The Roundtable Approach
The previous section outlined that the successful deployment of sustainable e-learning programmes requires that the VLE systems and tools are fully integrated and interoperable. Therefore, the staff who are responsible for ensuring that these systems and processes are integrated (for example tutors, IT support staff, AV staff, librarians as well as educational and staff developers) need to collaborate. However, there are major issues in ensuring effective communication: this diverse range of staff tend to focus on different issues and use very different forms of language. The American Association for Higher Education: Teaching, Learning and Technology Group were the first to devise a Roundtable Approach to overcome these problems.
A 'Roundtable' is a group of people who aim to develop recommendations to enhance teaching and learning through uses of technology (Kemp and Peacock, 2003). Its objectives focus on the promotion of effective communication and to improve collaboration amongst its members and across the university or college. This is achieved in four ways:
The Roundtable is activity related, comprising task-focused working groups.
Members agree common goals and a mission.
Members are encouraged to be appreciative of the perspectives of others.
Emphasis is on educational design, rather than technology.
The studies previously highlighted by McNaught, Johnson and Fullan highlight the importance of making sure a diverse range of perspectives are represented. Therefore a 'Roundtable' group typically includes:
Those who have and have not implemented technology.
Educational developers.
Library staff.
Technology professionals including IT support staff.
Audio visual staff.
Administrative staff (including registry).
Students.
Not all of the members are necessarily enthusiastic about sustainable e-learning. Therefore, when selecting members it is necessary to think about potential political or personal tensions. For more information about the membership of the Roundtable you may want to read the development team membership, sheet 5.
Initially a Roundtable is established by a Development Team comprising two or three staff. To support sustainable e-learning, it is important that the Development Team has representation from a member of staff who understands educational design issues as well as someone who has knowledge of interoperability concerns. Further information about the role of the Development Team is available from the following information sheet 1 and information sheet 2.
The development must be visionary, willing to take risks and able to consider and understand institutional politics. Once the Roundtable is established, the Development Team is replaced by co-chairs and a Champion:
Co-chairs: To ensure parity in consideration of the diverse perspectives of the group members, the Roundtable is not chaired by a single individual, but is co-ordinated by two or three members. These co-chairs would usually include a member of support staff and an academic. Development Team information sheet 4 has more information about the co-chair system.
The Champion: The Roundtable has a Champion whose role is to strategically influence the development of e-Learning across the institution. Development team information sheet 3 has more information about the Champion.
The Roundtable is structured around task-oriented teams. A Roundtable by definition aims to have representation from as many appropriate areas across an institution as possible. However, membership is likely to change over time as new members can be brought into the Roundtable for specific projects.
Further information is available at:
The SFEU has a Broadcast article by Oliver, Kemp and Peacock that provides an overview of this approach
Oliver, M & Kemp, C (2001) Roundtables: realising the myth? ALT-N 34 4
