Adoption and penetration of synchronous audiographic web conferencing at an Australian university

Southern Cross University commenced distance education delivery in the mid 1990's and since then has been involved with continuous innovation in education delivery methods and processes. Elluminate Live! Synchronous audiographic web conferencing software (Elluminate) is one of the most recent innovations to be adopted. A participatory action research approach is used in presenting and analysing this case study in continuous innovation. From the pilot of Elluminate in 2005 intensity of use by the student body has grown at an almost exponential rate while ways of utilising the product have diversified significantly. Adoption and penetration of Elluminate at Southern Cross University can be explained by the drivers and enablers of continuous innovation identified by researchers seeking to explain continuous innovation in commercial organisations. The identified factors of the role of project champions, organisational culture, management support, institutionalisation of the innovation, incentives for adoption, supplier support, resourcing, user training, potential financial and operational benefits and dispersion of the innovation across the organisation remain relevant in a government funded not for profit education institution. A particular attribute of Elluminate adoption at Southern Cross University is the extent to which this adoption became a catalyst and enabler of further innovation.