A blog worth looking at:
Centre for Learning Technology internal blog
http://econwiki.lse.ac.uk/clt/blog/

I've been handed the following model that best describes how we currently work within Courseware.

"I want timed release so I can stay one (maybe two) week(s) ahead of the students. I'll give a vague schedule for the year and then update it depending on how students are getting on with the stuff and adding it new case studies and news articles as they happen/as I find them."

How do we continue to work like this within the WebCT envronment without expecting staff to become WebCT authors? Then even if we do find a way (perhaps via external apps. such as Contribute), what happens when staff want to use additional tools? Do they for instance have to learn to manage their own electronic submissions?

As you may know Information and Communications has been selected as one of the ten Phase 1 projects for WebCT Vista at MMU. Each Faculty has at least one Phase 1 project, HLSS has 3: Information & Communications, Sociology and Law. Phase 2 will be to stop using WebCT Campus Edition for a complete move to Vista from the autumn term 2007, so there will be a lot of interest across the university which will help to raise the Department's profile.

In attempt to outline the project, highlight the issues and provide some form of rationale I offer the following questions and answers.

You will have your own questions. Please post comments below or email me directly.

With the success of Courseware why should we as a Department be looking to move from Courseware to another environment?

The University has caught up! MMU has finally shown a major commitment to the use of a virtual learning environment. Support has developed from the original group who led the way to a fully fledged Learning and Teaching team. Information and Communications have been in the enviable position of having a mature system that allowed us to deliver teaching materials in support of a ‘blended’ learning environment praised by students, QAA and externals. However, we are now in danger of going from being ahead to being behind. If we don’t take the opportunity to move into the WebCT environment now we will soon be lagging behind rather than being a leader.

If we do make the move to WebCT we have the advantage of holding materials in a structured, electronic format within the Courseware environment. Once moved to WebCT we can then start to see what advantages the ‘extra’ tools available can bring to us as teachers and to the Department as a whole.

Technical issues.

Courseware has always run on the Department’s own web server. This is managed and maintained by myself with very little support from the local Information Systems team. This is a very ‘unsafe’ environment with no backup. It is also a limited environment with a single login for staff and a single login for student. There is limited security and no accountability. Unless we undertake further development Courseware will remain limited in its functionality and provide little beyond document delivery. This has of course been part of its charm and success.

WebCT Vista is hosted on centrally supported servers with all the relevant backups, security and support. Access is through network ID’s making all users accountable (particularly useful in light of the possible new copyright rules regarding electronic documents). There will however be ‘risks’ as this is a new system and we will be ‘early adopters’.

Is this a wholesale move?

Initially I thought yes, get a template sorted and move over everything. However with the existing time restrictions it may be more prudent to start with all Level 1 units.

Moving every unit from Courseware to WebCT.

This may be fairly simple; it could possibly be automated to some degree. It could also be very time consuming.

Moving only Level 1 units to WebCT

This may be a more practical solution, giving some room for feedback etc. prior to full commitment.

Conversion of existing WebCT units to Vista

This will need to be done for both options.

Usability for staff – do I become a WebCT developer

No. The intention is to provide a templated approach which makes the member of staff an editor rather than developer. You should be able to add, update and remove content as required.

But won’t that make WebCT into just a document delivery system like Courseware?

To start with, yes. This way the learning curve shrinks and you can concentrate on providing at least a Courseware type level of service. You should understand that it may be more complicated than Courseware but I will only implement the change if it is still ‘simple enough’.

So what about those WebCT extras?

Once you are up and running we can then look at what tools are available and how they can help your units. Examples are tools to support group projects, online quizzes and more practical elements such as student tracking to see who is using your materials.

So I then become a developer?

Well yes and no. We want to maintain some control by using templates as this ensures a student will have some level of consistency between units. If every unit (as they are now in WebCT) has a different look and feel usability fades fast along with any ‘Departmental’ identity. The focus will remain on supporting your teaching, not in becoming a web designer.

So how do I add the bells and whistles if I’m not a developer?

The way I understand Vista works is that we can't restrict you as in Courseware. However I envisage that a key aspect of the new Information Officers role will be to support online learning within the Department. The Information Officer will work with you to add these ‘tools’ to your units. He will become our WebCT expert. We will also have the support of the team in the Learning and Teaching Unit.

So what will a basic unit consist of?

At present I see each unit containing space for supporting materials as per Courseware and submission boxes for each element of coursework for that particular unit. There may be other elements that I have yet to discover that it will makes sense to provide as part of the basic package.

And if I have an existing WebCT CE unit?

We will convert this into the Vista environment and then look how we can best fit the existing materials into the ‘standard’ look. This could be one of the more difficult jobs as many existing WebCT units have relied on Margaret’s support which will no longer be available. All staff with such units need to decide how they want to progress now that Margaret has left the Department. The good news is that Margaret is now part of a larger team that will supply training, support and advice on both an individual and departmental basis .

Advantages of phased move to Vista (Level 1 first)

• More manageable to work on the 6 units of the common 1st year for staff training, dealing with practicalities etc.
• Students currently familiar with courseware wouldn't need to move to using Vista
• If it works well in Vista with stage 1, it will give everyone else confidence
• With a major review taking place, introduction of new route & units - sensible to wait to make changes to Stages 2 & 3 next year
• Not sure who's teaching what so this affects planning for other units to move in time for September
• Feedback etc can inform ‘next phase’

Disadvantages

• Some staff will have 2 different ways of doing things (WebCT and Courseware)
• Extra work load for Stage 1 staff
• There would still be the majority of units to move over next year

So what are you doing Richard?

Well in a very short time I need to come up with a template. Hopefully this can be done in conjunction with other Departments and Faculties as many are working on similar projects. I then need to find out if all of the above elements are practical within the Vista environment. The bottom line is usability. Courseware was a success because it was simple for both user groups. Moving to WebCT may require some extra investment from both user groups, but the payback will be an enhanced environment that supports teaching and learning.

So what do I need to do?

Not a lot at the moment.
Don’t rush into updating Courseware for next term yet.
Let me know what you think, either below or by email.
If you have an existing WebCT unit, let me know if you are going to continue to use it.
Watch out for the first seminar for the Department on WebCT Vista

Summary

• Courseware has run its course (10 years old).
• A secure alternative platform is offered under WebCT Vista.
• Vista offers additional tools (and future integration) under a single MMU login.
• The tools may provide additional support for teaching and learning within the Department.
• There are possibilities of further integration with future networked resources such as e-portfolios.
• User tracking will provide staff with feedback on usage of their resources. eg. which handouts are popular, which are ignored.
  
• Using a templated (basic) environment will ensure consistency for staff and students.
• Using a templated (basic) environment aims to make use ‘simpler’ for staff.
• Staff will be able to add, edit or remove content.
  
• The support and expertise of the Information Officer will ensure additional tools can be implemented with limited burden on the academic staff.
• There will be scope for staff to develop unit areas beyond the basic implementation.