Well we're very close to the end of the funded part of the project with the project now set to continue through postgraduate support over the next year. In terms of evalution of where we are at a SWOT follows this short piece.
Looking back over the project it's clear that there have been some key WINS and some key losses to learn from. In terms of the WINS, on submitting the proposal we weren't too sure how we were going to tackle the lecturer tool for composing slides having previously encountered problems with working with MS Powerpoint slides and other presentational tools for the first prototype. We knew that the way we were doing things needed to change (a clunky Java application is just not usable across the uninitiated) so the decisions made in creating a web solution and producing an add-in which has a really usable side effect of being able to embed any web content directly into Powerpoint was a real positive. Made even more positive when we sorted the add-in for a later version to enable multiple web pages to be displayed on the same slide.
In terms of the web system, we are in the position of having the basic functionality working and in addition having a lot of the other functionality ready to be integrated but we perhaps still need to continue to work on the interface to make things easier for users. That will happen though as the Wild system starts to be used in anger in a few modules in semester 2.
In terms of losses I think the main one has been the inability to get the desired technology through the University and corporate channels. However, the technology purchased through the project offers lots of different opportunities for future exploration linked to the Wild thing.
SWOT Analysis (at this point)
Strengths
The add-in (has the potential for widespread use given the propensity for the inclusion of web content in presentations)
The re-formulated architecture of Wild (offering clear opportunities for expansion)
Things work in the Wild, with tasks not too difficult to complete
Team (Clear ideas for how to continue to strangthen Wild)
Weaknesses
At present we still need to integrate some of the more advanced question types into the web tool.
The Wild system at the moment needs a clean up and will get one over the next couple of days.
The Wild web system is working but we need to re-factor the code to make it easier for other developers to add to the system.
Opportunities
Wild demonstrated at Making Web 2.0 Work For You and other external events coming up over the next six months
Wild demonstrated internally successfully, need to start to get more people using at the very least the web page insertion tool within their practice leading to transmitted word of mouth and tool usage in multiple circumstances.
Clear opportunity to experiment with embedding other forms of feedback mechanism directly into slide content e.g. twitter feeds and using other Web 2.0 technologies linked in with Wild within the lecture room environment.
Potential for commercial link up with a local company to move the system forward (still considering whether to actively pursue) - leading to a couple of versions of the software.
Threats
New versions of PowerPoint will possibly require a new image of the add-in tool. As things stand it seems to work retrospectively at the moment i.e. the version of the tool for PP95 works with PP97.
Loss of momentum, however, the PG focus should enable the system to move on substantially over the next year.
Showing posts with label SWOT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SWOT. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Thursday, 25 June 2009
First few weeks
Since obtaining the award letter at the beginning of June we've been involved in setting up the infrastructure we need to have in place including organising the contract programmer associated with the project. We had always thought that this could be one of the hardest things to establish for the project in keeping to HR policy and procurement policy within the institution. After meeting with the key players with regards to ensuring project support it has actually turned out to be fairly simple and not the headache that it could have been. So infrastructure wise everything seems to be in place.
The system involves building upon an institutional learning and teaching innovations project we developed a couple of years ago. The tool esentially was a stand alone application which took a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation and embedded dynamic content within it. There were a number of issues with this at the time with one of the largest issues being negotiating Microsoft's 'standards'. The system was trialed fairly successfully in two modules over two semesters and has been translated into a few academic papers. We have this month reviewed the old system and its problems with the view of tackling this grant as an opportunity of working towards the ideal system. A system which at the very least embeds into MS Powerpoint to encourage ease of use within the user community and in addition is extensible enough to be re-packaged for other presentational environments. To this end we have this week spent some time focused on thinking about our system in terms of essential and desirable requirements and have this week put together a release schedule involving three releases with each to be delivered over a four week period.
Next on our agenda over the next few weeks is a focus on the design of the system at conceptual level and then at physical level in the form of UML and class diagrams. The programmer is due to join our team in mid-July and will contribute to the end of this design process.
Finally, a SWOT analysis for the project.
Stengths
Pre-existing prototype system
Already been trialed within a user community - feedback gathered
Understanding of what the ideal infrastucture should be
Know already some of the problems
Team
Weaknesses
MS Powerpoint as a focus - originally for the old innovations project we wished to use a more open tool, such as openoffice, however, MS PP was the only tool which seemed to be able to work for our purposes - as other environments didn't offer structured xHTML - only static images of slides were used.
Developing a community of users
Challenges traditional views of lectures, however, can be used in lots of other scenarios
Not everyone has a wireless tool in classrooms, however, with the advent of always on contracts such as those supplied with the iPhone this becomes less of a problem.
Opportunities
A real opportunity to learn from the problems of the first tool and develop a much more usable and professional product
Dissemination activities for the product including HEA Physical Sciences workshop in October which was already set-up before award
An opportunity to get people excited about our product and thinking about other ways to use it.
Scope on completion to use technology in conjunction with other innovations projects
Scope on completion for professional use of the technology.
Threats
Scope creep
Staffing
Delays in procurement or at various stages of the project
The system involves building upon an institutional learning and teaching innovations project we developed a couple of years ago. The tool esentially was a stand alone application which took a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation and embedded dynamic content within it. There were a number of issues with this at the time with one of the largest issues being negotiating Microsoft's 'standards'. The system was trialed fairly successfully in two modules over two semesters and has been translated into a few academic papers. We have this month reviewed the old system and its problems with the view of tackling this grant as an opportunity of working towards the ideal system. A system which at the very least embeds into MS Powerpoint to encourage ease of use within the user community and in addition is extensible enough to be re-packaged for other presentational environments. To this end we have this week spent some time focused on thinking about our system in terms of essential and desirable requirements and have this week put together a release schedule involving three releases with each to be delivered over a four week period.
Next on our agenda over the next few weeks is a focus on the design of the system at conceptual level and then at physical level in the form of UML and class diagrams. The programmer is due to join our team in mid-July and will contribute to the end of this design process.
Finally, a SWOT analysis for the project.
Stengths
Pre-existing prototype system
Already been trialed within a user community - feedback gathered
Understanding of what the ideal infrastucture should be
Know already some of the problems
Team
Weaknesses
MS Powerpoint as a focus - originally for the old innovations project we wished to use a more open tool, such as openoffice, however, MS PP was the only tool which seemed to be able to work for our purposes - as other environments didn't offer structured xHTML - only static images of slides were used.
Developing a community of users
Challenges traditional views of lectures, however, can be used in lots of other scenarios
Not everyone has a wireless tool in classrooms, however, with the advent of always on contracts such as those supplied with the iPhone this becomes less of a problem.
Opportunities
A real opportunity to learn from the problems of the first tool and develop a much more usable and professional product
Dissemination activities for the product including HEA Physical Sciences workshop in October which was already set-up before award
An opportunity to get people excited about our product and thinking about other ways to use it.
Scope on completion to use technology in conjunction with other innovations projects
Scope on completion for professional use of the technology.
Threats
Scope creep
Staffing
Delays in procurement or at various stages of the project
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