7.2. Key Roles
7.2.1. Steering group and project team
MLE development is a highly political process because it cuts across the traditional organisational boundaries in institutions. This can be a particular problem in universities, which are traditionally seen as having
a dual managerial structure, in which there is an administrative line of management but also the involvement of academics in university management right through to the most senior level;
a high degree of autonomy for individual faculties or academic departments, which can make it difficult to implement institution-wide initiatives;
complex committee structures, which can slow down and obscure the decision-making process.
The situation may be less complex in FE but many of the same issues arise.
A project steering group can provide the necessary authority for implementation of an MLE and perform a useful coordinating role. Membership of the group needs to
be sufficiently high-level to implement institution-wide decisions;
span the separate academic and administrative departments and
include representatives of various owners and users of the systems to be integrated - pooling their knowledge, and involving them in the implementation process.
See the sections 'Why might you want an MLE?' and 'Understanding your organisation' for more discussion of project steering groups.
At De Montfort University, the steering group function is performed by the MLE Corporate Implementation Group. Its composition and terms of reference are set out below:
'The implementation of a MLE will be the responsibility of the MLE Corporate Implementation Group. This group will be responsible for the development of an implementation strategy, for evaluation and dissemination on all aspects of the development.' The group will report to the ISSC [Information Services and Systems Committee].
Membership:
Pro Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching
Pro Vice Chancellor Student Experience
Librarian
A Dean of Faculty
Representative from Educational Partnerships Division
Representative from Academic Registry
Teacher Fellow
Director ISAS (Information Services and Systems)
Director SPMIS (Strategic Planning and Management Information Systems)
Computer Based Learning Coordinator, CLT
Student Union, VP education
Team leader MLE
The group will meet quarterly. It will agree development plans, validate and agree reports on progress. Make proposals on major changes to plans and outcomes, comment on resources. The Group will be active creating and implementing disseminating strategies for application across the organisation. (De Montfort University). MLE Management Structure http://ribble.dmu.ac.uk/files/mgt_str.doc)
MLE implementation inevitably leads to changes. By bringing together the relevant decision-makers, a steering group can help your institution work through the consequences of these changes quickly, and prevent the implementation process from stalling.
A steering group can also provide the necessary coordination between related ICT developments. For example, DMU's MLE has been implemented at the same time as the purchase and installation of a new VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) system. The Corporate Implementation Group includes key people from both projects, making it easier to adopt a joint approach to technical development, dissemination and user support.
It is important to note that while most JISC funded MLE projects have found it relatively easy to establish a steering group, it is harder to ensure that the group plays an active part in the implementation process. For this, a high level of commitment from senior management is essential.
7.2.2. The Development Team
MLEs involve the integration of technical systems and of organisational processes. Therefore the development team needs specialist technical skills, but also the ability to collaborate effectively with other colleagues both within the team and in other departments. The composition of the team will vary according its place in the organisational structure and the various skills and input it can call on from other groups and departments.
For example, the DMU's MLE Development Team is a sub-group within the university's Information Services and Systems department (ISAS), and consists of
a project manager
a specialist in HCI and user needs analysis
2.5 full time equivalent software developers. Dissemination has been carried out mainly by the project manager and the HCI/user needs specialist.
At various times there has also been significant involvement from other groups in ISAS:
Networking and Communications
Server Support
User Support
Senior management
The software developers included
one senior developer with over 5 years experience in the main development language (Java)
one developer with significant experience of the university's student data system and other backend databases.
Both of these have been vital for the success of the project.
At the same time, care has been taken to ensure that key areas of knowledge do not reside solely with any single individual. This has necessitated a significant amount of training for project team members. Considerable amounts of time and resources need to be set aside for this.
