Evaluating a virtual learning environment in the context of its community of practice

The evaluation of virtual learning environments (VLEs) and similar applications has, to date, largely consisted of checklists of system features, phenomenological studies or measures of specific forms of educational efficacy. Although these approaches offer some value, they are unable to capture the complex and holistic nature of a group of individuals using a common system to support the wide range of activities that make up a course or programme of study over time. This paper employs Wenger's theories of 'communities of practice' to provide a formal structure for looking at how a VLE supports a pre-existing course community. Wenger proposes a Learning Architecture Framework for a learning community of practice, which the authors have taken to provide an evaluation framework. This approach is complementary to both the holistic and complex natures of course environments, in that particular VLE affordances are less important than the activities of the course community in respect of the system. Thus, the VLE's efficacy in its context of use is the prime area of investigation rather than a reductionist analysis of its tools and components. An example of this approach in use is presented, evaluating the VLE that supports the undergraduate medical course at the University of Edinburgh. The paper provides a theoretical grounding, derives an evaluation instrument, analyses the efficacy and validity of the instrument in practice and draws conclusions as to how and where it may best be used

Transformation through research? The AC+erm Project and Electronic Records Management

The article focuses on the three-year project being undertaken by Northumbria University in Northumbria, England and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (ANRH) named as AC+erm. The AC+erm project is a qualitative study composed of three main phases including a comprehensive Systematic Literature Review, an investigation of the three aspects of designing an architecture for electronic records management (ERM), and distribution of findings. The primary data from selected experts are gathered through the Delphi technique8, developed by the Rand Corp. in the U.S., to formulate an opinion on the research topic. Further, it provides short analysis of the issues associated with Web 2.0 and cloud computing technologies.

Accelerating positive change in electronic records management: an empirical toolkit of solutions

The AC+erm project aims to investigate and critically explore issues and practical strategies for accelerating positive change in electronic records management. The project’s focus is on designing an organisational-centred architecture from three perspectives: people, process and technology. This paper introduces the project, describes the methodology (a systematic literature review, e-Delphi studies and colloquia) and presents solutions for improving ERM developed from the people and process e-Delphi responses. ERM is particularly challenging and the solutions offered by the Delphi participants are numerous, and range in scale and complexity. The only firm conclusion that one can draw is that the majority of the solutions are people-focussed ones. The Cynefin framework is introduced as one approach for providing a conceptual overview to our findings on ERM. The sample solutions presented in this paper provide a toolkit of ‘probes’ and ‘interventions’ for practical application in organisations

AC+erm Project. Transforming Information & Records Management through Research & Development? Proceedings of the 3rd Northumbria International Witness Seminar Conference

These proceedings capture the content of the third Witness Seminar hosted by Northumbria University’s School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences. It built on the success of our two previous witness seminars, in terms of its format and style, but was also different in some important ways. Firstly, it represented the final event of a 3-year Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded research project – Accelerating positive change in e-records management (AC+erm); secondly, the seminars took a series of questions, rather than articles, as their starting point; and thirdly, it was much shorter, lasting only half a day. Although it was the final AC+erm project event, and therefore show cased some of the project’s outputs, the sessions and discussions were deliberately designed to revolve around the broader context of research and development in records and information management

New frontiers in qualitative longitudinal research: an agenda for research

This paper outlines the state of the art in qualitative longitudinal methodology, reflecting on more than 10 years of development since a previous special issue on QLR was published by the International Journal of Social Research Methodology in 2003. The papers presented in this special issue emerge from a methodological innovation network that brought together an international community of researchers in order to map new frontiers for the method. This paper summarises the development of the method from a design to a sensibility, identifying three new frontiers as part of a future research agenda including: the need for a processual imaginary; experimentation with temporal perspectives and orientations and explicating the temporal affordances of our methods

Examining the issues & challenges of email & e-communications. 2nd Northumbria Witness Seminar Conference, 24-25 Oct 2007 Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne.

These proceedings capture the content of the second Witness Seminar hosted by Northumbria University’s School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences. It followed the success of the first witness seminar in terms of its format and style but differed in that it focused on one topic - managing email and other electronic communications technologies from a records perspective. As before the witnesses were invited to share their views and opinions on a specific aspect taking as their starting point a pertinent published article(s). Three seminars explored the business, people and technology perspectives of email and e-communications, asking the following questions: What are the records management implications and challenges of doing business electronically? Are people the problem and the solution? Is technology the problem or panacea? The final seminar, 'Futurewatch', focused on moving forward, exploring new ways of working, potential new technologies and what records professionals and others need to keep on their radar screens

Rachel Field Correspondence

Entries include a biography, hand written letters on personal stationery and plain paper, and newspaper biographical and review clippings with photographic images of Fiel

Development and testing of a checklist to assess compliance with the faculty of pain medicine’s core standards for pain management services: experience in a new national tertiary pain service

Introduction: The Faculty of Pain Medicine recently published the first UK-focused Core Standards for Pain Management Services (CSPMS). We present an audit checklist tool developed to map compliance to the CSPMS, which offers a practical method of auditing any pain management service against the standards. Methods: The checklist tool was developed and its utility was field-tested in the Scottish National Residential Pain Management Programme (SNRPMP), a newly established service offering residential service to people in Scotland. Results: The checklist tool developed provides an easy and practical approach to evaluating any pain service against the national standards. Its application to evaluate the SNRPMP indicates that the service meets the majority of CSPMS standards and highlights aspects of the service requiring improvement. Conclusion: The layout of the developed checklist tool offers an alternative format for the structuring of the national standards in possible future revisions. The audit checklist tool enables evaluation of services with a numerical score, enabling monitoring of their compliance with national standards as well as comparisons between pain services