Karen Daly

Student number: 11437366

ITC540, assignment 1, task 1b

SWOT Analysis
Organisation: Charles Sturt University (CSU) Date: 22/03/2014
Description of current/new ICT service:
The CSU Interact online learning environment (Interact) is an application which integrates the administration, delivery and collaboration systems for teaching and learning in a single virtual space. Based upon the Sakai open-source learning management system (LMS), it is utilised for teaching, research and professional development. It is the principal means by which distance education students interact with academics, other students and the university.
STRENGTHS
  1. Single point of access to all the university’s systems and services streamlines the work processes of staff and students and eliminates information silos (CSU, 2014d). Resources and facilities are cross-linked (CSU, 2014g).
  2. Remote access (anywhere in the world and at any time) broadens the reach of the university for students and research collaborators. Students are able to adapt their study to their lifestyle and individual circumstances.
  3. Use of open-source Sakai LMS reduces cost and diffuses the expense of support and development across all organisations using the software.Other universities and organisations share their training materials and innovations (Wheeler, 2008). IT staff have access to the code and can customise it readily in response to changing circumstances (CSU, 2014d; Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Laboratories, 2013).
  4. Content can be readily repurposed and shared: a research project can become the focus of a teaching activity and course materials or templates can be reused, reducing the need for duplicate work (Mahoney and Cameron, 2008). Staff or groups with similar interests are able to search for and find each other and each other’s work (CSU, 2014g).
  5. LMSs reduce the costs of redundant training, operational errors and downtime through the automation and centralisation of functions (Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Laboratories, 2013).
/ WEAKNESSES
  1. Due to the use of an open-source LMS, there is no support service and the university must host and manage the service itself. IT staff who have to maintain the rest of the university’s IT infrastructure are diverted to deal with bugs such as inconsistencies in the way the platform is handled by different browsers (CSU, 2014d; 2014f).
  2. It is time consuming for teachers to monitor online forums and provide feedback. Without sufficient management and supervision, some students are unable to cope with the level of self-direction and self-motivation required.
  3. Varying levels of comfort with IT and online applications among teaching staff. Further, teachers might not be aware of web accessibility issues in their design of activities and content.Open-source vendor does not provide training.
  4. There is a tendency for LMSs to drive teaching styles, impeding innovation (Mahoney and Cameron, 2008).
  5. The Sakai software has not been significantly updated for a number of years. Its conformity to accessibility standards is inferior to rival products and it has limited interoperability with the outside tools and platforms teachers and students are increasingly using. There are no plans to update the software to allow for a mobile interface or app (Academic Technology Services, 2013).

OPPORTUNITIES
  1. Increasing diversity of students and increasing numbers of students studying by distance or while working create a demand for flexible study arrangements. Growing market for offering distance learning to overseas students.
  2. Booming ownership of mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones among staff and students, their willingness (and even preference) to complete work on these devices.
  3. Growing numbers of Australians have access to broadband internet in their homes.
  4. The rollout of the National Broadband Network brings high-speed broadband to more homes and regions throughout Australia.
/ THREATS
  1. A lack of competition among proprietary LMS companies has led to some expensive, inflexible, unstable and clumsy products (Mahoney and Cameron, 2008).Blackboard has been acquiring several companies which have developed commonly used open-source LMSs and/or their personnel, contributing to the narrowing of choice (Young, 2012).
  2. Universities and other organisations have been moving away from the Sakai LMS, shrinking its community and the support and innovation associated with it (Academic Support Services, 2013).
  3. Other universities are entering the distance and online education market, competing with CSU in the subjects and fields where CSU has built up a reputation for teaching in this mode.

Summary and Recommendations:
CSU is well-known as a leading provider of distance education and flexible learning, however the analysis has revealed a number of significant threats and weaknesses within the current system which will need to be addressed if the university is to retain and, indeed, strengthen its position within the sector.The remote access facility and the creation of a more streamlined experience through a single entry point put the university in a strong position within the expanding online education market, but accessibility, interoperability and support services will need to be improved if the university is to remain competitive. As broadband becomes more common in homes and schools through the NBN and market forces, an even more tech-savvy student population will emerge (including undergraduates who have been exposed to online forms of learning in their secondary education). These students will come with established preferences for certain applications and activities in their online learning, including multimedia and applications outside the confines of the CSU LMS. There will also be more demand for a mobile version of the system as students and staff become increasingly comfortable working from devices such as tablets and smart phones.
The current key objectives of the Enterprise Architecture and Liaison unit are to integrate the many fragmented processes and systems (both manual and automated) across the university and to ensure that the integrated systems built are sustainable and scalable (CSU, 2014a). It has been determined that these goals can best be met by buying rather than building systems, by choosing systems that comply with local and industry standards and by ensuring that the diversification of technologies is within sustainable limits (CSU, 2014a). Although the choice of an open-source LMS has produced cost savings and the initial implementation of the LMS has resolved some of the issues around fragmented systems and information silos, the infrequency of Sakai’s updates and its dwindling user community make it an unsustainable choice.
Adopting an alternate, proprietary LMS vendor will secure the system’s ongoing functionality and scalability and reduce the pressure placed on staff by the lack of training and support services and the need to host and manage the system internally. Proprietary LMSs offer far higher levels of support, security, functionality, investment in innovation and usability testing and customisation options, along with the lower technical requirements for staff and the option of having the vendor manage and host the platform (Pankaja and Mukund, 2013). The rest of this report outlines the plan for investigating, choosing, adopting and implementing a new LMS.
Short Term (Now)
A working group will be formed to investigate the possibility of switching to another LMS, considering both open-source and proprietary options. By surveying staff and students about their needs and referring to the university’s business plan, the group will compile a list of the priority features for the LMS and will evaluate prospective software against this list of features. A study will also be conducted of the use of open-source and proprietary LMSs among competitors.
Mid Term (next 12 months)
Within twelve months, the working group will invite representatives of the vendors who are deemed to meet the university’s criteria to present their products to the working group and will request formal tenders from these vendors. In the negotiating phase, the extent of CSU’s online and distance programs can be leveraged to secure a more advantageous pricing and service arrangement, given that commercial vendors frequently charge by number of users and generally compete on the quality of their service (Pankaja and Mukund, 2013).
Long Term (next 3 to 5 years)
Over the next three to five years, there will be a phased introduction of the chosen LMS and a detailed change management program overseen by a project steering group with dedicated teams guiding the transition and piloting of the new system in each division of the university.Communication channels with all parts of the university will be kept open, with frequent updates on the progress of the project available to staff and students. The action plan will be subject to continuous review brought about by ongoing consultation with student and staff and the changes in educational, research and institutional needs identified by this consultation (CSU, 2014e).

References

Academic Technology Services. (2013). The LMS transition initiative. Retrieved from UC Davis website:

Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Laboratories. (2013). Choosing a learning management system.

Charles Sturt University. (2010). Online learning environment plan.

Charles Sturt University. (2014a). Enterprise Architecture and Liaison. From

Charles Sturt University. (2014b). Division of Information Technology. From

Charles Sturt University. (2014c). Interact online learning environment.

Charles Sturt University. (2014d). Interact website.

Charles Sturt University. (2014e). Interact 2.

Charles Sturt University. (2014f). Online learning at CSU.

Charles Sturt University. (2014g). The online scholarly environment.

Pankaja, N., & Mukund, R. P. K. (2013). Proprietary software versus Open Source Software for Education. American Journal of Engineering Research, 2(7), 124-130.

Sakai Project. (2014). Sakai website. From

Team FME. (2013). SWOT analysis: Strategy skills.

Wheeler, B. C. (2011). Sakai: A case study in sustainability. Osswatch.

Young, J. (2012). Blackboard buys 2 leading supporters of open-source competitor Moodle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.