About CITSCAPES Phase I Higher Education

1. Background of the Project
2. Remit, Terminology and Aims of the Project
3. Actions and Methods

1. Background to the Project

Change in Higher Education

Higher Education is at present undergoing a period of rapid and fundamental change. It is faced with a battery of demands from both government and individuals: that it should be open to a greater proportion of the population and to entrants from all backgrounds, including the disadvantaged and disabled; that it should be more responsive to the needs of students and to their career and life choices; that its practices should be focussed on enabling student learning and adding value to individual capabilities; that it should be available throughout adult life, to be taken up when needed and accumulated in small pieces from different sources; that it should be available through a variety of attendance patterns (full-time, part-time, campus-based, distance), and delivery modes (tutor-led, open learning, C&IT-supported, etc.). For most institutions of higher education, these demands require a response, for they come at a time when increasing international competitiveness and the ongoing straitening of public funding also oblige universities to consider their mission, goals, core activities and target clientele in a more focused and hard-headed manner that has hitherto been necessary.

Integral to this response is the re-forming of the learning environment. The learning environment offers the student a curriculum - knowledge, intellectual methodologies, practical skills and competencies, even attitudes which need to be developed - and a pedagogy - a means of addressing the curriculum - and it requires resources to be deployed to enable it. The learning environment is currently undergoing major change:

1. t is becoming more student-focused, so that the process and experience of learning become the prime considerations in preparing and delivering a course;
2. It is becoming more interactive, so that increasing value is attached to collaborative activities and to dialogue between learners, and between learners and teachers.
3. It is becoming more consumer-oriented, in that students are becoming more demanding and more critical in the selection of courses for study;
4. It is becoming more diffuse, in that a wider range of methods of delivery, and of learning tasks is now available for use;
5. It is becoming more C&IT-rich, with C&IT tools available for accessing, processing and presenting information, for document creation, for interaction between students and between students and tutors, and for interactive delivery of learning materials.

The learning environment is a cultural object, created and sustained through conscious decision-making based upon ideas of what is desirable and proper, of the content of the curriculum, of the appropriateness of types of learning event, and of the deployment of available resources (including human ones). Any major change in the learning environment - and that is what is currently taking place - requires therefore something of a cultural shift, a re-understanding of what it means to be involved in higher education, for both students and their teachers. To be fully successful, it requires a change not only in practices, but also in understandings and ultimately in beliefs. For some, the cultural change will be unproblematic, and intervention is unnecessary. But for many, the opportunity to derive most benefit from the evolving learning environment must be nurtured; whether students or staff, they need to be acculturated into some or all aspects of the learning environment, to be inducted into new modes of working and new attitudes to learning.

The C&IT-rich Learning Environment

The learning environment is becoming C&IT-rich. C&IT has impacted upon all three elements (curriculum, pedagogy, resource-deployment). The curriculum has evolved to include both C&IT-based methodologies, such as the use of database or spreadsheet, and the content and concept development which they permit. Pedagogical options have incorporated not only C&IT-based tasks, such as database-querying, but also C&IT-based learning delivery systems, ranging from single-task CAL programs through Computer Mediated Communication (CMC – the use of online discussion fora and email) to all-inclusive on-line courses offering multimedia presentation of content, automated assessment, and email contact with tutors, other students, and the course administration. And C&IT hardware and software is now a central item in the acquisition and deployment of resources for any educational system. The current topic of debate in many institutions is whether to adopt for institution-wide use a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which will allow students access to all their information needs through a single computer interface, or a Managed Learning Environment (MLE), which links the VLE into the institution's entire information infrastructure, including all its administrative data. A number of such systems are now available, although it is probable that these represent early versions of a tool which has much further development yet to undergo.

As they encounter the C&IT-rich learning environment, students can, if they are able and willing, draw upon C&IT-enabled modes of accessing, transforming, communicating knowledge, of interacting with others, and of organising and enhancing their own learning. However, in order to do these things successfully, they must:

1. adopt C&IT-enabled modes into their views of what constitute the normal activities and artifacts of higher education;
2. master the tools and practices necessary to address C&IT-enabled modes; and
3. reflect on the role of C&IT in their own learning activities.

Whilst some students arrive at university with these attitudes and competencies already developed, others arrive with little or nothing of either, and many arrive with them fragmented or partially-developed.  It therefore makes sense, in terms of both culture and practice, for the university which is developing an C&IT-rich learning environment to take specific measures to ensure that all students are C&IT-empowered, and that this happens as rapidly as possible.  Student C&IT induction is thus an issue facing every HEI which intends to develop a C&IT-rich learning environment (and there are very few for whom this would not be a central goal).

2. Remit, Terminology and Aims of the Project

Remit for the Project

Circular 4/99 (November 1999): JISC invited proposals for a project which would:

1. produce case studies on what training is currently available in C&IT for students in HEIs;
2. find out what plans HEIs have for coping with the changing nature of C&IT skills training requirements for both students and staff.

The invitation went on:

The study will find out how students' C&IT skills development will affect HE and whether, in light of these different skills, HEIs will need to change the nature of their training provision. It will also involve assessing the way in which the HE community thinks things are changing and how they are planning in the medium and long term to cope with these changes...The final outcome will help JISC, HE providers and the Funding Councils assess the level and nature of support that students might need in the future in order to enhance their already acquired C&IT skills. (JISC, 1999).

Although the project was primarily commissioned to investigate 'student C&IT induction' provision in the HE sector, some reference was required to be made to staff training in C&IT in order to complement the SCAITS study carried out for JISC at the University of East Anglia (SCAITS, 2000).

The funding was awarded to the University of Glasgow (lead institution), the University of Stirling, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education. The project was named Citscapes standing for "C& IT Skills: Current situations, Avenues of Possibility, Emerging Solutions". It is based at the IT Education Unit at Glasgow University, and the project leader is Allan Martin, Director of the IT Education Unit.

Terminology

It was important at the outset to clarify our use of terminology in two areas:

1. C&IT" There is a certain terminological confusion developing in this area, with the abbreviations ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) and C&IT (Communications and Information Technologies) now competing, in the UK, with IT (Information Technology). C&IT has become a semi-official term in the UK since its appearance in the Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997), but is not used elsewhere.ICT has been adopted by the organs of the European Commission and has acquired from this a good deal of currency in Europe. In fact, this term is most widely used by the educational bodies of EU Member States. IT however is still the preferred term in the US and the rest of the world, being used for instance in the influential National Research Council report Being Fluent with Information Technology (NRC, 1999). In the UK Further Education Sector ILT (Information and Learning Technology) has become the accepted term. These terms tend to be used with the same meanings in discussions of student induction, and indeed in broader discussions of provision of services for students and staff. Since it is the term of normal usage in UK higher education, we have used C&IT throughout this report, unless quoting a source using one of the alternative forms.
2. "C&IT induction": We adopted the term "C&IT induction" to refer to the whole process of providing students with learning, teaching, support or training in order to develop their level of C&IT literacy, whenever they are delivered (i.e. not just at the beginning of a course or programme of study). We consciously avoided the use of terms such as "training" or "skills development" which, we considered, were more limiting and may have had the effect of precluding some higher education activities which did, in fact, enhance C&IT literacy. We were aware that many programmes and initiatives currently in place have a wider educational purpose than simply "skills development" and aim to empower students to benefit fully from their studies, or help them in subsequent employment. Moreover, the term "training" is sometimes regarded with negative connotations, especially when contrasted with "education", and we did not want to become involved in a debate over the respective merits of the two. "C&IT Induction" is therefore a compromise, and we remain open to suggestions for something better.

Aims of the Project

It is widely accepted that while some of today's students already possess advanced skills and attitudes towards C&IT, others arrive at university with little or nothing, and still more come with them fragmented and partially developed. It is also widely acknowledged that C&IT literacy has become a growing requirement for "graduateness" and future employability and that this requirement will continue to evolve in line with the rapidly changing world of C&IT developments and the employment market. In this context, UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are faced with some exigent questions:

1. What are the implications for the structure and function of the university in the adoption of C&IT-richness into the learning environment?
2. How are HEIs addressing the changing nature of C&IT skills training requirements for both staff and students?
3. How are HEIs planning in the medium and long term to cope with these changes?

In the light of these challenges, and to help HEIs, the Funding Councils and JISC plan for the future, the Citscapes Project was commissioned to address these issues, to stimulate debate, and to assess the level and nature of support that students might need in the future in order to enhance their C&IT skills.

The main aims of the project were therefore to survey the present position in UK HEIs, regarding student C&IT induction, and from this to develop both a framework for reflecting upon this area of development and a guide to good practice. The survey was further enhanced through the examination of a number of case studies from a cross-section of types of HEI, which would enable the range of responses to C&IT induction issues to be presented in greater detail, and examples of practice which merit reflection to be identified.  We attempted not only to summarise and present the empirical data, but also to offer a way of understanding it, and a vocabulary through which discussion could proceed.

3. Actions and Methods

Each of the project strands contributed an important dimension to the understanding of student C&IT induction and to the final outcomes of the project. In isolation the strands represent valuable research methodologies in their own right. Although focused on quite different outcomes, each has provided useful and often interesting results. However, in combination they have continued to influence and inform our awareness and so aid the development of the project. Taken together they enable a valuable insight into the current situation and status of C&IT induction in higher education to be portrayed. A complex picture is revealed describing the general situation across UK HEIs (the "what") as well as examples identifying the factors which influence the choice of a specific approach (the "why").  Through the survey we see the broad picture; the case studies allow us to fill in the detail; and together they direct and inform each other as well as underpinning the development of a conceptual framework for this area.

Establishing Contacts

Establishing contacts at each of the HEIs in the UK was carried out early in the project. This was beneficial in several ways. First, it allowed us to see some emerging patterns about the main functional areas involved in C&IT induction in the HEIs, and provided an overview of the managerial responsibility for this area. Secondly, it helped raise awareness of the project across the sector during its early stages, and may have had a positive bearing on the high return rate achieved for the survey. Finally, the identification of a liaison person at each HEI was instrumental in successfully initiating and conducting the case study investigations.

The Survey

The survey was carried out in order to obtain information on a number of key issues from all UK HEIs and was designed to address strategic issues as well as practical considerations of C&IT induction. The survey instrument took the form of a three-part questionnaire inviting responses in three areas: strategic issues, general approach to delivery, and details of provision. The analysis of the survey data allows an overview of current practice and future intentions to be presented, and was not only useful in setting the parameters for the case study investigations, but also helped inform the theoretical development of the project. The HEIs were grouped into categories according to size, type, etc., and the returns were analysed according to these classifications to discover if any significant patterns were apparent. These groupings might also allow institutions to locate and compare their approach with other HEIs of a similar profile.

The key questions highlighted in the survey, a summary of the main findings and a brief description of the methodology adopted are presented in Chapter 6 of the Final Report. A preliminary version of the survey report is available to download from the project website.

The Case Studies

The case study investigations form a central strand of the project and involved the detailed study of student C&IT training provision in five UK HEIs. Based on the initial responses received from the survey questionnaires, case study sites were selected in order to represent the range of types of HEI and of cross-institutional activity. These sites include an ancient (pre-1900), a modern (1900-1980) and a new (post-1992) university, as well as a College of Higher Education. They also provide examples across a range of institutional sizes and alternative approaches to student C&IT induction. Unfortunately, due to unexpected problems of ill-health of both our research assistants, the full intentions of the case-study programme were not realised, and work on studying a further post-1992 university, a monotechnic institution and a distance-learning-based university could not be completed.

A comprehensive set of guidelines was designed to enable the case study investigations to be carried out effectively. A range of methods was employed to obtain a rich picture from each case study, and where possible, these were applied in a consistent manner in each study so that effective comparisons could be made.

A summary of the main findings of the case study investigations is presented in Chapter 7 of the Final Report. This includes a set of detailed illustrations or CITI Maps' (C&IT Induction Maps), which describe the provision of C&IT induction in each of the institutions studied. These provide a useful summary of the provision within each individual institution and allow future comparisons to be made. In addition, the individual, detailed reports for each case study form an interesting series of papers and represent a significant project output in their own right. They are in the process of being mounted on the project web site.

Conceptual Framework

The Citscapes Project was the development of an explanatory framework to enable effective comparisons to be made across techniques, strategies, and contexts, which would provide a medium through which the main issues surrounding C&IT skills in HE could be conceptualised. It was intended that this element of the project would benefit UK HEIs in allowing them to reflect on their own situation with respect to student C&IT induction and to focus on strategic decisions and implementation issues.

One of the main outcomes of the project has therefore been the construction of Developmental Tools upon which each institution may map its own development and strategy. These tools will enable higher education institutions to:

1. compare themselves with other institutions in the sector;
2. determine where they want to be in the future;
3. identify key factors to enable the desired transformation.

In addition the developmental tools provide a perspective through which discussion of the issues can continue, and which will also help JISC and the funding bodies identify the main areas where assistance or support is required and gauge the best strategic deployment of funding in this area. The tools are presented in Chapters 10, 11 and 12 of the Final Report.

The Project Web Site

A Project Web Site has been developed, which informs about past and present project activities. It provides background information, holds publications and working papers, is searchable for keywords and includes a link to the Project Resource Database for other projects and organisations.

The Project Resource Database

An on-line searchable database has been developed. Not only does it provided a list of relevant resources in the field of student C&IT literacy, but it also offers an interactive function that allows the submission of book titles, journal articles and on-line resources.

Project Strands

The following Project Strands have been pursued and adjusted as a method of enquiry:

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