Best Practice
Qualities
The principal quality that characterizes best practice in relation to the development and maintenance of IT to enable and support learning and teaching is that such processes occur within the context of a pedagogically focused, enterprise level, strategic framework for development of Technology Enabled Learning and Teaching (TELT).
Such a framework articulates, in broad terms, the University’s aspirations for:
• the development of its students (i.e., it articulates the expected capabilities of all its graduates - Graduates Capabilities), and
• how technologies might be contribute to the development of these capabilities.
Further, a strategic framework for the development of TELT provides direction, policies and procedures for the development of the technologies (e.g., LMSs, Applications, Media) and services (e.g., JIT Support to resolve IT and pedagogy related issues associated with the use of these technologies) necessary to support and sustain the realization of these strategic aspirations for learning and teaching.
A critical component of such a framework is the development and maintenance of a framework of policies, procedures and infrastructure for Research, Evaluation and Development activities that will enable the University to systematically: (a) trial new systems/applications/ technologies on a small scale (<50 students) to evaluate their pedagogical value; (b) pilot the integration of these new systems/applications/technologies on a medium scale (<100 students) to evaluate the technical feasibility of their integration into the University’s enterprise level platform of technologies to support learning and teaching; and (c) determine the business case (cost/benefits) of adopting these new technologies as part of the University’s enterprise level TELT platform.
| Criteria | Importance |
Notes in relation to UNSW |
| Technological considerations - infrastructure & design elements | ||
| Reliable & innovative suppliers | high | Develop partnerships with innovators. (Lectopia, Turnitin) Responsive, strong customer focus and support mechanisms. |
| Flexible | high | Flexibility in tool usage. Variety of tools. Multiple systems. Fit-for-purpose services. |
| Recognised technology framework | medium | Aligning technology with business needs. Balance between educational and technological or administrative needs. Weighted towards education. |
| Scalable | medium | Ability to scale appropriately and easily. Not everything has to be scalable to institutional level. |
| Intuitive | high | Ease of engagement for students and teachers. Avoiding technology being in the way of education. |
| Interoperable | high | Intuitive use and pedagogical fit. Resource dependencies. Integration. |
| Security | medium | Accessibility and educational use are drivers. Security is important. High-stake summative online assessments pose tensio |
|
Cost/ value for money | medium | Sensible fit-for-purpose costing. |
|
Pedagogical fit | high | Overarching reason for any deployment. Core business function. |
|
Product support | medium | Responsive and knowledgeable support from either vendor or community or both. |
|
Customisable/ modifiable | medium | Allows usage and design elements to be determined for context & purpose. Customisable by academics and learners |
|
Accommodates multi-lingual instruction | medium | Offers language packs for modern languages etc |
| Scaffolds good practice in L&T | medium |
Enables/ offers templates, models, guides and exemplars |
| Facilitates interactivity, collaboration & team work | medium |
Includes tools and functionalities that enable/ facilitate collaborative activities |
| Supports learner-centred pedagogies | medium |
Includes tools and functionalities that enable/ facilitate learner centred pedagogical practices |
| Suite of options enable 'best-fit' for purpose | medium |
Customisable, adaptable by users |
| Technological support services | ||
| 24/7 support | high |
Recognising needs of all students world-wide & their various access/ study needs/preferences |
| Multiple levels/ types of support | high |
Support staff - phone/email, guides, FAQ |
| Knowledgeable support staff | high |
Support staff trained as application specialists |
| Accessibility & usability maximised through multi-modal resources | high | video screen capture, screen grabs, how-to guides, video, podcasts, interviews, |
| Easily accessible 1st level just-in-time guides and Q&A pages | high |
online guides produced for all TELT applications |
| UNSW level support staff for externally hosted applications | medium |
Unresolved issues carried forward to hosting service |
| Faculty based tech and admin support staff | high |
2 per Faculty |
| Follow up satisfaction contact | high |
folow up contact to ensure satisfactory resolution |
| Staff are actively engaged with user groups & developer communities | high | awareness of & rapid resolution of issues selection of best option - versions, plugins, modules |
| Peer support enabled | medium |
use of community & extended blogs, forums, network groups etc |
| Pedagogical support services | ||
| Just-in-time online information & resources made available | high |
use of web pages, wikis and blogs etc to disseminate TELT related L&T information |
| Accessibility & usability maximised through multi-modal resources | high |
video screen capture, screen grabs, how-to guides, video, podcasts, interviews, |
| Support sites model best practice | medium |
active use of technologies selected for TELT Platform |
| Models, exemplars and case studies captured & disseminated | high |
database of good practice |
| Multiple levels/ types of support | high |
range of services include F2F and online events/ workshops, networking events, guides, resources, forums |
| Central & Faculty based support available | high |
1-2 per Faculty - mentors, content based experts, educational developers focused on achieving pedagogical outcomes |
| Peer support enabled | medium |
use of blogs, forums, network groups etc |
Why UNSW is at a disadvantage at the moment
With the development of the TELT Platform of technologies to support learning and teaching, UNSW will have developed for the first time a stable, fully integrated, enterprise level suite of technologies that can deliver the core functionality required by the university’s staff and students. However, while the development of the platform will provide the technology necessary to potentially place UNSW at the forefront of our competitors in relation to TELT, the university will remain competitively disadvantaged as it has not developed and maintained the core, essential staffing, particularly at the Faculty level, to enable and support effective development and use of technologies in learning and teaching. It is well recognized that wide-spread and effective use of technology to enable and support learning and teaching requires significant investment in ongoing support services for staff at the local faculty level as well as at the centre (institutional level). A minimalist model requires staff at faculty level to be supported by at least one educational developer, one elearning administrator, and one web/IT developer. At present, most UNSW faculties do not provide this minimal level of support and rely, unrealistically, on central support services to assist them with these core support functions, in addition to their critical work in developing and maintaining the institutional infrastructure, training, and support necessary to make the TELT platform and its associated technologies available to the university community.
What is necessary to achieve best practice and competitive advantage?
- To recognise the long-standing existing shortfall in ongoing operational funding in Faculties to support TELT.
- To ensure that annual Faculty budgets make provision for a minimum of three continuing positions in each faculty to support TELT: one educational developer, one elearning administrator, and one web/IT developer.
These positions will ensure that staff in faculties have the necessary support they need to develop, enable/configure, and utilize courses using the various technologies that will be available to them on the new TELT platform.
References
Highlights of E-learning Support Practices
Educause Volume 2003 Issue 9
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0309.pdf
