The transferability funding will allow us to extend the work of the TELRI project at the institutional level rather than focus on uptake by individual lecturers directly. TELRI has a wealth of experience in helping departments and institutions to incorporate new ideas and to identify relevant drivers and barriers. We offer this to the participating institutions in identifying with them additional assistance in undertaking the requirements of their institutional learning and teaching strategies. From this experience, we will identify more detailed insight into generic issues, produce possible models of effective operational approaches and share the understanding with the wider sector. Some of the issues are well known to educational developers and learning technologists across the sector, but have rarely been documented and are usually evidenced on the basis of individual projects rather than generic studies. We believe the work provides a useful vehicle for exploring the process of implementation of educational innovations in HE institutions in general.

The project aims to:

• Consider the appropriateness of HE institutional structures and practices to support educational development using ICT, particularly the embedding of outcomes from projects, and specifically relating to the development of innovative approaches, such as research-based learning;
• Provide a range of review and development opportunities to a number of institutions to enhance innovative approaches to learning and teaching;
• Identify and disseminate effective practice to the wider sector.

The project will:

• Assist a number of institutions to evaluate the operational context for educational development and in particular those involving ICT;
• Identify each institution's "readiness to implement" innovative approaches, such as TELRI
• Work in conjunction with institutional learning and teaching strategies to assist institutions in identifying appropriate mechanisms to support innovation, relevant to their context and needs;
• Deliver valuable generic operational models, which will include case studies drawn from the evaluation analysis and implementation plans of participating institutions.

EVALUATION PLAN

The emphasis in planning the evaluation is on the implementation of innovative educational approaches, for example the research-based approaches advocated in TELRI. Inevitably, this involves the broader issues of institutional context: academic development, change management and IT infrastructure. Many of the prominent factors will be identified in the initial stages of the project.  (Indeed, many contexts have become apparent in negotiations with institutional representatives and their ability to respond to the call for participation.) Areas the project proposes to examine will include:

• HE and institutional context for course development and innovation
• Institutional strategy and decision making processes
• Existing support for, and integration of, educational development, particularly in the use of learning technologies
• Technology provision, support and relationship to educational development above.

The main methodologies adopted are highlighted in the project plan and include: Review of current research and evaluation in this area; Interviews with key members of staff in academic, support and administrative departments as appropriate; Internal and cross-institutional focus groups; Questionnaires.

Key stakeholders will include those responsible for organisation and operational mechanisms for supporting innovation and change in institutions with regard to educational development, particularly that involving the application of ICT. Where institutional learning and teaching strategies locate themselves within this operational context will be a particular focus of attention. End-users will be the named institutions (or specific departments) to whom the project has been able to "transfer practice". However, potential end-users are also those individuals or institutions in the wider sector who find a way forward as a consequence of the ideas and models for implementing new practice generated by the project. The evaluation will aim to triangulate findings from institutional decision-makers, academic course implementers and educational developers.

The project will also evaluate its own effectiveness in working alongside institutions and individuals. Communication mechanisms and project progress will continually be monitored and reviewed. A final evaluation will assess the extent to which the project has met its intended aims and delivered its outcomes.

CONTINUATION AND LINKS TO LTSN

TELRI has worked fruitfully with a number of LTSN Centres in the course of phase 3. We will continue to collaborate during the transferability work through common institutional support, evaluation activities and dissemination events. The project aims to involve the Generic Centre at the major stages of evaluation, review, preparation and dissemination of generic models. The aim is to ensure applicability across the sector and we will assist in modifying materials as appropriate for further end-users identified by the GC or LTSN Centres. This close collaboration will facilitate continuing dissemination of methodologies, findings, models and other materials through the existing networks and activities of the LTSN. Furthermore, the project will make its materials available to the wider learning technology users community by contributions to the portals being developed by the Generic Centre and RESULTs Network (JISC project led by Warwick/UMIST).