The Interactive University Prof. Roy Leitch CEO, The Interactive University Deputy Principal, Heriot Watt University Opportunities for partnerships

Influences The World…… …..is getting smaller

Influences.. From teaching …… …….. to learning

C&IT is re-engineering education

Influences Interactivity is the key

Interactive Learning Learning involves interaction with: Teachers => interactive tutorials Knowledge =>interactive materials Peers => interactive discussions Oneself => interactive assessments Seeking the best use of human interaction and automated means

Influences International standards Delivered locally

Global (e) Education Infinite demand for post-compulsory accredited education

Objective Affordable internationally recognised qualifications

Why it’s important

The Interactive University

Mission Establish a leading international education business Centre of Excellence for the Scottish sector Catalyst for educational ‘modernisation’ Development and services for the Scottish university Sector

Distributed Education Authoring Pedagogy Examining Quality Universities and Colleges Interactive University Students Local Academic Partner Development Distribution Support Marketing Sales Tutorial Support Continuous Assessment Infrastructure Recruitment

Supported e-Learning Courseware Assessment Academic Support Local Infrastructure Students International standards and recognition Local contextualisation and relevance Academic Provider Local Partner

“Best of Both Worlds” International Standards combined with local contextualisation

Quality Assurance Equivalent Standards Equivalent Structure Equivalent Opportunity

Joint Initiative The Interactive University

Born on September 11 th 2002 Started walking on 1 st October 2002

Legal Status private company limited by guarantee without shares

Function To provide efficient business oriented services, at cost, maximising the income to providers

Membership All Scottish (post compulsory) educational institutions

Recent Members –The Robert Gordons University –The University of Stirling –Heriot Watt University

Forms of Membership Core Members License core programmes Sustainable continuous development General Members ‘club’ members Foreign educational institutions with commercial agreements with core members for core programmes

Requires professionally produced interactive courseware

Approach Incremental development of a consistent compatible non-competitive range of scalable programmes

Current Position 3,000 students internationally 45,000 students nationally (4.5m on-line learning hours) 30 Local Learning Partners 15 Countries

Initial Products and Services BA in Management Programme BSc in IT Programme MSc in IT Programme SCHOLAR Foundation Programme SCHOLAR Forum

SCHOLAR Raising Standards in Science and Mathematics through Interactive Learning

Universal Problems Science and Mathematics in decline Teaching considered to be ‘boring’ Staff shortages Learning too passive Need to develop enhanced personal skills Smooth the transition into Higher Education Reduce failures Lack of science/engineering/computing graduates endangering the K-economy

Proven Solutions Re-vitalise Science and Mathematics Education Interactive Student-Centred Learning Make better use of teachers Increased standards More consistent and flexible delivery Increase motivation through technology reduce failures through (on-line) continuous assessment Integration of curricula

SCHOLAR approach SCHOLAR Forum educational change process and interactive community formation SCHOLAR Materials interactive on-line materials, complemented by printed texts Complete resource for programme delivery

Essential Point Both Forum process and materials delivery are necessary for successful implementation

SCHOLAR Forum Staff Development Programme typically 1.5 days/principal teacher/subject/school interactive learning plus some subject updating opportunity for CPD/postgraduate qualifications train the trainers Community Formation Teacher discussion areas Materials review and involvement in further developments Annual conference

SCHOLAR Materials

SCHOLAR on-line Materials Developed in topics (10 student effort hours) Textual descriptions with graphics Interactive animations and simulations Interactive formative assessments Progress reporting Examination papers Frequently asked questions

SCHOLAR subjects ‘AS’ Level ‘A’ Level Higher Advanced Higher Mathematics  Physics  Chemistry   iology  Computing  French  More subjects being developed all the time

Virtual Learning Environment Interactive learning materials Activity reporting system Student discussions areas Teacher discussion areas Frequently asked questions External resources

Web based Environment Continual updating/improvement of materials World-wide community Single reference source No version problems as in CDRom Basic computer requirements Standard web browser + plug-ins

SCHOLAR in Scotland Initiated in 1999 Partially government funded 100% penetration in Schools 42,000 pupils 3,500 teachers 33 Local Education Authorities 12 Further Education Colleges

SCHOLAR outcomes (Scotland) On average performance one grade higher Failure rates halved (16% => 8%) 22% increase in uptake in Science and Mathematics at Advanced Higher (‘A’ Level) Recruitment into Science and Engineering courses at HWU up by 17% Extremely positive external evaluation Consistent high ratings from students and staff

SCHOLAR Evaluation 85% of staff would recommend it 77% of students would recommend it 95% of students said it increased their motivation 90% made use of the materials from home 3-4 times per week

World’s largest interactive e-learning initiative

SCHOLAR International Scotland – national programme (44,000) England and Wales – London pilot ( 50,000) Norway – converted to Norwegian (5,000) Malaysia – Matriculation Colleges (22,000) Malaysia – Teacher updating (7,500) North India

Summary Standards can be raised and opportunities equalised through Interactive Learning

Summary The Interactive University: Looking for partners to deliver international education locally