Course Data Intelligence: Final Report

This project sought to improve the capability of the University of Bolton (UoB) to capture, store, and re-use course related data for marketing, efficiency, and intelligence purposes. As well as using established techniques, the project sought to explore the use of innovative approaches that are more flexible in allowing for the combining of data from different sources; this may be poorly structured data and/or from outside the institution. This is of particular relevance in the current HE context, where there is increased reporting and use of data for different purposes. The XCRI-CAP specification was used for standardising course related information so that is available for marketing and advertising purposes and, where appropriate, aggregation with other providers’ data

Innovating the Development of Work Focussed Learning in Higher Education

This thesis presents my practice as an action researcher in higher education (HE) over a ten-year period, developing courses for students who were unable to take advantage of the existing provision in the institutions in which I worked. The knowledge I gained and practices that I developed contributed to a series of cycles of action research and the conclusions I draw at the end of the thesis are used to propose a further cycle. The curricula that I developed and delivered were designed for students who had a strong commitment to their work and wanted to improve it, but at the same time wanted to gain academic qualifications; the central premise behind this work being that, ‘work can form the basis for learning, which can then be accredited by higher education’. Although study was based around the work that a student did, their employer had no formal relationship with the university offering the courses. Students were attracted to a package that offered personalised and flexible learning at a cost that was affordable to them. The contributions to knowledge that I make relate to the organisation of teaching, the nature of the innovative curriculum design and the collaborative curriculum change processes carried out. Using this approach, learners make improvements in their work context to gain academic credit from the scholarly practices they have applied to inform and evaluate their activities. The findings suggest that a curriculum design using a teaching and learning strategy based on action-inquiry, delivered entirely online, can be successful in enabling students to work full-time and gain academic credit at a full time rate. However, the results also revealed that there are significant institutional barriers that need to be overcome to implement such a curriculum design that is radically different in having a non-traditional curriculum and unique ways of working. The key recommendation from this body of work is that radical curriculum innovations in HE are more likely to be successful if a separate business unit is established with control over its own capability development. By having control over processes, staffing, and a technical systems infrastructure, a separate business unit is able to respond to the new and different demands placed on it, developing its own culture and identity that fit with a new business model

Partnership Model for Entrepreneurial Innovation in Open Online Learning

Globalisation and increased competition nationally and internationally for students points towards the need for increasingly flexible learning routes, but these must also be sustainable and cost effective for institutions to deliver. Established models of higher education can be much more costly compared to those presented by open online courses. This paper discusses possible entrepreneurial initiatives in the context of open education and online learning that focus on three key areas emerging from MOOC experiments: openness; revenue models; and disaggregation of HE provision. A case study will be presented to demonstrate the development of new models around openness, collaboration, and innovation through international partnerships in an open learning ecosystem. The potential for entrepreneurship in developing open online courses and the challenges faced in a higher education context are discussed

Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design: Bolton’s Institutional Story

The JISC Curriculum Design Programme funded 12 projects over a four-year period with the aim of supporting Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to transform their approaches to curriculum design through the innovative use of technologies. This report explains the work of the Coeducate project including the projects achievements, findings, recommendations and what might be valuable to other Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s). The context in which the project operated is explained including the University technical systems

Undergraduate Student As Action-Researcher: Work-focused Learning

This paper describes and evaluates an approach to online supported, work-focused learning where undergraduate students operate as action-researchers; planning and implementing action for improvement in their workplace as a basis for award-bearing credit in higher education. A model is proposed for a meaningful, ongoing tripartite relationship between the Higher Education Institution, learner and small and medium enterprises that is viable. The way the design enables the learner to develop their "higher level skills that embody the essence of higher education" (Willis, 2008) is an important issue if the ideas and approach are to be widely adopted. The paper outlines the curriculum design and the nature of the students work-focused inquiries. Data from final year research reports was analysed to identify the characteristics of the projects undertaken by students uncovering 'who they have become'. Challenges and issues of the approach are discussed

Inhaled magnesium sulfate in the treatment of acute asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma exacerbations can be frequent and range in severity from mild to life-threatening. The use of magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) is one of numerous treatment options available during acute exacerbations. While the efficacy of intravenous MgSO₄ has been demonstrated, the role of inhaled MgSO₄ is less clear. OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy and safety of inhaled MgSO₄ administered in acute asthma. SPECIFIC AIMS: to quantify the effects of inhaled MgSO₄ I) in addition to combination treatment with inhaled β₂-agonist and ipratropium bromide; ii) in addition to inhaled β₂-agonist; and iii) in comparison to inhaled β₂-agonist. SEARCH METHODS: We identified randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from the Cochrane Airways Group register of trials and online trials registries in September 2017. We supplemented these with searches of the reference lists of published studies and by contact with trialists. SELECTION CRITERIA: RCTs including adults or children with acute asthma were eligible for inclusion in the review. We included studies if patients were treated with nebulised MgSO₄ alone or in combination with β₂-agonist or ipratropium bromide or both, and were compared with the same co-intervention alone or inactive control. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trial selection, data extraction and risk of bias. We made efforts to collect missing data from authors. We present results, with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), as mean differences (MDs) or standardised mean differences (SMDs) for pulmonary function, clinical severity scores and vital signs; and risk ratios (RRs) for hospital admission. We used risk differences (RDs) to analyse adverse events because events were rare. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-five trials (43 references) of varying methodological quality were eligible; they included 2907 randomised patients (2777 patients completed). Nine of the 25 included studies involved adults; four included adult and paediatric patients; eight studies enrolled paediatric patients; and in the remaining four studies the age of participants was not stated. The design, definitions, intervention and outcomes were different in all 25 studies; this heterogeneity made direct comparisons difficult. The quality of the evidence presented ranged from high to very low, with most outcomes graded as low or very low. This was largely due to concerns about the methodological quality of the included studies and imprecision in the pooled effect estimates. Inhaled magnesium sulfate in addition to inhaled β₂-agonist and ipratropiumWe included seven studies in this comparison. Although some individual studies reported improvement in lung function indices favouring the intervention group, results were inconsistent overall and the largest study reporting this outcome found no between-group difference at 60 minutes (MD -0.3 % predicted peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), 95% CI -2.71% to 2.11%). Admissions to hospital at initial presentation may be reduced by the addition of inhaled magnesium sulfate (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.00; participants = 1308; studies = 4; I² = 52%) but no difference was detected for re-admissions or escalation of care to ITU/HDU. Serious adverse events during admission were rare. There was no difference between groups for all adverse events during admission (RD 0.01, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.05; participants = 1197; studies = 2). Inhaled magnesium sulfate in addition to inhaled β₂-agonistWe included 13 studies in this comparison. Although some individual studies reported improvement in lung function indices favouring the intervention group, none of the pooled results showed a conclusive benefit as measured by FEV1 or PEFR. Pooled results for hospital admission showed a point estimate that favoured the combination of MgSO₄ and β₂-agonist, but the confidence interval includes the possibility of admissions increasing in the intervention group (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.15; participants = 375; studies = 6; I² = 0%). There were no serious adverse events reported by any of the included studies and no between-group difference for all adverse events (RD -0.01, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.03; participants = 694; studies = 5). Inhaled magnesium sulfate versus inhaled β₂-agonistWe included four studies in this comparison. The evidence for the efficacy of β₂-agonists in acute asthma is well-established and therefore this could be considered a historical comparison. Two studies reported a benefit of β₂-agonist over MgSO₄ alone for PEFR and two studies reported no difference; we did not pool these results. Admissions to hospital were only reported by one small study and events were rare, leading to an uncertain result. No serious adverse events were reported in any of the studies in this comparison; one small study reported mild to moderate adverse events but the result is imprecise. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with nebulised MgSO₄ may result in modest additional benefits for lung function and hospital admission when added to inhaled β₂-agonists and ipratropium bromide, but our confidence in the evidence is low and there remains substantial uncertainty. The recent large, well-designed trials have generally not demonstrated clinically important benefits. Nebulised MgSO₄ does not appear to be associated with an increase in serious adverse events. Individual studies suggest that those with more severe attacks and attacks of shorter duration may experience a greater benefit but further research into subgroups is warranted.Despite including 24 trials in this review update we were unable to pool data for all outcomes of interest and this has limited the strength of the conclusions reached. A core outcomes set for studies in acute asthma is needed. This is particularly important in paediatric studies where measuring lung function at the time of an exacerbation may not be possible. Placebo-controlled trials in patients not responding to standard maximal treatment, including inhaled β₂-agonists and ipratropium bromide and systemic steroids, may help establish if nebulised MgSO₄ has a role in acute asthma. However, the accumulating evidence suggests that a substantial benefit may be unlikely

Beyond MOOCs: Sustainable Online Learning in Institutions

This report sets out to help decision makers in higher education institutions gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and trends towards greater openness in higher education and to think about the implications for their institutions. The phenomena of MOOCs are described, placing them in the wider context of open education, online learning and the changes that are currently taking place in higher education at a time of globalisation of education and constrained budgets. The report is written from a UK higher education perspective, but is largely informed by the developments in MOOCs from the USA and Canada. A literature review was undertaken focussing on the extensive reporting of MOOCs through scholarly blogs, press releases as well as openly available reports and research papers. This identified current debates about new course provision, the impact of changes in funding and the implications for greater openness in higher education. The theory of disruptive innovation is used to help form the questions of policy and strategy that higher education institutions need to addres

Across the Continents – Online Community Conferences as a Mechanism for School Improvement

The notion of building a learning community is central to building bottom up school improvement initiatives. Relatively little has been written about the role of online communities as a mechanism for school improvement and less about communities that transcend national boundaries. This small-scale research, undertaken in one such conference, looks at the potential outcomes and conditions for success