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Next Steps for Blended Learning at Sussex
By: Katie Piatt
Last updated: Thursday, 16 February 2023
In October 2022, the OfS-appointed Blended Learning Review Panel published their Blended learning review, exploring how universities were using combinations of online and in-person learning. The OfS provided this response to the report, setting out how the themes identified by the panel related to the revised conditions of registration relating to the quality of courses, which came into force on 1 May.
These reports define blended learning as "Teaching and learning that combines in-person delivery and delivery in a digital environment" and they focus on the decision making behind when and why content should be taught across these different modes:
"the balance between face-to-face and online delivery is not the key determinant of teaching quality"
OfS Blended Learning Review
Looking at the key findings of the review along with the issues set out by the OfS that universities should consider, will help inform us how to remain compliant and meet best practice.
Impact for Sussex
A new Blended Learning Task & Finish group has recently been set up to define how blended learning will be delivered at Sussex, taking into account these reports as well as our own staff and student experiences. At Sussex, we have tended to refer to teaching where some elements are delivered online and some in-person as hybrid, which the OfS now define as blended. It is clear we need a common set of definitions as a starting point, in order to engage in discussions on our next steps. This work will be completed by the task and finish group, who will define terms and then produce recommendations on the Sussex position on Blended Learning. This group will report through Curriculum Reimagined.
"the guiding principles, no matter what approach is taken, must always be a focus on well-designed inclusive curriculum and pedagogy"
OfS Blended Learning Review
It is clear that Sussex is already well aligned to many of the recommendations in the report, but as always, we can identify room for improvement.
In the area of staff digital skills, the OfS offer this compliance consideration:
“We would be likely to have compliance concerns in relation to condition B2 if a provider is not taking all reasonable steps to ensure its staff team was appropriately qualified, with sufficient digital skills to effectively deliver courses employing blended learning approaches.”
Both students and staff need to be supported to develop the skills they need to engage effectively in online learning and this is something we can improve. Great efforts were made to ensure staff capability was sufficient to enable continuity of education through the pandemic. The question for Sussex is, how do we capitalise on those successes and sustain staff and student capability to realise the benefits of how blended learning can support teaching, learning and assessment.
We also have work to do to ensure our courses are coherent:
“The panel’s view was that where decision-making is devolved to module level, the blended offer should be coherent at course level.”
Which might require changes and consideration through our validation processes and inclusion in student communications such as the prospectus. There is also impact on the Virtual Learning Environment in terms of choices about how the technology platforms can support a coherent course level approach.
Other areas identified in the reports we need to consider are:
- The quality of our lecture capture recordings
- The quality and timeliness of online and in-person feedback
- The rationale for decisions on online or in-person learning, based on sound pedagogy and how this information is communicated to students.
These will be considered as part of our Blended Learning plans moving forward.
What’s clear from the report is how multi-faceted any approach to blended learning is, whether navigating the murky waters of terminology or setting the strategic direction for an institution. It requires multiple lenses, which ultimately focus on providing a ‘well designed inclusive curriculum and pedagogy’ as the report states. Universities like Sussex already have well established mechanisms for quality and enhancement, these coupled with Curriculum Reimagined should give us confidence in our ability to meet the evolving needs of higher education institutions.