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Assignment 1: Analysis and Comparison of Rationales for E-learning

Tasneem Irhouma

Master of Educational Technology (MET)

ETEC 520 66A 2021S1-2 Planning and Managing Learning Technologies in Higher

Education

Dr. Leah Macfadyen

June 6th, 2021

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This paper will explore and analyze the various e-learning strategy rationales, both

implicit and explicit, for supporting and stimulating e-learning that the University of Oxford

and the Imperial College London present.

With evidence of teachings dating back to 1096, the University of Oxford boasts the

status of being the second-oldest university in the world still in operation, located in Oxford,

English. Though their full-time programs require students to live near the university campus,

University of Oxford also offers a number of part-time online asynchronous programs that

can be completed remotely. Developed nearly 140 years ago, the university’s Department for

Continuing Education aims “to enable Oxford University to reach students beyond the full-

time student body” (University of Oxford, n.d.) offering flexible learning opportunities to

students outside their required radius. The department boast over 1000 part-time courses

across various different subjects, ranging from weekly in-person classes, fully online courses,

as well as undergraduate and postgraduate certificates and diplomas where “the majority meet

weekly and are taught in Oxford, others are made up of online components and short

residencies in Oxford, and two of our Advanced Diplomas are taught entirely online”

(University of Oxford, n.d.-b).

Established nearly 8 centuries after the University of Oxford and one of its greatest

competitors, Imperial College London was founded in 1907 in London; unlike the University

of Oxford, which offers a wide range of learning opportunities in a plethora of different

fields, Imperial stands as the only university in the UK to focus solely on sciences,

engineering, medicine, and business. With over 17,000 enrolled students, the mission of

college, as outlined by its 2020-2025 strategy, is to “to achieve enduring excellence in

research and education in science, engineering, medicine and business for the benefit of

society” (Imperial College London, 2020, p.2). Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Imperial

offered few blended e-learning opportunities to part-time Master’s students, where modules
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in the course would consist mostly of asynchronous online learning with some mandatory

face-to-face lectures. Imperial also offers free online courses delivered through edX and

Coursera, aimed at anyone worldwide, student or not.

The rationales of e-learning and developing technology in the classroom are outlined in

the strategy plans published by each university. The 2016-2020 University of Oxford Digital

Education Strategy lists their explicit rationales, dividing it up into 5 developmental areas:

1. Extended Excellence: this area focuses on rationales related to “extend[ing] the areas

of excellence in digital education that already exist and to ensure that all departments

and faculties regularly review how digital methods might enhance their teaching and

learning provision” (University of Oxford, 2016, p.6).

2. Inclusive Provision: this area focuses on rationales related to the use of “appropriate

digital technologies to develop more inclusive provision for different learning needs”

(University of Oxford, 2016, p.6).

3. Key Digital Platforms: this area aims to “support academic staff as innovative

teachers by developing the functionality and usability of key digital platforms”

(University of Oxford, 2016, p.6).

4. Accessible and Relevant Resources: this area outlines rationales related to

“support[ing] students by making collections of resources more accessible and

relevant to their learning” (University of Oxford, 2016, p.6).

5. Resources and Further Development: this area emphasizes rationales that aim to “to

clarify, and agree the resources needed to develop digital education, where these

might be most effectively situated, and how best funded" (University of Oxford, 2016,

p.6).

Likewise, Imperial College London’s 2018-2025 Digital Learning Strategy divides their

rationales into three essential categories:

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1. Experience: This includes rationales focusing on incorporating elements of

technology into the classroom and transforming conventional face-to-face teaching

methods into blended learning. Professor Alan Spivey, Imperial’s learning and

teaching assistant provost, emphasizes the need for this rationale by stating that

“seamless integration of digital content into our teaching pre-, post- and during face-

to-face interactive sessions with students opens up extraordinarily rich possibilities for

enhancing the quality, effectiveness and fun of the learning experience” (Learning

Beyond Digital: Digital Learning Strategy 2018–2025, 2018, p.4-5)

2. Innovation: the aim of this rationale category focuses on “pioneering new ways of

learning” (Learning Beyond Digital: Digital Learning Strategy 2018–2025, 2018, p.6-

7); in essence, Imperial aims to prioritize developing new technologies and ideas that

will support a more technologically-enabled classroom environment.

3. Extension: this area lists rationales related to distance learning and learning off-

campus: “Online educational technologies provide new ways for the College to fulfil

its mission to benefit society. By extending our global reach we can share our

education and research with new audiences, increasing its impact” (Learning Beyond

Digital: Digital Learning Strategy 2018–2025, 2018, p. 8-9).

Bates and Sangra ask “whether the quality of teaching in our postsecondary institutions is

already of high quality and thus merely needs to be enhanced with technology (the icing on

the cake), or is there major room for improvement in how we teach?” (Bates & Sangra, 2011,

p. 12). University of Oxford and Imperial College London both have contradicting opinions

on this, as explicitly stated in their technology-focused strategy plans. The University of

Oxford Digital Education Strategy emphasizes the importance of the traditional learning

methods, namely lecture, practical, class, and tutorial face-to-face teaching, but believes in

the employment of technology to further enhance these conventional forms of teaching:

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“Technology can supplement, rather than replace, face-to-face teaching, and increasingly the

distinction between face-to-face and digital education is becoming blurred as tutors and

students use technology in the class and lecture room” (University of Oxford, 2016, p.8).

Conversely, one of the explicit e-learning rationales outlined in Imperial College London’s

Digital Learning Strategy aims to rather reform the university’s conventional teaching

methods to ones more largely oriented around educational technology: “We are moving away

from teaching based largely on traditional lecturing to become more interactive, work with

our students as partners and create a diverse and inclusive student community on our

campuses, aided by digital and online technology” (Learning Beyond Digital: Digital

Learning Strategy 2018–2025, 2018, p. 3). University of Oxford has had several centuries to

build one of the world’s most reputable learning environments and rigorous tradition which

may account for their belief that their classrooms only need the assistance of technology.

Imperial, on the other hand, being a newer institution that focuses solely on programs

revolving around science and technology, advertise themselves as a progressive institute that

strays from traditional classroom environments for more advanced, more novel ones.

Both universities mention rationales relating to making their resources and research more

accessible. University of Oxford mentions efforts to engage a wider audience, specifically in

larger scale, open, online education for those not enrolled in the institution. The implicit

rationale behind this is evident when the strategy states that “Massive Open Online Courses

(MOOCs) are now a feature of education offered by many of Oxford’s key competitors”

(University of Oxford, 2016, p.15). By offering more open education opportunities, the

university is able to take part in a field that many of their competitors already have an upper

hand in. Interestingly, the strategy discourages the implementation of MOOCS, claiming that

“alternative activity could equally well achieve the objectives that some academic staff have

in mind” (University of Oxford, 2016, p.15), and instead discusses the development of
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SPOCS, where “courses at this scale would be ideal for showcasing course content and

providing snippets for linking to the prospectus” (University of Oxford, 2016, p.16). This

allows the University of Oxford to retain its prestigious exclusivity, while also offering

snippets of their courses that functions as both a tool to compete with rivaling institutions, as

well as a tool that serves to subtly publicize the university. Other efforts to be more

accessible are targeted towards their enrolled students, such as their rationale that aims to

“improv[e] the accessibility and usability of teaching resources and teaching sessions with

technology” (University of Oxford, 2016, p.12). Conversely, Imperial makes one of their key

rationales to extend the reach of their education and research under their Extension category.

It emphasizes the importance of “using educational technology to teach learners who cannot

attend our campuses” and “expanding continuing education opportunities for professionals

globally, to enable life-long learning” (Learning Beyond Digital: Digital Learning Strategy

2018–2025, 2018, p. 8). A study published in 2014 suggests 6 principle reasons for

institutions offering MOOCs, including “extending reach and access” and “building and

maintaining brand” (Hollands & Tirthali, 2014, p.1). These reasons are reflected in Imperial’s

edX profile, in which it prides itself as “a science-based university with an international

reputation for excellence in learning and research, Imperial furthers its commitment to

improving education worldwide through its learning and teaching strategy” (edX, n.d.).

Both the University of Oxford and Imperial College London outline their rationales and

explanations for adopting and implementing e-learning practices into their classrooms.

University of Oxford emphasizes that technology is not to replace traditional classroom

practices, but rather enhance the experience. The University also seems adamant on

implementing technology into educational tools that are targeted towards aiding their students

and faculty within the Oxford community, rather than using technology to reach a wider

audience; this insinuates that Oxford is aware of their prestigious reputation and perhaps does
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not see any need in putting efforts to maintain a brand that is already consistent. Imperial

College London, though with similar rationales in terms of setting goals to implement new

technology into the classroom, seem to have a more optimistic perspective of the potential

educational technology has to offer, and is open with the idea of moving away from

traditional learning environments for one more technologically-oriented. Additionally,

Imperial shows prioritization of reaching a wider audience through e-learning practices,

possibly to further enhance their brand as one of the most scientifically-driven institutions in

the UK.
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References

Bates, A. W., & Sangra, A. (2011). Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies

for Transforming Teaching and Learning (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

edX. (n.d.). Imperial College London. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from

https://www.edx.org/school/imperialx

Hollands, F. M., & Tirthali, D. (2014). Why do Institutions Offer MOOCs? Online

Learning, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v18i3.464

Imperial College London. (2020). Imperial College London: Strategy 2020–2025.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/about/leadership-and-strategy/

strategy-2020-2025/public/CollegeStrategy2020-2025

Learning Beyond Digital: Digital Learning Strategy 2018–2025. (2018). Imperial College

London. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/about/leadership-and-

strategy/strategy-2020-2025/public/CollegeStrategy2020-2025.pdf

University of Oxford. (n.d.-a). Our mission. Oxford University Department for Continuing

Education. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/our-

mission

University of Oxford. (n.d.-b). Undergraduate award courses. Oxford University Department

for Continuing Education. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from

https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/undergraduate-award-courses

University of Oxford. (2016). Digital Education Strategy 2016–2020.

https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/files/digitaleducationstrategy2016-2020finalpdf