1.3. Why have we done it this way?
A key lesson is that there is no simple, off-the-peg solution to MLE development. Organisations differ in their styles and systems and in how they implement their missions. Technologies can have a significant effect on the way that the aims of an organisation are fulfilled, and to adopt the same technologies may lead to homogenization and loss of differentiation. This implies that the design of integrated systems is likely to vary between organisations, even though the component systems may be the same.
This infoKit has been designed to offer a route through the lifecycle of creating an MLE. We recognise that this is an ongoing and iterative process so it is also designed to enable you to dip in to any section you wish. The approach taken does not suggest that there is 'the right and only' way to create your MLE, but offers advice, options and tools for you to use in your context.
Effort has been made to make this guide relevant to managers, teachers and IT staff and to bridge the worlds of organisation, pedagogy and technology, thereby assisting the development of MLEs to be the result of an integrated approach. It also aims to be inclusive and to respond to the needs of organisations ranging from small to large FE colleges, new or traditional HEIs, and clearly this is an ambitious aim. We discuss at the end of this introduction how you can play a role in ensuring we meet some of these aims.
The section editors have all been involved in MLE development of some description over a significant period of time and this range of experience is reflected in the approach they have taken to their sections. Each section offers an overview of the topic, and we hope that you will find it useful to look at all of these, even if you have a specific concern with only one of them. The subsections provide greater depth of discussion, and the associated key resources have been selected to provide a range of supporting tools and information, ranging from case studies from the JISC funded MLE projects, to suggestions and advice on how you might approach certain problems, online resources and further reading.
In the first section, Stuart Lee suggests that institutions need to decide whether they need an MLE at all and, if they do, exactly why they are prepared to invest the effort in developing one. If this question is not discussed at all levels of the institution then MLE development may well be disappointing for many people.
Once the high level reasons for going down the MLE route have been established it is necessary to build a deep understanding of how the organization carries out its business at present. Educational institutions are complex organisations whose structure and processes have evolved over some time. In the second section, Grainne Conole examines how one might set about developing a shared understanding across the organization and its processes in order to be able to begin the process of identifying the precise requirements for the MLE, which is the subject for Tony Toole's section. Methodologies for gathering requirements abound in the software industry but it remains a challenge for any project of this scale.
These three sections provide a solid foundation on which to begin to build the MLE. However, it is also important to know what technological options are available and the implications of your choice. Tom Franklin provides a comprehensive review supported by links to the experience of pioneering MLE development projects funded by the JISC. This is then followed by sections on design by Greg Newton-Ingham and Scott Wilson, and implementation by Ian Bloor. These provide advice on approaches to moving from the gathered requirements to building detailed models of the proposed MLE, and then to implement the project successfully, taking into account technical, organisational and social aspects.
Finally there is a section on embedding, which as the editor, Mark Stiles, says should probably be titled 'Planning for Embedding', as research to date has not indicated that MLEs are embedded in any UK institution in the sense described below. Nevertheless he provides sound recommendations on what the impact of an MLE is likely to be and the organizational and process changes needed if the MLE is to make a real difference to how things work.
Each section has several subsections each with 'key resources': guidelines, checklists, reports and case studies to support the main text. Space is provided for more resources to be added and we expect this resource base to be updated and grow, which is where you the reader can help, as we will discuss in the next section on developing a community of practice.
The infoKit assumes that any MLE development will be undertaken as a formal project and we will point you to other infoKits, such as those on Project Management and System Selection, where appropriate.
We hope that this infoKit will help the rapidly increasing number of you who are thinking about, or beginning to develop, a Managed Learning Environment of some sort. What is clear is that there is a huge amount of expertise 'out there', but many of you are extremely busy and have little time to publish or share what you are doing. It is also the case that many of us have questions, both from the small to large scale, which the rest of us could help with. If you have anything you would like to contribute, from very small anecdotes through to case studies or tools, we would love you to share these.
This guide aims to provide a start on building a rich and dynamic source of information and advice, but also to provide a mechanism for sharing experience and expertise. The structure provides a basis, and hopefully this will also evolve over time.
We do not claim to have provided a definitive model for creating MLEs; all of those involved in the infoKit have had to learn as they went along in these uncharted waters, and many of you will have equally useful contributions to make in what we hope will become a collaborative and mutually beneficial endeavour -we hope you find it a useful beginning!
Sarah Holyfield and Oleg Liber, editors
November 2003
