## 2 Research Question, Approach and Sources
### E-Learning at TU Graz Following the Model for E-Learning Readiness Assessment by [PERSON] (2013)
Our external counsellor describes his current perception of the e-learning strategy as follows: \"I feel that the approach to e-learning at TU Graz is cautious, careful not to frighten or snub anybody, very pragmatic, not blatant, not expressively visionary, but still constantly evolving and this feels very good to me. A straighter vision could give more direction, more confidence and motivate even more to go into this direction\". Concerning the second category, **structure**[7], the situation of e-learning at TU Graz can be described as following: First, there is a clear _centralisation_ of responsibility for e-learning, as a department of Educational Technology was already established in 2006 as a working group, and in 2007 was established as a division of the Central IT Service with 2 people. In 2016, the Rector established Educational Technology as an organizational department under the direction of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at TU Graz [24]. The department has been permanently growing and has, as of today, reached about 40 staff members (28.5 full-time equivalents in January 2020, see internal organisationplan, described below in more details). Universities have better conditions than smaller institutions because there are \"bigger pools of sophisticated professionals\" and a relatively big budget [7]. In the case of TU Graz, many department members are or were students at the university, and at other universities it is probably more difficult to identify good suitable people. Concerning structure, the importance of a CIO (chief information officer) within an organisation is highlighted [7], which is the head of the IT services, an established department, and a position existing for several decades. Several **technical systems** are in use at TU Graz: TU Graz is well-equipped concerning _technology_, it has, for example, campus-wide Internet access and free WiFi (eduroam), all students and lecturers have access to private or institutional computers, and an IT service department is responsible for technology, security, communication network and infrastructure. Furthermore, the department provides a university-wide learning management system, an e-assessment platform, a video portal and also the Austrian massive open online course platform iMoox.at. _Content_-wise, a special feature of TU Graz is a strategic emphasis on open access and positioning regarding open educational resources (OER). The first strategy towards OER was established in 2011 [25]. Educational content and materials are made available within the learning management system TeachCenter and special services and _platform support_ such as Tube, which offers videos and live streaming. The Educational Technology department runs these e-learning services and others, such as several apps (TU Graz My Apps) and an e-book author system (ABC ebooks). _Documentation_ of these services and technologies is available in detail, not least because of the strict European General Data Protection Regulation and its implementation at the university. Concerning **style and culture,** the situation at TU Graz will be described from the authors' perspective as well as from impressions of people from outside the organisation. The _organisational culture_ concerning e-learning can be described as a non-enthusiastic, pragmatic attitude concerning technology as support for teaching amongst management and lecturers. Most of the lecturers and researchers are reluctant to use (new) technologies in teaching. For these, the implementation is not really needed and an extra effort. The official university's strategy is to sustainably enhance classroom teaching with modern media to improve communication by a centralized service and to remain a traditional university with face-to-face lectures (see paragraph above). Thus, there is only a moderate expectation, but not pressure, to adapt technologies for learning.