JISC

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This project developed a short term scoping study, with a highly practical orientation, to determine the contribution which the virtual/remote laboratory could make to the development of a Shared Virtual Learning Environment. 

Introduction

In an attempt to increase uptake of packages (and therefore help justify the large sums of money being spent on their development) departments joined forces. Consortiums were formed, such as the Chemistry Courseware Consortium or the PharmaCALogy group, to jointly develop resources. This approach has been quite successful and has led to resources with content, structure and style that is more appealing to other institutions. The resources are adopted by the consortium members at the very least.

Higher education has seen great change over the past decade and further change is yet to come. The student population has increased massively and the sheer numbers alone are creating pressure on space, teaching time and facilities.

The student population is not only increasing but  is also becoming more diverse. We are starting to move away from a short sharp burst of education early in one's career towards 'lifelong learning'. There are increasing numbers of part-time, distance taught and work-based students taking an increasingly diverse range of courses. At the same time funding per student is decreasing, causing universities to look for 'efficiency gains'. These changes are challenging traditional course delivery methods. The established system of lectures and laboratories worked well for elite groups of dedicated students but is far less successful at teaching today's student population [Laurillard 93].

Computers are being looked to as a more flexible delivery mechanism. They have been used in teaching for more than thirty years. During this time a wealth of expertise in the creation of computer-based learning materials has been built up. The development of the CD-ROM has enabled large amounts of multimedia to be incorporated into computer-based learning products and, more importantly, to be distributed with ease. Recent developments in Internet technology, notably the World-Wide Web and the exponential increase in the power of Web browsers, allows interactive multimedia to be delivered from a remote site in seconds.

Many computer-based learning packages have failed [Ramsden 92]. Packages have usually been designed and developed at one institution with the intention that they will be adopted by others. However, other universities have rejected products because they do not fit in with their course structure or style - the 'not developed here' phenomenon. This has resulted in several expensively developed CBL packages only being used at a handful of institutions.

In an attempt to increase uptake of packages (and therefore help justify the large sums of money being spent on their development) departments joined forces. Consortiums were formed, such as the Chemistry Courseware Consortium or the PharmaCALogy group, to jointly develop resources. This approach has been quite successful and has led to resources with content, structure and style that is more appealing to other institutions. The resources are adopted by the consortium members at the very least.

The introduction of academic metropolitan area networks (MANs) which provide high speed links between the universities in a region has prompted institutions to form consortiums to jointly develop computer-based resources across the whole range of subjects. Development costs are shared between member institutions, as are equipment costs. An expensive server can be purchased jointly, installed at one institution and shared around the region.

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