This is one of the two sets of slides that i have used at my session at the Regional Workshop on ICT Leadership in Higher Education organised by Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia and The Open University of Sri Lanka, 6 - 7 June, 2014, at Hotel Tourmaline, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

1. ICT in higher education: policy perspectives
Dr Palitha Edirisingha
[pe27@le.ac.uk]
Institute of Learning Innovation
University of Leicester, UK
Jointly hosted by the Open
University of Sri Lanka
Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia
Regional Workshop on ICT Leadership in Higher
Education, June 6 – 7, 2014, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Slide Set 1 of 2

2. 3 Key messages
1 Policy – role of the senior leadership
2 Examples
3 Tools
[Contextualisation during discussion]

3. This presentation…
• ICT for teaching, learning and assessment
• Terminology: ICT, e-learning, technology-
enhanced learning [note the changing
terminology]
• Policy initiatives in the UK since early 2000:
HEFCE, HEA, JISC
• Based on the involvement of the implementation
of Leicester’s ICT strategy and e-learning projects
since 2002
• Reference to Collis and Moonen (Netherlands),
Salmon (UK), Laurillard (UK).

4. Relevance?
Global trends
National policy
Local, institutional
policy and strategy

5. Simple definitions of e-learning
• “A student who is learning in a way that uses
information and communication technologies
(ICTs) is using e-learning” (Laurillard, 2006).
• “the use of any of the new technologies or
applications in the service of learning or
learner support” (Laurillard, 2006).

6. An assessment of e-learning
“While the ostensible aim is to use e-learning to improve the
quality of the learning experience for students, the drivers of
change are numerous, and learning quality ranks poorly in
relation to most of them. Those of us working to improve
student learning, and seeking to exploit e-learning to do so,
have to ride each new wave of technological innovation in an
attempt to divert it from its more natural course of techno-
hype, and drive it towards the quality agenda. We have to
build the means for e-learning to evolve and mature as part of
the educational change process, so that it achieves its promise
of an improved system of higher education” (Laurillard, 2006).

7. An assessment of e-learning
“E-learning is in a rather extraordinary position. It was born as
a ‘tool’ and now finds itself in the guise of a somewhat
wobbly arrow of change. In practice, changing the way
thousands of teachers teach, learners learn, innovation is
promoted and sustainable change in traditional institutions is
achieved across hundreds of different disciplines is a
demanding [task] that will not be achieved by learning
technologies alone. It involves art, craft and science as well as
technology” (Salmon, 2005, p. 201).

8. The development of learning technologies – where are we?
Date New technology Old technology
equivalent
Learning support function
1970’s Interactive computers Writing New medium for articulating and
engaging with ideas
Local hard drives and
floppy discs
Paper Local storage with the user
1980’s WIMP interfaces Contents, indexes,
page numbers
Devices for ease of access to content
Internet Printing Mass production and distribution of
content
Multimedia Photography, sound,
and film
Elaborated forms of content
presentation
1990’s Worldwide Web Libraries Wide access to extensive content
Laptops Published books Personal portable access to the
medium
Email Postal services Mass delivery of communications
messages
Search engines Bibliographic services Easier access to extensive content
Broadband Broadcasting,
telephones
Choice of elaborated content and
immediacy of communication
2000’s 3G Mobiles Paperbacks Low-cost access to elaborate content
Blogs Pamphlets Personal mass publishing
(Laurillard, 2006)What about 2010s? What technologies are missing?

9. ICT / e-learning policy context in the
UK since the early 2000
To give a flavour of the policy context, the focus of the
policies, the key stake holders, the outcomes, and where
we are at the moment …
Key agency: Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE)
Key partner agencies / delivery, implementation partners:
Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC); Higher
Education Academy (HEA)

10. ICT / e-learning policy in the UK
There have been flawed policy and initiatives
as well. A key one is UK e-University (UKeU).

11. ICT / e-learning policy in the UK
• 2005 policy document entitled Strategy for e-
learning (HEFCE, 2005).
• HEFCE’s plan for the ten-year period from
2005

12. What did the 2005 HEFCE strategy say?
To support the HE sector as it moves towards
embedding e-learning appropriately, using
technology to transform higher education
into a more student-focused and flexible
system, as part of lifelong learning for all who
can benefit.
(Plenderleith and Adamson, 2009)

13. Key aspirations mentioned in HEFCE
2005 document
A summary by Plenderleith and Adamson (2009)
• To enable institutions to meet the needs of learners and their own
aspirations for development
• To support institutions in the strategic planning, change management and
process development that are necessary to underpin their development
and embedding e-learning
• To promote learning research, innovation and development that begins
with a focus on student learning rather than on developments in
technology per se, enabling students to learn through and be supported
by technology, and
• To support lifelong learning by joining up our strategy with those of other
sectors of education, enabling connections between academic learning
and experiential learning in the workplace and other aspects of life.

14. Translating policy into ‘visionary’
statements
ICT is commonly accepted into all aspects of
the student experience of higher education,
with innovation for enhancement and flexible
learning, connecting areas of HE with other
aspects of life and work.

15. Review in 2008
• Updating language and the tone of the
strategy
• More outward looking approach, not
embedding but appreciating the potential of
technology

16. HEFCE revised policy document -
March 2009
• technology … to become a normal part of
students’ and teachers’ activities.
• From ‘embedding’ to ‘enhancing learning and
teaching through technology’.
• Institutions to take responsibility to develop
their own strategic plans
(HEFCE, 2009)

17. Differences between 2005 and revised
policy in 2009
• ‘embedding’ Vs ‘enhancing learning and
teaching through technology’.
• Shift of the responsibility towards institutions

18. Latest HEFCE policy statements on e-
learning
• http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/lt/enh/techlearnin
g/]
• Technology-enhanced learning
• “Technology-enhanced learning is a key part of
learning and teaching in higher education (HE). We
believe institutions need to consider how they can
enhance learning, teaching and assessment using
appropriate technology in a way that is suited to the
underlying infrastructure and practice of the
institution.”
• Note: terminology has been, from e-learning to
technology-enhanced learning.

19. Latest from the HEA website
[http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/funding]
“The Higher Education Academy’s core funding
for 2014-15 and beyond has been reduced in line
with many parts of the sector and, regrettably, as
a result the HEA is no longer in a position to
commit funds for grants and awards from the
next academic year, including … . Grants already
underway remain funded.”

20. The note left by Liam Byrne, the former Chief Secretary to the
Treasury, to David Laws, the Chief Secretary appointed in 2010):
“Dear Chief Secretary, I'm afraid there is no
money. Kind regards - and good luck! Liam”.
No more money!

21. A useful document to follow up:
2008 Survey of Technology Enhanced Learning for
higher education in the UK
[http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/publications/~/media/2
90DD5217DA5422C8775F246791F5523.ashx]

22. Useful approaches to follow:
The introduction and
embedding of e-learning
at the University of
Twente, the Netherland
over 10-years (Collis and
Moonen, 2001).
A strategic framework
for integrating e-learning
at Leicester University
(Salmon, 2005).

23. Towards developing an institutional
policy and strategic framework

24. An assessment of how ICT is being
used in HE
“I am amused by human’s early attempts to fly and
especially at the focus on frantically flapping
feathered wings, inspired by the observation of birds.
The breakthrough to powered flight and
subsequently flying for all came when the inventors
rethought the conceptual approach and developed
aircraft based upon fixed wings in a steady airflow”
(Salmon, 2005, p. 201).

25. Learning technologies:
What is new? What are the challenges:
New technology to
do what we have
been doing so far
New technology for
innovative teaching
and learning
OR
VLE use for simple
content delivery
might be mistaken as
an educational
innovation (Westera,
2004)
How might we
reach this stage?
‘Jug and mug’ system of teaching / learning (to
borrow a phrase from Vice Chairman, UGC, Sri Lanka)

26. Innovations
• Diverse component technologies should come
together.
• The DC-3 brought together 5 critical
components: variable pitch propeller,
retractable landing gear, lightweight molded
body, a radial air-cooled engine, and wing
flaps.
• All 5 were needed. 4 were not enough.
(Senge, 1990)

27. In ICT / E-learning
• What are the critical components that should
come together to form ‘an ensemble of
technologies that are critical to one another’s
success?
• How might policy framework(s) contribute?
• Are Vice Chancellors a vital component?

28. Policy considerations – pedagogy
“No VLE will ever be enough in itself to create great e-
learning. … . It just cannot be successful without appropriate,
well-supported and focused human intervention, good
learning design of pedagogical input and the sensitive
handling of the processes over time by trained online tutor”
(Salmon, 2005, p. 203).
‘Acquisition-oriented activities’, ‘participation-oriented
activities’ (Sfard, 1998)
‘Contribution-oriented activities’ (Collis and Moonen, 2001)
Less of ‘jug and mug’ system of learning!

29. Policy considerations - Influence from
the university management
“if universities are to re-
think their methods of
teaching, they need a
management structure
that is capable of
supporting innovation”
(Laurillard, 2006)
Top-
down
Bottom-
up
The power
The
knowledge
(Elton, 1999)

30. Influence from the university
management
Top-
down
Bottom-
up
The power
The knowledge
‘transformational
leadership’
(Elton, 1999)

32. Policy considerations – cost
More attention on costs involved in investing in e-learning /
learning technologies (also distance learning).
e-learning can be scalable. Costs can be lower in the long-run.
But hand-crafting won’t make this possible (Salmon, 2005).

33. Challenges for policy implementation
Resistance from university teachers (academic
staff of various categories) to change the way
teaching and learner support is done.
Lack of understanding of outcomes
Responsibility for doing research
Research may be more rewarding (promotions)
Improving pedagogy is time consuming

34. Research into e-learning / scholarship
in ICT as a policy initiative?
• Examples?
• Examples from Leicester …

35. The story of Leicester’s e-learning
policy / strategy (2005 -
• The background: various national policies before
2000. A key policy document was Dearing (1997)
report.
• Despite direction from policy, most HEIs were
struggling to engage a significant percentage of
students and staff in e-learning”. Many small
scale projects but scaling up was limited (Salmon,
2005).
• Two approaches: centralised, top-down, directed;
and bottom-up, incremental,

36. Leicester - background
• Conventional / traditional university
• Distance learning
• E-learning
• Programmes and courses
• IT system
• Staff Development Service
• Library
• VLE
– Drawing on from all of the above and pioneers

37. The story
• A Professor of E-Learning was appointed (late
2004)
• New Director of Distance Learning Administration
appointed (2004)
• The development of the e-learning policies and
strategy started
• Beyond Distance Research Alliance initiated
(2005) with 3 appointments
• [most importantly? ….. 2 more key components]

38. Considerations in developing the
policies and the strategy
• Research - innovative pedagogy and technologies
• Core and peripheral learning technologies.
• Realistic approaches to engaging students both for distance
and blended learning
• Embed in the university’s overall aspirations (articulated in
formal plans and strategies interpreted through formal and
informal discussions.
• Being explicit about the purpose of pedagogical innovation
and the objectives of the scaling-up of e-learning.
• Strategy to sit within wider national policy frameworks
(Salmon, 2005)

39. A 4-quadrent approach
• Based on the product-market scope developed by Ansoff (1965)
• Diagram from BJET article, p. 212.

40. Strategy – thinking like a commercial
company
• A firm needs:
– direction and focus in its search for and creation
of new opportunities.’
– ‘a well-defined scope and growth direction …
objectives alone do not meet this need, …
additional decision rules are required if the firm is
to have orderly and profitable growth’
(Ansoff, 1965, p. 94).

41. • through means of the growth vector, indicating the direction
in which the firm is moving with respect to its current
product-market posture.
• First three have a strong, clear common thread. The 4th – less
apparent and weaker.
(Ansoff, 1965).
Product 
Mission
Present New
Present Market penetration
[current technology]
Product development
[new
products/technology]
New Market development
[new markets]
Diversification [new
products, new markets]

42. The 4-quadrent and Media Zoo
approach
• Please refer to Slides Set 2

43. References
Ansoff, H. I. (1965) Corporate strategy, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Collis and Moonen (2001) Flexible Learning in a Digital World: Experiences and Expectations, London:
Routledge.
Elton, L. (1999). New ways of learning in higher education: Managing the Change, Tertiary Education and
Management, Vol. 5, pp. 207 – 225.
HEFCE (2005) HEFCE strategy for e-learning,
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100202100434/http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/0
5_12/ [accessed 15 May 2014]
HEFCE (2009) Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology: A revised approach to HEFCE’s
strategy for e-learning: A revised approach to HEFCE’s strategy for e-learning,
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2009/200912/name,63806,en.html, (accessed 15 May 2014).
Laurillard, D. (2006) E-Learning in Higher Education, in P. Ashwin (Editor) (2006) Changing Higher Education:
The Development of Learning and Teaching (SEDA Series). Chapter 6. pp. 71 – 84.
Plenderleith, J., and Adamson, V. (2009) The policy landscape of transformation, in Transforming higher
education through technology-enhanced learning, T. Mayes, D. Morrison, H. Mellar, P. Bullen, and M.
Oliver (eds) Transforming higher education through technology-enhanced learning,
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/learningandtech/transforming_he_through_technology_e
nhanced_learning, (accessed 15 May 2014).
Salmon, G. (2005) Flying not flapping: a strategic framework for e-learning and pedagogical innovation in
higher education institutions, ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology, Vol. 13, No. 3,, pp. 201–218.
Senge, P. M. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization, London: Random
House.
Sfard (1998) On two metaphors for learning and the dangers of choosing just one, Educational Researcher, Vol.
27, No. 2, pp. 4 – 13.