I’m a user, me a personal reflection George Roberts Emerge 21/04/2008 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/

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Situation A tagline for your project or work Emerge is promoting a radical other-centred (learner, user) or (possibly) a de-centred approach to educational (application) development Describe the user group and the work context There are about 200 participants in 23 major project groups and a number of smaller project and affinity groupings Describe your technological setup We use social networking software (Elgg) as our central platform, with Moodle, Elluminate and SecondLife for specific activities We encourage the wide use of SNS, Web 2.0 and syndication for community generated content and sharing

A tagline for your project or work

Emerge is promoting a radical other-centred (learner, user) or (possibly) a de-centred approach to educational (application) development

Describe the user group and the work context

There are about 200 participants in 23 major project groups and a number of smaller project and affinity groupings

Describe your technological setup

We use social networking software (Elgg) as our central platform, with Moodle, Elluminate and SecondLife for specific activities

We encourage the wide use of SNS, Web 2.0 and syndication for community generated content and sharing

Challenge Address the perception that many JISC-funded developments and project outputs appear not to achieve wide-uptake among user communities. Improve value for money or ROI on JISC investment portfolio. I use “perception” and “appear” advisedly because outputs and outcomes may not be as directly correlated as is sometimes suggested or expected. Capacity, the social capital of the sector and the institutions and individuals within it, is a factor of what is valued and measured and how it is valued and measured.

Address the perception that many JISC-funded developments and project outputs appear not to achieve wide-uptake among user communities.

Improve value for money or ROI on JISC investment portfolio.

I use “perception” and “appear” advisedly because outputs and outcomes may not be as directly correlated as is sometimes suggested or expected.

Capacity, the social capital of the sector and the institutions and individuals within it, is a factor of what is valued and measured and how it is valued and measured.

Task Developing projects in a context where there is awareness of the wider activity in a field and an understanding of the alignments and gaps in that field should lead to better projects being developed. By using community development processes and social networking the general quality of educational (learning) technology development projects may be improved, bringing benefits not just to the JISC but more widely to all sectoral funding agencies and stakeholders.

Developing projects in a context where there is awareness of the wider activity in a field and an understanding of the alignments and gaps in that field should lead to better projects being developed.

By using community development processes and social networking the general quality of educational (learning) technology development projects may be improved, bringing benefits not just to the JISC but more widely to all sectoral funding agencies and stakeholders.

Actions UIDM Appreciative inquiry Enact user-centred practice in community development

UIDM

Appreciative inquiry

Enact user-centred practice in community development

Results The jury is out ? - Real users involved in development teams - Projects have real impact in institutions - Ongoing, reflexively self-aware, purposeful community of collaborators - User interfaces are considered as important as data models, control programs and work flows - Affectionate recollection - Wider adoption - and adaptation - of the model - Positive return on investment indicators

The jury is out

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Observations Lessons you've learnt and conclusions you’ve drawn: very tentatively! Community development, applications development, systems integration and practice change are related, but the relationships are complex and contextualised Education development is community development… on many scales Needs-based development may not produce practice/culture change: asset-based community development (ABCD) needs to be explored Eat your own dogfood

Lessons you've learnt and conclusions you’ve drawn: very tentatively!

Community development, applications development, systems integration and practice change are related, but the relationships are complex and contextualised

Education development is community development… on many scales

Needs-based development may not produce practice/culture change: asset-based community development (ABCD) needs to be explored

Eat your own dogfood