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University of Greenwich Senior Manager Perspective

Simon Jarvis

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Development

 

Projects: 

UG-Flex project - Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design 

Digital Literacies in Transition - Developing Digital Literacies

 

UG-Flex aims to reveal and enhance the University of Greenwich’s curriculum development processes in order to support a more agile and diverse curriculum underpinned by integrated systems. The primary driver is the university’s strategic aim to sustainably increase efficient and effective flexible and part-time learning provision in a changing market place.

 

The Digital Literacies in Transition project aims to develop a strategic understanding of digital literacies at critical moments during study, evaluate the learners’ experiences of digital literacy and practices at key points of transition and integrate Digital Literacies into the curriculum.

 

Alignment with institutional agendas and strategies

The UG-Flex project highlighted that the real barriers to flexible study were more of a structural nature and this led the university to think through different scenarios for structuring the academic framework – a dialogue driven primarily from an academic perspective (rather than a systems perspective). This has ultimately resulted in the Academic Council approving a new trimester system which will provide greater potential for flexible study e.g. for two-year degrees, in work-based learning and in collaborative provision (particularly with overseas partners).

 

The UG-Flex project allowed us to think through different scenarios for how we might structure the academic framework…. and this has led to us moving towards a trimester system (academic calendar) that provides much greater potential for flexible study. “

 

There is good alignment between the Digital Literacies project and what the university is doing in preparing students for the future economy and in developing their employability.

 

The project is informing the development of parts of the new institutional teaching and learning strategy.

 

There has been good alignment between the Digital Literacies project and our thinking on preparing students for the future economy and their employability … and this is informing parts of the new teaching and learning strategy.”

 

 

Impact on staff culture and capabilities

The Digital Literacies project has raised the issue of staff “digital” capabilities and confidence compared with students and the institution will deal with this via staff development and communications programmes.

The project has been a catalyst for getting different parts of the institution to talk to each other, for instance, between academic departments and central services such as ILS. As a result, there is more joined-up thinking and approaches to innovation and change.

 

The Digital Literacies project is beginning to generate in some staff a better understanding of how students may engage with modern media.”

 

One needs to ensure that people only become promoted on a basis of excellence in teaching and learning andin terms of excellence in research.”

 

In a similar way to the Digital Literacies project, the UG-Flex project has also acted as a catalyst for getting different parts of the institution to talk to each other, resulting in more joined-up thinking and approaches to innovation and change.

 

Both the digital literacies and UG-Flex projects have acted as a catalyst for getting different parts of the institution to talk to each other. As an illustration, there’s been a better understanding by ILS about what kind of infrastructure is needed to maximise the utilisation of mobile devise such as iPads and smart-phones. “

 

Impact on the student journey

By improving the quality of management information in its digital systems, the UG-Flex project has resulted in the provision of more flexible curricula and start dates together with an enhanced student experience for flexible programmes, such as online registration and more efficient transition through their programmes and between programmes.

 

Preparing students for the future economy and developing their employability via the project could become a unique selling point for the institution which could potentially influence recruitment as well as helping to free up staff time to more closely engage with students.

 

With the Digital Literacies project, if the institution could develop credibility in that area then it could become a unique selling point for the institution, and clearly that would then influence, potentially, recruitment and employability.”

 

Impact on institutional efficiencies and effectiveness

The UG-Flex project introduced the idea of cost-benefit analysis in relation to the introduction of a more flexible student records system, comparing the “before” costs (associated with manual interventions that were necessary to bypass the inflexibility of the student record system e.g. to accommodate different student start dates) with the “after” costs, where the need for manual interventions is reduced. The estimate of savings in staff time is hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in terms of staff time.

 

This cost-benefit approach is continuing with further investment in the student records system in order to implement changes to the academic calendar and this will provide a better understanding of the types of savings that can be made and ensure that a proper evaluation of the savings and benefits is carried out.

 

In the UG-Flex project, we estimated cost savings (as a result of introducing changes to the student records systems that reduce the need for staff manual interventions) will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in terms of staff time.”

 

Impact on institutional management and wider engagement

The UG-Flex project highlighted the criticality of change management and its institutional importance in getting staff on board, though the institution, like other higher education institutions, still has room to improve its change management approaches.

 

The institution may use the Jisc-funded projects as part of its QAA institutional review in 2013/14, focusing on the UG-Flex project contribution towards the changes in the academic calendar with its implications for enhancing flexible study.

 

The institution may use the Digital Literacies project as part of its QAA institutional review in 2013/14, focusing on the contribution of the project towards the student experience.

 

The project has helped move forward discussions with external agencies, such as the BCS: the Chartered Institute for IT and the sector skills council, e-skills, where the university is exploring collaborative activities and possible accreditation.

 

The project is having an impact on the sector as a whole, with over 150 people signed up to the project web forum and through the “Benefits Realisation CAMEL” cohort of universities where Greenwich is helping other institutions to benefit from the project.

 

Overall reflections

There is a danger of too much focus on innovation without properly embedding innovations and evaluating their effectiveness. Whilst it is important to encourage staff innovation and creativity it is also important to adapt good practices from elsewhere. Most institutions struggle with how to roll out good enhancement and innovation practices in teaching and learning.

 

To achieve this, it is important that the central educational unit is highly respected, the promotions process is changed to reward excellence in teaching and learning and the profile of teaching and learning is raised within the institution. It is also important to define what excellence is and how it will be measured, just as is done with research. Overall, promotion should only be on a basis of excellence in both teaching and learning and research as practised by institutions such as Sydney and Utrecht. By focusing promotion on both teaching and learning and research, it is more likely that adoption of teaching and learning innovations and enhancements will be accelerated.