Administrative and Academic Procedures

We have tools to do all we need, broadband Internet, and a majority of users ready for a change. That is a good starting point. However, intensive constructive collaboration and development of shared digital curriculum require a whole array of tasks administrators will face. The most important tasks are (MacKeogh, Fox, 2009):
 * Flexible modular frameworks that will support collaboration. Moodle is an ideal tool for such a task. It is extremely powerful, easy to administer and use, and it is free. Therefore, each institution can have its own Moodle installation, while being able to actively collaborate with all members of the network. Besides Moodle, we need a trained system administrator, instructional designer and support staff.
 * Innovative pedagogical approaches appropriate for online education. Because faculty acceptance of online instruction and collaboration is usually the key issue (Allen, Seaman, 2007), introduction of such approaches should be very well-planned.
 * New forms of assessments linked to learning outcomes, including e-portfolios
 * Cross-institutional accreditation and credit transfer agreements
 * Inter- and intra-institutional collaboration in development and delivery
 * Multiple access and exit points from programs
 * Commitment to equivalence of access for students on and off-campus

Proper management of the aforementioned tasks requires (MacKeogh, Fox, 2009):
 * A clear vision of desired outcome (i.e. collaboration, shared digital curriculum, ubiquitous, lifelong access to veterinary education);
 * An understanding of the current capacity and attitudes of the relevant staff and
 * A coherent set of steps to move from the current situation to the desired outcome.

Three crucial steps are:
 * Training and awareness promotion. Lack of awareness of the potential and quality that online collaboration and education can achieve can be a major obstacle. The same thing will happen if sufficient in-house expertise is missing
 * Funding flagship programs
 * Clarify ownership and usage rights of intellectual property generated for teaching