As long as ICT is seen as a tool to support teaching, the interest of the top decision makers in universities for an e-quality label will be not very high, especially since universities are already involved in many other internal and external quality processes, which they find highly bureaucratic. Quality eLearning requires institutional change, continuous introspection, and innovation, as well as critical awareness of the weaknesses to be overcome.


Decision makers in universities have to be involved in discussions and convinced about the real possibilities of ICT. This should be done in a non-technical way and in the context of their own cultural context, taking into account their current preoccupations. It is necessary to overcome the gap between the converted and the non-believers. If this process is neglected, bottom-up ICT initiatives in teaching and learning will not blossom.


Furthermore, in order to make ICT truly accepted as an important factor that could help traditional universities transform their organization, including teaching and learning processes, it is necessary to have the support of organizations like the European University Association (EUA) and the European Network of Quality Agencies (ENQA) in charge of promoting quality in higher education.


Universities are seen as playing an important role in innovation in the knowledge society. However, in their own organizations, change is often elusive or takes place in an incremental way and therefore most often outside the core of the university - in the "developmental or entrepreneurial periphery".


This can be illustrated by the fact that although an optimistic discourse has be going on about the transformative power of ICT for several decades, most of our universities are still stuck in old paradigms, especially as far as teaching and learning are concerned. No wonder many ICT initiatives have failed. The bursting of the internet financial bubble of early 2000 strengthened the view of the pessimists - for the wrong reasons. The transformative power of ICT has still not been fully grasped.


ICT is mainly seen by many as an operational tool that can enhance specific functions of the university such as data collection (Enterprise Resources Systems), the administration, or operational aspects of teaching (e.g. schedules, slide distribution). ICT matters are left to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or to the audiovisual department for teaching and learning support.


Rectors and Vice Chancellors in our traditional universities are confronted with multiple tasks caused by complex missions. The rise of the knowledge society and its context has forced the higher education sector to face new demands, such as the need for lifelong learning, which is becoming part of the mission of traditional universities.


Tensions exist between universities being organizations that, on the one hand, protect traditional academic values: a professor-centered view and a focus on research. On the other hand, however, many see the need to become modern, constructivist organizations with a focus on learning, in which the relationship with the student is central.


Among the core values of traditional universities are the importance of research and the quality of teaching and learning, from which a local community profits. Many universities function with their research rankings in mind. Most of these institutions also find the physical campus extremely important and investments in expanding physical venues continue.


Skepticism about the use of ICT for teaching and learning is still high in many traditional universities. Many reasons can be found, upon which we can not expand in this note. Traditional universities do not realize that fully embedding technology in their strategy will enable them to build an organization centered on learning and the student relationship, as well as to create a community experience on the web and to organize research in a different way. The 2010 recent trends report from the European University Association shows that there is still a long way to go towards student-centered learning.


While traditional universities are struggling with their complex missions, the world of eLearning has further expanded. Specialist thinking is bringing more and more expertise to many aspects of eLearning. Books, papers as well as many projects funded by the EU explain what is necessary to come to efficient and effective eLearning, create virtual campuses, and make virtual universities function. Several organizations are active in this domain (Educause, EDEN, ICDE etc.).


It is striking that traditional universities are rather absent from these forums, except through individual staff members (academics or staff from ICT departments). Distance-education institutions and associations representing their interests are, however, proportionally overrepresented, although some critics claim that they have fewer financial means than traditional (elite) universities.


Organizations such as the European Foundation for Quality in eLearning (EFQUEL), which promotes policy innovation through a process of dialogue between stakeholders and policy makers, are concerned with quality in eLearning. One of EFQUEL's projects led to the label for quality eLearning "UNIQUe".


UNIQUe honors the excellent use of ICT for learning and teaching. It is currently supported by a partnership of the organizations EFQUEL, MENON, EUROPACE and EFMD. Besides partners, "UNIQUe" has also its own business model. It seeks to offer services through training and consultancy, and also by offering quality certificates. Procedures for the certification process have been established, and the first certificates have been awarded.


Extracted from De Jonghe, A.-M. (2010): Are Traditional Universities Ready for Real Innovation in Teaching and Learning? Position paper. Brussels