'Campus Plus’ - An institutional model for success after COVID

Author

Professor Patrick McGhee

Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of Bolton

Learning from lockdown

As I outlined in a previous QAA blog, the University of Bolton took a number of distinctive steps to support students during the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. The focus of our approach we term ‘Campus Plus’, a particular model of blended learning which supports staff to help students succeed through a combination of digital and campus-based engagements.

This model confirms our focus on face-to-face teaching supported by interactive digital activities and aims to promote local solutions within an overall institutional framework which recognises variation in student expectations, skills, learning outcomes and professional body expectations. The model reaffirms the ideas in our pedagogical philosophy of TIRI (Teaching Intensive, Research Informed).

The initial impetus for the development of Campus Plus came from our Vice-Chancellor, Professor George Holmes who highlighted how the institution should be focusing on developing what had been learned during lockdown:

Some of the innovative pedagogic practice which tutors and support staff were able to engage students in remotely over the last 18 months have been exemplary. We have had some excellent feedback from students. Our delivery on campus this year cannot therefore simply put the clock back to 2019; we must not lose the innovation which has been so well thought through by colleagues across the University.

Vice Chancellor George Holmes, email to staff September 2021

Drawing on national research by JISC and their Student digital experience insights survey, the QAA Building a Taxonomy for Digital Learning resources and our own regular internal polling of students during 2020 and 2021 on their experiences and preferences in relation to online and blended learning, a Steering Committee identified 12 practical principles to guide our engagement with blended learning institutionally. These principles and the accompanying action plan were subject to institution-wide consultation including live webinars which used an anonymous interactive polling platform to gauge opinions and solicit suggestions for development and implementation.

This work built on our earlier decision to move towards a delivery model for all our modules of 70% traditional on-campus face-to-face teaching alongside up to 30% digital - principally through synchronous delivery. These parameters are amended to accommodate any professional or statutory body requirements.

The student voice was particularly important in shaping Campus Plus. In our polls of over 1,000 students, when asked what features of learning during lockdown should be retained, students identified interactivity during synchronous sessions both technological and peer discussion alongside access to lecture recordings. But students were also positive about re-engaging with on-campus learning.

‘Campus Plus’ - 12 principles in a flexible framework

The 12 principles we have developed seek to provide a strategic overview to shape our evolving engagement with blended learning as an institution-wide endeavour. They were developed and endorsed in collaboration with academic and professional service staff across the institution, as well as the Students’ Union.

From idea to implementation

After Senate’s approval in October, we were keen not to lose momentum and so focused on rapid investments and developments which had been highlighted in the feedback from staff and students.

Rapid resourcing

To ensure that the blended learning model of Campus Plus could be implemented effectively a rapid review of priorities for delivery was undertaken with investments made in areas highlighted by staff feedback to the proposals. This was managed through a Priority Investment Group for IT, chaired by Assistant Vice Chancellor, Julian Coleman. The key investments made included:

• Flexible student and staff spaces (for example, pods and soundproofed furniture in communal spaces)
• Staff IT equipment (for example, updated headsets, pilot hotdesking equipment)
• Student IT equipment (for example, upgrading Bolton One and other classrooms across Campus)
• Software licenses and learning support resources (for example, Vevox, sitewide licence for student polling and other interactive features, and Uniwise Remote Exam Proctoring software)
• Staff development/training and learning support (a staff development co-ordinator and Steering Group)
• Student Development and Generic student digital skills (for example, investment in the JISC Discovery Tool to support development of Digital Skills)

In order to further reinforce the Campus Plus model as our model, we trademarked the name. This was not to anticipate the model being used by us as a new branding device, but as a measure to stop others cybersquatting.

Bottom-up good practice

To launch the framework and to share good practice, our Teaching Professors group organised an online showcase of case studies of effective practice developed during the pandemic lockdown which were now being reconfigured to work powerfully in the context of blended learning.

Examples of good practice from this collection include:

• A blended approach to the delivery of Medical Biology Honours projects
• Lessons of how to support students working on the front-line during the Covid-19 Pandemic:
• Enhanced Industry Engagement via Online Professional Talks
• Making a Clinical Diagnosis: House MD and the Whiteboard.
• Blended learning: Clinical supervision and authentic assessment.
• Being Better Present Online: How Zoom improves tutorial attendance and engagement.
• From Intimidation to Inspiration - An interactive Deconstruction of Previous Student Projects through Articulate
• Here, there and everywhere: Using the student voice to shape a model for blended learning
• Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Using AI for student engagement/Digital Skills Passport.

These reports will be available as an edited collection to be published in 2023 (Edited by Teaching Professor Dr Mohammed Sadiq).

Funding Innovation and Enhancement

To further support collaborative working, in November 2021 we held a competitive bidding scheme to fund innovative projects to accelerate the Campus Plus blended-learning model. Successful projects included:

1. simulations systems for health care
2. online employability development,
3. the development of an online Refugee Employment Support Clinic
4. Digital Output - DigiSkills Student Accounting Passport. Individual Digital Portfolio of students application of knowledge and skills acquired through the Accounting and Tax Clinic

Staff development and recognition

Responding to observations from colleagues around the institution that targeted, collaborative staff development would be needed to deliver the Campus Plus model, we adopted a triple-track approach.

1. The first track was a series of 15 webinars delivered by specialists around the University on topics addressing the relationship between blended learning and assessment, students with special needs, the library, career progression, programme design, employability, action learning and interactive digital technologies and platforms.
2. The second track was an open fund for staff development initiatives for teams of staff to access staff development, training and expertise from outside the institution or to secure resources externally to develop what they needed locally.
3. The third track was to amend our promotion criteria to explicitly highlight the value of managing blended learning with our Teaching Professor scheme.

Student engagement in the development of the model

Students have been involved at all stages of the development and implementation of the Campus Plus Model. Additionally, funding has been given to the Students’ Union to support the generation of ideas from the student body to further enhance the initiative. As part of the launch of Campus Plus, Bolton Students’ Union President, Nihit Nahar made the follow statement:

Bolton Students' Union welcomes the introduction of the Campus Plus model and we are pleased to see that the academic needs of students are at the forefront of the model. It is great to see that students are seen as partners in the implementation of Campus Plus and that the Students’ Union are named as key partners in the consultation document ‘12 Principles’. We will continue to consult with students on how they see blended learning working for them in the post-lockdown era. We are pleased to accept the invitations to join the Campus Plus Project Group, the December Showcase planning committee, the Campus Plus Research Fund Panel and the Priority Investment Group for IT.

Conclusion

The rapid development of the Campus Plus model has provided the University of Bolton with a flexible and sustainable model to manage a decisive shift from campus-based to campus-enhanced blended learning. We do not pretend to have got everything right in what has been an accelerated development and implementation – for example there is more we want to do to support our franchise partners where they themselves seek to embrace more student-cantered blended learning. We already have a range of evaluation measures in place– we have for example amended our Module Evaluation Questionnaires to more directly capture students’ views of synchronous digital learning which is such a large part of the model. Our annual teaching and learning conference will focus on how Campus Plus is working and what we are learning as an institution.

And so, we will continue to reflect on and review Campus Plus, and where necessary, reshape and reform.