Exasperating experiences with Adobe - or trying to purchase the elearning suite..

I dont know whether any other student has had similar problems..... My Institution (London Metropolitan University) uses a Portal, called Weblearn, and as such my student ID is similarly highish tech in that it uses a bar code rather than proclaim my currency of academic status by having anything as mundane as academic period of study on its surface...  Also I can screenshot my current module marks to date... and screen shot my modules that I want to take.. (which I did after about the 7th support chat suggest I do what i had already done)  I dont have a receipt of fees.. the receipt is access to the portal and my pass to get me through the college turnstile as far as London Met is concerned.. and with the cuts and staff redundancies I reckon I may get a physical copy by about this time next year...

So I am trying to buy the Adobe elearning suite to aid this gaming module which even with an academic  discount is more than the price of the module.. but hey... I thought it might be fun to build a gamification or learning game in a native Adobe application - crikey it may even be used..

Each time they (Adobe)  ask for my credentials - as best as I can, I send a screen shot of my current entry pass/enrolement/proof of identity card, and a portal screen shot of my course of study with the new modules in the next semester and  a portal screen shot of the previous marks to kind of establish that I am a bone fide student - albeit part-time Master post grad, who works in education when not studying.. This was all from inside the student secure portal with my Name and Module conveneniently displayed to each screen shot..

It is semmingly virtuallly impossible to upload any docs to Adobe, so finally I FTPd in the proscribed manner, and the upshot is apparently they dont like my credentials.. so now I've  given up 3 weeks later - I'll use the free Microsoft stuff and open source, its a pity because Ive used Adobe Captivate on the trial and I reckon it could have been fit for purpose..

Oh well.... I thought the principle in these hard pressed times was to:

1. Get professionals and researchers involved with product adoption...
2   ....so that they may take it into an industry strength offering and get squillions of seat licenses out of it... 
3. at FOTE 2011 IBM suggested that analytics and research suggested that this was the best form of entre into product adoption....

 Ho hum... I may well fill out the survey that Adobe sent electonically with the rejection...  though why should I waste any more of my time..   pah...

Introduction to the Blog

I am currently a Masters student undertaking another strand of research within the area of elearning. As I approach the final project I need to look at the theories behind Games Based Learning and the current trend of using gamification with intefaces for more serious apps... Is this a trend or is this here to stay...? does this approach offer persuasive attactive and engaging solutions to the potential learner et etc

The object is to produce a Scholarly paper and proof of concept, hopefully producing something engaging with the Adobe elear4ning suite, coupled with the need to learn C# for my final project I have my work cut out

My areas of interest with any digital solutions  have been transition and interface so theres no change here <sic>

Mike Dearing post grad undertaking MSc Digital Solutions  eLearning Technologies