Overview

Background

The University’s strategy is to be a world leader in digital education, and to offer an outstanding student experience to as diverse a group of students as possible. We have specific targets around recruitment of non-EU international students and students from under-represented groups, as well as for student satisfaction with learning resources and academic support. 

The University commissioned Headscape review in 2016 indicated clearly the inconsistencies across all our digital systems cause frustration and dissatisfaction for students.  Senate Learning & Teaching Committee, in 2017, approved ISG to begin a VLE improvement project to address these areas of student feedback.  Additional consultations in 2018 with academic & teaching office staff indicate that targeted support/training is required in order to make it easy to design the relevant course information to Learn.   

This project will provide students with courses on Learn that meet their needs and provide the staff who design courses with the relevant skills, knowledge & guidance to do so.   

Our vision is that: "Courses in Learn are accessible, and relevant information is easy to find by students.  Staff find Learn easy to use, and are well supported to make and deliver rich courses online.” 

Principles 

• Remove unnecessary complexity 

• Bring together all the information they need to do a task  

• Use simple language, without jargon or acronyms 

• Use task-based navigation (the same model used by GOV.UK) 

• Show students what they need when they need it 

• Show "Just in time" contextual help, reminders or prompts 

• Integrate existing data sources to present information that is useful to each individual student 

• Allow students to use whatever device they want 

• Use accessible design from the ground up 

Scope

In scope 

• All campus based courses on Learn 

• Design & implementation of a solution that provides students with courses on Learn that meets their needs

• Design & implementation of training/support that will provide staff who upload course content with the relevant skills, knowledge & guidance to do so

• Improved integration of existing tools/systems into course design 

Out of scope 

• Online only courses 

• Moodle & other VLEs although, as much as possible, solutions will be designed so that they are agnostic to platform 

• Redesign of the Blackboard Learn user interface

• Changes to existing 3rd party systems that are integrated

• Changes to existing integrations for 3rd party functionality/systems

• Development of new tools/systems that could be integrated with Learn with the exclusion of Eesysoft

Objectives/Deliverables

Benefits

• Develop a deeper understanding of our user requirements and priorities with regards to use of Learn

This will be acquired via desk research and user consultation across all schools/colleges and using a wide representation of students.

Measured through collation of the following and presented as published report

- Previous UK and International research;

- User Experience analysis; and

- Consultation/feedback gathered via multiple methods, including surveys and focus groups.

• Improved student experience when using Learn - a consistent student experience where they find what they need, when they need it, and feel well supported in their studies.

Measured by case studies and surveys which will compare a baseline ( from existing survey data and case studies yet to be established) against post-implementation.

• Supporting the requirements of the Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy (2016) through the introduction of templates & checklists.

Measured through Q&A activity which will identify the extent to which the templates & checklists have been adopted.

• Improved scaffolding and support for academic and professional services staff to develop courses on Learn in a way that supports a positive student experience with Learn, and creates a greater understanding of how Learn works to support their course context.

Measured by increased uptake of training/support materials, courses and positive feedback from school support staff.

Success Criteria

Methods of evaluation are currently being established and baselines gathered.  Once this work is complete - milestone due 4th January - the below success criteria will be updated to include specifics where relevant.

• User satisfaction is improved in courses that adopt the improvements recommended – measured in a variety of ways (surveys, focus groups etc.) and measured against baseline (Quantitative & Qualitative)
• Delivery of key functionality required by the end users - measured against requirements gathered at outset (Quantitative)
• Adoption of templates - aim is to achieve 90% adoption of templates within 3 years with 1st year delivering 25%, 2nd year 75% and remaining 15% delivered through service in the final year(Quantitative)
• Improved connections within Learn User Group and other Learning Technology initiatives for sharing focussed interests in course development (Qualitative)

Project Milestones

The initial high-level milestones have been produced as an estimation of timelines based on implementation in 2019 however they will be updated & amended once planning is complete as this may change delivery deadlines. 

May '19-September '19 will be focused on training, communications & supporting implementation in readiness for go live. The project activity required between September'19-January ’20, other than to complete measurement activity & create the report on findings, will be dictated by the implementation plan & level of support required. Phase 2 - from March '20 to Jan '21 will be dictated by the evaluation of Phase 1 and Scoping of Phase 2.