The initial software platform introduced to the students will be the web service Ning. Kingston University (like most institutions) has a Learning Management System (Blackboard), which is organised by distinct classes (modules).

For this project the decision was taken to use a social based platform – Social Networks are familiar to almost all the students and using a preconfigured service was easier than using something like Elgg. Ning has recently started charging for its service, although there may be concessions for networks which are for educational purposes.

As the lecturing staff wish to move towards a more peer based facilitation role, it feels more natural to use a software service which reflects peer based individuals and actively supports the interactions between the learners.

As the students will be co-located in a lab for the first session, invitation and profile setup can take place simultaneously. We will be urging the students to use a real photograph in their profile (as opposed to avatars, cartoons or leaving it blank), as thinking about their online identity and reputation will be one of the issues that will be looked at during this research.