Paper submited and presented in Ed-Media 2011, Lisbon, 27 June - 2 July

1. An approach for e-learning/b-learning dissemination in a higher
education institution using pivot faculty
Gonçalo Cruz* Ana Maia* João Barroso** Teresa Pessoa* Leonel Morgado**
* Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra (UC), Portugal
** University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal
Abstract:
This paper presents a preliminary approach for implementing e-learning/b-learning
pedagogical practices at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), North-
eastern Portugal. It is a low-resource, middle-out approach, based on the creation of “pivot”
teachers at each UTAD subunit, supported by consultancy services. It was initiated in
September 2010 and scheduled for one year, with the ambition to serve as a basis to extend e-
learning and b-learning practices to the overall organization.
Introduction
Empowering faculty to take advantage of the affordances enabled by e-learning technologies in
their educational approach can be a major task, when viewed from an institutional perspective, requiring
significant allocation of human and technical resources. But strategies and approaches can be taken to
facilitate or support wider adoption of these technologies, even before allocation of significant resources
becomes viable, as we mention in the next section.
The University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), located in Vila Real, North-eastern
Portugal, is taking such an approach, led by the Pro-Chancellery for Innovation and Information
Management, building from existing technology and scattered efforts and goodwill. There is an
institutional practice of administrative use by faculty of online services developed locally, to provide
syllabi, grades, and other course materials. There is a willingness of several faculty members to engage in
b-learning and e-learning practices, as a way to increase contact with their students, and as way to reach
new audiences, geographically distant, for whom physical presence at the campus would not be viable.
There are scattered online education practices by some faculty members, using wikis, blogs, and virtual
worlds. There is also a scarcely-used Moodle platform and a technical team available to maintain its
operation (but not for producing content and no team with an educational background).
The adopted approach consisted in creating “pivot” faculty members in each sub-unit of UTAD,
assisted by a small team of educational consultants, in the form of Educational Sciences trainees with a
background in e-learning as part of their formal education. The goal is for these faculty members to
become aware of educational possibilities and the actual practices involved, not just in terms of traditional
e-learning/b-learning, but also of novel practices using Web 2.0 platforms and virtual worlds: the
planning requirements, the management process, assessment, etc. In doing so, it is UTAD’s expectation
that these pivots both can act as supporting peers of other faculty members in their sub-units, and as
advocates for adoption of e-learning and b-learning technologies and practices. This, in turn, is intended
to serve as a base for establishing clear needs and requirements, so that a university-wide approach can
later be developed.
Institutional practices for adoption of e-learning/b-learning
Adoption of e-learning by higher education institutions has been widespread throughout Europe,
with varying degrees of success (Barajas & Gannaway, 2007; PLS Ramboll, 2004).

2. That is not an easy and simple process for the traditional European universities. The complexity
and difficulty associated, normally requires a greater effort from involved actors than initially expected. It
is reflected in the alliance between resources, time, energy and skills. For every arisen problem, is
necessary a fully context and strategic vision adopted analyze. Only these way universities can effectively
adapt and respond to their own situations, because each problem is unique and exclusive to the reality of
each institution. (Barajas & Gannaway, 2007).
In the specific case of Web 2.0 and eLearning 2.0 respectively, inclusion and equity, advanced
digital competence, safety and privacy concerns, special needs, pedagogical skills, uncertainty and
requirements on institutional changes are the largest challenges, barriers, and bottlenecks identified in
educational European institutions. In this way, institutions must provide students with access to media, as
well as ways to promote their responsible and critical use. On the other hand, should also provide an
adequate infrastructure, supporting and equipping teachers with the required skills for the development of
e-learning with their students (Redecker & Punie, 2010).
Therefore, organizational changes, particularly in university contexts, can not only focus on
whether the approaches are top-down or bottom-up. The middle-out approach, in this context, must be
considered. It is based on management staff work, to promote the change process. That is, the middle-out
approach juggles a mid-terrain between the individual focus of faculty members and the strategic focus of
higher management (Rankine & Malfroy, 2009).
Cautions are needed. Since process beginning, starting at individual purposes to organizational
purposes, good dynamic understandings’ crucial, facilitating implementation and unwind of institutional
process. This is the present challenge, especially for universities (Casanovas, 2010).
These institutions have followed different paths towards innovation, with diverse allocation of
resources/features, and varying costs associated with them. The changes in institutional policies must be
followed by changes in leadership perspective (Giardina, 2010).
Peer instruction education has been increasing in the past few years. Its potential is big in many
situations, innovation being one of them. Several researchers defend that a good strategy to obtain good
results is creating pioneers (or pivots) in the use of e-learning on pedagogic practices, so they can
influence actively and help their peers to do the same. In several projects for innovation technology,
specifically in e-learning, this concept of pivot (typically, a pivot teacher) is consensual and used, because
results often exceed expectations. We consider that the key element is a culture of mutual support and
sharing, to increase the possibility of success. On example of adoption of this model is the
FutureSchool@Singapore Programme (Lim & Cheah, 2010; Giardina, 2010).
Another element to bear in mind is the possibility of supporting pivots with consulting services.
Such an approach is found in the Flexible Learning Initiatives Project, implemented in the Faculty of Law
of the Queensland University of Technology: a team of consultants provides pedagogical support to
teaching staff introducing e-learning in their practices. The consultants work in a case-by-case basis,
helping design appropriated pedagogical strategies for each teacher’s educational content. The consultants
are also available for consultation and assistance at any time (Giardina, 2010).
Institutional context – UTAD
UTAD is located in Vila Real, North-eastern Portugal. Originally the Polytechnic Institute of
Vila Real, founded in 1973, with a focus on agricultural and biological sciences, it became a university in
1986. Currently, the educational offer at UTAD is diverse, organized in five schools: School of
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (ECAV, Portuguese-language acronym), School of Humanities and
Social Sciences (ECHS, Portuguese-language acronym), School of Sciences and Technology (ECT,
Portuguese-language acronym), School of Life and Environmental Sciences (ECVA, Portuguese-
language acronym), and Higher School of Nursing (ESE, Portuguese-language acronym). UTAD has
several technical services, including a Computing and Communications Service (SIC, Portuguese-
language acronym), which provides technological support to computer systems, such as e-mail, computer
networks, institutional intranet, Moodle platform, and SIDE (described later), among others. However,
the SIC do not provide pedagogical support of training for e-learning; nor is it available at any other
UTAD technical service.
The SIDE platform (information system in support of teaching, Portuguese-language acronym),
provides online content in support of classes and student autonomous study. It also supports routine
administrative tasks such as registering attendance, grades, syllabi and class summaries. The use of this
platform is widespread by faculty members, to the point of being explicitly mentioned in the teaching
standards of UTAD that all teachers must use it to provide basic information about each course, the
attendance records and students’ grades. SIDE originated locally at UTAD in 2002 and has been
constantly developed ever since. It originated as a final graduation project in Electric Engineering, and

3. evolved into an on-line service which was used by the full Department of Engineering, and later by the
entire university (since 2006). A technical support team produces further enhancements and responds to
needs and requirements that are identified regularly. Since SIDE is not focused on the teaching-learning
process, but rather on the administrative procedures, it is not a Learning Management System (LMS) but
a Course Management System (CMS), simplifying students’ access to courses syllabi, supporting
materials, and results of assessment.
A Moodle platform is also available at UTAD, with technical support provided by the SIC, since
the academic year 2005/2006, as part of the institutional will to develop e-learning initiatives. All
teaching staff at UTAD have access to the platform with the same credentials they use for SIDE and for
the institutional intranet. The SIC has promoted initiatives for teacher training on how to use Moodle,
from a purely technological and functional view.
Very few faculty members have responded by taking up the challenge of using this platform. The
teaching staff numbers about 600, with only about 4 or 5 regularly using Moodle in their teaching practice
– and mostly for the most basic activities, such as forums and providing feedback on student assignments.
One cannot disregard, at this level, the lack of support for the transition from classroom teaching practices
to online practices. However, individual initiatives by that small percentage of teaching staff keep
occurring. The latest is that in February 2011 a post-graduate programme on Natural Hazards and
Emergency Plans will be launched, almost entirely supported by using Moodle. This is the result of a
joint initiative by three institutional departments, involving approximately about ten teachers.
However, the use of Web 2.0 tools for educational practices, especially blogs and wikis, is found
amongst teaching staff – in particular, staff that is not using Moodle. Initial contacts with some of these
members of teaching staff have been fruitful, for they have expressed an interest in improving their
teaching practice with these tools and willingness to use other tools.
3D virtual worlds are also found. A small number of teachers use them in their practices and
even develop educational and technical research in the field, particularly in the teaching of programming.
There are also several engineering projects involving the use and development of virtual worlds, in
partnership with national and international companies.
The approach
The approach adopted is based on two main aspects: a pedagogical supervision with a team of
two consultants, who are experts in Educational Sciences and with knowledge in e-learning pedagogy,
and in pivot faculty members, two volunteer teachers of sub-units of UTAD. The reasons for choose two
teachers per sub-unit are related to intention of promote the institution autonomy, enabling the pivots
assist others in the same school, who wish to join use of technology to their teaching practices. The intend
is ensuring the continuity the project and get a redundancy that prevents dropouts or losing motivation of
one of the pivots, keeping the second to guarantee the stability of this one.
This initiative starts in September of the academic year 2010/2011. There were two alternatives
for action: a) starting to prepare, with teachers, the semester which starts in February, or b) start working
with teachers immediately, even though they already have plans for teaching defined, established and
started. We opted for the second part, to the extent that - although very limited in scope than would be
possible - would allow the team of consultants and teachers to establish a mutual understanding of
interests and objectives and develop ways to communicate more free from misunderstandings or
differences in terminology and culture. Thus, it is possible not only to develop some experience within
the disciplines e-learning/b-learning underway in the first half, but also ensure that the planning of the
second semester will not be impaired by deficiencies of communication or mutual understanding.
Temporal Diagram
Establishing Communication
Channels Prepare and plan the activities 2nd semester
Mutual Knowledge for 2nd semester
Moment 1 Moment 2
September December February June
Image 1: Temporal Diagram representing the principal phases of the project.

4. The first phase will start in mid September 2010. The goals are the presentation of the
participating teachers and consultants and interviews to survey the needs and expectations of each. It is
expected in this period the preparation and planning activities to be held next semester and still produce
b-learning situations that allow a setting to Web 2.0 tools in teaching practices of teachers and
students. The aim here is to prepare these players for the use of different tools, promoting a period
ambience to them, allowing their exploitation and development of skills to use technology, thereby
enhancing its use as a tool for pedagogical work in the semester that will follow. In the case of teachers
that already use e-learning in their practices, this period will serve to support the pedagogical
development.
The second phase aims to achieve the plans drawn up earlier time, using appropriate
technological tools. The expected is start the second half with a detailed planning of courses and/or
modules that will be taught, including activities using various technology tools, past the Web 2.0, virtual
worlds, skills acquired for manipulation of these tools and tutoring and evaluation practices of the tasks
required.
The consulting function and the role of consultants guess is most intense at first phase, as
mediators in the process of inclusion and adequacy of tools for teaching practices of each teacher. It also
extend to functions as aids in the process of planning activities and schedules, instructional design, in
online tutoring, development of assessment tools and tutorials and to motivate the different subjects of the
process: teachers and students (intervention just in time). In the second phase the consultants will monitor
all activities to be undertaken, restricting itself to provide assistance whenever requested.
At the end of this process will proceed to the evaluation. It will take place according to several
dimensions, the activities of consultants in different tasks, getting an insight into the burden of supporting
educational effort that was involved. This allows assess how large of an ideal team to support UTAD as a
whole or, from another perspective, what the scope of results expected and the pace behind those of a
team with the same dimension. The satisfaction of teachers and students in the consulting provided and
the activities will assess the adequacy of the model used for consulting and teaching strategies
adopted. Finally, the usefulness of the instruments produced (videotutorials, questionnaires, etc.) and the
need for them, lead, initially, the conclusions regarding the immediate need to adapt and improve them, as
well as gauging the need for a specialized team in content production technology and their size, to support
the process of UTAD b-learning/e-learning. Other dimensions deemed relevant will also be subject to
evaluation.
This evaluation plan will integrate necessarily three phases: an initial diagnostic evaluation,
through an ongoing evaluation or evaluation-regulation (which will allow identification of problems and
solving the same throughout project intervention just in time) and a final evaluation, summative (aiming
to examine the achievements and indication of the important aspects in order to pursue the project and
similar future actions).
Field effort: first impressions
The development of this approach has now ensued. At the time of writing, pivot faculty members
were already identified in all schools except the Higher School of Nursing. Of those, some have embraced
the project with enthusiasm, either by being more ambition in their ongoing Web 2.0 efforts and e-
learning efforts, or by deciding to start the preparation of the February semester right away. Others have
been more cautious, refraining from changing practices, wishing to start only in January. Others still have
embarked on assisted experimentation and fiddling with e-learning tools, with the support of the
consulting team, but not with the direct involvement of students, rather as a personal awareness.
Unforeseen events did occur, which have impacted our consulting planning, and may ultimately
require a reorganization of the approach during its course. It is necessary to take into account that the
educational dimension of a university professor has the lowest value compared to the dimensions of
research and extension. Because of that, some teachers not always have the availability that an effective
development of e-learning activities requires and others do not demonstrate the pedagogical and
technological skills that supposedly should have. This fact, associated to some communication failures
with teachers involved made us to change some aspects of our initial approach and point of views.
Final thoughts
We are confident and hopeful on the outcomes of the presented approach. While technical
resources have been applied regularly in the past 4 years to develop e-learning at UTAD, the pedagogic
know-how and practice is a critical element which requires significant investments in human resources.

5. While these will eventually be put into place, establishing the actual needs and ensuring the sound use of
such investments is no trivial task. The resources involved in the approach described in this paper is low,
and the potential is high: if we do achieve to making e-learning/b-learning practices more widespread and
diversified at the institutional level, the actual needs and requirements may spring out of grassroots
dynamics, thus ensuring that larger investments can be made effective almost as soon as they are put into
place, and possibly reach maturity faster than through an institutional top-down approach.
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