Web-Based Education: Learning from Experience

This chapter presents a case study of how a university responded to educational and technological change. After an introduction to Bocconi University (an Italian private business university) and the recent changes in the Italian university system, the case describes the initiation and management over three years of a project to integrate Webenhanced learning (WEL) into classroom-based courses. The case includes identification of profiles of WEL adoption and description of the technology choice, how the teachers adopted the innovation and how students responded. The project is presented as organizational innovation and compared with the stages of the Rogers’ model of diffusion of innovations. Two groups of conditions for success were identified. Conditions common to IS innovation included top management commitment, a supportive environment, and appropriate ICT infrastructure. Conditions specific to WEL included teacher preparedness, appropriate use, appropriate scale, and flexibility.