The Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L) will explore the re-purposing of existing and forthcoming JISC funded content suitable for use in learning. The programme will also encompass content created by other bodies and agencies active in this area where intellectual property rights allow for educational use in FE and HE, or can be negotiated.

Circular 2/02: Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L)

Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L)

To: Heads of Further and Higher Education Institutions funded by the English, Scottish and Welsh HEFCs and FEFCs and by DEL, N.Ireland
Copies:
Directors of Information Services
Learning Resource Managers
JISC Committee Members
JISC Executive
JISC Regional Support Centres
JISC Services

Contents

  • Introduction
  • The Call and its Focus
  • Scope of the Call
  • Support for Successful bidders
  • Partnership and Project Outputs (Evaluation and Dissemination)
  • Evaluation Criteria for Proposals
  • Accessibility Issues
  • Public Relations
  • Bidding - Eligibility and Level of Support Available
  • Town Meeting
  • Bidding Process
  • Further Information
  • Appendices
    1. Cover sheet for Proposals
    2. Sample list of electronic Resources
    3. Background and Context
    4. Glossary and Useful URLs

Introduction

  1. The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), intends to fund a number of projects, under the Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L) to explore the re-purposing of existing and forthcoming JISC funded content suitable for use in learning. The programme will also encompass content created by other bodies and agencies active in this area where intellectual property rights allow for educational use in FE and HE, or can be negotiated. X4L is also supported by BECTa/NLN, Learning and Teaching Scotland (NGFL), and the LTSN. This programme will contribute to developing the mechanisms and supporting services to allow the submission and sharing of content generated by and of interest to the further education (FE) and higher education (HE) community.
  2. This call has been motivated by the imperative to make the most of the considerable investment that has taken place in a range of content which has high potential value for use in learning. It is clear that there is a need to encourage colleges and universities to actively take a role in defining the kinds of content that would best fit their learning aims, and for national agencies and support services to work to provide the tools and infrastructure to allow this "exchange of learning" to take place. For example, as the list of potential resources in Appendix B shows, there is a diverse and rich range of content already available in digital form. The challenge is to demonstrate how this can be re-used to support learning. These exemplars of new learning materials will serve to encourage the widespread adoption of re-purposing as one way of providing for the content needs of the FE and HE community.
  3. This is not a simple step, however it has been recognised at a high level that the key to sustainability and widespread adoption of electronic learning materials, is to unlock the potential of the work taking place in a number of complementary areas e.g. NLN, JISC, UFI, NGFL. This could be seen as the first step in exploring the potential for this "exchange".
  4. Proposals are invited from institutions and from departments and individuals in further education and higher education institutions funded via the UK funding bodies. In issuing this call for proposals JISC is particularly concerned to ensure that the FE sector is enabled to bid under the programme and should contact their local Regional Support Centre for help and guidance in submitting proposals. Proposals are invited both from single institutions and consortia of institutions. Partnerships are actively encouraged with owners or suppliers of relevant content although funds can only be allocated through a lead FE or HE site.
  5. JISC funded services are also invited to submit proposals in partnership with colleges and universities to explore the re-purposing of existing content to meet specific learning objectives within the context of specific curricula. It is important that this activity does not duplicate the effort that has gone in to other initiatives e.g. the JISC-DNER Learning and Teaching Programme and the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP).
  6. The deadline for submitting responses to either strand of this call is 5.00pm on Thursday 28th February 2002.

The Call and its Focus

  1. The Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L) will explore the re-purposing of existing and forthcoming JISC funded content suitable for use in learning. The programme will also encompass content created by other bodies and agencies active in this area where intellectual property rights allow for educational use in FE and HE, or can be negotiated. Part of this activity is to explore the process of integration or "plugging-in" of usable objects into online learning such as Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and Managed Learning Environments (MLEs).

    This area of development has the potential to:

    • increase the range and number of materials accessible for use in learning and teaching;
    • make available exemplars and case studies of re-purposing electronic materials for learning and teaching;
    • explore the potential for re-purposing existing electronic materials to meet new learning objectives;
    • establish mechanisms for tagging content as learning objects, and the mechanisms for interaction between local provision and national repositories, e.g. the National Learning Network (NLN) repository;
    • build upon the JISC MLE programmes to demonstrate the potential for use and re-use of standards or specifications for learning objects within VLEs and MLEs;
    • build on relationships with content providers (including commercial suppliers) to provide learning focussed exemplars and sample materials which demonstrate applicability of content for learning.

    Scope of the Call

    1. Proposals are sought from members of the FE/HE community for funding (partnerships with JISC services and other relevant providers of content are encouraged under this call):

      Strand A: Community Call for Proposals - Full Proposals

      1. To assemble "chunks" of content from JISC funded and other suitable resources which can be identified as learning objects, to create new learning materials. This is to unlock existing content to serve pedagogical ends.
      2. To tag or catalogue resources available as records in the Resource Discovery Network (RDN) or in JISC funded collections in order to make more direct connections between available resources and the post 16 curriculum and to create learning pathways.
      3. To document the processes used to re-purpose learning materials and to provide case studies and exemplars.
      4. To test the usability of these materials within the context of an institutional environment/portal or within a local VLE.
      5. To submit these learning materials for sharing, for example to the JISC/NLN learning materials repository, and to trial and evaluate their use within the community (where IPR permits).

      2. Strand B: Tools and "Service" Architecture - Expressions of interest

      Organisations with relevant resources and expertise are invited to submit expressions of interest at this stage for projects focusing on the development of tools and management of records and processes leading to the creation of an architecture to support the programme, including:

      1. The development of tools based upon appropriate standards and specifications (e.g. IMS, SCORM) to facilitate the creation of learning pathways and the assembly of learning objects and appropriate metadata.
      2. The creation of a development bay for learning objects, for example a place where materials can be deposited and archived on a temporary basis during the lifetime of the programme with a view to their use within a service environment in the longer term. The successful bidder would need to work closely with the co-hosts (EDINA and MIMAS) of the NLN Leaning Materials Repository and would need to be prepared to build on the work taking place there.

    Support for Successful Bidders

    1. The programme will be supported by the JISC Executive and a programme manager will be responsible for overseeing and co-ordinating the project work in the established way. However it is recognised that bidders under this circular will have particular support needs. Therefore an aspect of the programme will cover project support and sharing best practice with the aim of creating an active "exchange for learning community". The JISC and BECTa will set in place a range of project support mechanisms to:
      • co-ordinate and monitor relevant learning standards and to assist in their implementation for funded projects;
      • assist with the use of relevant tools and the integration of project work within VLEs;
      • assist with the technical processes to identify relevant "chunks of content" and to extract learning objects;
      • assist with IPR and copyright issues;
      • provide and disseminate good practice guidelines

      Partnership and Project Outputs (Evaluation and Dissemination)

      1. JISC will wish to oversee and monitor the progress of funded projects. This will include recognition that in groundbreaking work there may be failures as well as successes, but that all such experience can provide valuable information for the community. It is also recognised that aims and objectives as well as the technological context can change, and that individual project objectives may need to be renegotiated over time.
      2. Both formative and summative evaluation will be undertaken within the programme. JISC will under take evaluation in partnership with the funded projects. Projects will be required to co-operate with the programme evaluation. Each project will be required to build in evaluation activity in its project planning. The scale and nature of this project evaluation will naturally be dependent on the size and scale of project activity, and should be appropriate to programme aims.
      3. The JISC does not seek to retain IPR in the project and deliverables created as part of its programmes. However funding is made available on the condition that project outputs are made available, free at the point of use, to the UK HE and FE community in perpetuity, and that these may be disseminated widely in partnership with the JISC.
      4. JISC will draw up a dissemination strategy in partnership with the projects and other JISC initiatives.
      5. Projects will be expected to be aware of the importance of relevant standards in this area. They are particularly advised to consult the CETIS website. It should be noted however that projects will be supported in the adoption of supported standards for the re-purposing of content for learning materials. It is expected that the activities in Strand B will assist the project work supported under Strand A as described above.
      6. Projects will also be expected to follow the JISC/DNER project management guidelines. This includes adherence to copyright and IPR guidelines, good project management practices, regular reporting and participation of projects in steering committees. A Programme Manager based in the JISC Development Team will provide management support to projects. It is intended that the learning and deliverables created as part of this programme will be deployed by the JISC as part of a long-term strategy for providing access to community resources. However, wherever this is achievable projects will be required to set in place mechanisms to ensure the continued availability and currency of deliverables after funding has ended. JISC will not be able to commit to the long term delivery or maintenance of project outputs though guidance will be given about opportunities for continuation funding and embedding within institutions.

      Evaluation Criteria for Proposals

      1. Overall impact - the extent to which the project outcomes will be of general value to the FE/HE community and will contribute to better understanding of online learning. This will include an assessment of the extent to which the projects will contribute to the overall strategic aims set out in this document and the likely benefits - short-term, medium term and long term - for the JISC community. Included in the assessment under this criterion will be the need for sustainability of the work at the end of the projectÕs funding period. (25%)
      2. Pedagogical impact - the extent to which the project outcomes will have pedagogic value to the FE/HE community. (25%)
      3. Partnership and dissemination - the degree to which the proposal demonstrates the projectÕs openness and willingness to work in partnership with JISC in forward planning, dissemination and evaluation; the potential for extended partnership beyond the funding period; the nature and level of the likely outputs for dissemination. (20%)
      4. Value for money - taking into account the level of innovation, chance of success and relevance to the FE/HE community - whether the project represents good value for money. (20%)
      5. Track record of both the project's institution(s) and the project team - demonstration of the project team's and institution's potential to manage and deliver a successful project, for example through work done to date in the area or in related fields, ability to engage with and build a community and understanding of the issues and of the technologies. (10%)
      6. In the case of proposals from consortiums, the strength of the consortium will be considered. This refers to evidence of the commitment shown by the consortium partners to the consortium and the proposed project, and the degree to which the work proposed is aligned with institutional strategies and is shown to be embedded within the mainstream of the consortium. Proposers may wish to produce evidence such as partnership agreements, strategic plans, working papers etc. These may be included as appendices to the proposal and need not be counted within the 10-page limit.
      7. Notwithstanding the weightings of the evaluation criteria, proposals that fail badly on any one criterion may be rejected, and proposals showing exceptional strength in one or more areas with serious weaknesses in others may be funded. In making awards under this call JISC will take into account the need for an appropriate, varied and affordable group of projects and partners. It is not, therefore, necessarily the case that the projects with the highest raw scores based on these criteria will be funded.

      Accessibility Issues

      1. JISC considers the accessibility of systems it funds to be of critical importance thus ensuring that all students and staff are able to use such systems. In keeping with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and Human Rights legislation, and the wider access policies of the Funding Councils, it is expected that software and IT resources in institutions should be accessible to staff and students with disabilities. Proposals should, where appropriate, take account of accessibility issues.
      2. Advice and recommendations for ensuring IT based systems, tools and resources are accessible by all staff and students can be found in the resource section of the Technology for Disabilities Service (TechDis). Further advice and consultancy is available from the TechDis Centre.

      Public Relations

      1. JISC will provide help and guidance to all funded projects regarding publicity, dissemination and evaluation activities.
      2. JISC endeavours to ensure that a coherent message is given to the community covering the breadth and depth of its activities. Projects will be expected to follow the JISC PR strategy and guidelines. These include advice on developing publicity materials and producing press releases, and will be issued to funded projects.
      3. Projects will be expected to establish and maintain a website for the dissemination of information about the project, (the size and scale of which will of course be dependent on and appropriate to the level of resourcing of a given project).

      Bidding - Eligibility and Level of Support Available

      1. FE and HE institutions and departments and individuals from FE/HE institutions funded by the UK funding bodies are eligible to submit proposals.
      2. Consortium partners external to FE/HE are welcome, however the lead partner must be a FE or HE institution funded by the UK funding bodies. Budgets for partners outside the FE/HE community cannot be met directly by JISC.
      3. As guidance, proposals for projects from one to three years duration and with budgets ranging from £10,000 to £300,000 will be considered. All projects are encouraged to start as soon as possible. Funds available will not cover institutional overheads. Where possible, institutions are invited to make contributions to the work.

      Town Meeting

      1. The JISC is holding a Town Meeting where potential bidders will be given information about the background to the call, its objectives and the bidding process. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions of JISC staff, JISC committee members and members of the X4L steering group. This half day meeting will take place on 1st February in Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London at 10.30 am. Members of the FE and HE community are invited to register for the meeting by contacting Sarah Sherman on jisc@kcl.ac.uk, 0207 848 2937. The total number of participants at the Town Meeting is restricted so institutions are invited to register early.

      Bidding Process

      1. The bidding process will be in two stages for Strand A proposals and three stages for Strand B submissions.

      For Strand A Projects

      Stage 1

      1. Proposals should be submitted, to a maximum of 10 sheets of A4 plus appendices, together with a letter of support from an authorised senior manager at the institution (in the case of consortium proposals, from each member institution), and a completed cover sheet (see Appendix A). These should be sent to Rachel Merrett, JISC Executive, Northavon House, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QD. An electronic copy of the bid, appendices, cover sheet and letter(s) of support should also be sent to r.merrett@jisc.ac.uk. Both hard copy and emailed proposals must be received by 5.00pm on Thursday 28th February 2002. Faxed or late proposals will not be accepted.
      2. The content of the proposals should reflect the evaluation criteria set out in paragraphs 21 to 27 above. To assist in the assessment of all proposals against a common baseline please follow the structure outlined below:

        Outline - A brief outline of the nature of the work to be undertaken, including the length of the project, the proposed start date (projects are encouraged to start as soon as possible) and how it will contribute to the Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L).

        Project deliverables - A description of the intended project deliverables, and an explanation of how they will be of value to the JISC community.

        Pedagogic context - project proposals under this call should include a brief description of the ways in which the project outputs will directly contribute to learning and teaching. It is essential that the proposal should focus on learning activity - what the learner does - and on intended learning outcomes. This should be consistent with a well-founded account of student learning in higher/further education. Proposals should also include plans for working with current and/or intended users of the learning objects (teachers and/or learners), as a way of ensuring a sound understanding of the objects' pedagogical utility is gained by the project team and captured in the documentation they produce. The scale of this activity will of course depend on the size of the projects and the funds being requested.

        Budget - A budget that in broad outline identifies how funds will be spent over the life of the project, including a breakdown of funding across academic years (August to July). Staff costs, equipment and consumables, travel and subsistence (if appropriate), dissemination, evaluation and other costs should be identified. An indication of institutional contributions (e.g. Overheads, equipment, staff time) should also be given.

        Capabilities - A summary of evidence demonstrating ability to undertake the project, for example brief statements of the institution's and project team's experience and achievements relevant to the project.

        Evaluators - Names and contact details of two evaluators who are independent of the project and who can be called upon by JISC for an assessment of the project proposal against the evaluation criteria outlined above.

        Key contact - a named contact for correspondence concerning the proposal (include name, position, institution, address, telephone and fax numbers and email address).

      Stage 2

      1. JISC will consider these full proposals and endeavour to notify successful bidders by early April 2002. JISC will expect to work with the selected projects to jointly agree the work programme and to ensure that the project budget is adequately set and profiled. JISC may wish to negotiate outcomes and content as appropriate to the JISC Information Environment development of which the X4L programme is a component.

      For Strand B projects

      Stage 1

      1. Expressions of interest should be submitted, to a maximum of 5 sheets of A4 plus any appendices, together with a letter of support from an authorised senior manager at the institution (in the case of consortium proposals, from each member institution), and a completed cover sheet (see Appendix A). These should be sent to Rachel Merrett, JISC Executive, Northavon House, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QD. An electronic copy of the bid, appendices, cover sheet and letter(s) of support should also be sent to r.merrett@jisc.ac.uk. Both hard copy and emailed responses must be received by 5.00pm on Thursday 28th February 2002. Faxed or late proposals will not be accepted.
      2. The expression of interest should follow the structure outlined below and should comment in summary on the following areas:

        Outline - A brief outline of the nature of the work to be undertaken, including the length of the project, the proposed start date (projects are encouraged to start as soon as possible), and how it will contribute to the Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L).

        Project deliverables - A description of the intended project deliverables, and an explanation of how they will be of value to the JISC community.

        Pedagogic context - project proposals under this call should include a brief description of the ways in which the learning object(s) could be used in learning and teaching. It is essential that the proposal should focus on learning activity - what the learner does - and on intended learning outcomes. This should be consistent with a well-founded account of student learning in higher/further education. Proposals should also include plans for working with current and/or intended users of the learning objects (teachers and/or learners), as a way of ensuring a sound understanding of the objects' pedagogical utility is gained by the project team and captured in the documentation they produce. The scale of this activity will of course depend on the size of the projects and the funds being requested.

        Budget - A budget that in broad outline identifies how funds will be spent over the life of the project, including a breakdown of funding across academic years (August to July). Staff costs, equipment and consumables, travel and subsistence (if appropriate), dissemination, evaluation and other costs should be identified. An indication of institutional contributions (e.g. Overheads, equipment, staff time) should also be given.

        Capabilities - A summary of evidence demonstrating ability to undertake the project, for example brief statements of the institution's and project team's experience and achievements relevant to the project

        Evaluators - Names and contact details of two evaluators who are independent of the project and who can be called upon by JISC for an assessment of the project proposal against the evaluation criteria outlined above

        Key contact - a named contact for correspondence concerning the proposal (include name, position, institution, address, telephone number and email address)

      Stage 2

      1. Expressions of interest will be evaluated by panels set up by the programme steering committee. It is intended to draw up a short list of proposals by the end of March 2002 and to invite shortlisted bidders to submit a more detailed proposal, including a full project plan, by the end of April 2002. Bidders may be asked to make a presentation to an evaluation panel in May 2002.

      Stage 3

      1. JISC will consider the full proposals and endeavour to notify successful bidders by the end of May 2002. JISC will expect to work with the selected projects to jointly agree the work programme and to ensure that the project budget is adequately set and profiled. JISC may wish to negotiate outcomes and content as appropriate to the JISC Information Environment development of which the X4L programme is a component.

      Further Information

      1. General enquiries about the X4L programme should be sent to:

        Catherine Grout, DNER Assistant Director for Development, JISC Executive London Office, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 Strand, London, WC2R 1HH, 0207 848 2493, catherine.grout@kcl.ac.uk

      2. Enquiries about re-purposing of content should be sent to:

        Susan Eales, JISC Collections Manager for Learning Materials, JISC Executive London Office, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 Strand, London, WC2R 1HH, 0207 848 2495, susan.eales@kcl.ac.uk

      3. Enquiries about issues related to MLEs and VLEs should be sent to:

        Sarah Porter, JCIEL Programme Manager, JISC Executive, University of Bristol, Computer Centre, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1UD, 01865 426869.

      4. General enquiries about the submission process should be sent to:

        Alice Colban, JISC Executive, Northavon House, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QD, 0117 931 7257.

      Appendix A

      Cover Sheet for Proposals (All sections must be completed) Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L)

      Name of Lead Institution/Organisation

      Name of Proposed Project

      Full Contact Details for proposal leader

      Name:

      Address:

       

       

      Tel:
      Fax:
      Email:

      Programme Area(s) of Proposal

      (Please indicate which programme area
      your proposal relates to using the categorisation in paragraph 9 of the Circular)


      Length of Project and cost to JISC over its Life
      Cost of Proposal to JISC in each academic year

      Proposed Project Start date

      Outline Project Description

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      Name and Contact Details of Project Evaluators

       

       

       

       

      Appendix B: Example List of Existing Electronic Resources

      The following are examples of the kinds of digital resources that may be relevant to this programme. NB partnership or at least consultation with collection owners or service providers will be essential to ascertain copyright status and eligibility of the content for re-purposing. Partnership arrangements could be an excellent way of addressing IPR issues collaboratively.

      For further information and assistance about these resources please contact Susan Eales, Collections Manager for Learning Materials, 0207 848 2495, susan.eales@kcl.ac.uk

      1. No subscription required for educational use (examples)
      1. JISC subscription based for access by the FE/HE community (examples)

        NB While these resources are subscription based, partnerships with content providers could be employed to participate in the programme.

      • Cochrane Library
      • Electronic Law Reports
      • Grove Dictionaries of Art, Opera and Music
      • Index to the Times
      • Info4education
      • Infotrac OneFile and Custom Newspapers
      • JSTOR
      • KnowUK and KnowEurope
      • Literature Online
      • Oxford English Dictionary Online
      • SCRAN Resource Base
      1. Other relevant national initiatives
      • FDTL (Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning)  - go to 'Projects' and then select 'subjects / themes' to see the large number of subject-based projects that have been funded).
      • TLTP (Teaching and Learning Technology Programme) project results - go to 'Projects' and then select 'subjects / themes' to see the large number of subject-based projects that have been funded).
      • QUILT - Quality in Information and Learning Technology. A list of projects is searchable from this site.

      Appendix C: Background and Context

      The Exchange for Learning Programme (X4L) is one of the programmes that will contribute to the development of an online information environment providing secure and convenient access to a comprehensive collection of scholarly and educational material to serve the needs of students, teachers and researchers in further and higher education.

      Information Environment

      A key JISC strategy for the next 5 years is to build an integrated Information Environment that:

      • Accommodates and delivers all kinds of digital content
      • Fully supports the submission and sharing of research and learning objects
      • Provides a range of meaningful, rich and innovative methods of accessing electronic materials, to enrich and develop learning and research
      • Provides a collaborative landscape of service providers who work together seamlessly to meet the needs of the community on a national basis
      • Is underpinned by real world interoperability, based on a common standards framework and common semantics for digital resource descriptions and access.

      The realisation of the Information Environment involves the development of a robust service provider architecture, content submission and sharing mechanisms, fusion and portal services, shared infrastructure services, and an enhanced presentation layer supported by the network infrastructure (Super Janet 4).

      Content Disclosure and Submission Programme

      The JISC envisages the Information Environment as a place where a variety of stakeholders particularly members of the FE/HE community can place and share useful content. The JISC content portfolio has the potential to grow to embrace both externally generated content from publishers and aggregators of educational content and community-generated resources. Therefore staff and students need a place in which to lodge suitable content and products and a currency for exchanging and adding to it. This is an important part of growing a relevant and useful portfolio of resources. The Information Environment must therefore develop the mechanisms and supporting services to allow this process to prosper. There are significant advantages to the FE/HE community and to the JISC/DNER of this approach.

      The key objectives of the Content Disclosure and Submission Programme are:

      • To progress access to and sharing of community content through the following mechanisms:
        • DISCLOSURE: Harvesting of metadata
        • DISCOVERY: Providing support for the exposure of records about community collections (library, archive, learning, teaching and research collections would be eligible)
        • DEPOSIT: Direct submission of relevant content to existing services/collections
        • EXCHANGE: Re-purposing of existing and forthcoming JISC/DNER content suitable for use as learning objects in order to allow them to be integrated with or plugged into MLE's and VLE's

        Managed Learning Environments

        The development by institutions of Managed Learning Environments as one of the key issues for the JISC during the next five years. Through its MLE programmes, the JISC is helping FE and HE institutions to create and maintain Managed Learning environments (MLEs) to support students at the core of their business processes. In particular the JISC is:

        • leading the FE and HE communities in the use of appropriate standards and specifications for the description and interchange of educational materials
        • funding a wide range of MLE implementation projects to develop exemplar MLE systems
        • developing re-usable models for MLE implementation
        • identifying and developing tools for MLE development
        • advising institutions on a broad range of MLE issues through detailed reports, briefing papers and conferences.

        Appendix D: Glossary and Useful URLs

        AHDS (Arts and Humanities Data Service)

        BECTa (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency)

        EDINA (Edinburgh Data and Information Access)

        DNER (Distributed National Electronic Resource)

        FDTL (Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning)

        FE (Further Education)

        FERL (Further Education Resources for Learning)

        HE (Higher Education)

        IMS (Instructional Management Systems)

        JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee)

        JTAP (JISC Technology Applications Programme)

        X4L (Exchange for Learning Programme)

        LTSN (Learning and Teaching Support Network)

        MIMAS (Manchester Information and Associated Services)

        MLE (Managed Learning Environment)

        NGFL (National Grid for Learning)

        NLN (National Learning Network)

        RDN (Resource Discovery Network)

        RSCs (JISC Regional Support Centres)

        UFI (University for Industry)

        QUILT (Quality in Information and Learning Technology)

        SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model)

        TLTP (Teaching and Learning Technology Programme)

        VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)

        Useful URLs

        JISC Centre for Educational Technology

        Technology for Disabilities Service (TechDis)

        FERL Website

        Managed Learning Environments

      • By 2005, to have significantly enhanced access to community collections through the use of these mechanisms
      • By 2005, to have funded and managed a number of community-based programmes in order to ascertain the organisational, technical, and business challenges involved in sustaining this area as a core strand of JISC activity.
  2. The X4L programme aims to encourage widespread engagement of the FE and HE community in the development and use of electronic materials for learning and teaching. The focus of the programme will therefore be on project work, much of it based directly in colleges and universities that will foster cultural change in online learning and teaching. It is envisaged that projects will engage in pilot activity that may contribute to services in the future.
  3. Pedagogical outcomes are at the basis of this call. The programme will focus on learning activity Ð what the learner does Ð and on intended learning outcomes and will include an emphasis on working with current and/or intended users of the learning objects. This is core to ensuring a sound understanding of the objects' pedagogical utility.
  4. It is recognised that the JISC and others have already allocated substantial resources into the acquisition and creation of learning materials through programmes such as the JISC Technology Applications Programme (JTAP), the JISC-DNER Learning and Teaching Programme, TLTP, FDTL, NLN and other work. This programme provides an opportunity to explore how existing learning materials can be re-purposed to meet a different pedagogic model and/or subject focus.
  5. To achieve the objectives of the programme, the proposed activities have been divided into two interlinked strands.
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Summary
Submission Deadline
28 February 2002 17:00
Funding
See full circular