Rocking augmented reality
Using mobile technology is becoming second nature to people of all ages. The widespread adoption of mobile devices is opening up rich opportunities to develop mobile apps that can enhance teaching and learning experiences, not just in colleges and universities, but also in schools and among the wider public. In particular, the potential of augmented reality (AR) seems pretty unlimited... >>
Putting people at the heart of the digital revolution
In tertiary education, Welsh universities are uploading lectures and research to the internet so that they can be accessed by teachers and students in poorer nations, and the new FutureLearn project will see 20 or more of the UK’s universities entering the global market in massive open online courses ( MOOCs ). In secondary schools, there are predictions that all... >>
Exploring the hidden world of bats through your smartphone
Crowdsourcing has revolutionised many areas of scientific research, providing data across previously unobtainable temporal and geographic scales. It is hoped that crowdsourcing will be able to help gather information on a particularly poorly studied group of animals that few of us ever see or hear – bats. crowdsourcing will help gather information on a particularly poorly studied group of animals... >>
Gateway to better research information
These are seriously important questions. It’s vital that researchers, teachers and learners have unfettered access to the best new thinking, and it’s critically important that funders and higher education institutions have accurate information as competition for research funding becomes ever stronger. And don’t forget additional external pressures such as the requirements of Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation. University data collections... >>
Using open citation data to benefit research
Until recently, if you mentioned citations many people would immediately think about lists of names and publications at the end of a document and short snippets embedded within the text indicating where the connection applied. But a shift has taken place and citations have now gone far beyond being a simple link between two pieces of paper. Processes have been... >>
How to use Near Field Communication to engage your foreign students
QR codes are a type of two-dimensional barcode that can be read using smartphones that link directly to text, emails, websites or phone numbers. The downside is that you need to download special software before you can use them, fiddle around on your phone to get to the right app and the results are all too frequently underwhelming. QR codes... >>
So what are Open Badges?
Remember achieving that 50m swimming badge before sprinting home to ask your mum to sew it on your soaking trunks? Or, gaining that 'First Aid' badge at Girl Guides and feeling a sense of immense pride. In more recent times, maybe you unlocked an achievement on a popular game or gained a badge for winning 10 online games of pool... >>
Seven rules of successful research data management in universities
First published in the Guardian Higher Education Network blog. The availability of research data – the digital data or analogue sources that underpin research findings – is high on the agenda of higher education policy makers, funders and researchers committed to open practice. Sound research rests on the ability to evidence, verify and reproduce results. If this sounds obvious, the... >>
Is open access the future for monographs?
Authors, publishers and funders from all over the world attended – more than 250 on each day, which is testament to the topicality and importance of the subject matter. Our speakers explored various aspects of the debate surrounding open access (OA) and the new approaches that researchers, funding bodies, librarians and publishers may need to adopt if they decide to... >>
Collaborating to save monographs… we need you!
It’s no longer sustainable , facing a number of grave challenges to its survival and we need your help to find a solution. Understanding these challenges with you is a key part of a new project looking to explore the potential of a National Monographs Strategy : a collaborative approach to the collection, preservation, supply and digitisation of scholarly monographs... >>
