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RSC NewsFeed – November 2nd 2004

This fortnight’s Newsfeed opens with two innovative new training tools for NLN and RELOAD which are available to guide users through the process of using these powerful resources. You can tell JISC what YOU think it should be supporting, read the results of two interesting pieces of work in e-pedagogy, get a useful accessibility download and put in a bid for some serious amounts of JISC funding. So, whether it’s Bush or whether it’s Kerry, tell us if we get your vote or not by offering feedback through our website at www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/rscne/contact.html.

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New NLN Training Tool Shows the Way
JISC Launches Video Training Demonstration of RELOAD
Tell JISC What You Really Think!

· JISC Consultations on Existing Resources

· What Online Resources Do You Need in the Future?

e-Learning Practice and Theory

· Effective Practice with e-Learning Guide Published

· The Open Learning Initiative : e-Pedagogy gets Rigorous

Accessibility Developments

· ILT and Visual Impairment

· Free Web Accessibility Download

Dundee Student Awarded Public Money for Beer!
UK Takes Linux to the Heart of Government
JISC Funding Opportunities

· Funding Call for JORUM Repository Contributions

· Moving Pictures & Sound Future Requirements Study

· Overview of Funding Opportunities for 2004/2005

Training Events from the Scottish RSCs

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NewNLN Training Tool Shows the Way

The National Learning Network has developed a series of online tutorials which provide step-by-step guides on using the Content Access Tool, downloading the NLN Materials and integrating them into a college intranet environment. The training then moves on to look at the basic principles of repurposing using the JISC produced RELOAD Editor. Produced as a series of Flash movies, the online tutorials use screenshots and voiceover to visually demonstrate the processes in a straightforward and non-technical way. The training was reviewed, tested and amended at several stages of development in response to college feedback, and also takes account of best practice in accessibility.

To access the tutorials, click on the ‘training tool’ link at http://www.nln.ac.uk/materials/technical/tools_training.asp

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JISC launches video training demonstration of RELOAD

A new video demonstration showing how to use current versions of Intralibrary and RELOAD to build and package learning materials is now available. The video demonstration can be found on the Exchange for Learning (X4L) pages of the JISC website at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=programme_x4l. Click on the ‘Introduction to Interoperability’ link near the top of the page to see the demo.

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Tell JISC What You Really Think!!

JISC Consultations on Existing Resources

From the start of November, the JISC is asking institutions for feedback on seven new proposed online learning resources, and two existing resources which are up for renewal (including the popular SCRAN image database used by many institutions at the moment). Free trials can be arranged of any of the resources featured and online evaluation forms have been provided for each. This is an ideal opportunity for lecturers and learning resources staff to influence JISC’s collection policy.

The full list of resources involved in the consultation can be seen at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=coll_consultations.

What Online Resources Do You Need In Future?

The JISC has commissioned CERLIM (Centre for Research in Library and Information Management) to undertake a survey of higher and further education in order to identify needs and gaps in online resources. The purpose of the survey is to identify the type of products that the community would like JISC to licence, and to identify gaps not currently provided for by the publishing sector. This is another ideal opportunity for practitioners to feed back information on the sorts of resources that are needed ‘on the ground’ in education at the moment.

The learning resources staff questionnaire is at : http://www.ico-trg.mmu.ac.uk/fe-lib.html

The teaching staff questionnaire is at: http://www.ico-trg.mmu.ac.uk/fe-teach.html

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e-Learning Practice and Theory

Effective Practice with e-Learning : New Guide Published, with Supporting Case Studies

‘Effective Practice with e-Learning’ is the first publication from the e-Learning and Pedagogy strand of JISC’s e-Learning programme. Launched at the RSC Learning Journey Conference on the 19th October at the Wolverhampton Science Park, this is a succinct and practitioner-focused publication outlining the key principles and theoretical perspectives underpinning designing effective learning with technology. The guide also contains 10 new case studies, including five with supporting video clips. The publication and the case studies can be downloaded from the JISC website at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elp_practice.html.

The Open Learning Initiative: e-Pedagogy Gets Rigorous

The Open Learning Initiative is an American development, based at Carnegie Mellon University, which aims to create ‘cognitively informed’ online learning course development. The project “…adds to online education the crucial elements of instructional design grounded in cognitive theory, formative evaluation for students and faculty, and iterative course improvement based on empirical evidence.” The site explains the OLI course design methodology, grounded in human-computer interaction theory, and includes specific examples of course material, online assessment and tools for development.

To get cognitively informed, go to http://www.cmu.edu/oli/overview/index.html#assessment

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Accessibility Developments

ILT and Visual Impairment

Techshare 2004 is a conference highlighting the role of technology in the everyday life of people with impaired sight. Organised by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), the conference is aimed at professionals who work in the field of sight loss or have an interest in technology, and includes sessions on innovation in education, IT training in practice and the accessible web. Details can be found on the conference website at http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/code/public_rnib004057.hcsp

Free Web Accessibility Toolbar Download

A useful Web Accessibility Toolbar has been developed by the Accessible Information Solutions (AIS) team at the National Information and Library Service (NILS), Australia as an aid to the manual examination of web pages for a variety of aspects of accessibility. It consists of a range of functions that can identify components of a web page, facilitate the use of 3rd party online applications, simulate user experiences and provide links to references and additional resources. The Toolbar can be downloaded from http://www.nils.org.au/ais/web/resources/toolbar/

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Dundee Student Awarded Public Money for Beer!

No, this isn’t a tabloid headline attacking lazy students; it’s a serious shelebration of student success, Moneypenny. Raffaele De Nicola is the toast of Abertay University in Dundee after being awarded £560 to study chemical reactions in beer. Not surprisingly, he had to fight off competition from students all over the world to clinch the sought-after cash. More from the BBC at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3755932.stm

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UK Takes Linux to the Heart of Government

Regular NewsFeed readers will recall that we’ve been looking at Linux and other Open Source developments over the last few issues. Now, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has concluded Open Source software is a viable alternative to commercial proprietary software, with potentially significant value-for-money benefits for government, Read more on this at http://www.vnunet.com/news/1159053

OSS Watch is the JISC-funded Open Source Advisory Service which provides FE and HE with objective and impartial advice about open-source software and related standards. Click on http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/ to find out more about this service, and to find links to the original OGC documents referred to above.

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JISC Funding Opportunities

Funding Call for JORUM repository contributions

The JISC have invited consortia of further and higher education institutions to submit funding proposals to make available e-learning resources that are suitable for wider national use through the JORUM Repository and to explore e-learning embedding issues, to build upon the work of the current Exchange for Learning (X4L) Programme. The total funding available for this initiative is £800,000 over 18 months, commencing January/February 2005, with each project being awarded funding of between £150,000 and £200,000. Each bid must include at least one FE and HE institution and JISC envisages that the overall bids funded will involve institutions from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The deadline for receipt of proposals is 12 noon on Friday 3rd December 2004. Projects will commence in January or February 2005 and last for a maximum of 18 months.

The full text of the Circular and the Summary Letter can be found at: www.jisc.ac.uk/funding_circular9_04.html

Moving Pictures and Sound : Future Requirements Study

The JISC invites tender proposals to undertake a study into the appropriate future collecting areas, functional requirements and strategy directions of the JISC Education Media Online (EMOL) Programme. This study is intended to follow on from the Education Media OnLine Programme Review undertaken by the JISC Services Management Group in October 2003. The deadline for proposals is 12 noon on Tuesday 30 November 2004. Funding of up to £40,000 (including VAT and expenses) is available for this study.

Further information including the full Invitation to Tender can be found at the following address: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=funding_mpsfuturereqs

Overview of Funding Opportunities for 2004/2005

The JISC regularly funds programmes, services and other activities that promote and support the use of e-learning. To help institutions plan ahead, it has produced an overview of proposed JISC e-learning activities and a list of the potential calls for proposals over the next 12 months.

The overview can be found at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=circular_8_04.

The call for proposals is available at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/08-04FullText.doc

The roadmap showing the development plan for the current academic year is at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/08-04Annex.doc.

For information on the E-Learning Programme, see: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=programme_elearning

JISC offers regular funding opportunities across both FE and HE, generally by calling for project proposals which tie in with work areas identified by the various JISC Committees. You can check these opportunities, or look at the work of completed projects, on the JISC website at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=funding

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Training Events from the Scottish RSCs

The two Scottish RSCs have a range of training events which are available to participants at a subsidised rate under the eMerge programme.  These are affordable and tightly focused events which will help college staff make the most of a range of e-learning tools and initiatives. Booking a place on any of these events couldn’t be easier – just call the Regional Support Centres at the numbers listed on the two RSC websites:

RSC Scotland South & West: http://www.rsc-sw-scotland.ac.uk/

RSC Scotland North & East : http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/

Process Review Workshop : RSC North & East 3^rd November 2004

Are you involved in reviewing your processes? If you are designing or implementing an MLE, reviewing your Records Management in light of the Freedom of Information Act or selecting and implementing new information systems, the answer is ‘Yes’. You may be simply interested in how you can provide a better service to students. These and many other activities can be handled more easily and effectively when a thorough analysis of the related processes is undertaken. This is a one-day workshop offered by the RSC and delivered by JISC infoNet, the Centre of Expertise in the Planning and Implementation of Information Systems. The cost for this event is just £50.

Making Moving Images Work : RSC North & East 4^th November 2004

Making Moving Images Work is a one-day workshop with practical “hands-on” sessions in a computer lab environment. It aims to simplify the processes of working with online moving images and show step by step the basic tools and skills needed to create dynamic and stimulating resources for learning and teaching. This event costs £50.

Web Pages from Scratch : RSC North & East 11^th November

For many sections of society the World Wide Web has become an essential part of everyday life. Whether used for commerce, research, education or leisure, one of the key features of the web is the ease with which individuals can publish on-line information. Even in a short space of time sophisticated and exciting results can be achieved with relative simplicity. This is a practical workshop for web users who wish to start creating their own web pages and will include the current web authoring standards of XHTML and CSS to give you the key skills you need to make your information available on the web. The initial cost of this workshop to participants is £125. However, since this is part of the eMerge programme, participants from FE colleges can then invoice the RSC for £75 of this cost, which will be reimbursed.

Net Navigator : RSC North & East 12^th November

The internet brings to the desktop a limitless wealth of information. But sometimes there are problems, such as reduction in information quality and a feeling of information overload. This workshop aims to provide you with the skills you need to use online information efficiently and reliably. While many services are at first glance easy to use, many users find them frustrating and ineffective. The workshop will explore advanced search techniques which can provide enhanced results. It will also look at current and future developments in the use of information services and searching tools, alerting services, and methods of assessing web sites for quality. The initial cost of this workshop to participants is £125. However, since this is part of the eMerge programme, participants from FE colleges can then invoice the RSC for £75 of this cost, which will be reimbursed.

Horizon and Heritage Workshops : Glasgow 1^st December ; Edinburgh 2^nd December 2004

Do you work in the library in your college? Do you have either the Heritage or the Horizon library management system and feel you need to refresh your skills? Never had supplier training before? The Scottish JISC Regional Support Centres are organising two events that will give participants a good introduction to Heritage and Horizon library management systems.

The Horizon library management system event is to be held at the JISC Regional Support Centre: Scotland South and West, in Glasgow on Wednesday, 1st of December 2004.

The Heritage library management system event is to be held at the JISC Regional Support Centre: Scotland North and East, in Edinburgh on Thursday, 2nd of December 2004.

The price for each event is only £50.

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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