JISC

Study the impact of restricted access to ICT based communications upon staff within UK higher and further education institutions

JISC is inviting bids to investigate three key areas of the management of ICT within UK higher and further education. The areas are:

• the sustainability of ICT infrastructure within institutions
• the extent of integration of information systems within individual institutions
• restrictions upon staff access to ICT based communications

These projects are both significant and timely in the context of the current ICT/e-strategies of government and funding councils and of the development of individual institutions. The common theme is the capability of institutions to build, sustain and to exploit fully an ICT infrastructure and systems that will support the instituion's strategic educational and managerial goals. In each case, the project represents the first, exploratory steps towards identifying, quantifying and analysing the issues and the ways in which they are currently managed, with a view to providing future guidance on good practice for institutions.

This particular ITT is to study the impact of restricted access to ICT systems, particularly on-site networked communications systems, upon the effectiveness and efficiency of staff within UK higher and further education institutions and upon the institutions themselves.

Funds of up to £50,000 are available to produce a report which assesses the extent of restricted access to ICT systems and its impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of staff within UK higher and further education institutions and upon the institutions themselves. The study should identify and describe examples of current good practice in addressing this matter within sector institutions.

The project is expected to last six months.  It should start as soon as possible and no later than mid-April 2006 with completion by mid-October 2006.