Discipline-focussed Learning and Technology Enhancement Academy 2010 - Report

Oxford University have recently completed a DFLTEA project to redevelop how they execute IT projects in the Medical Sciences Division. The Project leader, Damion Young, has taken advantage of the analytical ideas, tools and support available through the project to engage staff in a very complex organisation with an improved process. This enabled the organisation to identify key IT development needs and gain high level authorisation for coordinating projects between many different partners.

The support helped them to build a project which better aligned all the local stakeholders with integrating the needs of the Division with the Universitiy's strategic planand the HEFCE framework for enhancing learing and teaching through the use of technology. The addition of HEA and Subject Centre support enabled Damion to gather key roles to discuss how project needs are identified, resourced. prioritised, designed, developed and imlpemented.

" [This] is something that we would have found very difficult without the support and process of DfLTEA. The kudos of an HEA project and the support of a senior 'critical friend' and the UK Centre for Bioscience were also critical to winning the support of senior Divisional management and engaging the rest of the team"

The process involved residential awaydays with other DFLTEA project holders to gather key roles away from distractions to encounter a series of tools to help them understand their information environment and how problems could be tackled with an integrated approach. Many of these could be approaches could be used in other universities and bioscience departments.

You can read Damion's Report here in the PDF Format, in a new window.

Background

The Higher Education Academy introduced a discipline-based organisational development programme as part of its Enhancing Learning through Technology programme. Participating subject departments in HEFCE funded higher education institutions were supported in the use of technology to enhance learning, teaching and assessment practices with a view to increasing institutional capacity in alignment with HEFCE's policy statement: Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the use of Technology (ELTT).

Direct funding for the project was not provided to the departmental teams who are successful. The intention was to focus on enhancements that are strategically aligned with their institution's development needs and mission. Each team received consultancy support throughout the 12 month period of the programme in the form of an expert 'Critical Friend' who was to be a member of the team and will bring in external expertise from relevant agencies such as Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs), the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), Benchmarking and Pathfinder projects, etc. as the projects progress. In addition, project teams were supported by their respective Subject Centre and through participation in 'Change Academy' type events. A modest grant was made available to encourage cross-institutional collaborations and the cultivation of communities of practice using an established model (CAMEL).

Original call page