Open source

Develop and adopt strategies of implementing open source software. There are very good open source programmes available for most applications in education and training. Open source not only offers major cost savings but can provide higher quality and reliability.
Of course institutions cannot change to open source overnight. Firstly, when new software is required open source applications should be considered first. Secondly, institutions should develop strategies to migrate from proprietary to open source software.
Larger institutions may consider forming partnerships or contracting to the many open source companies providing support and consultancy services.

Establish data repositories or contribute to collective repositories

Compelling and attractive materials are the key to e-learning. In terms of sustainability those resources will mainly be generated by teachers and trainers. Materials repositories sallow the sharing and reuse of resources. Critically, repositories can be independent of learning programmes and applications preventing lock-in to any one technology or platform. Larger institutions should consider establishing their own materials repository or a distributed repository across the institution. Smaller schools may consider the technology too advanced and demanding of resources and should consider partnerships and networks to contribute to a shared repository. In all cases it is important that as far as possible repositories are open and do not impose proprietary standards.

Look at what free resources are available

There are many free resources available on the web and collections and repositories of free learning resources are growing fast. The biggest barrier to using these free materials may be the lack of awareness of teachers that they exist and the lack of skills and knowledge ion how to search for free materials. Searching for and using free materials should be an integral part of any training for teachers and trainers in e-learning.

Encourage staff to share resources

Teachers and trainers have the skills to produce learning resources and materials. What is commonly lacking is a culture of sharing those materials. This requires an organisation culture change and a redefinition of occupational profiles. The creation of materials should become an accepted part of teachers and trainers every day work. This does not mean merely adding an extra burden of work; institutions should review their policies to include materials development as part of the everyday activities of their staff.
At the same time teachers and trainers should be encouraged to share materials through institutional and shared repositories.

Establish licence agreements

Sharing learning resources requires culture change and it is important that the effort and contribution of materials creators is recognised and their rights protected. Licensing is not an esoteric exercise or something to be left to legal departments or senor managers. Institutions should promote and encourage the use of licences with ‘some rights reserved. Adopting and promoting the Creative Commons Licence is a positive step in this directions although it is still based on US law.
Think carefully about alternatives to Virtual Learning Environments Think as to whether you need a full-blown Virtual Learning Environment. Even the many excellent Open Source VLEs can be time consuming and difficult to install, configure and maintain. If learning materials are accessed through standards based open repositories there are many different ICT based options in how they are delivered and used in a pedagogic context. It may be possible to use different learning applications dependent of learner needs
Develop a framework for professional development
Staff development and training is central to successful and sustainable e-learning. However, all too often, such training is instrumentally focused on the technology of e-learning. As such it fails to allow teachers an appreciation of the role of pedagogy and does not develop the broader skills needed to implement ICT as part of the curriculum and pedagogy in the longer term. Institutions should develop framework for prfessional development in which the skills and knowledge to develop e-learning plays an integral part of everyday practice.

Develop and review strategies

Institutions, whatever size and sector, should develop and review strategies for implementing e-learning. Sustainability should be a key goal of those strategies and as a starting point I would suggest they consider the issues raised in this section of the paper! Strategies should start from the needs of the learners and the institutions’ role in meeting those needs, and not form the availability of technology. Institutions have to develop communications and feedback mechanisms to ensure that strategies are understood by every member of the organisation. Strategies should be evaluated and reviewed on a regular basis and updated in reflection of the fast changing context on which e-learning is developing.

Look at total resources – integrate services

Many different people on institutions have a role to play in e-learning and these roles are changing fast. Institutions should look at the total; services they deliver and at the roles of the people who deliver them. As an obvious example, librarians play a central role in cataloguing ands supplying resources. A sustainable strategy should consider how different services can be integrated or can interoperate at a technical, pedagogic and human level.

Consider metadata and standards issues

The provision and use of metadata and conformance to standards are key strategic issues for the sustainability of e-learning. Having said this it may not be appropriate or possible for every institution to move to fully standards compliant e-learning practices in the immediate future. If institutions do decide to become standards compliant the Learning Design Standard may be seen as more appropriate for education than SCORM. Take pedagogies seriously Institutions must take pedagogy seriously. This seems obvious but all too often it is forgotten in the fervour of technological advance and implementation.
We are still in the course of a steep learning curve when it comes to using ICT for learning. Institutions should look carefully at what pools of innovation exist in e-learning practice and should seek to promote exemplary practice throughout the organisation.
e-Learning should be seen as part of the total pedagogic approach of the organisation, rather than as an add on or alternative to traditional teaching and learning practices.

Integrate ICT within the whole curriculum

Institutions should adopt a whole-curriculum approach to e-learning. Rather than see e-learning as a separate activity, appropriate only to individual target groups or courses, they should look at how e-learning can be used to enhance present learning provision. This does not mean all courses should be delivered through e-learning. it means an understanding that there are many different e-learning applications which could be integrated in the organisations s part of a learning and teaching strategy, including for example, access to resources, the use of games or the provision of portfolios for students following traditional learning programmes

Use project funding wisely

Project funding is important in allowing opportunities for innovation and experimentation. Unfortunately, many projects falter or cease when project funding runs out. Institutions need to consider how project funding can be used as part of developing an overall institutional strategy for e-learning. this does not mean projects should not be undertaken if they do not match precisely with the institutional strategy. But, organisations do need to consider what the potential benefits, products and outcomes of a project might be and how they can be further developed. Institutions also need to think how project findings can be disseminated internally and the results mainstreamed within organisational practice.

Seek funding opportunities

Institutions should encourage staff to actively seek funding opportunities. Whilst sometimes grants may be available for hardware or infrastructure development, more important is the opportunity for experimenting and innovation. Project work and innovation should be seen as part of the mainstream life of the organisation and participation in this work should play a major part of the professional development plan.

Develop partnerships and networks

Institutions should actively seek to develop partnerships and networks for e-learning. These partnerships and networks may take many different forms, dependent on need and include the sharing of resources and resource development and the delivery of courses and programmes.
The effective use of collaboration and groupware environments can enhance the operation of such partnerships.

Institutions should also consider forming partnerships with software companies and materials developers which go beyond customer/supplier relationships to iteratively and actively co-develop e-learning applications.

Share practice throughout organisation

There are pools of experience, expertise and innovative practice in e-learning within most institutions. The issue is how best to exploit and use such resources. Institutions should review the resources and expertise available to them and develop strategies to disseminate and utilise innovative practice throughout the organisations.
Make sure sufficient support is available
The development of sustainable and innovative e-learning practice requires support. In particular, teachers need support in using ICT for teaching and learning and in developing e-learning materials.
Evaluate e-learning practice
We are still at a stage of experimentation in e-learning. It is important that institutions know what works and what does not. This means developing a rigorous evaluation strategy which not only focuses on the technology but on learning.
Formative evaluation should be an integral part of all plans and projects for e-learning with the results of the evaluation informing further development and the review of strategic plans and future directions.