Case Study 4 - Use of LauLima to Support Research: Supporting a Network to Assess the Overall Impact of Higher Education Institutions on Regional Economies
Note that all of the LauLima Case Studies have been written based on the HEFCE 'Effective Practice with e-Learning' Template. (© HEFCE 2004).
Institution Name
The Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR) in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow.
Background
CPPR is a major research initiative being jointly pursued by the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. It investigates the role of public policy in promoting economic and social development in Scotland and beyond. Its purpose is to produce 'Quality Research for Better Public Policies' and to develop a dialogue with government, communities and the private sector. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has funded the CPPR in collaboration with the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow to establish a network for Professors, Research Fellows and other related staff to support them in carrying out collaborative work on Economics related Research. The network is multi-disciplinary in nature, with members from the CPPR itself as well as from higher education institutions and other external organisations.
Intended Outcomes
The objective of using LauLima in this case study was to support a research initiative, namely the establishment of one of five active and dynamic, multidisciplinary networks, which is focused on the overall, or system-wide impact of higher education institutions on regional economies.
The Challenge
The multi-disciplinary network aimed to support research by providing a means for research work to be carried out collaboratively by experts who were not necessarily in close proximity to one another. The network's online facilities provided by LauLima could be used for the whole group or for subgroups to work collaboratively and communicate effectively.
Established Practice
Network members would be contacted by mail or email and information for them distributed in that way. Information could also be made available on websites, however LauLima's wiki pages were easy for network organisers to update and edit, and access could be restricted using LauLima's permissions system with sub groups or even individuals given particular create/read/write/delete access as required.
The e-learning Advantage
The LauLima system was used as an information management system for network organisers to manage information for network members. This was set up to support the Economics related research being undertaken by the network members. The 'virtual' network was combined with face to face interaction for continuing collaboration. The network itself was created to allow academics to engage with committed and enthusiastic policy professionals fields related to Economics who are also members of the network. This approach allows distributed working, whereby research work is organised by multi-disciplinary streams of subject areas rather than geographical location. Network organisers used LauLima as an online focal point for network members to find information relating to their research area. Network organisers used LauLima's 'file galleries' as a file storage area and its 'wiki' web pages to collate information for network users and structure it so that it could be retrieved effectively to meet their needs. It enabled easy multiple deposits of information that could be accessed securely online at any time.
Although other features of LauLima were available to support network members, e.g. online forums, formal and information messaging systems and highly controllable personal wiki web pages and files storage areas, the system was mainly used as a tool for network organisers to collate and manage information which was, in turn, accessed by the network members.
Key Points for Effective Practice
One must ensure that the intended user group is going to engage with such a network; both in terms of the subject matter and the technology being used. The type of users to be supported must also be taken into account; to what degree they are familiar with technology and how apt and willing they are at learning to use new tools. The trade off between increased functionality and simplicity of use must be appropriately balanced - in this case the network did not make use of LauLima's full set of features as the network users were not using the system on a daily basis, therefore did not have time to become very familiar with all of its functionality. Users' expected time lapse between periods of use must be considered for the same reason; even those who are willing and able to interact with the system may not be able to devote as much time as they would like to its use due to other commitments. Offering adequate user support was seen as a key issue in this case study - supporting users throughout the time that they were using the system as well as providing initial training sessions on the system and its use.
Conclusions and Recommendations
LauLima proved to be a useful information management tool to collate, structure and propagate information to the multi-disciplinary network members. All potential barriers to use must be addressed where possible, and the use must be appropriate to the users as well as the work that they are doing.
Additional Information
For more information on the ESRC funded project for which the research network was created, please see the HEI Impacts Project website. The LauLima system was developed as part of the DIDET Project. Please see the website for further details of the project, including the LauLima system itself which is now available for download alongside relevant documentation and training materials. This is one case study to demonstrate LauLima's use a system to support research, please also see the DIDET Project website to review our other case studies reflecting on its use as a tool to support teaching and learning in Higher Education.
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