How a Roundtable Operates
Mission and goals
The first task for a Roundtable is to establish its mission and its short-term and long-term goals. The mission will not only define the long-term strategic remit of the group, but will limit the scope of e-learning across the institution. A critical part of this process is the identification of barriers and how they may be overcome. For example, one barrier that a Roundtable might identify when focusing on sustainable e-learning might be the requirement for tools and systems that encourage resource sharing.
Key task areas
Having identified the short-term and long-term goals, the next step is to identify key task areas. To achieve this, the Roundtable will establish working groups comprising Roundtable members and relevant individuals drawn from the institution (to provide grassroots perspectives). These groups will aim to raise awareness of key issues and provide meaningful support.
Future goals
One of the key activities is to encourage staff to reflect upon past 'gains' and 'losses' in e-learning. Staff then consider future goals they would like to achieve as well as what they would be prepared to compromise to achieve these objectives. This activity aims to help staff think of VLE implementation from an institutional perspective, rather than taking a departmental focus. It is likely that some staff will have to make difficult compromises to aid overall progress. Critical to this approach is the need to develop an environment where individuals feel confident enough to hold frank and open discussions.
Other key factors
Other key factors for a successful Roundtable include:
Encouraging commitment and enthusiasm of the development team and the co-chairs and the Champion.
Establishing agreement of the Roundtable mission to ensure 'buy in' from all staff.
Ensuring good representation of perspectives by achieving a good balance in membership: senior staff and grassroots involvement, enthusiasts and sceptics.
Communicating the focus and ethos of the Roundtable.
Encouraging a sense of ownership by retaining the task-focus of the Roundtable.
Transformational change in how we use VLEs to support effective learning is best achieved by involving a range of stakeholders and considering as wide a range of perspectives as possible.
In summary, the Roundtable is a task-focus approach to reviewing organisational structures. One of the main advantages is that it provides an inclusive forum for informed decision-making.
