Difference between revisions of "NSEC E-consultation Design"

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This page outlines how the e-consultation was designed, with particular reference to the technologies and issues encountered.
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=====E-Consultation Strategies=====
 
=====E-Consultation Strategies=====
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During the [[NSEC E-Consultation Process and Planning#Key Issues|series of meetings]] that constituted the [[NSEC E-Consultation Process and Planning#Planning Process|planning phase]] of the [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] trial, several possible e-consultation strategies were proposed that could be used to suit [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] consultation needs, such as [http://consultation.nsec.info/survey/index.php?sid=4&newtest=Y on-line surveys] and the incorporation of forums into a [http://nsec.e-consultation.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page website].
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During the [[NSEC E-Consultation Process and Planning#Key Issues|series of meetings]] that constituted the [[NSEC E-Consultation Process and Planning#Planning Process|planning phase]] of the [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] trial, several possible e-consultation strategies were proposed that could be used to suit [http://www.nsec.info NSEC's] consultation needs, such as [http://consultation.nsec.info/survey/index.php?sid=4&newtest=Y on-line surveys] and the incorporation of forums into a [http://nsec.e-consultation.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page website].
  
 
=====Traditional + Technological Elements Used=====
 
=====Traditional + Technological Elements Used=====
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=====Benefit from comparison=====
 
=====Benefit from comparison=====
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From [http://www.nsec.info NSEC's] point of view it allowed all channels of communication to be exploited and from the research team’s perspective it afforded an opportunity to:
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From [http://www.nsec.info NSEC's] point of view it allowed all channels of communication to be exploited. 
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From the [http://www.e-consultation.org research team’s] perspective it afforded an opportunity to:
 
*compare various methods
 
*compare various methods
 
*to see how well technology fitted in with, and helped on, a public consultation.  
 
*to see how well technology fitted in with, and helped on, a public consultation.  
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[[NSEC E-Consultation Process and Planning#Planning Process|Click here to see an overview of the econsultation design process]].
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[[NSEC E-Consultation Process and Planning#Planning Process|Click here to see an overview of the econsultation planning and design process]].
  
 
==E-consultation for the NSEC Launch Event==
 
==E-consultation for the NSEC Launch Event==
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[http://www.nsec.info NSEC] planned a meeting to launch their consultation in November 2005. At the launch they would present the research reports they had commissioned on N-S educational exchange to an audience of educationalists from a range of stakeholders across Ireland (often at senior policy levels). Their [http://www.nsec.info/ web site], with all the [http://www.nsec.info/downloads.htm research reports], would be revealed at the same time.
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[http://www.nsec.info NSEC] planned a meeting to launch their consultation in November 2005. At the launch they would present the research reports they had commissioned on North/South Educational Exchange to an audience of educationalists from a range of stakeholders across Ireland (often at senior policy levels). Their [http://www.nsec.info/ web site], with all the [http://www.nsec.info/downloads.htm research reports], would be revealed at the same time.
  
 
=====Launch Stages=====
 
=====Launch Stages=====
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[[Image:Newry_present_research.jpg|right|thumb|Presenting the research findings]][[Image:Newry_audience.jpg|right|thumb|The audience]]
 
[[Image:Newry_present_research.jpg|right|thumb|Presenting the research findings]][[Image:Newry_audience.jpg|right|thumb|The audience]]
  
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==Post-launch e-consultation design==
 
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=====Engaging the Stakeholders=====
 
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The activities at the launch only engaged the 60 to 70 people who attended.
 
  
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However, these were important stakeholders, often senior people in organizations involved in funding or managing educational exchanges. They were not the only group that [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] wanted to involve in their consultations. So, in several meetings following the launch, the [http://www.e-consultation.org research team] discussed and demonstrated technologies that might be used to facilitate consultations with different groups of participants.
 
  
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=====Need for Publicity and Promotion=====
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==[[Post-launch e-consultation Design|Post-launch e-consultation design]]==
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One crucial element of the process, which was emphasised constantly throughout the early stages given the problems experienced with the [[Waterways Ireland]] trial, was the need for publicity and promotion.  
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=====[[Post-launch e-consultation Design#Engaging the Stakeholders|Engaging the Stakeholders]]=====
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People attending the launch were engaged in consultation. However, this group were not the only group that [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] wanted to involve in their consultations, and so, [http://www.nsec.info NSEC]  considered different technologies that might help to engage other groups.
  
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It is essential in any consultation, regardless whether conventional or electronic, that there is a clear strategy to ensure that potential consultees are aware of the proposed consultation. [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] needed to engage more than the senior staff who had attended the launch.
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=====[[Post-launch e-consultation Design#Need for Publicity and Promotion|Need for Publicity and Promotion]]=====
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The need for publicity and promotion was emphasised as a crucial element of the process, of which [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] needed to do more.
  
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=====Consulting those who are affected most: Organisations in Educational Exchanges=====
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=====[[Post-launch e-consultation Design#Consulting those who are affected most: Organisations in Educational Exchanges|Consulting those who are affected most: Organisations in Educational Exchanges]]=====
 
One important group to consult were the organizations that currently managed and/or funded existing educational exchanges.  
 
One important group to consult were the organizations that currently managed and/or funded existing educational exchanges.  
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Any new policy would impact on them. If [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] were to eventually administer funding for cross-border exchanges, it is these key stakeholders [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] would have to work with. So, [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] planned to run long meetings with them to discuss the issues in some depth.
 
  
 
======The Technology======
 
======The Technology======
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The [http://www.e-consultation.org research team] suggested using group support systems, such as [http://www.webiq.net WebIQ] or [http://www.anyzing.com/zing.html Zing] in half of these meetings. In principle such idea mapping tools should speed up brainstorming and ranking activities, as participants could type at the same time.  
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The [http://www.e-consultation.org research team] suggested using group support systems. Although [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] agreed in principle to do this, staff shortages meant they were not able to organise any group support system meetings before the [http://www.e-consultation.org research team's] project ended.
  
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The consultations should achieve the same benefits from the group support system tools used in private companies. The [http://www.e-consultation.org research team] arranged for the [http://www.cforc.org Centre for Competitiveness] to demonstrate Zing to [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] staff in a meeting in Belfast. However, although they agreed in principle to do this, [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] were not able to organise any group support system meetings before the http://www.e-consultation.org research team's] project ended: [http://www.nsec.info NSEC's] staff were fully stretched organising and running non-electronic meetings. Consequently, no [http://www.anyzing.com/zing.html Zing] agenda was designed.
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=====[[Post-launch e-consultation Design#Consulting those who are affected most: Young People|Consulting those who are affected most: Young People]]=====
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A second key group to consult are young people, which meant working with [http://www.niyf.org Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF)].  An on-line discussion forum was used to allow many more young people to participate.  
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=====Consulting those who are affected most: Young People=====
 
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A second key group to consult are young people, including (but not limited to) those who had participated in cross-border exchanges. [[Youth e-consultations at NIYF|Michele Smyth]] showed [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] staff the work she had been doing for her [[Youth e-consultations at NIYF|Ph.D. research with groups of young people]] at the [http://www.niyf.org NI Youth Forum (NIYF)].  [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] staff explored with the [http://www.niyf.org NIYF] the possibility of subcontracting part of the consultation with young people to them. The ideas discussed centred on an initial face-to-face workshop in which a small group of young people could discuss the issues and determine the questions they would want to ask about cross-border exchanges, followed by an on-line discussion forum in which many more young people could participate. After some discussion [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] decided not to fund this work (at least in the short term), apparently because of resource limitations in [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] .
 
  
 
======The Technology======
 
======The Technology======
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What they did manage to start, just before our research project finished, was design on-line questionnaires targeted at particular groups of participants, including young people and teachers. We helped them design the questionnaires, and loaded into the system some of the lists of e-mail addresses they had finally obtained.
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[http://www.nsec.info NSEC] used on-line questionnaires targeted at particular groups of participants. Also, [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] used [http://www.sugarcrm.com/ SugarCRM Customer Relationship Management software] for keeping track of their (potentially) huge number of contacts.
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Finally, the [http://www.e-consultation.org research team's] technical assistants (i.e. Yan Chen) also customised the [http://www.sugarcrm.com/ SugarCRM Customer Relationship Management software] for [http://www.nsec.info NSEC], so that they could keep track of their potential huge number of contacts with pupils, staff, youth workers and others in 9000 organisations. Because Yan Chen used free (open source) software, he could customise it so that it was no longer a tool for selling into companies, but one to record contacts with many individuals in each organisation: something that many commercial [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management CRM packages] lack.
 

Latest revision as of 16:56, 21 September 2007

This page outlines how the e-consultation was designed, with particular reference to the technologies and issues encountered.

E-Consultation Strategies

During the series of meetings that constituted the planning phase of the NSEC trial, several possible e-consultation strategies were proposed that could be used to suit NSEC's consultation needs, such as on-line surveys and the incorporation of forums into a website.

Traditional + Technological Elements Used

The considered opinion of the both NSEC and the e-consultation research team was that both conventional consultation techniques and e-consultation elements should be applied to the process.

Benefit from comparison

From NSEC's point of view it allowed all channels of communication to be exploited.

From the research team’s perspective it afforded an opportunity to:

  • compare various methods
  • to see how well technology fitted in with, and helped on, a public consultation.

Click here to see an overview of the econsultation planning and design process.

E-consultation for the NSEC Launch Event

NSEC planned a meeting to launch their consultation in November 2005. At the launch they would present the research reports they had commissioned on North/South Educational Exchange to an audience of educationalists from a range of stakeholders across Ireland (often at senior policy levels). Their web site, with all the research reports, would be revealed at the same time.

Launch Stages

The first stages of the e-consultation were to be launched at the same time. The first stages of the e-consultation were:

  1. A short e-voting session during the presentations, to get instant responses from the audience.
  2. The possibility to sign up to an e-newsletter, so that NSEC could e-mail people with news about educational exchange and also opportunities to participate in the consultation.
  3. A short on-line questionnaire. The research team designed a consultation web site for NSEC, including mailing list subscription software (PHP list), and questionnaire run on PHP Surveyor, and pages introducing the consultation and all the conventional and electronic ways in which people might participate (See thumbnail, right).
    NSEC e-consultation screen shot

The research team also designed a set of questions for the launch meeting.

NSEC Launch Event

The NSEC launch went ahead in November 2005. Some pictures are available (right side border) of the event being set up and the presentations of the research findings.

The launch was held in the Newry Arts Centre.

Setting up the e-consultation software exhibit
Presenting the research findings
The audience


Post-launch e-consultation design

Engaging the Stakeholders

People attending the launch were engaged in consultation. However, this group were not the only group that NSEC wanted to involve in their consultations, and so, NSEC considered different technologies that might help to engage other groups.

Need for Publicity and Promotion

The need for publicity and promotion was emphasised as a crucial element of the process, of which NSEC needed to do more.

Consulting those who are affected most: Organisations in Educational Exchanges

One important group to consult were the organizations that currently managed and/or funded existing educational exchanges.

The Technology

The research team suggested using group support systems. Although NSEC agreed in principle to do this, staff shortages meant they were not able to organise any group support system meetings before the research team's project ended.

Consulting those who are affected most: Young People

A second key group to consult are young people, which meant working with Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF). An on-line discussion forum was used to allow many more young people to participate.

The Technology

NSEC used on-line questionnaires targeted at particular groups of participants. Also, NSEC used SugarCRM Customer Relationship Management software for keeping track of their (potentially) huge number of contacts.

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