PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management



Project Management

Introduction

Background

Several discussions, opinions and projects have emerged in areas of e-learning especially from a social networking context, and application of ICT to solve both academic and administrative problems of schools, most notable higher institutions of learning. According to OECD (2005), the impact of ICT on tertiary education has been felt more in administrative services like admission, registration, payment of fees etc, than learning and true information dissemination. The level of adoption of e-learning is still in the infant especially by universities in the developing countries, basically because of the poor application of ICT and other social factors that inhibits the implementation of information technologies. The proliferation of e-learning systems in both learning institutions and companies has contributed a lot to the acquisition and application of new skills. With the growth in technology, especially the internet, e-learning systems are only getting better and having more impact on the users. (Thayer and Yourdon, 2000, 36)

This paper suggests an approach to e-learning that emphasizes active and open collaboration, and also the integration of other services that aid or contribute to the learning process. This approach aims at having an extended and enhanced learning environment that is tied or connected to other systems within the immediate environment or otherwise.

We illustrate the possibility and usability of such system in PM University, such that other important administrative systems are integrated into the e-learning system, and collaboration is open to both academic and non-academic personnel's.

Requirements

Having this scenario into account, PM University has requested that the social media project brings solutions related to at least the following aspects:

The social media platform should allow students to share information and knowledge.

The social media platform should make easier the collaboration among students in general, and among group members who are working in a same coursework.

The social media platform should facilitate students to clarify doubts about the syllabus.

The social media platform should improve the communication between academic staff and students. (Lewis, 2009, 231)

Social media platform

There are several open source and commercial e-Learning systems that incorporate new tools to enhance the learning experience. Some of the widely used Web 2.0 tools in e-Learning systems are:

Wikis

"A wiki is essentially a website constructed in such a way as to allow users to change content on the site" (Dobson 2003 102).

Wikis are used in Education in several ways:

To support collaborative work, substituting old .doc or .pdf documents.

To produce a course or study corpus in cooperation with all academic stakeholders: lecturers, students, etc.

To distribute information to students, in order to facilitate the updating of materials by the professor. (Berkun, 2005, 59)

Blogs

Blogs are used as a means of distributing news/information, or sharing personal opinions. Blogs are used in education in the following areas:

Teachers use blogs as an easy way to produce dynamic learning environments without previous know ledge of html

Students use blogs as an alternative digital portfolio or as a learning log.

Ultimately, blogs have been used as support for collaborative ...