We run a personal response system which we purchased a few years ago. It runs really well, and we use it for class fun, as a serious teaching aid, and also to run assessments. Recently the use of the technology has really taken off and we’re find that our systems are beginning to strain with trying to support the technology.

One of the problems is that we are using a legacy version of the tech – the company who produced it have changed hands a couple of times and merged into a bigger company that also manufacture a similar product. The product lines have now merged, to the extent that our version of both software and hardware is no longer produced.

I have to say that the company in question have a great web site for supporting legacy apps – all the last versions of their older software is available for download, so we can always get to that if we need to.

But I have to wonder how long we should continue supporting this system? It works well for us, and the technology is showing few signs of letting us down. I think we could continue using it for another few years quite happily, and in the current financial climate not having to purchase a whole new system for however-many-thousand-pounds is most definitely a good thing. But when do we bite the bullet? When the technology starts to fail, leaving classes up in the air and staff with egg on their faces? Or do we start looking at new options now (either with the same company or others – tender processes are tedious, but often difficult to get around), taking the hit financially before we absolutely have to, but getting a new system in place and slowly retire the old one?

The added complication is that we are one part of a larger institution. Other parts (although not all) of the institution are using the same system (although a slightly newer version, which lends us our own set of problems on top of the rest). If we decide to move, do we take the decision as a faculty, or do we invite others to look at it with us? Do we look at a central approach, which invariably ends up with something that everyone can use but doesn’t necessarily completely suit anyone?

You think inventing and selling technology is difficult? Try being the consumer!