Page 2 | 3.2.7. Internet Use | 3.2. Case-Study FU Berlin

Main Menu

3.0 Introduction

3.1. Case-Study LSE

3.2. Case-Study FU Berlin

3.3. Case–Study UPC

3.4. Case-Study UOC

4 Cross Case Analysis

5 Best in Breed KE & Conclusions

3.2.7. Internet Use

Article Index
3.2.7. Internet Use
Page 2

Page 2 of 2

3.2.7.2. e-research
Tools Integration (Technology)
There is, besides the library’s online database services, an individually founded central institution to promote and develop a specialized e-research service, but the theme has generally not hit a chord within the university. As is typical in appropriation of an innovation, it starts with individual knowledge entrepreneurship. One example is the work of at an individual employee at the CeDiS, who has developed extensive expertise in the area of qualitative social science research methodology, and has developed a number of highly networked (online) discourse communities [i]. She has also identified and realizes the institutional e-publishing and Open Access initiative. Today the field of e-publishing and Open Access, which has the mandate also to ‘give online support to research teams’ (FU web) is worked on by four CeDiS employees. The group is promoting internal spread of digital institutional publishing solutions on the one hand but also has a well networked approach aggregating relevance and impact of the repositories by cooperating with other national and international actors. For the future institutionalized and defined support services for FU researchers in the area of virtual research community management and e-publishing are planned. Interesting is also the typical CeDiS ‘support service’ approach to offer to ‘support all kinds of projects in this area’, thereby also ensuring at least partial ownership.

The team leader who had developed these activities mostly autonomous, and by building alliances, has now been integrated in CeDiS’ institutional structure. She reports to have achieved extended leverage but notes having had to struggle to find her place in CeDiS streamlined hierarchic team structure.

Another example is the Argunet project (www.argunet.org) an online platform for logical and visual reconstruction of complex philosophical debates and argumentations. A hybrid between pioneer e-learning and e-research, Argunet is a collaboration of several FU philosophers (one of them with a computer science background) and occurs, (as most initiatives of this kind) under the e-learning support program of the CeDiS.
Current Practices (Use Cases)
Individual academics are using online services according to their personal preference and diffusion is assumed to follow the exposure to change agents (such as the e-learning consultants).

In the computer sciences one extensive use case of wikis has been found. One professor, who had an academic curiosity for IT based collaboration systems, had introduced the wiki technology in his individual sphere. The IT professors have cultivated a very collegial atmosphere (FU multiple faculty) and the professor became known as the in-house resource on the subject, reporting on the condition and progress of the wiki usage on an informal basis. He reports that wikis have been integrated in the department’s portfolio wherever their (well understood) functionality is beneficiary (FU faculty 49).

3.2.7.3. Website & Intranet
Tools Integration (Technology)
In 1998 the content and design underwent a complete overhaul managed by the then newly created web-team (FU, 2001). Recently, a content management system has been acquired and a new corporate design was produced by CeDiS’ Media + Design team in close collaboration with the Praesidium. The first step was to put a replication of the existing content into the system.

One interesting feature, a chat for student consultations and counselling, has been added recently. The chat is perceived quite positively and adds to the highly functioning hotline and email counselling (Dowe, 2001).

Current Practices (Use Cases)
The new content management system is being introduced gradually with the central services being dealt with first. It is planned to then progress entity by entity from the decentralized services to the various academic departments. No written strategy or process architecture has been identified for the content side for which the press department is responsible. CeDiS is responsible for the technical as well as the procedural introduction and hosting of the system, as well as for all internal trainings. As for e-learning a high level steering committee has been formed and decides on the CMS strategy and project funding.

Overall leadership regarding the integration of services and a holistic strategy for an online portal are missing due to the mostly non-expert CIO committee, which additionally suffers under the time and attention constrains of its constituents.

Once again, all IT related institutions (eAS, CeDiS, ZEDAT, the web-team and the library) are hedging their interests, with CeDiS and eAS as the dynamic and entrepreneuring shapers and ZEDAT and the library as the historic stakeholders carrying on a complex legacy of functions and personal structure [ii].

3.2.7.4. User Perception of IT Services
According to critical students (FU student web-blog) the FU is pushing many IT innovations. The administrative resource management especially is seen as a means to create processes/practices where the IT system has total control of the practices rather than the professors. Conversely, these are initiatives that are valued by the students. One comment on a user survey conducted by CeDiS before engaging in the development of a social networking platform is telling of the ambivalent if sometimes positive nature of these developments: “…within some years these web-based platforms will be compulsive for any modern university and it makes me kind of proud that mine is already starting it.”(Praus, 2006)
User perception of the academic IT services is as varied as the offerings of the departments. In the German HEI rankings 2006 undertaken by CHE (2006), the FU finds itself in the middle group regarding student perception of PC provision and e-learning (authors calculations based on CHE dataset).