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31st October 2006 Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education A...
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Transcript of 31st October 2006 Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education A...
31st October 2006
Staff Access to ICT Based Communications in Further and Higher Education
A JISC-funded study
Louise Cooke and Helen Greenwood
31st October 2006
About the Day
Introductions and welcome Programme for the day
Project findings Peter Falconer, Lauder College Clare Holden, Loughborough College Claire Bradshaw, Loughborough University Discussion Forum and JISC update
31st October 2006
Aims of the Project
Investigate restrictions on staff access to ICT-based communications in FE and HE
What groups of staff are affected by restrictions on access?
What factors contribute to restricted access? What impact do restrictions have on the
efficiency and effectiveness of institutions and individuals?
Identify examples of best practice.
31st October 2006
Methodological Approach
Desk research Questionnaire survey
Survey design and piloting Target population
Case studies Selection of sites Semi-structured interviews Review of policies
31st October 2006
The Questionnaire Survey
Response from one third of both sectors Typically received from Heads of IT/ IS or ILT/
e-learning / Learning Resources Managers Data analysis
By sector Presentation of data
31st October 2006
Questionnaire and Case Study Themes
Institutional communication and access policies
Electronic and hard copy information dissemination
Who has restricted access to ICT? What effect does this have for the individual
and for the institution? ICT training and skills Current initiatives to improve access and
institutional communication.
31st October 2006
The Case Studies
Six sites were visited: Causeway Institute Lauder College Loughborough College University of Wales, Bangor University of Chichester Loughborough University
…
31st October 2006
The Case Studies cont.
A range of personnel were interviewed, including:
IT and/or Information Services Estates Department Equality and Diversity E-learning Champion Staff Development and Human Resources Teaching staff Trade Union representative
31st October 2006
Findings: Communications Policies
Many do not have a formal policy, but strategy documents commit to increased use of e-communication
FE significantly more likely to have policies than HE
LC has ‘Electronic Communication Policy’, Chichester has ‘Internal Communication Policy’
Move toward electronic information dissemination, but hard copy is still popular: ‘people like paper’.
In around 80% of responding institutions, corporate documentation is made available on paper, but often only on request
…
31st October 2006
Communications Policies cont.
Reliance on line managers to cascade information
Development and promotion of intranet Use of portal solution (Chichester) Appointment of Director of Corporate
Communications (Bangor)
31st October 2006
Findings: Access to PCs
Policies governing principles of access are more common than communications policies
Further Education (n=59)
Comms policy only
10%
Access policy only
27%
Both policies
43%
Neither policy20%
Higher Education (n=53)
Both policies
25%
Neither policy37%
Access policy only
30%
Comms policy only
8%
31st October 2006
Access to PCs cont.
PC provision is generally good, with increased use of laptops for loan or home access
Schemes for staff purchase of PCs All staff entitled to user a/c and email and
open access facilities are available to all Recognition of needs of users with visual
impairment Recognition of need for all staff to use ICT
…
31st October 2006
Access to PCs cont.
BUT part-time and/or community-based teaching staff often experience access difficulties
Staff employed by contractors are not usually given access
Devolved PC purchasing can lead to inequalities
Manual staff usually have low specification PCs.
31st October 2006
Questionnaire Findings: Factors affecting access
1 Job function 68%
2 Geog location 38%
3 = Level of ICT skills 37%
3 = Type of contract 37%
5 Finance 32%
6 Status/seniority 25%
1 Job function 87%
2 Level of ICT skills 27%
3 Geog location 21%
4 Type of contract 19%
5 Finance 15%
6 Status/seniority 13%
FE HE
31st October 2006
ICT Skills and Training
‘Totally inclusive’ staff development policies vs. institutions where not all staff groups have access to ICT training
Training for staff in manual occupations may have low take-up
Skills levels of teaching personnel are variable Use of ILT champions Information literacy skills as important as IT
skills Induction is key opportunity
…
31st October 2006
ICT Skills and Training cont.
New systems drive training needs Time constraints limit opportunities for
training, especially for PT and non-desk-based staff
Peer mentoring/buddying Good examples of special initiatives for
manual staff Importance of leadership and ‘culture of
learning’
31st October 2006
Drivers of wider ICT use
Government funding initiatives and quality reviews, e.g. DEL e-learning strategy in N. Ireland, IiP
Increased use of ILT Impact of implementation of new e-systems
(e.g. e-registration, facilities management and finance)
Information overload
31st October 2006
Technological Initiatives
Electronic Independent Student Learning Agreements (ISLAs), e-registers, e-finance systems, e-facilities management systems etc.
Potential of mobile, handheld and wireless technologies
VoIP technology ‘Personalisation’ of the learning environment
via SMS, podcasts etc.
31st October 2006
Other Initiatives
ICT training initiatives IT Awareness Week Targeting of information dissemination Initiatives to achieve upwards communication
31st October 2006
Challenges and Barriers
Fear, apprehension and ‘inverse snobbery’ Lack of motivation or perception of need Intranets can become ‘bulging’ and difficult to
navigate Reliance on line managers can lead to patchy
information provision Line managers’ attitudes, especially with
regard to trust
…
31st October 2006
Challenges and Barriers cont.
Lack of systems integration Geographic location especially distributed
estates Financial considerations Manual staff and PT staff face particular
barriers 24/7 culture Need to retain ‘personal touch’
31st October 2006
Emergent Themes
Motivation is a bigger issue than PC access Need to secure support and engagement of
managerial and supervisory staff at all levels How information is communicated is more
important than what technology is provided
31st October 2006
Implications and Further Work
Methods appeared satisfactory to achieve aims and objectives
Potential to learn from existing examples of good communication practice
Managing information overload Policy development, dissemination and
implementation guidelines Longitudinal approach to measure
improvement over time
31st October 2006
Acknowledgments
JISC Questionnaire pilots Questionnaire respondents Case study participants LISU staff
PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS!
31st October 2006
DISCUSSION POINTS
JISC – Future directions Observations and questions from today’s sessions How do these findings compare with your own
experience and practice? Do you have any examples of initiatives in your own
institution to add to those already discussed? What should be the balance between hard copy and
electronic information provision? Would it be useful to have guidelines for policy
development in this area? How can we evaluate progress in this area? Has today been useful for you?