ABSTRACT

This case study identifies key barriers for staff on the path of development from a conventional campus university into a model of delivery based upon ICT – an e-University – and suggests ways to unlock these barriers. The focus of this evidence-based research is an e-University pilot development in virtual learning in progress at the University of Greenwich. Documentary evidence for the study included feedback from twelve subprojects in the overall e-University development designed to test ‘fitness for purpose’ in delivering an M.Sc. e-Commerce degree programme. Written commentary from staff on the steering group and from professional external facilitators PricewaterhouseCoopers on business modelling provided evidence of key barriers and suggestions on ways to overcome them. The authors took as their guiding principle a main focus on delivering excellence in learning for students. To recommend successful methods of unlocking the main barriers for staff on the path to an institutional implementation of e-learning, an ‘e-University Key Barrier Matrix’ was developed.