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Archives: 2011
Are you leading the way?
Is your institution adapting and responding to the fast changing marketplace as quickly as it might? Changing demographics, government policies and shifts in economic pressure are all taking their toll on education organisations and now, as the UK seeks to … Read more
What is activity data and why is it useful?
Activity data is big business. We see it in the recommendations we get every time we look at something on Amazon, we see its importance every time we get asked if we have a club/nectar/loyalty card when we buy something … Read more
Remembrance Day: an opportunity to revisit our cultural heritage around WW1
The legacy of World War One in terms of social, economic and political global change cannot be overstated; it changed the individual’s view of society and their place within it with far-reaching effects into their future and our past. In … Read more
OER in the field: institutions solving problems openly
Is your institution ‘open’? Open education resources are becoming an essential component of academic practice. With the uncertainties of a new funding model to deal with, it is becoming harder than ever to convince institutional managers to support nice-to-have projects. … Read more
UUK efficiency and modernisation – JISC’s existing work
On Friday I shared with you my thoughts on the recent UUK report and why it’s important for universities to engage with it at a strategic level. In the spirit of sharing work that JISC has undertaken or has underway … Read more
UUK efficiency and modernisation – sharing practice and solutions
Earlier this month Universities UK published its report on ‘Efficiency and Effectiveness in Higher Education’. Today and Monday I’ll be sharing my own views of the report – today, an overview of its strategic direction, and on Monday, a more detailed look at … Read more
Opening up research
As chair of the UK Open Access Implementation Group, I and the group welcome the setting up of an independent working group to examine how UK-funded research findings can be made more accessible. The Group, whose members include Universities UK … Read more
Research data – why now?
This is very good time to talk about effective research data management. It has recently hit the headlines and now that a tweet can be considered a valid freedom of information request, the issue will become even more pressing for … Read more
Lend me your ears dear university web managers!
JISC is considering future opportunities for innovation funding in collaboration with university web departments who manage the .ac.uk pages of their website, and we’d like to make sure that what we are proposing would be of value to the sector … Read more
App-ortunity Knocks: Mobile and the future of the library
How do universities and their libraries respond to an increasingly mobile world? At what point does mobile find itself at the heart of what a university does? Are we at a tipping point with those that fail to address students’ … Read more
UK repositories: working together
We now have approximately 198 repositories in the UK and JISC programmes have played a major part in the set up and development of this infrastructure. Drivers for this growth vary from open access to research, to better information management … Read more
Reviewing peer review
Last month I was asked to submit evidence to the UK parliament’s science and technology committee for their report about peer review. Though most researchers agree with the principles of peer review, many feel there is room to improve how … Read more
Why watching TV can be good for you
One hundred years ago this year the very first explosive device was dropped from the air in Libya, of all places, and the age of “war from the air” was inaugurated. Somewhere in Italy’s state archives in Rome are the … Read more
Looking to transform your curriculum?
It is a challenging time to be educating the next generation of learners. As fees increase, so do the expectations of learners who need top-quality courses with a broad appeal that equip them effectively for future employment. Keeping the curriculum … Read more
Imagine Google without a search box
If you are looking for audiovisual content it is hard to know where to start. Google can search vast amounts but there is a whole section on the web that is only available to education, and Google by itself is … Read more
Open access and the transparency of research
It has been a busy week for research. The UK Research Councils (RCUK) and HEFCE announced plans to work together on open access. JISC’s Executive Secretary, Dr Malcolm Read, gave oral evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology … Read more
The Impact Factor
“We are historians, we’ve never studied people who answer back”. This is how a team member from the Old Bailey Online, a successful resource which provides access to nearly 200,000 trials of London’s central court 1674-1913, summed up the challenge … Read more
JISC Mobile is live: what do you think?
We have today launched JISC Mobile, a cut-down version of the JISC website, optimised for mobile use. The site contains recent content that users are likely to want to access whilst on the move, such as news items or podcasts. … Read more
Engage students through blogging
Blogging is a well-established vehicle for personal reflection and commentary and can play an effective part in the delivery of formal curricula. But blogs and social networking sites also have the potential to engage students and improve the quality of … Read more
And the answer is…..
I have come to the conclusion that the answer to several questions is: the Open Planets Foundation (OPF). That’s a good strong statement, but what are the questions? Before you read on, let’s just establish that you are interested in … Read more
The value of local developers
The higher and further education sectors in the UK are fortunate to employ talented and dedicated software developers. Without them, many kinds of technical innovation would be significantly more difficult, more expensive or even impossible. While the patterns of employment … Read more
Why we can’t afford not to invest in technology
At JISC’s recent annual conference, both Professor Eric Thomas (Vice Chancellor of Bristol University) and I stressed that higher education cannot afford to slow down in its adoption of information and communications technology (ICT). Quite the contrary: the challenging financial … Read more
Manage your research information – spend more time on research
The UK keeps a huge amount of information about research. From funding applications to datasets, from HESA and REF reporting to publications lists. People and institutions across the sector need to manage and share this information at every level. The … Read more
Prioritise systems integration to improve your financial health
A recent TimesHigher article exposed concern over the financial health of UK universities. Andrew McConnell, BUFDG chair is quoted as saying ‘There aren’t many areas of our income that won’t be of concern at the moment. You can look at … Read more
Digital resources made possible by JISC
The UK is a knowledge economy and as the coalition government looks to also to make it a digital one – how is JISC helping to share the UK’s knowledge and our resources online? In my role at JISC I … Read more
Using digital media to improve teaching and learning
Accessing freely available media digital content and tools can be an effective way to improve educational provision and maximize resources in difficult times. On the other hand, without support, a sharing of best practice and awareness what we’re getting into … Read more
Meeting students’ needs to improve retention
There are clear financial benefits for universities and colleges in ensuring that as many students as possible complete their course. Equally learners are paying more than ever for their education, so will be keen to see a return on their … Read more
Maximising your online event experience
With just one week to go before the JISC11 conference in Liverpool, the final preparations are in full swing. We are working hard to ensure those of you planning to follow the conference online have as full and interactive an … Read more
Maximising your event amplification
Those of you unable to come and see us at the JISC11 conference in Liverpool next week will no doubt be keeping one eye on what is happening throughout the day with the help of your laptop, phone or tablet. … Read more
Developers value to higher education
There is a great William Gibson quote, ‘The future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.’ I believe that working with developers to share experiences, ideas and expertise will help distribute those slices of the future that are … Read more
Partners raising our game, here on internationalisation
Sarah Porter gave account of the strategic pressures upon institutions in the Winter Edition of JISC Inform. There is much to challenge us all, but Sarah’s message is clear, collaborate and make use of the technology potential. The 2011 Leadership … Read more
JISC Review – reshaping for the future
We are heading into a new chapter in JISC’s history as we embrace the opportunity to change for the future. It is very pleasing to see that HEFCE’s review of JISC considers us to be a valuable organisation and one … Read more
Digital content and internet business models
In the week following what President Obama described innovation as a “Sputnik moment” and Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport launched the Year of Philanthropy – an attempt to get more FTSE100 businesses to provide financial … Read more
