Quality assurance and learning technologies: intersecting agendas in UK higher education
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880010312640 |
| Pages | 7-16 |
| Published date | 01 March 2000 |
| Date | 01 March 2000 |
| Author | Su White |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Quality assurance and
learning technologies:
intersecting agendas in
UK higher education
Su White
Technology and the learning and
teaching agenda
The emerging agenda
It has been more than six years since the UK
higher education (HE) community
accelerated its progress towards technology-
enabled learning and teaching through the
nationwide initiative of the Teaching and
Learning Technology Programme (TLTP).
Over that period there has been a significant
fall in the costs of computers coupled with an
increase in the power that they can provide at
the desktop. At the same time, individual
institutions have invested in their campus
networks, while across the UK academic
community the extent and capacity of JANET
and SuperJANET has increased (JANET,
1999). In addition, the Joint Information
Systems Committee (JISC) has set in train a
wide variety of initiatives and services to
enrich the infrastructure of information nodes
and gateways (JISC, 1999; NISS, 1999).
Fostering development
In a nationwide context, there have been a
large number of technology-related projects,
as well as the ongoing TLTP initiatives which
have now funded more that 100 projects
(NCT, 1999). Within England and Northern
Ireland there has been the Fund for the
Development of Teaching and Learning
(FDTL) (HEFCE, 1996, 1998) and two
JISC programmes, the Technology
Application Programme (JTAP) and the
Electronic Libraries (e-Lib) programmes.
These have funded work on leading-edge
technology applications in HE, some of which
have been concerned with systematic
approaches to the use of learning
technologies. The Scottish funding council
has also put some effort into this area, which
might be seen to complement a national
agenda to create a knowledge society. Notably
among these initiatives is the Learning
Technology Dissemination Initiative (LTDI)
and the Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN)
Initiative (SHEFC, 1999). UK universities
have also participated in a range of HE-
oriented projects in technology in learning
and teaching which have formed a component
of the EU third and fourth Framework
programmes and will be incorporated in the
fifth Framework (CORDIS, 1999). BT have
also supported some innovations through
their development fund, as well as funding
The author
Su White is the Learning Technology Co-ordinator within
the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of
Southampton. E-mail: saw@ecs.soton.ac.uk
Keywords
Higher education, Quality assurance, United Kingdom,
New technology, Globalization, Learning
Abstract
This paper looks at developments in the use of learning
technologies in UK higher education, particularly in recent
years. It examines the agenda items for learning and
teaching associated with the use of new technologies that
have emerged in the context of the current agenda for
quality assessment and assurance. The paper considers
the ways in which the two agendas work in a
complementary manner, and the ways in which they
create tensions. Finally, it considers the likely path of
future developments and considers a way forward in
which existing tensions may be reconciled.
Electronic access
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emerald-library.com
7
Quality Assurance in Education
Volume 8 .Number 1 .2000 .pp. 7±15
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0968-4883
To continue reading
Request your trial