The ASTER Project has been exploring how electronic resources are used to support tutorial and seminar teaching in universities since 1998. It is multidisciplinary, covering the arts, social sciences and sciences. Through surveys and institutional visits, we have found a variety of resources in use. While some digital resources act as a medium through which dialogue occurs (email, virtual learning environments etc.), the majority of the ASTER case studies document indirect support for teaching, for example by providing material for consultation prior to class (e.g. online documents, collections on CD-ROM), or for remediation to ensure that students can express themselves in a specialist language (e.g. multimedia tutorials on essential mathematics). Although the main focus of ASTER has been to promote and support good practice in the use of communication and information technology (C&IT) in teaching, in our workshops around the UK we have also been looking at the reasons why lecturers change their teaching methods.
The motivation to change comes from external and internal pressures. External motivators include peer pressure and the expectation to use IT in teaching from colleagues and students. The Teaching Quality Assessement (TQA) process has also been a significant driving force behind departmental implementation of some level of learning technology. More recently, virtual learning environments have had considerable impact on the direction in which learning technology use is moving in higher education. Many institutions have now purchased or developed a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and its use may be compulsory; there may also be funding and other support available to assist in such developments. There are also strong internal motivations behind the increasing use of C&IT in teaching, including the desire to support students through additional channels of communication, and facilitate access to learning materials and support at times and places convenient for students. Personal reasons for change include the wish to be more innovative, and to focus on teaching innovations as part of personal development. There is also the hope that using C&IT will save time in teaching or assessment, or in maintaining materials, though the ASTER case studies have shown that initially, introducing C&IT into teaching adds considerably to workloads. Time-savings are not to be expected until the course or module has been delivered several times.
There are, however, significant barriers to change, one of the greatest being limited time and support to devote to teaching. In general, efforts spent on enhancing teaching and learning should be recognised by the TQA process, but are unlikely to be valued in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), a process which does not recognise efforts devoted to teaching unless they result in publication in a suitable journal or book. Local facilities can also be a limiting factor. There is considerable variation in the level of support for teaching innovation provided by institutions, including teaching facilities, training and support to develop new materials or tailor existing ones to local needs, and IT staff to train teachers and students in using new equipment and materials. This is compounded in many cases by poor co-ordination and limited awareness of local resources. Staff are interested in the teaching practices of their peers, and the Learning and Teaching Support Network centres are providing an important service in this area, though many would also like departmental teaching and learning officers to keep them up-to-date with innovations in their subject and institution.
Despite these barriers, many academics continue to explore how C&IT can support them and their students. The evidence that the use of electronic resources leads to improvements in teaching and learning is limited, largely because this evidence is so difficult to obtain. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that both students and staff can benefit from introducing new materials and teaching methods through C&IT. The success of innovations depends on the time one can devote to a teaching project, the extent to which modules or courses can be modified to embed the changes within teaching and assessment processes, access to suitable equipment, personal IT skills, support, and student attitudes to change.
These issues are discussed in more length on the ASTER Website: http://cti-psy.york.ac.uk/aster/
The ASTER Project came to an end in summer 2002, though online resources are available at
http://cti-psy.york.ac.uk/aster/
