eLearning Day 2008

London South Bank University's annual eLearning Day on 15 May 2008 was the first formal opportunity to report back internally on the Pathfinder project.

The morning plenary saw Helen George and Russell Kenny (from the Pathfinder team) provide a short reflection on Pathfinder, after which Lynn Coutts, Alan Winter and Jonathan Tanner (from the sub-projects Online Delivery, Assessment and Transition, respectively) spoke of their visions for their projects, and the successes and challenges they had had.

Three parallel workshops run by colleagues from other universities followed the plenary. They mirrored these 3 sub-project themes and were attended by all the participants in the day. Ali Ewing and Julie Usher from the University of Northampton explored Online Delivery; Gerard Lennox from Assessment21 demonstrated the product's capacity for online assessment; and Nipan Maniar from the University of Portsmouth introduced attendees to C-Shock, his mobile game for initiating international students into the UK HE environment.

The afternoon session started with a presentation by André van der Merwe of Cultivate. He addressed the question: ‘Why are lecturers not using technology to the extent that we or our clients had hoped?’ and challenged listeners to question their own, and others', assumptions (or Mental Models). Stephen Gomez from UWE then held the audience's attention with examples of his use of video and audio podcasting to engage students. Lastly, David King and Guinevere Glasfurd-Brown from Wimba joined remote forces to demonstrate the use of visual synchonicity in the online environment.

New conversations around the topics addressed have already started ... and many attendees have shown a willingness to become involved. Next year's event will be shaped by the responses of this year's participants.

Oh ... and the lunch was good!

NOTES from Compass Pathfinder Steering Group Meeting – 17 July 2007

The following people attended the first Steering Group Meeting on 17 July: Peter McCaffery, Laurence Marlow, Helen George, Joanne Monk, Sue Mullaney, Dympna Coughlan, Russell Kenny, Jon Warwick and Ruth Brown.

Helen George introduced the Compass project, giving the purpose, and contextualising it within the ICT Benchmarking Initiative. The importance of linking outcomes from the project with future people development strategies was highlighted.

The committee then discussed the project plan, noting that the project was running on target. A list of the projects linked to the plan was presented to the team

The staff ICT survey had been completed, and the results were presented to the committee. Of particular concern was an apparent lack of competence in using e-resources, not least because of the University’s substantial investment in this area.

It was agreed that the results of the ICT survey, and the potential created in the current upgrade of Blackboard to the community system, would be drivers in moving staff ICT training forward. The plan is to address departmental, rather than individual, development, and the co-operation of the Heads of Department is critical to the plan.

It was suggested that participation in pilot projects, for instance under the umbrella of Compass, be considered in awarding such awards as the Learning & Teaching Innovation Awards in future. It was considered that management need to be more strategic/directive in encouraging innovative projects and people development strategies.