Topic: Tools & Techniques

Should universities care about APIs?

So why should universities devote effort to caring about application programming interfaces (APIs)? I work at Jisc as a programme manager and have recently been involved in work that could provide some answers as to the benefits of APIs.

Manage your Freedom of Information requests

The amount of requests received by universities and colleges under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Data Protection Act and Environmental Information Regulations continues to increase year on year. And so, as a consequence, do the costs and time associated with … Read more

Towards the ‘Research Education Space’ (RES)

As 2013 dawns, and with predictions from Cisco that by 2014, video will exceed 91% of global consumer traffic on the internet, it seems timely that a new Research Education Space from us at Jisc, the BBC and with our … Read more

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Many of us are aware of the potential benefits mobile learning can offer.  It can allow learners to communicate with tutors and peers, as well as providing access to learning resources whenever needed. However, utilising technology to offer such a … Read more

Match-make your students with local employers

With a very competitive business market and unemployability at high levels for young people, I believe it is important that we try to maximise educational opportunities and match learners’ skills with business needs as best as possible. We need to ensure … Read more

Is embedding digital literacy in your curriculum working for you?

I believe that developing digital literacies within your organization is key to providing a dynamic and engaging experience for every learner, but we all know that co-ordinating this across the whole college can sometimes be a challenge, so what’s the … Read more

How e-portfolios helped us to improve our college’s digital literacy

I am the learning zone and e-learning manager at Deeside College.  I work with an extremely dedicated group of people with a passion for taking the student forward and developing real world skills.  The students too are a wonderful group, … 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

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

How to feed, nourish and sustain your digital resources

From the late Nineties, European and UK funding agencies across sectors, from education to cultural heritage, have invested significant resources in the creation of digital content in the not-for-profit sector. The grants have facilitated major digitisation and encouraged innovative work … Read more

Text mining: removing the red flag

“It’s a complete no-brainer,” said Sir Mark Walport. The director of the Wellcome Trust was responding to JISC’s Digital Infrastructure Directions report into the value and benefits of text and data mining, which recommends that the UK should create a … 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

The digital humanities surrounds you

Stanley Fish recently published a blog post in the NY Times with the grandiose title, The Digital Humanities and the Transcending of Mortality. The article is engaging; it seems to sharpen the knife for the Digital Humanities but then decides … 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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