CNIE Conference Leadership in Education Carleton University, Ottawa, May 1-3, 2013

1. CNIE ConferenceLeadership in EducationCarleton University, Ottawa, May 1-3, 2013 LEADERSHIP IN LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Dr. Tony Bates, Tony Bates Associates Ltd, Vancouver, BC, Canada

2. Overview • What do we mean by leadership? • Goals and direction • Planning and strategic thinking • Governance • Resource management • Dealing with institutional culture • Conclusions

3. Why managing learning technology is important Not a ‘side-issue’ any more Effective use of LTs key to: • innovation • productivity • 21st century skills development • blended/flexible/lifelong learning Requires major changes in teaching and culture Virtual border crossing: Loyalist College

4. What do we know about managing learning technologies? Less than 10% of publications on topic So: Bates and Sangrà (2011): 11 case studies: 6 in Europe; 5 in North America Changes since 2010: more institutions now doing serious LT planning (e.g. UBC, Ottawa): MOOCS + government Drawing on results from case studies + more recent experiences

5. blended learning distributed learning Changing modes of delivery hybrid (reduced f2f + online) fully online (distance) classroom aids face-to-face fully e-learning no e-learning

6. What kind of institution? where on the continuum should the institution be? what factors should influence this decision? how do we turn goals into reality? who should decide?

7. Question Does your institution have a plan for learning technologies, or flexible delivery, or online learning, or is it currently developing one? Is it any good?

8. What do we mean by leadership? Several kinds of leadership (Mintzberg): • Charismatic (Churchill, Napoleon, Stalin): • ‘elicits shock and awe’; • die or leave: organization flounders • Facilitative/collective leadership: • enables others to function more effectively • team approach • shared vision essential

9. Goals and direction Main goals for technology in case studies: • ‘modern’ infrastructure • digitalize administrative services • enhance quality of classroom teaching (a ‘weak’ educational goal) Clear, measurable goals essential because • LTs are a major investment • faculty need to know why – and buy into it

10. Goals and direction What goals for learning technology? Examples • Increase access to learning (new markets), e.g. online distance • Increase flexibility, e.g. hybrid • Develop 21st century skills (new outcomes) • Increase student engagement • Individualize learning • Improve productivity (better outcomes, less cost) All are measurable

11. The importance of strategic thinking Institutions with LTs plans did better: • change agents empowered, • gives ‘permission’ • resources identified and allocated BUT: strategic thinking even more important than a plan • better faculty engagement • ongoing process 11

12. The importance of strategic thinking Faculty need to be engaged in setting and implementing goals Such goals in teaching and learning best achieved through faculty: • visioning • discussing • planning programs • designing and evaluating courses 12

13. MEASURABLE GOALS(after strategic thinking)

14. Governance Case studies indicated: • Growth of LT support units • Growth of LT committees, but no clear mandates/decision-making authority • Duplication and gaps in technology support/decision-making • Need for a clear governance structure for technology that includes teaching and learning

15. What is governance? • Kezar and Eckel (2004: 371-398): a multi-level concept including several different bodies and processes with different decision-making functions • Who makes decisions about what? • How and where are they made? • Who is responsible once a decision is made?

16. Functions of governance(for learning technologies) • Set mission/goals/direction • Assign responsibilities • Determine decision-making authority • Manage (LT) resources • Manage risk • Evaluate results • Others? (ethics, ......)

17. Areas of governance Institutional Academic Admin Technology IT LT

18. Two ways of looking at governance Managerial by position Board President VP Academic VP Admin/Finance AVP Academic Dean Dean Director, IT Registrar Director, Centre for Teaching/Learning/Technology

19. Two ways of looking at governance Functional: where decisions are made about learning technologies F (From Bates and Sangrà, 2011)

20. Governance Responsibility of institutional executive In universities, decisions taken throughout institution Important to have right people at the table Integrated planning essential Needs to be thought through and formalized

21. Implications Who should decide on: • face2face/hybrid/fully online • choice of technologies on a course? Institution sets general direction Program team decides balance based on target groups/learning outcomes, integrated with annual academic planning and budget process Individual faculty decide at course level

22. Resource management No institution knows the real cost of e-learning Few institutions know where the money will come from when changing strategy Technology too often an added cost for no measurable benefit Increased spending on LT support units Unintended consequences: larger classes, more contract instructors, increased faculty workload 22

23. Resource management Improved productivity never discussed Important to replace activities (or increase revenues) Accounting/budget processes do not capture ‘true’ technology costs in teaching The time of the instructor is main cost; need course design models that control time and costs 23

24. Resource management Activity-based business plans: UBC • planning • program admin • development • maintenance • delivery For all types of program 24

25. Resource management Need to look at revenues as well as costs 25

26. Dealing with institutional culture The effective use of technology requires changes to key processes, teaching in particular Barriers to change: • (false) tradition • faculty autonomy • lack of incentives • lack of training in pedagogy • poor management

27. The need for faculty development and training ‘There is increasing empirical evidence…that prevailing practices in higher education do not encourage the sort of learning that contemporary society demands… However, there is an impressive body of evidence on how teaching methods and curriculum design affect deep, autonomous and reflective learning… Yet most faculty are ignorant of this scholarship, and instructional practices are dominated by tradition rather than research evidence.’ Knapper, 2010

28. The need for faculty development and training Instructors in most institutions are not adequately prepared to teach well (with or without technology) Training of all instructors in teaching should be systematic and compulsory (especially in universities) Systemic difficulties in doing this 28

29. The need for faculty development and training The traditional faculty development model is broken Very expensive to take a mid-career professional and re-train them Need to start with post-graduate students Not just pedagogy+ technology; also team work; visioning; planning New solutions needed

30. The need for faculty development and training Some suggestions: • a compulsory online course on how to teach online, for faculty • training program for TAs and post-grads wanting to teach in PSE • province-wide programs funded by provincial government • regulation by government

31. Managing cultural change Faculty must be part of the solution by: • understanding rationales for use of LTs • being involved in decisions about LTs at all levels • working in a team with IDs, etc. • being better trained • finding teaching more fun and rewarding with LTs

32. Why managing learning technology is difficult universities/colleges difficult to manage all management is messy (Mintzberg) LT only one, new aspect of management; academic + technology + management rapid technological change fear of managerialism; resistance to change

33. Conclusions Good leadership is essential for the successful use of technology Leadership can come be found at all levels within an institution In a university, leadership requires teamwork and good governance The biggest challenge for leadership is to change entrenched cultures for LTs to be used successfully

34. Questions • Does your institution have good leadership in learning technologies? • Can you change the culture of higher education institutions or can you work round it? • What successes have you had in providing leadership? Why did this work?

35. References Bates, A. and Sangrà, A. (2011) Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies for Transforming Teaching and Learning San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley