Benchmarking

In October 2006 the University commenced a six month JISC/Higher Education Academy (HEA) E-learning Benchmarking exercise. The results of the benchmarking confirmed significant strengths in our institutional approach to e-learning. It revealed that while we were putting mechanisms in place that seek to support both learners and teachers, there were infrastructural and pedagogic shortfalls or constraints. These included a need:

  • to fully develop quality processes for e-learning;
  • to improve the profiling and sharing of good practice;
  • to promote greater take-up of staff support for e-learning;
  • to provide a more coherent and integrated approach to e-learning ensuring equality of provision and support for both staff and students.

The Pathfinder Project

Taking part in the benchmarking exercise led onto a successful bid for this one year JISC/Higher Education Academy (HEA) funded Pathfinder project on E-Quality.

The main institutional benefits were the development of explicit quality processes and procedures for e-learning and the development of an institution-wide approach to supporting and enhancing the student experience. These included minimum standards, diagnostic tools and sharing of good practice.

The benefits for staff included the availability of a range of accessible, updated and responsive staff development activities encompassing support for the design and delivery of e-learning approaches to enhance the student learning experience.  

A detailed analysis of students’ experiences and needs was carried out in order to inform changes to practice including enhanced online pre-induction support, increased student involvement in e-learning design and the development and trialling of new learning technologies.

 

The Pathfinder Team

The Pathfinder team consists of (from l-r in photo) Eileen Webb (Project Leader); Emma Shaw (Apathfinder teamdministrator); Lucy Armitstead-Pinkney (Researcher) and Helen Ashley (Developer). The team worked closely with the E-learning Team in the Centre for Learning and Quality Enhancement (CLQE) and with Flexible Learning Working Group (FLWG). The project was overseen by a Project Management Group who met monthly to discuss progress with the project team. 

The Project Management Group comprised:
Denis Calderon: Assistant Director (Learning & Teaching), CLQE;
Liz Barnes: Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Law;
Kate Boardman: Head of E-learning, CLQE;
Angela Morgan: Assistant Director Quality, CLQE;
Andrew Morwood: Education and Welfare Sabbatical Officer, Students Union.

The project was supported by Professor Peter Chatterton our Academy-appointed Critical Friend and the 'Egret' cluster. These were representatives from the universities of Derby, Sunderland and East London, who were also involved in their own Pathfinder projects. The aims of the cluster group were to provide support and encourage sharing of outputs.

The project appointed Maria-Christiana Papaefthimiou, E-learning Manager at the University of Reading as the external evaluator.