Applied Research As a Further Education College Development Tool

SERA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, PERTH, 27 NOVEMBER 2003

Applied research as a further education college development tool. Donald Steele, Head of Research and Product Development, Edinburgh’s Telford College

ABSTRACT

Further education colleges in Scotland are recognising the importance of practical educational research by investing senior members of staff with responsibility for coordinating research activity and developing research capacity and services at institutional level. This paper examines the practical applications of research within two contrasting FE institutions – Edinburgh’s Telford and Elmwood Colleges, one a large urban general FE establishment, the other a small specialist rural college. Research projects are driven by institutional need and cover a broad range of development issues, including market research; evaluation of new teaching methodologies; the student experience; curriculum development and review and College administration and management. The outcomes of practical research projects and their contribution to the individual colleges are reviewed. The strategies applied by both Colleges in developing research capacity within a financial framework which has not traditionally deployed significant resources towards research are described. Much FE research activity depends on accessing sources of funding outside the established HEI and Research Institute community, typically requiring the capacity to exploit ad hoc opportunities as these arise. The paper concludes by projecting the future direction of research within both colleges and evaluates the changes at institutional and sectoral levels required to embed research as an accepted FE activity.

1Edinburgh’s Telford AND ELMWOOD CollegeS

Background

Edinburgh’s Telford College and Elmwood College typify the diverse nature of education and training institutions within the Scottish further education sector. Both colleges are independently managed institutions which serve a specific tertiary education and training function but deliver their curriculum under the umbrella of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council within a common funding and strategic and operational planning framework.

A comparison of the two colleges highlights major differences in scope, scale, size and curriculum (see key facts overleaf).

Key facts

Elmwood College / Edinburgh’s Telford College
Type of institution / Specialist;
Rural environment;
National provision. / Broad-based;
Urban environment;
Regional/local focus;
National/international recruitment;
Curriculum / Mainly land-based & golf-related;
Hair & beauty;
Business studies;
ICT;
Learner support – including pioneering work with autistic students in supported accommodation with 24 hour help. / Building & engineering;
Business & IT;
Care, communication & the sciences;
Creative arts;
Leisure industries;
Substantial open learning, secondary schools, community & outreach programmes;
Learner support.
Students / c800 full-time;
c4000 part-time. / c3500 full-time;
c16500 part-time.
Staff / 205 FTE / 527 FTE
Facilities / Residences / Nursery

Both Colleges, however, share a common requirement to inform institutional planning and development with a sound evidence base. This need has driven both institutions to develop an in-house research capacity tailored to their strategic and operational development. In this respect, they are not untypical of other Scottish FE colleges which are collectively engaging in levels of educational research activity not traditionally associated with the sector. The feature which perhaps most clearly distinguishes FE research from research carried out by HEIs and research institutes is its fundamentally self-serving and pragmatic nature. Typical college-based research projects address issues and problems faced by the institutions themselves; in this context, therefore, action research is a key approach. The colleges also engage in externally-funded research activity, occasionally drawing down substantial financial support, but the majority of projects are self-supported.

2Institutional research needs

Common institutional research needs can be summarised as:

Marketresearch;

Understanding the student experience;

Curriculum development;

Strategy development;

Staff development.

Market research

Market research provides a stronger focus for Edinburgh’s Telford College which has invested in developing a centrally-directed service supporting institutional requirements. In delivering FE market information and analyses the College has made heavy use of the SFEFC’s Scottish FES (further education statistics) database, a unique resource which the Council makes available to all Scottish FE institutions and which supports both micro and macro analyses of FE provision and students.

“Competitor analysis” – of other Colleges’ provision within Edinburgh and Lothian area – is required to understand the College’s immediate operating environment. Mapping & analysing FE recruitment trends informs product development and provides the evidence base which challenges Curriculum Teams to develop into new areas of work.

Survey work draws information from employers, professional bodies, students and other stakeholders on training & development needs.

Key issues briefings draw on evidence of practice elsewhere in the FE sector (Telford, for example, has developed management briefings on Excellence in practice; Enterprise skills development; Learning agreements).

The student experience

Both Telford and Elmwood undertake internal research and surveys of student experience and perceptions as an integral of quality assurance and to inform the ongoing development of teaching and learning methods, curriculum and support services. Evaluation of pilot projects developed to support specific student groups is central to developing the colleges’ widening participation agendas.

Curriculum development

FE is at the forefront of developing new teaching & learning methods. In common with other colleges, Elmwood and Telford undertake action research focusing on the process, outcomes and impact of new educational approaches and methods.

Strategy development

FE colleges have in recent years substantially developed their strategic planning processes, both in response to SFEFC requirements and in developing senior management practice.

Staff development

Research has proven to be a very effective tool in staff development, both in support of self-evaluation and developing the capacity of staff to identify gaps in knowledge, methods of gathering and analysing evidence and using the knowledge gained to develop their own areas of work.

3Research management

Common elements

Institutional support of research activity in both colleges is evident at Principalship level. Colleges are not formally required to undertake research and therefore require internal drivers which develop a research ethos and support research activities. A significant element in the development of research activity within the two colleges is the support of the Principal.

Informal support is an important aspect of managing the development of a research culture within both colleges. Staff typically become involved in research out of personal interest. While direct funds may not be accessible to support individual research, the professional commitment of individual staff can lead to their undertaking research out of personal interest or as an element of personal/career development. Both Telford and Elmwood Colleges have established informal research support groups which aim to bring together staff with an interest in research and provide a forum for mutual support. The Elmwood Research Forum organises lunchtime sessions led by both internal and external practitioners.

FE colleges seeking to develop their research capacity typically identify champions capable of supporting the fundamental requirements of any research activity – the ability to identify, access and exploit readily accessible sources of information. It is perhaps not surprising that both Elmwood and Telford Colleges have remitted a middle and senior manager respectively with a professional background in library and information science to support and drive their institutional research capacity.

Edinburgh’s Telford College

The Head of Research & Product Development is responsible for supporting and developing the College’s market and educational research activities, supported by a part-time Research Assistant. The Head, who is a member of the College Senior Management Team, is also responsible for co-ordinating College planning – indicative of the close relationship which exists between research and development planning.

As a policy the College will support involvement in externally funded projects which address College strategic issues. Discrete research projects are in the main identified and supported through formal operational planning, although ad hoc funding opportunities are also exploited where they support established College research needs.

An institutional research policy has been drafted which will be incorporated into a wider knowledge/information management policy.

Elmwood College

A Marketing Assistant is responsible for undertaking and developing market research. The College Manager: Learning Resources coordinates research support services and maintains a library of staff research project reports.

The Director of Projects & Funding Development has a remit to identify and develop ESF projects, including those with a research focus.

No formal institutional research policy has been developed as yet.

4Research capacity

Common elements

Both colleges employ staff with Higher Degrees and develop project managers capable of managing externally funded projects with a research focus. Access to the FES database in-house provides researchers with the complete datasets for Scottish FE spanning the years 1998/99 onwards – some 1.8 million individual enrolment records and 130,000 individual course records to date;

In line with all FE institutions, both Elmwood and Telford support the professional development of teaching staff to TQFE level. This professional award now incorporates a research unit.

Edinburgh’s Telford College

The College has invested in the development of a centralised research and planning support service managed by a Head of Research & Product Development at senior management level. An Academic & Quality Support Unit, line managed by the Head of Research and Product Development undertakes employer, staff and student surveys

The JISC Regional Support Centre is based in Telford, providing the College with ready access to research support in the area of ICT. Seconded College staff, for example, were heavily involved in developing and delivering a TNA into FE college ICT staff development needs (The ETNA project)

Recognising the limitations of institutional reliance on 1.5 FTE within its current Research and Product Development service, the Head is currently formulating a strategy for developing market research capacity within the College’s Teaching Schools.

Elmwood College

All the SMT (except Principal) are currently undertaking higher degrees and developing research projects / dissertations relevant to their own areas of responsibility. This policy seeks to embed a commitment to and experience of undertaking research throughout the Senior Management Team – in contrast to Telford’s more centralist approach to date.

A research capacity is being extended down through management tiers, where managers are actively encouraged to undertake Masters courses, fully paid through Staff Development.

5Resourcing research

Funding

Access to external sources of funding remains a major obstacle to developing a research capacity within both colleges. Funding sources which have been successfully accessed by Elmwood and Telford include:

SFEFC strategic development fund;

SQA;

ESF.

Edinburgh’s Telford College

The College deploys 1.5 FTE staff to support and develop its Research & Product Development activities. A limited supplies budget means that much of the research undertaken focuses on using readily accessible sources of data, particularly the Scottish FES database. The Staff Development budget funds the research elements of TQFE.

Elmwood College

The College’s Marketing budget funds market research, while the Staff Development budget funds research activities associated with higher degrees & TQFE.

6Practical applications

The following projects provide a representative sample of recent research undertaken by Telford and Elmwood.

Edinburgh’s Telford College

Product review and curriculum planning – gathering of market research evidence which has enabled the College Marketing Committee to present curriculum development challenges to all Curriculum Teams;

Review and analysis of the College’s widening participation and outreach provision – providing evidence on which to base activities and targets relating to community provision and under-represented groups of students;

Evening, Saturday and weekend provision market research – a collaborative project supported by SQA funding involving Telford, Stevenson and West Lothian Colleges and Ashbrook Research & Consultancy. Telford analysed local trends in evening/weekend recruitment from the Scottish FES database while Ashbrook undertook an interview based market research survey of local residents and employers;

Edinburgh and Lothian Colleges Group curriculum mapping project – a collaborative project supported by the SFEFC Strategic Develop Fund and project managed by Telford College which mapped the FE curriculum within the 6 Edinburgh and Lothian colleges and was underpinned by local labour market research and curriculum/recruitment analysis undertaken by SFEU;

CONNECT Project – an ESF-funded project which evaluated the use of enabling software for young people;

Pilrig Park Project: models of support for transition to post-school – an action research project exploring the development of support services to young people with learning difficulties during transition from school to post-school opportunities – funded by Edinburgh Youth SIP;

Effectiveness of Standard grade results as a predictor of future success on SGA Computing – current doctoral thesis being undertaken by a member of the Computing Curriculum Team;

The effects of widening access and Higher Still on business education at FE colleges - MPhil sabbatical research which investigated the effects of competition from universities and schools, as a result of widening access, on the quality and appropriateness of business education at FE colleges;

Evaluation of learning strategy – a research project currently under development which aims to provide a methodology for evaluating the College’s Learning Strategy;

HOT project (Leonardo) – A Leonardo-funded project underpinning development of pan-European qualification for trainers/educators in hospitality & tourism who have no previous qualification and/or experience in the industry. Desk research examined existing qualifications in partner countries and a questionnaire has been used to survey qualifications required for current positions in industry to establish what should be included in a course for educators/trainers. Stirling University is a lead partner;

Evaluation of the training needs of SMEs within Lothian - 3 year ESF project gathering evidence and analysing needs of local SMEs through TNAs.

Elmwood College

Performance management in FE: a balanced scorecard approach – MEd thesis with a practical application which has changed all operational planning in the College;

Perceptions and attitudes of college managers towards their development – MEd research the results of which fed into the college staff development programme.

7Future directions

Common elements

Both Colleges are committed to developing research partnerships and will continue to seek external funding opportunities. Within the FE context, it is recognised that collaboration with other institutions, particularly HEIs, is a pre-requisite to improving the colleges’ capacity to successfully bid for external research funding.

Edinburgh’s Telford College

The College will seek to develop the commercial potential of its expertise in FE market research, particularly in relation to competitor analysis using the Scottish FES database.

The evaluation of the institutional Learning Strategy will lead the College to develop a comprehensive methodology for analysing and evaluating a range of factors relating student learning and support and curriculum design and delivery;

Overall, the College will continue to focus its supported research on issues which takes forward College’s own development, and seek to disseminate the methodologies and results across the FE sector.

Elmwood College

The College will continue to encourage its senior managers to undertake higher qualifications with a research element in order to help them develop their own areas of responsibility. This policy aims to use research opportunities to develop the College.

The Marketing Assistant will be encouraged to take on more of a research role in order to develop the College’s market research capacity.

8embedding research

Research is now a recognised FE activity. Both colleges reviewed in this paper possess the capacity to undertake research. Through the commitment of Senior Management cultural attitudes which view educational research as “something which other institutions do” are gradually changing through senior support of in-house research activities.

Telford and Elmwood Colleges have taken different local approaches to embedding research. In Telford’s case, a centrally managed research service led by a member of SMT has been developed while Elmwood has taken the approach of engaging its entire SMT in research activities through undertaking higher level qualifications. There is merit in both approaches which are by no means mutually exclusive.

The introduction of a research element to TQFE will now provide all teaching staff who undertake the qualification to gain practical experience of research related to their own area of activity.

Ultimately, the embedding of research requires both institutions to invest in staff time required to develop research skills and undertake appropriate research activities, requiring a mix of targeting internal resources and accessing external funding. In the present financial climate, the colleges will continue to place a high reliance on external funding to support what remains a relatively marginal if developing area of activity.

The strategic importance of research for colleges is likely to come into sharper focus should SFEFC implement its proposals, currently under consultation, to develop the FE quality framework towards assessment of the impact of FE activity. The research implications of this potential shift of emphasis from internal to external evaluation are enormous, requiring substantial investment in research which would deliver the required evidence base. Given the strategic importance which SFEFC places on self-evaluation as the driving principle of the FE quality system, such research would and should be conducted from within the FE sector, drawing on external sources of expertise to support the process.

The Scottish Executive’s Lifelong Learning Strategy recognises the pivotal contribution of the FE sector in developing this agenda. Widening participation, social inclusion and new teaching / learning methodologies are all related areas requiring continuous research and evaluation. These activities are already well-embedded within the FE sector and are reflected in the research projects undertaken by Telford and Elmwood described above.