::fibreculture:: Re: WebCT, OpenSource and Beyond

[Andrew Murphie]

Hi FC People,

many apologies for not acknowledging the generous response to my  
question concerning WebCT vs Open Source and a very belated thanks to  
everyone (Tom Worthington, Anna Munster, Doug Moncur, Adrian Miles,  
Julian Knowles, Chris Chesher, Tama Leaver, Karen Woo, Hughie, Lisa  
Gye, Ned Rossiter). It was indeed a generous discussion that  
developed, and I learnt a great deal about what people are doing -  
with some great tips about tools we might use.

As for me, I have used WebCT for years but only really the BBS. The  
rest I've always done via basic web pages - and now with the addition  
of blogs and wikis, which I have to confess are those that come with  
OS X server, so I'm not that open source. And thanks to Julian and  
others for pointing out that WebCT isn't all bad! I certainly  
wouldn't suggest people shouldn't use it if that's what they find  
best suited to their needs.

There are some questions that remain, however, and although I know  
this discussion has perhaps ended, I thought I would throw them into  
the mix - they perhaps have relevance beyond education, as the deal  
with the institutional contexts for the adoption of technological  
responses. I guess I have to say right off that I think we live in an  
age which has suddenly become very resistant to technologies and the  
shifts in knowledges and so on that they bring about - precisely  
because they do challenge the nature of institutions ... in any case,  
here goes. These are simple issues ..

First, my main issue wasn't with WebCT per se (although I do have  
issues with it), or even with the fact that it is a proprietary  
system. It was with the way in which WebCT is promoted and indeed  
enforced as the one shop solution for all learning needs (and I  
suspect often joyfully embraced by senior administrators who didn't  
really understand networks, etc - is that being unfair?). In short, I  
don't have an issue with people using WebCT but I do have one with  
the "ecology" which often seems to surround it. In this, everyone is  
told they have to use WebCT, or at least that this is the system the  
institution supports, trains, gives permission to  (literally), etc.  
It becomes a substitute for innovative uses of online technologies -  
as many of us know, it's actually very difficult to get these up and  
running in many institutions (as many of us know, the answer is  
always, why don't you just use WebCT, even when it doesn't do what  
you want).  On the other hand, as many people have demonstrated,  
there are institutions where people are doing innovative things, and  
it would be great to hear more about the institutional contexts of  
support for such innovation.

Secondly, I guess I think this is even more problematic when one  
considers WebCT's history. In an era in which we are supposed to be  
teaching - and learning - information and network literacies, WebCT's  
history seems to have been one of a package made precisely so that  
you don't have to confront fairly standard regular information and  
network literacy issues front on. I know that it is now much more  
flexible (and has incorporated html etc) but there's something about  
the structure of WebCT that says "early adoption of educational  
technologies for those of us that really didn't know much about  
them" (not that there's anything wrong with that - I'm certainly no  
tech savant myself like some on this list!).. . again I should  
emphasise that the problem isn't WebCT so much as the baggage that  
surrounds it.

Which brings me to the third point, which is that WebCT is a closed  
system - I know it opens to the Web if you want, but it starts as a  
closed environment .. that's not always bad I guess I think one  
learns heaps from just being there in the first place... naive  
perhaps ...

that's before you get to proprietary issues but we've been there ...

best regards and thanks again,
Andrew