Policy and Strategy

Policy & Strategy

David White, Co-manager, Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning, Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford

The Characters Involved

• Open Standards Fundamentalist: we just need XML• Open Source Fundamentalist: we just need Linux• Open content Fundamentalist: we must share

everything • Vendor Fundamentalist: we must need next version of

our enterprise system (and you must fit in with this)• Accessibility Fundamentalist: must do WAI WCAG• User Fundamentalist: we must do whatever users want• Legal Fundamentalist: it breaches copyright, …• Ownership Fundamentalist: must own everything• Perfectionist: It doesn't do everything, so we'll do

nothing• Simplistic Developer: I've developed a perfect solution

– I don't care if it doesn't run in the real world• Web 2.0 Fundamentalist: Must use latest cool stuff

Where is the edge of theInstitution?

• Does the institution want to own or facilitate the ‘chat down the pub?

• Institutional boundary is becoming blurred, part of the overall ‘zeitgeist’– Economic– Web 2.0– Global– Social

• E-learning becomes simply Learning ?

The changing role ofcomputing services?

• Provision of specialist services

• Everyone gets a computer for admin

• Everyone gets email

• VLE – elearning

• Provision of social spaces

The challenge shifts fromthe technical to the cultural

• This stuff works pretty well (drives this issue)

• Do computing services become advisors as much as providers?

• Ownership, Legal, Risk etc

• Are we dealing with ‘Digital Natives’ or is that a red herring?

What’s actually being used?

• SPIRE survey results:

http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2007/03/16/some-real-data-on-web-20-use/

80% Usage

Thoughts

• Need to educate all involved to become ‘new media’ literate

• Need for institutions to grapple with the ‘new media’ economy / social media

• Institutions need to decide what their role is in this economy

• Institutional boundary is blurring

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