JISC

SURF plays an active role in the provision of staff development opportunities, although staff development is primarily the responsibility of each member. However, members normally waive tuition fees for all their award-bearing programmes for all staff members on a reciprocal basis, and SURF member staff normally has access to open staff development events across SURF.

Introduction

The issues covered in this guide are, in the authors’ experiences, highly contextual. Therefore it is important, before describing the findings of the project and giving the recommendations the partners would make, to understand the context and history in the area of eLearning of the SURF WBL partners and the expectations they had when the project was conceived.

Context

SURF
SURF5 (Staffordshire University Regional Federation) is a consortium of the nine Staffordshire FE colleges, two Shropshire FE colleges and Staffordshire University, created in 2000 to develop a strategic partnership approach to the provision of higher education through FE colleges in this region. SURF operates through a formal Agreement which has been approved by the University’s Academic Board, all the colleges’ corporations and HEFCE. The consortium is managed by a board, and a management committee, with additional sub-committees for curriculum, quality assurance and marketing.

SURF is made up of the following institutions:

• Burton College
• Cannock Chase Technical College
• City of Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College
• Leek College
• Newcastle College
• Rodbaston College
• Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology
• Stafford College
• Staffordshire University
• Stoke on Trent College
• Tamworth & Lichfield College
• Walford & North Shropshire College

The partners’ objectives in creating SURF were:

• To extend participation in higher education
• To develop higher education provision that is accessible and socially inclusive, based on student demand and skills shortages
• To establish learning pathways between further and higher education within the national qualifications framework and by working with employers
• To develop staff through the dissemination of good practice in curriculum design, learning and teaching, quality assurance, student support and the administration of provision
• To maximise the learning and teaching potential of the broadband network linking members of SURF
• To work together to provide high quality support for students within the constraints of the available resources so as to promote high student retention and achievement
• To work together to maximise funding opportunities for widening participation in higher education.
• To share SURF’s experience of collaborative working within the wider educational community.

In the academic year 2005 – 6, SURF colleges enrolled 2,225 students, of which 784 are participating in Foundation Degrees.

SURF plays an active role in the provision of staff development opportunities, although staff development is primarily the responsibility of each member. However, members normally waive tuition fees for all their award-bearing programmes for all staff members on a reciprocal basis, and SURF member staff normally has access to open staff development events across SURF. Individual members are responsible for the level of student support provided to students on programmes in their institutions. Wherever possible, however, they seek to make reciprocal arrangements. For full members, the University provides the following:

• Access to University library and learning resource information and electronic sources
• Access to the University's IT facilities
• Access to Careers information
• Provision of financial advice and guidance via in-College sessions and electronically
• Electronic communication and information to provide student support
• Management of the HEFCE Access Funds administration and returns to HEFCE