Brainstormers

[j4]

If someone told you they could offer you Support for learners, teachers and researchers using "Web 2.0" technologies and mobile devices to access institutional systems ... what sort of things would you be asking them for? Please assume that they have reasonable quantities of time and money at their disposal, but that they would really prefer not to use up too much of that time having an argument about what "web 2.0 technologies" means. :-}

Comments

[nja.livejournal.com]

Some of that is back-end stuff, though (and some is politics rather than technology). I think what J is suggesting is novel methods of accessing institutional systems, not setting up institutional systems. I'd like a system which allowed students to see their previous module marks, for example (the OU allows this), but I suspect the problems are political (and perhaps to do with the fact that the Registry often has the wrong information). Registering for modules, too - we currently have a paper-based system which has allowed one student to register for 10 more credits than he should be taking, and several others (according to the database) to register for 1/12 of a year on a degree course which doesn't allow part-time study. That shouldn't be too hard to do, given the will, and it doesn't rely on anything more complex than web forms and databases.

[j4.livejournal.com]

I think what J is suggesting is novel methods of accessing institutional systems, not setting up institutional systems.

Yes, but sometimes the possibility of Cool Stuff -- and crucially cool stuff that someone else will do and pay for -- can be enough leverage for changes to institutional systems.

Sometimes.

Not very often in the sort of organisation that thinks "recent" means "last 300 years", admittedly. But I don't like to rule anything out. :-)