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RSC NewsFeed – June 1st 2004

Summertime and the livin’ is easy…but before you get too relaxed here’s another despatch from the front line of Online Technology. This week we’ve got training opportunities, new guides to learning objects and online assessment, new JISC image resources, European funding and the perils of plagiarism.

If you need it and we don’t have it, tell us about it and we’ll get it.

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NLN (1)Recrafting the Content – Scottish Training Event – 10^th June
NLN (2) Downloading a Data Mountain
SELF (Scottish E-learning Forum) Event
Viewlet Builder Workshop
Statistics on Students in Higher Education
Kennedy: Seven years on, Wednesday 9 June 2004, London
Learning Object Guidelines
More JISC Images from the Crafts Study Centre
Funding: Calls for Proposals

(1) JISC

(2) European Community

Edinburgh Launches 'Council Papers Online' Scheme
Plagiarist Student Set to Sue University
National Federation for Educational Research (NFER) Guide to Online Assessment
Social Science Online: Seminars Past and the Shape of Seminars to Come
Training & Events

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NLN (1) Recrafting the Content-Scottish Training Day – 10^th June 2004

A series of one-day workshops is being held over the summer and autumn terms to demonstrate how to customise NLN Materials. Each session includes a demonstration and a chance to 'have a go', with experts on hand to advise. The workshops entitled: "Re-crafting the content : customising e-learning resources", are being delivered by the NLN Materials Team working in partnership with the Regional Support Centres (RSCs), and are aimed at staff who are confident users of ICT.

The workshops will show how to adapt existing assets and learning objects and combine them with a variety of resources to produce customised content that can be tailored to meet the needs of the learner. Participants will be able to tackle a variety of activities - from removing a picture from a NLN unit to creating a whole new learning object from a selection of resources, as well as getting the chance to explore the JISC RELOAD editing tool - www.reload.ac.uk - for re-purposing materials to suit learner needs. Time will also be spent looking at the pedagogical and accessibility considerations that must be taken into account during materials development and raising awareness of emerging standards of excellence.

This is designed to be a practical, hands-on session so places are limited.

Don’t delay book today at http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/rscsupport/training.html

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NLN (2) Downloading a Data Mountain

Since the NLN materials first became available to FE the JISC-funded National Data Centres, EDINA and MIMAS have played a key technical role in delivering them - and what a delivery round that is. To date the NLN Content Access Tool (CAT) that holds the materials has dealt with the download of over 1.282 terabytes of data – equivalent to over 850,000 floppy discs - and every day MIMAS, which hosts the CAT, processes the download of an average of 2.060 gigabytes of data. A new document detailing ways of navigating the most recently released materials is available at www.nln.ac.uk/materials/round2.asp and if you have any questions about installing or using the riches of the NLN, then contact your local JISC Regional Support Centre for advice.

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SELF (Scottish E-learning Forum) Event

Training the Trainers

Motherwell College

Tuesday 15th June 2004

This one-day conference will disseminate information about current trends, initiatives and developments in e-learning focusing around a series of workshops which review software which is for the most part free to the sector. For the full programme go to:

http://www.sfeu.ac.uk/learningEventsDetail.asp?eventID=645

(The Scottish e-Learning Forum (SELF) aims to provide a platform for discussion and an opportunity for networking to encourage appropriate and effective use of e-learning. The group also aims to encourage appropriate and effective use of e-resources which may enable e-learning and to bring together practitioners and experts to share good practice. )

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Viewlet Builder Workshop

Viewlet Builder is the leading authoring tool used to create audiovisual Flash movies (called Viewlets) that show how software and systems work. Let’s say you want to demonstrate a particular technique in PowerPoint. Start up Viewlet Builder, carry out the process on-screen and as you do so Viewlet Builder records every keystroke and mouse movement then assembles these screenshots in a slide show. You can then add notes to the individual slides explaining exactly what is happening at each stage of the process. (see http://www.qarbon.com/products/viewletbuilder/index.html for more information.)

RSC Scotland North & East is holding a Viewlet Builder workshop on Monday 21^st of June and there are still a few places available. For full details of the event and a booking form go to: http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/rscsupport/training.html

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Statistics on Students in Higher Education

‘Lies, damned lies and statistics’ as Mark Twain once said, and some new data was added to the mountain recently with the publication of Statistics on Students in Higher Education in Scotland: 2002-03 on 20th May.

Fact 1: In 2002/03 78 per cent of higher education students studied in Higher Education Institutions while 22 per cent studied in Further Education Colleges.

Fact 2: Between 1995/96 and 2002/03 the number of female higher education students increased by 40 per cent to 148,556. Over the same period the number of male higher education students increased by 10 per cent to 118,470. Female students represented 56 per cent of all higher education students in 2002/03 compared to 50 per cent in 1995/96.

For these and other interesting facts, read the report at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00342-00.asp

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Kennedy: Seven years on, Wednesday 9 June 2004, London

It is seven years since the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) published Learning Works, Helena Kennedy's seminal report on closing Britain's learning divide. Reflecting on the values and importance of further education, on widening participation and on the creation of a better-educated, fairer and more just society, Learning Works pointed the way for FE to become the inclusive service it needs and ought to be. The report argued learning was key to economic prosperity and social cohesion, while invoking the principle of equity

At this NIACE (the leading non-governmental organisation for adult learning in England and Wales) conference, Baroness Kennedy and other leading speakers will explore the policy directives, the shape of the sector in the era of the Learning and Skills Council, and visions for the future. For a copy of the programme and application form, visit the NIACE website: http://www.niace.org.uk/conferences/Kennedy2004.htm

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Learning Object Guidelines

This is an excellent introductory guide to all aspects of the often baffling subject of ‘learning objects’, written by Rachel Smith and produced with sponsorship from McGraw-Hill, providing straightforward suggestions and tips for authors of learning materials. Topics covered include the range and types of learning objects, pedagogical and design considerations, as well as discussions of standards, metadata, interoperability, and reusability.

A great read for the beach…!

Download the Guidelines for Authors of Learning Objects (32 pages; 1.6 Mb) http://www.nmc.org/guidelines/

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More JISC Images from the Crafts Study Centre

The Crafts Study Centre, based at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, had two reasons to celebrate on the 29th May. After three years in the planning and making, it opened a new and elegant purpose-built museum and study centre based at the Institute. This follows on from the launch of 4,000 images from the Centre's collections, only made possible through funding provided by JISC (through its Learning and Teaching programme).

The collection includes 20th century and contemporary ceramics, printed and woven textiles, calligraphy and lettering, furniture and wood, with some metal and needlework for good measure. The work of leading makers, such as Bernard Leach, Barron and Larcher, Ethel Mairet, Mary Restieaux, Edward Johnston, Ann Hechle, Edward Barnsley and Tom Perkins, is represented. The objects are supported by a unique and contextually rich archive of over 27,000 items

For more information about the Service go to: http://ahds.ac.uk/visualarts/collections/index.htm

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Funding: Calls for Proposals

 (1) JISC Calls

The JISC funds a wide range of projects, services, developments and infrastructure. Most of these initiatives originated from a successful response to a circular or tender, inviting organisations to bid for funding. The latest opportunities are listed here and final proposals must be received by the dealine shown.

ICT Awareness & Training Programme for the Arts & Humanities Comunity in the UK                 Deadline: 17 Jun 2004

Funding of up to £100,000 is available for the development of an ICT awareness and training development programme targeted at the arts and humanities community.



A National Online Resources Requirement Survey                                                                       Deadline: 18 Jun 2004



This document invites proposals to undertake a National Online Resources Requirement Survey of the UK Further and Higher Education communities.



Circular 3/04: Projects to Develop E-Learning Tools for Learners and Teachers                           Deadline: 30 Jun 2004



This circular invites higher education institutions in England to submit funding proposals to develop e-learning tools for learners and teachers over an eight month period from August 2004 - March 2005.

(2) European Call

A Call for Proposals from the European Community eLearning Programme 2004-2006 has been launched recently. The Call is focused on three of the four areas of interest of the eLearning Programme, namely:

1. Promoting digital literacy

2. European virtual campuses

3. Transversal actions

Deadline for proposals is June 28.

 Full details: Europa http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/elearning/doc/calltext_2604_en.pdf

Bonne chance!

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Edinburgh Launches 'Council Papers Online' Scheme

A new 'Council Papers Online Scheme' will allow Edinburgh’s citizens to access all city council committee documents - agendas, reports, and minutes - through the website http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cpol/ .This will mean citizens are more easily connected to the democratic process and are able to discover how and why decisions that affect them were made.

Free internet access is available at all libraries and some community centres within the city boundaries.

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Plagiarist Student Set to Sue University

"I hold my hands up. I did plagiarise," student, Michael Gunn, told The Times Higher Education Supplement. "But I always used the internet - cutting and pasting stuff and matching it with my own points. It's a technique I've used since I started the course. I never dreamt it was a problem." Mr Gunn, 21, claims that he was unaware that his activity - cutting and pasting material from the internet without attribution - constituted plagiarism and argues that the university failed to give proper guidance on acceptable research techniques.

Full story in last week's THES at www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2013313

If you’re interested in this increasingly controversial area, the JISC Plagiarism Advisory Service can help equip your institution with the tools to fight it. For more details go to:

http://online.northumbria.ac.uk/faculties/art/information_studies/Imri/Jiscpas/site/jiscpas.asp

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National Federation for Educational Research (NFER) Guide to Online Assessment

The NFER has today launched a new online guide to computerised assessment.

The new guide brings together a wide range of national and international research, useful information, and a database of 50 sites covering computerised assessment.

For testing times see: http://www.nfer.ac.uk/cba

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Social Science Online: Seminars Past and the Shape of Seminars to Come

It’s increasingly hard to keep up with the ever-changing world of online information resources, and yet these resources have a vital role to play in teaching and research in FE and HE. In 2003/4 SOSIG (The Social Science Information Gateway www.sosig.ac.uk ) ran a series of one-day training seminars introducing the key JISC and Internet information resources in particular disciplines. Presentations from these events may be useful to those teaching Internet research skills - and details of how to access them follow below:

Internet for Law:. [see presentations, photos and feedback]
Internet for Psychology:. [see presentations, photos and feedback]
Internet for Sociology:. [see presentations, photos and feedback]
Internet for Economics, Business, Management and Accountancy:. [see presentations, photos and feedback]
Internet for Politics:. [see presentations, photos and feedback]

Now for the future. If you might be interested in hosting a similar event in your institution in 2004/5 SOSIG would be happy to talk to you about it. To discuss hosting please contact: emma.place@bristol.ac.uk.

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Training & Events

A full listing of all the workshops currently being run by both RSCs in Scotland is available at:

RSC Scotland North and East

www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/rscsupport/training.html

RSC Scotland South and West

www.rsc-sw-scotland.ac.uk/events.htm

These courses and others are listed on the Scotfeict website at:

www.scotfeict.ac.uk/events

which also lists other staff development opportunities for FE staff within Scotland.

Nationwide training opportunities are available on the NLN events database at

www.nln.ac.uk/events

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