An AGOCG workshop was held on 28 April 1997 to discuss this very important
topic. The event was oversubscribed reflecting the timeliness of this workshop
which was supported under the JISC Technology Applications Programme (JTAP).
70 people from over 50 institutions participated in the event which involved
presentations and, importantly, group discussions allowing time for discussion
of the issues raised by speakers and by participants in their application
for the event. The aims of the workshop were to discuss the issues at strategic,
management and operational levels in supporting lecture room services for
the multimedia age and to come up with recommendations for institutions
and for funding bodies such as JISC.
This event followed on from an earlier event on Multimedia Presentations
which was presented by Sue Cunningham at the workshop and which is reported
in AGOCG Report 29.
The Issues
Technology is moving fast and we cannot predict what the requirements
will be in 5 years time (or perhaps even next year!). This makes it difficult
to plan to finance long term upgrades to lecture theatres to support the
demands of teachers. Unless we do, and we provide support for lecturers
wishing to use technology in any facility they may wish to use, then we
will not encourage use of information systems and people will use the safest
option of lowest common facilities available. In opening the event, Professor
Ted Smith urged a brave, adventurous and flexible approach to introducing
technology which we cannot predict and which we have to accept will become
obsolete within 5 years (at best).
Barbara Watson noted that the use of IT in lecture theatres is one aspect
of the wider issue of the effective use of IT in Higher Education. The forthcoming
Dearing Report was referred to a number of times during the day as it is
widely expected that the use of IT will form a major part of the report.
Barbara noted that, although lecturers did need support and training, systems
needed to be easy to set up and use, with problems able to be solved when
they occur with minimum disruption. Multimedia offers the lecturer many
benefits including: satisfying educational objectives; increasing student
understanding; demonstrating events, showing places, conducting experiments
which would otherwise be impossible. Lecturers do not use equipment because
they may not know of its existence and potential; because they have (real
or imagined) concerns about reliability; or because they are not confident
about its use.
Recommendations
Each of the groups took an area of discussion under one of the following
themes:
- strategy and management issues
- providing teaching facilities
- supporting and encouraging lecturers
- supporting flexible learning.
The recommendations which came out of group discussions noted that any
solutions incur real costs and this is not a cheap provision. They also
noted that the people issues are as great as the technical ones and that
training, awareness and ongoing support needed to be properly resourced
if we are to take advantage of the technology.
The main recommendations from the groups are as follows:
Management
There is a lot to be said for the provision of central services for equipping
lecture rooms and for ongoing maintenance and support. Sites need to be
encouraged to define service levels. We must be able to justify the cost
and to be able to measure the cost effectiveness and cost recovery. Technology
might provide quicker and slicker solutions, but are they better? The workshop
recommended that a series of case studies should be undertaken which describe
different approaches taken to make technology available in lecture rooms
and for student and staff use. Such case studies would enable sites to learn
from each other. These should include sites of different sizes and should
also consider the option of leasing. It was also recommended that a set
of business plans and other material (cost benefits, examples, quotes from
strategic documents) should be put together as a portfolio for making cases
for equipment provision and support.
Staff Development
This is critical if sites are to be successful in introducing equipment
which gets used. A minimum critical mass of support staff is a pre-requisite
for success.
Evaluations
Evaluations should be carried out of equipment to support lecture room
services and to underpin the increasing need for flexible learning. Any
evaluation should provide criteria for evaluation. The criteria can be used
again by a site wishing to conduct a market survey at any point in time.
A database of the information collected should be made available via the
WWW. It is necessary to update this and a mechanism for this needs to be
put in place. Minimum specifications need to be proposed for different types
of facilities. A further suggestion to have "show rooms", perhaps
provided by the industry to show latest technology, would help those seeking
solutions at any point in time.
Standards
If facilities are to be successful in the lecture room and elsewhere,
standards are an important aspect of the service provision. Online demonstrations
for use in the classroom and teaching resources for self study need to be
provided in a predictable, reliable way. Acceptance of standards by those
developing materials which have central funding followed by promulgation
and adoption at a local level is needed.
Institutional Capital Projects
Sites need to be encouraged to think about potential technologies when
upgrading their buildings. Even if equipment is not put in place, it is
important to ensure that wiring is available for the equipment which may
be installed at a later date.
The full report of this workshop is being written up as an AGOCG Report.
Copies are available from Anne Mumford.
Anne Mumford
a.m.mumford@lboro.ac.uk
