Management Advisory Committee
for Academic Learning Technologies
http://www.mq.edu.au/provost/governance/macalt.html
Members
Prof Judyth Sachs (Chair), DVC (Provost)
Prof John Hedberg, Chair ICT in Education
Mr Peter Hole, Implementation Manager, Informatics
Ms Maxine Brodie, University Librarian
Ms Suzanne Kelly, Director Student Business and System Solutions
Mr Andrew Burrell, Director COE
Prof Nick Mansfield, Dean Higher Degree Research
Mr Terrence Collins, Manager Learning Systems and Services
A/Prof Ian Solomonides, Director, Learning & Teaching Centre
Dr Kelsie Dadd, Assoc Dean (L&T), Faculty of Science
Mr Doug Stewart, Campus Planning Director
Prof Julie Fitness, Chair, Academic Senate
A/Prof Hume Winzar, Faculty of Business & Economics
A/Prof Maree Gosper, Learning & Teaching Centre
A/Prof Sherman Young, Assoc Dean (L&T), Faculty of Arts
In Attendance
Ms Karen Davies, Moodle Implementation Project Manager
Mr Craig Hamilton, Mortice2 Solutions Architect
Mr James Hamilton, Head Learning Technology and Infrastructure, LTC
Ms Barb McLean, Executive Officer
Mr David Moore, Mortice2 Project Manager
Mr David Morgan, Learning Systems and Support
Apologies
Ms Maxine Brodie, University Librarian
A/Prof Maree Gosper, Learning & Teaching Centre
Prof John Hedberg, Chair ICT in Education
Ms Suzanne Kelly, Director Student Business and Systems Solutions
Prof Nick Mansfield, Dean Higher Degree Research
A/Prof Hume Winzar, Faculty of Business & Economics
Minutes
2.00p.m.-3.30p.m. Monday 4th April 2011, Council Room, level 2, E11A
Presentation on Mortice2 Project by Mr David Moore and Mr Craig Hamilton
Presentation on ECHO360 (iLecture) by Mr James Hamilton
The Chair invited Mr Moore and his team to present on the system linking Moodle with
Student 1 (a replacement for MUOTF), called Mortice2. They demonstrated an
interactive model outlining the lifecycle of a unit and data flows from when a study
period becomes available through when the unit goes live in Moodle until when it is read
only and is archived. Mortice2 also provides faculty managers with a dashboard
providing the total number of units and the number of units in Moodle in comparison
with previous semesters.
Mr Stewart will speak offline to the Project Team to ensure consistency between
Mortice2 and Timetabling. Mr Hole underlined the high level of cooperation that is
taking place in the Mortice2 Project between Informatics and the Learning and Teaching
Centre.
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Mr James Hamilton tabled a document on the Lecture Capture Upgrade Report on
ECHO360, noting the vendor support for Lectopia concludes at the end of 2012.
ECHO360 has the following capacity:

Simpler initiation of lecture recording (button on lecturn or start over the Web
remotely) including desk-top capacity to record, screen cast and upload to unit

Online editing, including dividing into mini lectures

Live webcasting to another part of the University

Richer playback environment – to mobile devices including iPhones and iPads

Captioning for the visually impaired

Ability to bookmark and insert pop-up discussions

Ability to workflow and brand
The aim is to pilot with the delivery of the Moodle pilot studies in Semester 2 and go live
in 2012. Academic staff will be supported through faculty-based support staff (0.6
person to each faculty, moving up to 0.8). Staff will be given choice about recording all
their lectures or recording lecture by lecture.
Mr Hamilton reported that with the additional features, the ECHO360 is more expensive,
however the vendors are allowing a carry-over of existing fees.
Mr Stewart again mentioned the need to integrate with Timetabling to understand the
requirements for the unit prior to allocation of venues.
1. Minutes of the Meeting 7th March 2011 and Business Arising
Adopted
2. Moodle Implementation http://www.mq.edu.au/ltc/projects/learn2012/index.htm
KD
Ms Davies reported that the contractual work has completed and hence there will be a
Netspot-hosted Moodle instance available in a few weeks. There are currently 9 OUA
trials and by the end of April all the data will be across for the Moodle trial.
Conversations have begun with Computing regarding the Semester 2 pilots.
Two Working Parties are meeting – Online Assignment Submission (a lot of interested
parties including homegrown products) and Digital Repository. The latter saw a
demonstration of the Equella system, which provides a seamless integration with Moodle
and CAL reporting.
Ms Davies reported that the Project is on time and within budget. The greatest issue to
date is management of academics requesting the use of Moodle in Semester Two, 2011 in
advance of our go live date of Semester One, 2012. Ms Davies noted that there are
limitations on the number of new units and users able to be included in the first Moodle
instance due to contractual arrangements. Further, the pilot groups were selected on the
minimum impact to students and the student experience.
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The iLearn Website is operational and available at http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/
3. Report from Informatics
PH
Mr Hole reported that:

Blackboard now speaks to OneID and provides business continuity for students,
although 70 had been found that had not changed passwords to the OneID system.
The final stage of this project will be to enable OneID for both on and off-campus
wireless usage.

The Library opening provided a trial of video streaming to the large screen in the
Central Courtyard and screens across the campus.
4. Learning Systems and Services: Statistics
TC
Mr Collins tabled documents on Learning Systems and Services 2010/11 projects,
including the iTunes Pilot (in PICT819, RSN250, BUSL250, LING900 and LING109),
which allows the automatic download of iLectures. This ability will be extended to all
the Moodle Pilots. Another project is to migrate to the use of OneHelp with the
beginning of Sem 2.
The pilot of video camera capture in a couple of lecture theatres is providing good quality
data and costs $5000 for fixed cameras per room (more for moving cameras). This
project will need to integrate with ECHO360.
Only one complaint was received over the retirement of VCRs.
Mr Collins spoke to the Learning Systems and Services 2011 usage figures noting that
one quarter of the total recordings undertaken in 2010 have been done in one month in
2011, and all other systems are indicating similar growth rates. The issue is becoming,
how to ensure quality in the face of on-going growth.
The Chair requested that A/Prof Solomonides report to the next meeting on:
the issue of quality in the context of academic content and quality of learning objects
and support that goes into this.
Prof Sachs highlighted that this level of quality is used for benchmarking, i.e. comparing
ourselves with others; making sure content is robust, rigorous and meets the requirements
of the University’s Academic Plan and in terms of providing a quality student experience.
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The position paper should be linked to the University’s Quality Enhancement
Framework.
As background, Prof Sachs noted that this was raised at the most recent Council meeting
where issues of standards and quality were discussed.
Mr Collins again raised the issue of metrics that the Assoc Deans (Learning and
Teaching) would like to receive out of the new iLearn system. Assoc Deans to contact
Mr Collins with their requirements.
5. Next Meeting
2.00-3.30p.m. Monday 23rd May 2011, Meeting Room 3, E11A
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