"The machine stops": One school's rejection of Integrated Learning Systems

This case study of an Integrated Learning System in a UK school was designed to examine staff and pupil attitudes towards the software and to understand why the school chose to cease using the ILS after two years of implementation. Staff who used the software in their teaching were interviewed and their pupils' attitudes were measured using questionnaires. We analyse and discuss the results of the staff interviews alongside the pupil questionnaires in order to shed some light on the reasons underlying the cessation of the ILS. The study concludes that a combination of technical problems with the ILS software and the lack of a clear focus in managerial decisions concerning the purchase, implementation and administration of the system in this school hindered the successful implementation of the ILS. © 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.