A clear requirement of a well-functioning VLE is flexibility for the teacher. Academic staff have a wide variety of approaches to teaching. Academic practice varies according to:
A further issue that impacts on work in this area is the differences in organisational context that teaching staff may face. A number of institutions are combinations of previously separate organisations and these often retain different organisational practices that affect the way teaching staff work. In some cases VLEs vary across a single institution. Projects need to be highly sensitive to the varieties of contexts within which teaching practice has developed. A project linking digital libraries to VLEs may well have to address divergent teaching requirements that flow from organisational histories and differences.
Unless the system is easy to use and amenable to changes in teaching methods and content it will not be used to the full. Problems with the vendor are a key obstacle to flexibility. More than one project found their vendor to be "inflexible and reluctant to allow us to customize their product". One project was hampered by misunderstandings about what the product could deliver, and reports learning that "promises made by vendors are not always to be trusted".
We recommend that projects take time to understand the variety of teaching practices they may need to address. We note that care may be necessary when dealing with vendors. Clear knowledge of local requirements is a help here, so that key questions can be asked early.
EDNER Look for the Issues papers and the evaluation reports as they become available.
Forthcoming..... contributions gratefully received