The latest news scoop is that the advice for the next VLE at Utrecht should be appearing soon (by December). I have heard the buzz going round in The Netherlands that we are having serious problems. I am pleased to say this certainly does not concern Blackboard. We are running this on a local server and it is running extremely satisfactorily. As far as WebCT is concerned, all those interested can read the article in our university magazine.
For me this situation does raise a number of questions as to what is truly important in a tool for the support of teaching and learning. I have noticed that some are engrossed by visions of a myriad of pedagogical models and features. I would like to take a step back and concentrate on the basics: what teachers and students need is a system which is reliable and easy to use. I have heard arguments that all systems should answer to these basic requirements, but I have sadly seen many examples to the contrary. I also feel that the large majority of teaching staff are not looking for a system that will do absolutely everything, but rather a straightforward system that will let them do exactly what they want to do quickly and easily. If we are trying to look for an efficient use of ICT in higher education, this is a very basic place to start.
For now we are waiting on the advice...
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2 comments:
"the large majority of teaching staff are not looking for a system that will do absolutely everything, but rather a straightforward system that will let them do exactly what they want to do quickly and easily"
And what is it, then, what they want to do [apparently free from any pedogical burden] that they need the power of a particular ELO to do it, and what is it in any other ELO that would make it slow and difficult?
Sorry Rino, for the rather late response, but I have been rather busy lately...
I will base this response on the experiences within Utrecht University. I am not claiming to speak for professional Universities in the Netherlands which have adopted new pedagogical approaches. Teachers do most definitely have a pedagogical approach to their teaching and it is quite strongly teacher based. Generally speaking: The teacher defines the learning process and therefore delivers materials and assessments. Due to desired economies of scale there is very little room for variation based on the variation in students.
Please note: I am certainly not going to claim this is the best way for teaching and learning to be organised, however to maintain the required economy of scale teachers need to be able to work with the VLE/ELO quickly and efficiently. Complex systems offering a large amount of freedom get teachers confused and sidetracked. I know I am probably insulting some teachers now, but I am trying to curb the urge of the new and argue for a more realistic option.
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