Topic: Interoperability

JISC and Research Councils UK work to reduce reporting burden on universities

JISC and Research Councils UK (RCUK) are announcing new coordinated work which will ease the burden on universities of reporting research outcomes. As UK universities face increasing demands to share information with other sector bodies, it is more important than … Read more

No such thing as a free MOOC

In his recent JISC blog, David Kernohan asks: ‘Why bother paying inflated fees to attend university? …What if you could get it all for free, online?’ Of course, it is tongue in cheek, because as my title above suggests, you … Read more

“Knowledge is the currency of the new economy” where research is “intelligently open”

A flow of policy reports focusing on research and access to the outputs of research appeared over the past month.  Today the European Commission published two communications that respond to the way the “internet has fundamentally changed the world of … Read more

Behind the headlines of the new JISC Techdis tools – a personal view

It isn’t often that  when I am delivering a plenary session at a conference that the audience is moved to tears,  but that is exactly what happened at ND2012. Let me explain what happened…. It was the final plenary on … Read more

JISC and crowdfunding

What links an e-paper watch, a statue of RoboCop and an open alternative to Facebook? The answer is that all of these ideas have been funded via the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Crowdfunding is an exciting new approach where individuals can … Read more

Blackboard’s new open source strategy: how virtual learning environments became commodities

Unthinkable a couple of years ago, and it still feels a bit April 1st: Blackboard has taken over two other virtual learning environment organisations: the Moodlerooms and NetSpot Moodle support companies in the US and Australia. Arguably as important is … Read more

How important are open ebook standards to universities?

Ebook standards may lack the glamour that the technology attracts, but the arrival of ePub3 has the potential to transform how the academy creates and delivers its content to students and researchers. Just weeks into the New Year and already … 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

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

JISC on Air – new online broadcast explores student recruitment

Today, another round of UCAS applications gets underway with the first of the application deadlines. Meanwhile, new students are settling into universities up and down the country. But how many of them will have embarked upon the right course? Lord … Read more

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