Professor Stephen Brown

JISC Technologies Centre

Choosing and Using MLEs and VLEs10 April 2001 Sheffield Hallam University

Choosing and Using MVLEs: An Australian Perspective

Overview

• Key decisions

• e-tools

• Australia

• Criteria

• UK

Key decisions

• VLE or MLE?

• DIY or Buy?

MLE or VLE?

MLE/VLE tools• AdminSTAR• Blackboard• British Aerospace• CBT Campus• Centra Symposium• ClassAct• Colloquia• CoMentor• COSE• First Class CC Gold• inClass• Ingenium• Interactive Training Manager• LearnWise • Lotus Learning Space• Lotus Pathware • Manager’s Edge• Merlin

• MENTOR• Mindlever• PARS• PHOENIX Networks• PHOENIX Web• Registrar 7 for Windows• SABA• SkillVantage Manager• Solstra• STAR• The Learning Environment• TopClass• Virtual Campus• Virtual Learning Network• Virtual U• WebCT

• WISDOM

MIS tools

• EBS• Genesis• HEMIS• MicroCompass• SAP• SCT/Banner

DIY or Buy?

• Open standards/”best of breed”– cost– flexibility– performance

• Proprietary systems– cost– speed of implementation– performance

Australia

• 38 funded universities• 2 private universities• Self accredited – audited by federal

government• Student numbers increasing• Increasing proportion female• 59% full time• 14% studying DL (94,000)

Australia

• < 50% straight from school

• 19% in 20s

• 34% 30-39

• 21% 40-49

• Mainly high – mid socio-economic groups

• 60% live in cities

Australia

• Reductions in teaching and support staff • Social justice/equity to economic drivers

– Savings – Revenue

• Shift from pure DL to hybrid delivery• Shift from print media to media mix• Shift from marginal activity in few HEIs to

mainstream activity widespread

RMIT

Goals

• Strengthen on-campus delivery

• Expand off-campus delivery, esp. Asia

• Market share in Global markets

• Efficiency gains/cost reductions

• Improving teaching quality

• Being seen to be current

• Graduate employability

History

• In-house RBL

• Web site proliferation

• Limited impact of earlier schemes

• Started 1996-1999

Management

• Strong VC with vision

• Top down leadership

• Central budget

• Senior champion

• Integrated IT Services/Educational technology units

Strategy

• DIY• Best of breed• Compulsory/voluntary• Standards

– mixture

• Tools– generic– simple

• Re-usable objects• Active server pages• Authentication hub• Single sign-on

Criteria

• Usability• Accessibility• Functionality• Robustness• Scalability

• Sustainability• Portability• Cost• Strategic framework

Conclusions

• MVLEs here

• 2/3 year lag

• Strategic tool

• DIY

• Proprietary systems temporary fix

• Best of breed

• Standards

UK developments

• FE MLE SG

• JCIEL projects

• CETIS

• E-University

Help

• http://multimedia.marshall.edu/cit/webct/compare

• http://www.ctt.bc.ca/landonline

• http://www.olin.nf.ca/landonline/index.

html

• http://www.focus.ac.uk

• http://www.jisc.ac.uk

Contact

Stephen Brown

JISC Technologies Centre

+44 (0)1904 434239

StephenBrown@ltsn.ac.uk

http://www.ltsn.ac.uk

Usability

• Interface design

• Badging

• Navigation model

• Language, spellings, terminology

• Support for learning?

• Pedagogic neutrality?

Accessibility

• Platform

• Software

• Network types

• Bandwidth

• On/off campus

• On/off line

Functionality (learners)

• Course schedule

• Course content

• Assignments

• Feedback

• Class lists

• Student home pages

• Individual student records

• Multimedia resources

• E-mail• Conferencing tools• Noticeboard

Synchronous collaboration

• Off-line working• Search tools• Bookmarking• Print• Customisable?

Functionality (tutors)

• Add/create/edit courses

• Student grouping• Assignment marking• Progress recording• Course/class

statistics

• Communication– individuals– groups

Functionality (admin)

• Student and staff registration

• Links to MIS• Authentication• Security • e-commerce

• System performance– availability– response times– usage volumes– usage patterns

Robustness

• Reliability

• Authentication

• Security

• Systems integration

• Installed user base

• Support 24 x 7

Scalability

• Single server?

• Single site?

• Network requirements?

• Staff development

• Technical support

• Content management

• 3rd party content

Sustainability

• Product development

• Market position

• Strategic alliances

Portability

• Content

• Pedagogic style

• Navigation models

• Interface design

• Standards

• Copyright

Cost

• Per user

• Per server

• Per site

• Per level of functionality

Strategic framework

• MLE/deployment strategy

• Institutional vision

• L&T strategy

• IT strategy

• Resourcing strategy

JCIEL

• CoManTLE• MARTINI• The Virtual Desk• SMILE• Institutionally secure

integrated data environment

• Student focus

• Generic integrated MIS

• Integrating CAA into an MIS

• CO3• Content packaging

and management• TIRCs

sbrown@dmu.ac.uk

http://www.ecampus.dmu.ac.uk

Professor Stephen Brown

JISC

Senior Technology Adviser

stephen.brown@ltsn.ac.uk