ukoer3-senior-management-engagement


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Back to phase3 Education Sector Engagement

 

It is worth noting that the pilot phase institutional strand in 2008/9 did a lot of work with senior managers Institutional Strand Institutional Issues and in phase 2 this was also reported Phase2 Institutional Issues

 

The majority of UKOER3 projects have been involved in more than one UKOER funded project and have built on earlier engagement with senior managers.

 

How engaged your senior managers are with OER?

Nottingam University - PARIS project Also involved in pilot phase with BERLiN project and Nottingham released U-Now repository before UKOER funding even started.

 

University of the Arts London ALTO UK Also had ALTO project in phase 2

 

University of Oxford Great Writers Also had OpenSpires in pilot phase and RIPPLE project and TRITON project in phase 2 (see resources generated for stakeholder engagement)

 

De Montfort University HALSOER Also had SCOOTER project in phase 2

How institutional culture can change to adopt open practices Dr Vivien Rolfe and Dr Mark Folwer, De Montfort University

 

Coventry University COMC Project

 

Newcastle University PublishOER Also had ACTOR and PORSCHE projects in phase 2 and OOER in pilot phase

 

Southampton SOLENT University Opening up a future in Business and previous OMAC project Open for Business

 

University of Liverpool CORE-SET (Interim report) and previous pilot phase project CORE-Materials

 

What are you doing to engage them?

Nottingam University - PARIS project

"Over the last three years there has been a significant amount of work carried out to engage staff and senior managers. The top down approach involved working with the Director of teaching and Learning who presented at all academic boards and a number of teaching and learning committees to explain the benefits of OER and to ask for support. The director of teaching and learning has also contacted all heads of schools on a number of occasions to update on the Open Nottingham programme and to ask for support. This has enabled the Open Nottingham team to work with managers at all levels and has led to a number of schools engaging with OER at school level. This approach has also ensured that staff that wish to engage on an individual basis,  are free to do so."

 

University of the Arts London ALTO UK

"Making the argument that 'open' is useful for identifying and then driving the changes needed to make better use of technology to support learning and teaching - particularly flexible learning seems to be striking a chord here as the basic business models are being re-examined. It seems to be a good idea to try and keep moving forward with things open so we are preparing a bid to a charity for further funding which has got the attention of the senior management here (at Dean level)

 

University of Oxford Great Writers

"through working closely with departments on specific OER projects: e.g. success last year with Politics in Spires blog (Triton project) and this year with the English Faculty with the Great Writers Inspire project. Successful projects are demonstrated to other departments should the opportunity arise, for example the Learning Technologies Group is running a conference in June which will have OER as a key theme (see http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/events/beyond2012/)"

 

De Montfort University HALSOER

"As a result of the interviews and a HEA "case study" I am leading a working group to see what we need to do to be more strategic and how to influence senior staff. We will present a paper at the executive board including case studies and top line information of HOW and WHY OER works. (JISC policy document just released will help)."

 

Coventry University COMC Project

"We have included Faculty Senior Managers in the project steering group have and will continue to report on progress to them"  

 

Newcastle University PublishOER

"Regular meetings of the DR group, regular meetings with senior managers, facilitated 2 workshops for staff on copyright (at the invitation of the PVC T&L) liaising with unions (next meeting with UCU on Friday 1 June)."

 

Southampton SOLENT University Opening up a future in Business

"Both our previous OMAC and this current project report(ed) into the Univeristy's Learning & Teaching Group ( which has a member of the VCO and representation of all faculties at Associate Dean level within its membership) on OER production. We actively work with Learning and Information Service (LIS)and its Dean on this project - as this group are becoming more actively invested in OER production. It is within our own Faculty Board papers and details have gone forward in an Employability and Enterpise Paper to a meeting chaired by a member of the VCO."

 

University of Liverpool CORE-SET (Interim report) (senior managers of partner institutions outside ed sector)

 

"Firstly, to address issues of change management beyond a focus on OER use / reuse solely in the higher education sector; by building effective relationships across the diverse consortia of partner organisations, from the private, public and charity sectors. Secondly, to address the current paucity of evidence with respect to barriers and enablers to OER use and reuse in agencies outside of the HE sector; by creating a survey instrument to be deployed during a set of visits to each partner site during the early months, and for the same survey to then be referred to at later stages of the project."

 

"a model of engagement with sectors outside of HE for the release of themed OER collections; and (2) evidence, that has been systematically gathered, relating to the realities of extending OER collaborations beyond higher education"

 

Whether it seems to be working?

Nottingam University - PARIS project

 

University of the Arts London ALTO UK

 

University of Oxford Great Writers

 

De Montfort University HALSOER

 

Coventry University COMC Project

 

Newcastle University PublishOER

 

Southampton SOLENT University Opening up a future in Business

 

 

Summary

This highlights significant variations in engagement. Clearly most institutions have some engagement from some managers and this reflects the distributed nature of HE institutions. Feedback from all phases of UKOER indicates that even if senior managers are supportive of project activities they may not actually understand all the benefits of engaging with OER for the different stakeholder groups (staff, students, informal learners, other educators, wider global community, institution and external partners).

 

Most projects have invested significant time and energy into engaging stakeholders (including senior managers) and have revealed an overall lack of awareness around OERs and open practice (at all levels of an institution). One of the most significant activities to engage stakeholders has been in articulating the benefits at events, workshops and Committee meetings.

 

Success in influencing institutional strategy, policy and processes has been reported through all phases of UKOER (see above links relating to institutional issues). This includes the creation of new policies (such as that mentioned by the ALTO project at the UAL) which is sometimes seen as an important way to raise the profile of the open agenda to strategic managers but also the inclusion of openness within existing strategies and policies which is seen by many as important for embedding open approaches within normal practices and activities. This highlights the importance of taking institution sensitive approaches to implementing open educational practices based on institutional culture and readiness.

 

Engaging senior managers in promoting project activities and embracing an open education agenda has been used to powerful effect by some projects (with Nottingham PARiS and BERLiN projects being an excellent example). Podcasts from senior staff (including PVC level) sends out a powerful message to the institution that this is an important avenue with senior management endorsement. This is evidenced by the outcomes of the work at Nottingham across the institution.

Both our previous OMAC and this current project report(ed) into the Univeristy's Learning & Teaching Group ( which has a member of the VCO and representation of all faculties at Associate Dean level within its membership) on OER production.

We actively work with Learning and Information Service (LIS)and its Dean on this project - as this group are becoming more actively invested in OER production

It is within our own Faculty Board papers and details have gone forward in an Employability and Enterpise Paper to a meeting chaired by a member of the VCO