Enhancing Student Mobility in a Digital World SUMIT Seminar, Warsaw, October 11-12th 2007 1 Jeff Haywood Vice Principal, Knowledge Management, Chief Information.

SUMIT Seminar, Warsaw, October 11-12th 2007 1

Enhancing Student Mobility in a Digital World

Jeff Haywood

Vice Principal, Knowledge Management, Chief Information Officer & Librarian to the UniversityProfessor of Education & TechnologyUniversity of Edinburgh, UK

[email protected] www.homepages.ed.ac.uk/jhaywood

The VICTORIOUS Project teamAngela Joyce, Sue Timmis, Jasper Tredgold (Bristol)Axelle Devaux, Nathalie Sonveaux (Coimbra Group)Denise Haywood, Jeff Haywood (Edinburgh)Isabel Perez (Granada)Louwarnoud van der Duim (Groningen)Kamakshi Rajagopal, Steven Verjans (Leuven)Anthony Baldry, Alessandra Vasari (Pavia)Anna Marchi, Cesare Zanca (Siena)Aune Valk (Tartu)Matti Lappalainen (Turku)

The VM-BASE PartnershipEuroPACE ivzw (BE) Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (BE) Coimbra Group ASBL (BE) Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven (BE) ESU – European Students’ Union (BE) University of Tartu (EE) BEST - Board of European Students of Technology (FR) University of West Hungary - Faculty of Geoinformatics (HU) Helsinki University of Technology, TKK Dipoli (FI) Laurea University of Applied Sciences (FI) University of Edinburgh (UK)



European Developments in Higher Education

Education & Training 2010 Bologna Process European Higher Education Area / Research Area ECTS Diploma Supplement Erasmus & Erasmus Mundus Programmes and more…



Digital technologies in universities

Learning and teaching with technology (e-learning); Digital libraries (e-journals, e-books, online databases & help); Integration of digital databases holding staff, student and

course records; Portals as single gateways to digital resources; Email as the major/dominant communications channel; Single/reduced sign-on to authenticated systems (portal,

email, library); Secure off-campus access to restricted resources (VPN,

proxy); Websites as major/dominant method information provision.



Digital natives

Net Generation



The digital student in 2007

Uses: Laptop/PC/internet frequently & from a variety of locations Lots of digital information sources, possibly preferentially to

physical Chat, email, sms, blog, social network software (friendster,

myspace, youtube) Mobile/smart phones - PDAs

Likes/expects: Fast & seamless services Universities to be online & reliably accessible

BUT….



Sometimes it’s easier to get into a Second Llife tutorial than to get access to a computer at your host university



There is now also an increasing emphasis on virtual mobility in education (ie taking courses from another university (country) by distance learning methods, esp digital – e-learning)

EC eLearning Programme…

“Development of existing instruments, in particular those concerning virtual mobility as a complement and reinforcement for physical mobility (virtual Erasmus); recognition and validation schemes (based on ECTS); information and guidance services, and any other synergies between virtual and traditional models.”



physical mobility = a proxy for virtual mobility Little virtual mobility at present in European traditional

universities and so special cases = special efforts Digital identities, access, facilities, services all affect

most on-campus (traditional) students Transfer between universities raises challenges to

universities to give visiting students fast & automatic digital rights/routes/support

If we do not (cannot) automate & simplify our services to traditional visiting students, virtual mobility will be difficult to implement



VICTORIOUS methodology – triangulation of sources

Desk research and case studies - find the right questions Student perspective:

Interviews Identify right issues Survey: online 2400 responses

University perspective: Survey: online, multiple people in 1 univ 55 responses Staff interviews: explore reasons for some of the findings

Pilots: testing some possible enhancements to the virtual experience, and their organisational consequences

Seminars: getting feedback on intermediate results



Topics & themes

Before, during & after exchange period Student perspective:

Access to digital services & support IT (access to computers), library, e-learning Access to home services while abroad Continued access to host service when back home

University perspective: Libraries, ICT provisions, Student records/Registry, International

Offices and e-learning Specific services for outgoing & incoming students?



Topics of pilots Quality of information about the host university Assessing and attenuating digital culture shock Exchanging and transferring e-learning materials between

universities Feasibility of a European course information database Feasibility of using Shibboleth for digital identity sharing Providing advice and support to outgoing students



Outcomes of research

Research results published Recommendations formulated Practical checklists for all relevant stakeholders

Available as (online) publication at

http://www.victorious-project.org/



The free moving student?



Results from student perspective

Digital culture shock: highly integrated online services less integrated online services

“None at all: completely out of touch with modern technology! Everything was paper forms.”

“The information online to which I have had access were all relative to the previous academic year, the most part of it were mistakes”

“I did use them but only the last month when I finally got my account ”



Results from student perspective

Information provision is weak Hard to find – mainly in local language only Insufficient focus on needs of visiting students No or limited peer network for visitors

Resourcefulness is needed Internet cafés for access to PC and Internet Use services of home university (library access, etc.) Sharing of passwords



Results from university perspective

Business processes directed at on-campus students Physical presence needed for many services Particularly libraries International offices not very concerned with university’s

digital services

More services for incoming than for outgoing student “Out of sight, out of mind?” Remote access to distant learning materials not obvious Awareness of problem is rising



Recommendations

For universities Providing good, structured, up-to-date info is ‘easy’ Easier enrollment and registration needed – pre-arrival? Specific training and support for use of digital services Collaboration across internal bureaucratic borders

For students and their associations More wide-thinking in planning visits / virtual participation Seriously consider everything that might go wrong (it will !) Collect and share experiences and solutions



Recommendations

For European, national & regional agencies

Provide single search for course/programme information Single digital identity system(s) for students / staff

e.g. high-level (national) federations for Shibboleth

Easier Internet access (eg EduROAM) Help remove digital barriers



Follow-up projecthttp://vm-base.europace.org/

PLANNED OUTPUTS: Orientation guidelines for students Codes of good practice in designing pre-selection tests for studentsBlue print for preliminary courses for students preparing for a physical

Erasmus exchange Guidelines on assessment and evaluation tools A study on a Virtual Alumni Association for Erasmus students A manual on ‘good-practices in e-coaching’ A manual with validated procedures and recommendations for blended

mobility activities at institutional, network and European level



Let’s try to make the (virtual) exchange visit more agreeableand decrease the (digital) culture shock



And so, we meet at this SUMIT Seminar:“Enhancing Student Mobility in a Digital World:

Focusing on an enlarged Europe”

Over next two days we shall:• Share views of what we are doing to facilitate student mobility in an

increasingly digital higher education• Identify specific issues for the recent/future EU member states• Identify ways to work together to enhance the experiences of

incoming and outgoing students across Europe

Afterwards:• Produce a book/e-book of our deliberations & good practice

examples

Enhancing Student Mobility in a Digital World SUMIT Seminar, Warsaw, October 11-12th 2007 1 Jeff Haywood Vice Principal, Knowledge Management, Chief Information.

Documents

digital student

enhancing student mobility

digital world sumit

digital technologies

digital services support

digital information

digital resources email

student recordsregistry