View source for North South Exchange Consortium

==[[N-S Educational Exchange Context|Context]]==
The political changes in Northern Ireland have led to increased cooperation between the north and south of the island, particularly between education bodies.

The complexity of cooperation has required greater management, a task given to the [http://www.nsec.info North South Exchange Consortium (NSEC)] by the the [http://www.deni.gov.uk/ Department of Education (Northern Ireland)] and the [http:///www.education.ie Department of Education and Science (Ireland)].

A key element of the [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] work plan is to develop and maintain lines of communication.  [http://www.nsec.info NSEC], therefore, turned to e-technology.  [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] believed the technology would:
#increase their capacity to run consultation initiatives, and,
#facilitate consultations with large stakeholder groups (i.e. school children).

==[[N-S Educational Exchange Process and Planning|Process and Planning]]==
In collaboration with [http://www.e-consultation.org research team], [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] set out to develop an e-consultation framework that could mirror the complexity of the consultation objectives set out by [http://www.nsec.info NSEC].  The framework had to be capable of underpinning different levels of engagement with a diverse number of stakeholders.

Stakeholders would most likely be:
*programme coordinators
*educational managers
*schoolteachers 
*school children
The stakeholder sampke was split between ''participants and non-participants'' of the North South exchange programmes.

Two key issues arose for [http://www.nsec.info NSEC]:
# Need for a clear understanding of the consultation aims
# Need for a clear understanding of the potential of available technologies

A process planning began, whihc addresses these needs.  From the planning process five objectives were agreed:
#To obtain stakeholders’ views on themes and criteria of the Single Programme Framework (SPF).
#To evaluate exchange programmes and devise ways of optimising the benefits gained.
#To gather input for policy development.
#To capture the attitudes and expectations of stakeholders.
#To identify best practice.

==[[N-S Educational Exchange E-consultation design]]==

===[[N-S Educational Exchange E-consultation design#E-consultation for the NSEC launch event|E-consultation for the NSEC launch event]]===



The [http://www.nsec.info NSEC] [[N-S Educational Exchange Process and Planning#NSEC Launch Event|aunch went ahead]] in November 2005.


===[[N-S Educational Exchange E-consultation design#Post-launch e-consultation design|Post-launch e-consultation design]]===

==[[Participant experiences]]==


==[[N-S Educational Exchange Consultation data generated|Consultation data generated]]==


==[[Key learning outcomes from the process]]==
#Resource issues are always primarily present.
#Political considerations must be taken into account
#There are very real calendar considerations.
#The complexity of the consultation environment must be fully understood
#Each group of consultees needs to be clearly identified and separate assessments made
#E-consultation can play a role in developing an integrated communications strategy

==[[Future work programme]]==


==[[N-S Educational Exchange Conclusion|Conclusion]]==
The initial trial with the NSEC clearly identified some issues:
# Key issues were technological, personnel and financial resources. You cannot fully
automate a consultation, people still need to manage and run it.
# As has been identified in other trials, the technology proved easier than anticipated but
the process more complex than expected.
The extensive promotion of the consultation process is essential to ensure participation.
Thousands of schoolchildren don’t spontaneously visit the NSEC offices in Dundalk. So
why expect them to visit nsec.info or nsec.e-consultation.org?
# Given the complexity of the consultation domain, which in NSEC case involved a
significant number of stakeholders who are both interrelated and interdependent, there is
a clear need for extensive pre-consultation research. This would ensure that the precise
context of that the e-consultation was understood.
# There are lessons to be learned on technical issues. Due to the increasing levels of
nuisance e-mails and spam that people are receiving there is an increasing unwillingness
to download attachments or go to websites with which they are unfamiliar.