of a range of tools, demonstrators and services, which support a wide range of processes within e‑learning practice.
e‑Framework for Education and Research website
e‑Learning Framework and Tools programme
What will the e‑Learning programme achieve?
JISC’s e‑Learning programme is working with universities and colleges, and other support organisations, towards greater uptake of appropriate use of e‑learning by learners, practitioners and institutions. The aims are for:
- Learners to be provided with a personalised learning experience, and one which enables them to progress between courses and institutions
- Institutions to be able to use e‑learning to support widening participation, work‑place learning, flexible delivery and personalised learner experiences
- Guidance and support to be available for institutions, enabling them to make more informed decisions on the use of e‑learning
- Technical infrastructures to be in place that support flexibility, diversity and extendibility
- The development of a greater understanding of cross‑institutional use of technology to support lifelong learners
- A closer relationship and improved understanding between practitioners in post‑16 education and software and infrastructure developers to be established