Flexible Delivery

Activities

Introduction

Initially, two sets of scoping studies were undertaken across the Scottish higher education sector to focus the plan of work: one was on institutional views and the other on students' views. Details can be found here.

As a result of these studies, the Steering Committee identified three key areas for development work.

  • Pedagogy
  • Learner support
  • Infrastructure

The Committee adopted a two-pronged strategy, comprising:

  • the development of a vision for the future, and
  • the provision of practical tools towards achieving this.

As part of the above work, a global scanning exercise was undertaken to identify good and/ or best practice in flexible delivery in the UK and internationally with the aim of providing not a single vision, but a number of possible models.

In addition the Steering Committee initiated a sector-wide consultation to enable Scottish HE institutions to map their own stage of development, and also enable the Steering Committee to identify areas considered to be priority for strategic development by Scottish institutions, in terms of their individual institutional and learning and teaching strategies, and to assess the level of engagement across the sector with various aspects of flexible delivery. This consultation report is available here.

Six development projects were initiated, including a number involving cross-institutional collaborations.

These projects comprised:

  • a personal vision for flexible learning from a systems perspective: Nigel Kay, University of Strathclyde
  • supporting the development of the flexible curriculum: flexible entry and flexible programmes: Ruth Whittaker, Vince Mills, Paula Cleary, Glasgow Caledonian University and Hazel Knox, Paisley University
  • a model for analysis and implementation of flexible programme delivery: Paddy Maher, UHI Millennium Institute and Alison Littlejohn, University of Dundee
  • Scottish Higher Education developers' on-line and distributed services: Colin Mason, Stephen Evans, Raymond Moir, University of St Andrews
  • accessing JISC and Higher Education Academy resources to support flexible delivery: Roy Leitch, Wendy Nightingale, Interactive University, Carole Higgison, Bradford University, Jane Plenderleith and Veronica Adamson, Glenaffric Ltd.
  • the use of virtual learning environments for higher education in Scotland: Geoff Ward, University of Dundee

These are now in their final phases of completion with publication in the near future.

In addition to the above, the Steering Committee commissioned an overview of the outcomes of the work:

  • Professor Terry Mayes produced an overview of the theme's work, linking the project outcomes to the earlier sector-wide consultation and global scan, and highlighting emerging issues and areas for future consideration.

The project outcomes, together with the overview of the Flexible Delivery theme, have been published.