Research Study

A Definition of Open, Distance, Drop-in and e-Learning

In the post-16 education sector (excluding HE) in Wales

December 2008

Dr Tony Toole

Contact details:

Dr Tony Toole, Director

e-College.ac Ltd

Blue Anchor Cottage

Blue Anchor

Penclawdd

Swansea

SA4 3JQ

tel: 01792 850803

mob: 07590693780

email:


CONTENTS

Page

1. Introduction3

3. Methodology4

4. Project Plan6

5. Quality Plan8

6. Personnel, Skills and Expertise8

7. Project Management8

8. Budget9

Annex A: Primary Researcher CV10

  1. Introduction
  2. This document describes the proposed methodology, timescales and budget for a project to establish the definition of open, distance, drop-in and e-learning to be applied under the NPFS, to identify the costs associated with the delivery of these types of provision and to make recommendations for different levels of funding appropriate to this type of delivery.
  3. A review of the NPFS formula in Walesin October 2006 established a short to mid-term funding methodology for these types of delivery that made funding available at one third of the CEU base rate. It was agreed that a methodology based on the actual costs of delivery would have been preferred and that a further review would take place when an acceptable definition of each delivery method had been agreed and the true costs of delivery had been established. This was seen as part of the goal to have full harmonisation of the funding methodology across all delivery methods by 2009/2010.
  4. The National Planning System, upon which the National Funding System is based, is underpinned by a number of principles including the fact that it should be reflective of current and future learning needs across Wales, be transparent and be evidence based. A further requirement is that it should be flexible and responsive to changes in demand and adaptable to different methods of delivery.
  5. Government priorities for skills development, increased employability and economic growth in Wales are set out in the Skills and Employment Strategy and Action Plan Skills That Work for Wales. The strategy refers to the Leitch Review which shows that, for skills targets to be achieved, provision needs to be enhanced for learners in employment and with other time commitments that prevent them from accessing conventional full-time and part-time campus-based education.
  6. Open, distance, drop-in and e-learning delivery methods have been developed to add to the flexibility of access and are likely to become more prominent in the delivery mix to cater for the needs of lifelong and work based learners. The creation of a formal definition of such delivery methods for funding purposes, together with a cost-based funding methodology is therefore both appropriate and timely.
  7. The learner provision stream of the NPFS is designed to reflect the nature of the provision across all sectors of post-16 learning (except HE) to ensure an equitable and cost-effective deployment of resources.
  8. The Credit Equivalent Unit is used in the NPFS as the base funding unit applied to learning programmes and the number of CEUs allocated represents the relative costs of delivering particular types of programmes to particular learners. The actual value of the CEU has been identified based on research involving training providers, awarding bodies and sector skills councils. A similar research exercise is proposed here to identify, in consultation with key stakeholders, the proportionate CEU value applicable to open, distance, drop-in and e-learning.
  9. In the existing NPFS a CEU modifier is applied to take account of different modes of delivery. The method for determining the current modifier is based on an assessment of the Guided Contact Hours supporting the learning activity. This is appropriate when applied to a conventional teacher delivered methodology. It is unlikely to be appropriate when support is provided by other means such as distributed distance learning materials or on-line learning resources.
  10. The proposal here is to develop well defined descriptors of the delivery methods that make them clearly identifiable for funding purposes. A full economic costing model of each delivery method will then be developed which includes a level of flexibility in the number of cost elements accounted for. This will allow for future advances in learning technologies.
  11. The costing models for the different delivery methods will then be used to propose cost-based CEU modifiers. A consideration in this process will be the possibility of arriving at a unified modifier for this type of provision.
  1. Methodology
  2. The project methodology will begin with an exercise to agree the project boundaries and plan the research activities.
  3. During this period the project advisory group will be confirmed and an initial face-to-face meeting will be held to discuss the research activitiesand agree the project plan. The project advisory group will include staff at Directorate level representative of open, distance, drop-in and e-learning provision in Wales, as detailed in section 6, who will ensure that the emerging definitions and costing analyses are evidence based and realistic.
  4. The group will include representation from the Welsh Assembly Government concerned with ACL and e-learning, and from the Open University in Wales to bring information from HE open, distance and e-Learning. It is also proposed to include an external consultant with extensive experience in the costing of such provision and a further external member from the University of Glamorgan who will oversee the project quality plan.
  5. All proposed group members have confirmed their willingness to contribute to the exercise.
  6. Phase oneof the main research activity will then begin. The objective will be to establish a definition of open, distance, drop-in and e-learning; identifying exemplars in each case. The definitions will be tailored to enable them to be used within the NPFS to fund this provision. The exercise will include an evaluation of the work of a range of organisations such as LearnDirect, NIACE and the Wales Open College Network. It will include consultations with institution-based providers of open, distance, drop-in and e-learning courses in Wales such as Coleg Sir Gâr and SwanseaCollege, independent UK organisations such as the NationalExtensionCollege and quality bodies such as the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council.
  7. Information will be drawn from the extensive research and development activities of JISC, where Dr Toole is an e-Learning consultant and a member of the Learning and Teaching Pedagogy Experts Group.
  8. The range of subject areas and their different support needs will be taken into account in the delivery method definitions and the exemplars and case studies chosen.
  9. The research will be carried out by Dr Toole who has extensive experience of open, distance and e-learning in Wales, across the UK and in Europe. Descriptors will be created for each delivery method using evidence from practitioners in the field and illustrated by examples of effective practice. In consultation with the advisory group, the descriptors will be refined until it is judged that sufficient evidence has been gathered to transform the descriptors into a definition that can be used for funding purposes. In addition to the examples of effective practice, a case study will be created for each delivery method to illustrate and support the definition.
  10. Phase two of the research will deal with an analysis of the true cost of each of the delivery methods and the creation of an appropriate funding model. At each stage in this process, care will be taken to align the emerging model(s) with the NPFS structure so that it can be successfully applied within that structure.
  11. Evidence will be drawn from the exemplars and case studies used to create the delivery method definitions about delivery costs. A full economic costing model will be applied that accounts for the costs of initial setup, the delivery running costs, including tutor costs, and the other costs associated with delivery method support.
  12. Consultation will take place with recognised experts in the UK who have made significant contributions to similar funding models. In particular, discussions will be held with Professor Paul Bacsich[1]who has agreed to be an expert consultant to the project.
  13. JISC InfoNet will also be a key source of research based information on funding models[2].
  14. Each of the case studies developed for the definition phase will be used in the cost analysis exercise to ensure that all cost and delivery factors have been taken into account. The subject area weightings will be included in the analysis for this purpose.
  15. The project advisory group will be used to evaluate and comment on the emerging funding models as they apply to their delivery methods and a wider consultation will take place of other key practitioners to test the models in the context of their current delivery practices.
  16. The key activity in this testing phase will be a comparison of the true costs of each method of delivery and the levels of funding currently applied using the one third CEU model. Conclusions will be drawn from this comparison about a CEU modifier that accurately reflects the true costs of delivery and recommendations will be made for inclusion within the NPFS.
  17. The final project activity will be Project Reporting. A draft report will be produced that will cover all the project activities; will present the delivery method definitions and case studies and will present the evidence-based funding model analysis and recommendations.
  18. The draft report will be submitted to WAG for consideration by the Cross-sector Working Group and the advisory group will be invited to identify the implications of implementing the recommendations in their areas of delivery.
  19. A final version of the report will be produced in hard and electronic copy that takes into account the outcomes of the discussions related to the draft. This will be submitted to the Contract Manager at the conclusion of the project.
  1. Project Plan and Timetable
  2. The proposed project plan is laid out in the following GANTT chart. The plan breaks down the activities by task, number of days and specified dates.
  3. The project will be of five months durationcommencing on the date of the award of the contract which was 10th December 2008. The project will end on 13th May 2009.

1

The proposed project plan and timetable are shown in the following GANTT chart:

1

  1. Quality Plan
  2. The quality control for the project will be managed by Mr Haydn Blackey who is a member of the University of Glamorgan Quality Assurance Committee and highly experienced in academic and commercial quality processes.
  3. His sole role in the project will be to provide quality oversight of project procedures, processes and deliverables. He will be a member of the advisory group and will report to those meetings. He will also report to the Contract Manager.
  4. His role will be to monitor and advise on problem resolution, complaints and any other quality related issue in consultation with the client, the contractor and the advisory group. He will also review and comment on the research processes planned for the fieldwork stage of the research.
  5. Personnel, Skills and Expertise
  6. Dr Tony Toole will be the primary researcher for the project and will be responsible for all research and reporting activities, as well as project management. The project advisory group will be representative of the open, distance and e-learning community of practice and will advise the project at key stages in its operational plan.Dr Toole’s Curriculum Vitae is included as Annex A.
  7. The Project Advisory Group will act in an advisory capacity, representing the open, distance, drop-in and e-learning communities and will also have a formal management input as part of the three planned project meetings.
  8. As described earlier, It is planned that the group will include representatives from the FE sector leading in the areas of e-learning and work-based learning, from Learndirect, Niace and the Open University in Wales. Representation will be confirmed from within the Welsh Assembly Government. An external consultant with recognised expertise in educational costing models will also be included.
  9. At the time of writing, written confirmation of participation has been received from all invited stakeholders apart from NIACE. It is anticipated that this will be forthcoming.
  10. Project Management
  11. Day to day management of the project will be the responsibility of Dr Tony Toole. The project advisory group representing the different sectors involved in the post-16 delivery, together with representation from WAG and the external consultant, will provide informed advice and guidance through scheduled meetings during the project period and feedback on project documents.
  12. The project advisory group will include:

Julie JamesFunding Policy ManagerWAG

Christine MajorSenior Learning Policy ManagerWAG

Jeff GreenidgeDirector for WalesUfi Cymru

Dave HowellsHead of e-LearningColeg Sir Gâr

Angelo ContiDirector of ILTSSwanseaCollege

Richard SpearDirector for WalesNIACE (to be confirmed)

Rob HumphreysDirector for WalesOpen University

Paul BacsichConsultantSero Consulting

Haydn BlackeyQuality ManagerUniversity of Glamorgan

Dr Toole will report directly to the WAG funding Policy Manager

8. Budget

Theoverall project budget is £25k. The major project cost will be the time of Dr Toole as primary researcher, which is scheduled at 34 days over the period of the project.

This totals £17,000.

The remainder of the budget is made up of participation fees of £1,000 each for the 7 members of the advisory group plus their travel expenses.

This totals £8,000.

The total budget for this proposal is £25,000.

Annex A

CURRICULUM VITAE

Dr Anthony M. Toole

Current Post:Educational Consultant/Director

Employer:e-College.ac Ltd

Blue Anchor Cottage

Blue Anchor

Penclawdd

Swansea SA4 3JQ

tel: 01792 850803 mob:07966627998

email:

University Education

University / Subject / Degree / Date
LondonUniversity (RoyalPostgraduateMedicalSchool) / Medical Physics / PhD / 1979
University of Glamorgan / Professional Development / MA / 2006
AstonUniversity / Business Administration / MBA / 1996
University of Wales Swansea / Electronic Instrumentation / MSc / 1972
Open University / Biological Sciences / BA / 1975
University of WalesSwansea / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / BSc / 1971

Professional Affiliations

  • Visiting Professor,University of Glamorgan
  • Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology
  • Chartered Engineer

Employment

1. Current Employment

Title: Educational Consultant/Managing Director

Employer:e-College.ac Ltd

Date of Appointment: 1st November 2007

Brief Summary of responsibilities:

Responsible for managing an educational consultancy company specializing in on-line, distance, and lifelong learning. The main company activity is educational consultancy and the facilitation of technology enhanced learning research and development projects for UK educational institutions or consortia of institutions. This includes project planning, funding procurement, team building, and project management. Three major projects are currently being managed:

  1. WALES (Work-Based Access to Learning through E-Services),a JISC funded research and development project evaluating the use of mobile technology and social networking software in the support of on-line distance learners. Lead partner: University of Glamorgan. Budget: £96k.
  2. eTutor (Education Through Ubiquitous Technologies and On-line Resources), A JISC funded research and development project exploring the concept that on-line distance learning can be facilitated using existing personal computing resources and learning materials freely available on the Internet. Lead partner: SwanseaMetropolitanUniversity. Budget: £50k.
  3. ReCITE (Reusable Content for IT Education), a JISC funded development project evaluating the ability to re-purpose on-line educational content developed by one institution in different curriculum areas in other institutions. Lead partner: SwanseaMetropolitanUniversity. Budget: £25k.

The e-learning consultancy role involves contributing to strategy, policy and operational planning at institutional, regional and national level. Recent activity has included work for the Welsh Assembly Government, the JISC and the European Commission. Two consultancy projects are currently being undertaken:

  1. JISC Curriculum Design Support and Synthesis project, a JISC funded project to provide expert consultancy to a cluster of technology enhanced curriculum design projects totaling £1.6m managed by StaffordshireUniversity, BoltonUniversity, ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity and LeedsMetropolitanUniversity. Budget £50k.
  2. WAG Research Study, a WAG funded project to define open, distance, drop-in and e-learning for the purposes of informing post-16 funding (excluding HE) in Wales. Budget £25k.

2. Previous Appointments

Date / Employer / Post
2000 - 2007 / Coleg Sir Gâr / Director of On-line Services
2000 - 2005 / University of Glamorgan / e-College Wales Partner College Manager (part secondment)
1985 - 2000 / Coleg Sir Gâr / Dean of Faculty of Engineering
1985-1989 / Dyfed County Council / CountyCoordinator for Engineering Education (part secondment)
1982-1985 / SwanseaMetropolitanUniversity / Head of School of Electronics
1981- 1982 / League of Red Cross Societies / International Field Delegate, Darfur, Sudan
1977-1980 / University of Sussex / Lecturer in Medical Electronics
1975-1977 / University of Wales, Swansea / Post-Doctoral Research Assistant
1964-1968 / GEC Ltd., Coventry / Development Engineer

Professional Activities

  • JISC: Member of the JISC Learning and Teaching Committee
  • JISC: e-Learning Expert Group Member/e-Learning Consultant
  • JISC – CETIS Board Member

Awards

2001-2002 Beacon Awards: Winner of the LSDA Award for e-Learning

2002 Fforwm Awards: Winner of the 2002 Award for e-Learning

Selected Recent Publications

Blackey, H. & Toole, A. M. (2008) Crossing the Divide: Taking the University Into the Workplace. ALT-C, Leeds, September 2008.

Toole, A. M. (2007) On-line Work-Based Learning. Consultation Conference on an e-Learning Strategy for HE in Wales. Llandrindod Wells, November 2007.

Blackey, H. & Toole, A. M. (2007) Work-based Access to Learning through e-Services. Consultation Conference on an e-Learning Strategy for HE in Wales. Llandrindod Wells, November 2007.

Blackey, H. & Toole, A. M. (2007) From Control to Collaboration: Creating e-learning across a national consortium. ALT-C. Nottingham, September 2007.