ORGANIZING DECENTRALIZED SUPPORT FOR A VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Joke Tisaun Faculty of economics and applied economics Naamsesteenweg 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium Herman Buelens Educational Support Office Naamsestraat 98, 3000 Leuven,Belgium Jan Vanthienen Faculty of economics and applied economics Naamsesteenweg 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium ABSTRACT Aiming at educational innovation and optimalisation, the University of Leuven (K.U.Leuven) introduced a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in the summer of 2001. However, just implementing a VLE is not enough. To achieve an optimal use of it, the process must be supported at a centralized level (university-wide) on the one hand and at a decentralized level (the 14 faculties) on the other hand. Centrally, coordination and management is needed to integrate and overview local projects in each faculty. Decentrally, each faculty is in the best position to support the needed help concerning problems with the learning environment at the faculty. In this paper the support-strategy as it was set up by the faculty of economics and applied economics will be illustrated and proved by some realizations. KEYWORDS e-Learning, K.U.Leuven, Faculty of economics and applied economics, Faculty support unit 1. INTRODUCTION In the summer of 2001 the K.U.Leuven introduced the TOLEDO-project (To etsen en Le ren D oeltreffend O ndersteunen / ‘The adequate support of learning and assessment’). A Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard) and an electronic assessment tool (Question Mark Perception) were launched simultaneously. At a central (university) level, a multidisciplinary team consisting of people with technical and/or educational profiles supports the project. At a decentral (faculty) level, within each faculty, one or more persons with a discipline specific profile were recruited to support the implemenation and use of the VLE within that faculty. In this paper, first the context in which the Toledo-project was introduced within the K.U.Leuven will be described briefly. Next and against this general background, the support-strategy of the faculty of economics and applied economics will be illustrated. 2. ORGANIZING THE DECENTRALIZED SUPPORT Placing a VLE at the disposal of each faculty, and promoting its use as an educational vehicle, does not guarantee that faculty will use it. Therefore, the university also invested a lot in the enlargement of decentral ISBN: 972-98947-7-9 © 2004 IADIS 504