Despite the overall diversity in the type of institution and variations in the level of internet use, all universities, departments, and individuals have been observed to struggle to exploit the opportunities created by internet based innovations. The complexity of the technology makes it difficult for the actors to identify and exploit opportunities. While most organisations offer institution wide solutions (and in fact restrict individual practices), innovation is assessed to be an aptitude that always depends on individuals. Hence it is suggested to empower the individual to innovate by giving him the mandate in the job description and by setting up a supportive architecture. In general, faculty incorporate only very selected technological innovations in their structure and practice, because many of the new innovations of the internet are simply not assessed as valuable because a) their seriousness and value add needs to be proven and b) because they cause a true change in practice not just a more efficient but an altogether different way of doing something. Examples for the latter category are blogging and using wikis for collaborative learning.

Another aspect that has been found to influence innovation is the political aspect of many internet based innovations. As the Cluetrain Manifesto has stated quite famously, “hyperlinks subvert hierarchy” (Levine, 2000), since most universities are very traditional enterprises they are often entangled in intellectual turf guarding. This isn’t an absolute truth because collegiality, de-centralisation and academic autonomy are also deeply rooted in universities. Ciborra’s (2002) metaphor of the blind giants comes to mind in this context. Naturally leading positions are staffed with experienced veterans. These mature executives tend not to be too inclined by (especially paradigm changing) creative destruction, because the old way of doing things has brought them to where they are and why should they fix a ‘running system’. It is hence one of the great organisational challenges to develop a culture (and supporting architecture) that allows for the ‘new’ to emerge and be tested, while conserving the virtuous of the tradition.

The internet related innovations that already exist are causing a major challenge to actors and as the flow of innovation can be expected to continue for the foreseeable future, strategies and frameworks that allow for ‘taming’ of the technology are needed. Institutionalisation of the continuous entrepreneurial process of assessing and incorporating the emerging opportunities will also be important. The developed model of an entrepreneurial mindset, and the strange attractors found to influence the physical conditions, serve as a point of reference for practitioners in the area of university governance as well as for professors.

5.2.2.1. E-learning is Used Mostly to Improve Traditional Practices
A common conceptualisation of new technology appropriation in three phases is elaborated e.g. by Bates (2000). The model depicts a first phase in which the new technology is used to do essentially the same thing, but in a new format. A good example is that the first cinema movies were actually filmed stage plays. Within the realm of the film industry, we are in the second stage when we are talking about the use of different scenery, time lines etc. Finally, in the last stage, the potential of the new technology is fully exploited. Directors create ‘new worlds’ adding animation and post-production effects with ‘traditional’ acting.

The universities investigated are assessed to be somewhere between the first and the second phase of e-learning technology exploitation. They mostly use the online platforms to (a) make texts available online, which adds double value because it is much more convenient for students can access texts from everywhere and there is no scarcity of the material; and to a much lesser degree (b) extend the discourse held in class through forums. The potential of e-leaning to create really innovative learning scenarios is generally not exploited by the teachers. However the problem is assessed to be less about the technology or the institutional provider (for example at the LSE, opportunities provision is excellent), but caused by the complexity and subsequent time investment needed in order to truly dominate the opportunities. This is assessed to be a key factor for professors and also for students. Additionally, it is observed to be network effects that give many internet based innovations value. This potential is of course only realized if the university is a big enough paradigmatic community. Also, new methods like using ICT live in the classroom for feedback and collaboration, are only lightly being touched upon by a few technophile knowledge entrepreneurs, who creatively destroying traditional academic practices.

5.2.2.2. The Opportunities of E-research Has not Been Recognized
The opportunities to improve research practices through appropriation of internet based innovations has been realized to a drastically lesser extent compared to e-learning. Nevertheless, ICT did have an enormous impact on research practice as most researchers simply use the internet to search publication databases and access journal articles. Also, ICT has changed the format of correspondence about research from paper to email. As one philosophy professor stated, “these are far reaching improvements,” but as another professor concluded, “they are only using 20% of the technology’s potential.” Hence, it can be stated that in the universities assessed, e-research is still only in the first phase of exploiting the most obvious benefits, i.e. speed of transmission and location independence. Some researchers also subscribe to mailing-lists, but only a few report to actively participating in a public online discourse amongst a community of practice. Similarly, some researchers publish online, thus making their work available as open access content. This can be considered second stage technology exploitation. The third stage is still experimental and has not been found in the universities investigated. PLoS-one [i] the innovative online journal of the US Public Library of Science gives a first glimpse into what we have to expect from stage three, internet technology exploitation for e-research. The journal gives open access to all readers, (all formally correct papers are published [ii]) - which is only logical given that there is infinite space, and relevance is determined and weighted by the reader’s interest. Furthermore, readers act as peer reviewers and interact, correct, comment, and expand upon the text. Thereby text becomes a dynamic collaborative process and discourse. This kind of scientific exchange might potentially and truly revolutionize how we conduct, and what we ultimately understand to be research.

-----------------------------------------

[i] www.plosone.org
[ii] Papers need to have the right format, correct language and citations, and the research reported has to be implemented with due diligence regarding research methods etc.

Users' Comments (0)

Add your comment