Part+3+a+-+E-learning+development+in+the+United+Kingdom

== The United Kingdom has traditionally been a model of innovation in education, an example being The Open University and distance learning (Oye, Salleh and Iahad, 2011). The UK is also considered to be progressive in its implementation of e-learning and has “strategies which were initiated by government... these wide range government action plans translate into initiatives... financially supported by significant public funding” (Charpentier, Lafrance and Paquette, 2006, p. 17).
 * UK context and history of e-learning development **

It is an economic imperative that drives the UK’s e-learning focus. The Department for Education and Skills (2005) states that “the government’s vision is to make the UK a leading knowledge driven economy” through creating knowledge-driven industry, integrating ICT skills in learning and work, improving the quality and standing of learning and teaching, and retaining a “profitable market share” of overseas student education. Essentially, the purpose of e-learning is to prepare a generation of workers that can compete in the global marketplace; “within ten years they want to build on the capabilities of their newly skilled workforce in order to become more ambitious and innovative” (Powell, 2011, p. 26).

The UK has moved some way towards these illustrious goals. However, the journey towards the implementation of e-learning has not been an easy one. The English government made the teaching of ICT compulsory for all pupils at primary and secondary schools with the Education Reform Act of 1988 (Ofsted, 2011). Only a few years later, in 1993, the Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) was established by the Higher Education Funding Council, initially to deal with infrastructure and networking at English universities and vocational training institutions. One of the long-lasting legacies of this early work was the development of the Joint Academic NETwork (now ‘SuperJANET’) which has provided reliable networking capability and infrastructure to enable e-learning to take place. JISC has turned out to be a real success story and we will look more closely at its contributions in the next section.
 * Compulsory ICT **

A less happy narrative is found in Scotland, where the Scottish Knowledge project was launched in 1997. While there was some take-up of the university programmes offered, it was the SCHOLAR programme that provided most of IU’s income and, when turned down for additional funding by Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Interactive University was closed in April 2007. England made its own foray into the world of higher e-learning with the launch of the UK e-University in February, 2000. Its demise in 2005, after spending “£50 million of public money but having succeeded only in attracting 900 students” (Keegan et al., 2007, p. 8), earned much negative publicity. Post-mortem reviews highlighted the scheme’s grandiosity, a lack of specialist knowledge at leadership level, and little market research into the level of demand.
 * Online universities **

media type="custom" key="20572164" align="left" width="80" height="80" England made its own foray into the world of higher e-learning with the launch of the UK e-University in February, 2000. Its demise in 2005, after spending “£50 million of public money but having succeeded only in attracting 900 students” (Keegan et al., 2007, p. 8), earned much negative publicity. Post-mortem reviews highlighted the scheme’s grandiosity, a lack of specialist knowledge at leadership level, and little market research into the level of demand.

The failure of these higher education e-learning initiatives does not reflect the growth of e-learning within existing universities and schools. 1997 marked the Education Strategy of Northern Ireland, and in 1998 the National Grid for Learning initiative (now known as JANET) started in Scotland and Wales. In 1998 the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) was also established in England as the lead agency for providing ICT advice to educational institutions and facilitating their procurement of equipment and software. By 2003 Becta’s role had been expanded to cover the United Kingdom as the lead partner in strategic development and delivery of its e-strategy. In the same year, 2003, national consultation was carried out to develop a strategy for the whole of the UK which was published as the ‘Harnessing Technology’document in 2005. Becta’s heavy involvement in e-learning strategy and resourcing was now being supported by JISC. Fortunate, because in 2007 Becta’s purchasing frameworks came under criticism and funding was discontinued in 2010. JISC is now the government’s lead partner in e-learning implementation, with a particular focus on higher education, and "there is a commitment by the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to continue key areas of Becta's work" (The Department for Education, (2012a).
 * Infrastructure and strategy **

//**(Robertson, 2012)**//



Discussion point: Based on the UK's experience, what are the advantages/disadvantages of large-scale, public ventures to implement e-learning?
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