The Principal and the Senior Management team have turned to technology to transform learning in an attempt create a coherent, consistent and cost-effective kick-start to the change management process after a series of mergers and acquisitions. Howard and Bob shared with delegates the progress so far and the lessons learned from their experience of the organising and delivering Leeds City College Learning Festival 2012. Presented at the RSC East Midlands e-fair - http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=209

1. How a large distributed FE college is
using learning technology to bring about
large scale organisational change
Howard Browes – Head of Learning Innovation and Student Progress
Leeds City College
Bob Harrison - Consultant SET, Education Adviser, Toshiba Information
Systems (UK) Ltd, Consultant, National College for Leadership of
Schools and Children's Services

2. Context

3. The theory………..

4. Geography

5. Merger

6. Size can bring problems ……
• Importance of avoiding silos (sometimes a result of
every day business processes)
• Unified vision AND ACTIONS
• Development and action plans need to be linked
• Is there joined-up thinking:
• ITSS infrastructure and capital investment?
• curriculum design and delivery models?
• design and location of learning spaces?
• are we recruiting the right staff and providing the
best professional development opportunities?

7. Infrastructure
Every system has a purpose to the person/team who
designed/implemented it – but it isn’t always clear to the end user!
The College had previously used an Allied Telesis SwitchBlade 4000, a CISCO 6509 and HP Networking for its core
resilience at the campuses which are now end of life and will be replaced by six Allied Telesis SwitchBlade x908
switches with 10GB modules for fiber connectivity and x610 series Layer 3 switches. The new switches will ensure
that traffic is re-routed in milliseconds in the event of a potential failure. They will also enhance resiliency for the
college’s cloud-based storage (Microsoft Live@edu) and ensure high levels of security for staff and students
accessing the network by automatically assigning them to the correct WLAN.

8. Systemic change
“Teachers have been infrequent and limited users of
new technology for classroom instruction. If anything,
in the midst of the spread of computers and the
Internet to all facets of American life. “e-learning” in
public schools has turned out to be word processing
and Internet searches….. Teachers at all levels of
schooling have used the new technology basically to
continue what they have always done” Cuban, L
(2003)
‘can I ………….
•learn how and when I want?
•write and submit an assessed piece of work in a digital
format
•get assessed work marked with quality feedback
within a reasonable time period
•have my grades and overall progress updated with the
same ease as I can use Facebook?’

9. Staffing
• TEL Manager
• Learning Innovation Mentors
• Web-developer
• VLE Team
• Advanced Practitioners
• Digital leaders
• TEL Group
Right team obviously essential, but
also need ‘buy-in’ to effect lasting
transformation

10. Short-term win!
Festival of Learning
1400 staff in 42 rooms across 4 sites …………

11. Adobe Connect

12. TEL Passport
Staff Survey
summer 2011
Student Survey
February 2012

13. Increased staff knowledge and
use of technology
Evidence of staff trying new
technology – but does it
enhance learning?
We have already noticed an increase in staff
using new technologies through the OTL
process
It is as much
about changing
the mind-set of
staff so that they
think of learning
in similar ways to
the learners

14. http://info.leedscitycollege.ac.uk/sites/grid/
http://wallwisher.com/wall/lccpubliservices
http://www.pearltrees.com/jonnywathen

15. Current initiatives
• BYOD & device leasing
• College App – curriculum/learning focus
• Infrastructure
• Policies, strategies and actions plans ………….
• Re-designed learning spaces (consolidation and re-location)
• Curriculum versus learning
• Students as digital leaders
• Supplementing VLE with an aggregation of various
social networks (mashup)
• It’s a learning journey …………

16. We are just starting the journey…….
Eric Hoffer, 1989

17. Bob Harrison - Consultant
• Long Term vision
• SMT buy in
• Network of Innovators
• Staff groupings
• Reliable Technological Infrastructure
• Technician Support
• Pre/post event blog
• Follow Up action plan/Impact measures
• Evaluation
• Low hanging fruit
• Student Voice/Digital Leaders
• Build and maintain momentum
• 3-5 year plan

18. Why achieving large scale
organisational change is difficult
Diana Laurillard
1. The drivers of the education system -
assessment, curriculum, inspection/quality
requirements, funding flows, promotion criteria -
have not changed in recognition of what
technology offers, so nothing within it can
change.

19. 2. Technological change is very rapid, and
because every innovation is useful in
education we need more time to make
the radical changes they afford

20. 3. The education system is run by leaders
who are not comfortable with either the
detail or the implications of the technology
potential, and they need more support

21. 4. Education is a political activity so avoids
being subject to the innovation that market
forces encourage

22. 5. Education systems change slowly because they
are hierarchical command-control systems, rather
than devolved-power adaptive systems. Teachers
and lecturers are given neither the power nor the
means to improve the nature and quality of the
teaching-learning process through technology

23. Contacts
Howard Browes
Head of Learning Innovation and Student
Progress
howard.browes@leedscitycollege.ac.uk
01132846291
07795256714
@hanbrowes
#lcclearn21c
http://wp.me/P2dGd4-2