Rebecca Davies Pro Vice-Chancellor Student and staff services

1. ”What a difference a decade makes?A personal view of the changes in e-learning in the “noughties Rebecca Davies Pro Vice-Chancellor Student and staff services

2. The year 2000 • Timeout from HE • Reflection and perception… • Developments that met my expectations • Where we are further behind • How we’ve delivered the unexpected. • Future challenges and opportunities

3. Back in year 2000 – a prediction… “the most probable future use of CBL (is that) it has great potential as an aid in future nursing education, with regard to: (1) meeting students’ educational requirements more effectively; (2) achieving these requirements more efficiently; (3) providing students who have differing learning styles with alternative representations of knowledge, and with methods of assimilating that knowledge; (4) providing nurses with the opportunity to develop skills and confidence in the use of CBL and computers in general; and (5) nurturing a desireto use such resources in their future careers.” Michael J. Lewis, Rebecca Davies, David Jenkins and Michael I. Tait (2002) A review of evaluative studies of computer-based learning in nursing education. Nurse Education Today. Volume 21, Issue 1, January 2001, Pages 26-37

4. Why (as a librarian) I worried about & used “CBL” in my teaching I did lots of… (4) providing nurses with the opportunity to develop skills and confidence in the use of CBL and computers in general; and (5) nurturing a desire to use such resources in their future careers.” “it’s all about the confidence”GokWan

5. But was pretty poor at… (1) meeting students’ educational requirements more effectively; (2) achieving these requirements more efficiently; (3) providing students who have differing learning styles with alternative representations of knowledge, and with methods of assimilating that knowledge;

6. time out, pockets and ring fences… “…. we aim to accelerate the shift from ‘pockets of innovation’ to the mainstreaming of learning and teaching provision, processes and practice.” HEFCW (2007) Enhancing Learning and Teaching through Technology: a Strategy for Higher Education in Wales .W07/42HE

7. Developments met my expectations • Easy (ish) interface for VLEs • Lecture capture • Podcasts, vodcasts • Quiz tools • It’s just part of the job for academics • No more HTML (or is that just me…)

8. Where we are further behind • Interoperability • Cost • Students still have to use paper + pens… (exams) • & paper books • & also the digital divide still exists…

9. Martin Bean, VC of the Open University .... digital divide is no longer about haves and have nots in terms of access to IT and ownership of devices.... "In my mind now the digital divide is much more about those that actually understand how to use and apply technology in their lives and their work as a necessity, rather than simply getting access to the technology...” http://www.kable.co.uk/ou-head-says-digital-divide-has-shifted-13apr10

10. Where we’ve delivered the unexpected. • Social media, web 2.0 & learning communities • The tools of the trade… • Mobiles • Flipcams • Netbooks… iPads… • It’s all in a name… CBL to e-learning to TEL • Youtube, iTunes…. • Virtual (learning) worlds • It’s all going cloudy

11. Future challenges and opportunities • Deliver better and fasterservices at lower cost • Help develop digital literacy “transferable, adaptive skills, which give people the competence and confidence to embrace technological change throughout their lives” (Delivering a Digital Wales, WAG) • Encourage systematic collaboration which exploits the potential of technology to deliver higher education across and beyond Wales (For our future, WAG) • Develop TEL in partnership with students to ensure a fabulous student experience

12. Rebecca Davies rkd@aber.ac.uk @BeccaDavies