The WELL project evaluation workshops on 3rd Novemer 2009 showed that WBL arena can be quite a tough nut for HE to crack. The workshops thrashed out some of the key issues in relation to

“success” for all stakeholders and what constitutes a “successful” WBL project; and


developing a stakeholder engagement strategy for WBL projects.

Notes made at the events are available to read. They will also be incorporated into a final evaluation report.

Starting work on the project, and at the University, has been a monumental learning curve: the culture, the acronyms, the protocols and procedures, the traditions, etc. I still haven’t digested everything, but I’ve discovered a culture where one’s identity is sometimes shaped by one’s academic subject, school, or initiative rather than one’s affiliation with an institution.

This has been no better demonstrated than in conducting research for the baseline report as part of the WELL Project. There are a number of disparate initiatives throughout the University in relation to using digital technologies in order to develop flexible and blended learning approaches. Such innovative practice across the institution occurs in pockets and seems to be more focused on “traditional” learners. In this respect, WELL Project serves as quite a bold cultural change.