JISC

For the second year running JISC is sponsoring an award which will showcase the most innovative and potentially far-reaching ICT initiatives across the UK. The award, one of the Times Higher’s 2008 Awards, will ‘recognise and reward an institutional ICT initiative which has demonstrated an innovative and strategic use of ICT in support of the goals of that institution.’

The award, for which all higher education institutions, teams or departments in the UK are eligible, is now open for entries until 12 June 2008. The award will be presented at an event on the 23rd October. 
 
The judges of the JISC award are:

• Anne Bell - University Librarian, Warwick University and Chair of SCONUL
• Maria Lee, Head of the Centre for Educational Development, Queen’s University Belfast and  Chair of JISC  Organisational Support Committee (JOS)
• Dr John Selby, Director: education and participation, HEFCE
• Professor Wim Liebrand, Executive Director SURF Foundation, Netherlands

'The winners provide an exemplar for higher education, which we believe can be rolled out across a wide range of subjects.'

As editor Gerard Kelly said in the current issue of the Times Higher Education, more than 100 institutions entered in one or more of the 20 categories last year, while 40 institutions entered for the JISC award. The six shortlisted entries will be showcasing their initiatives at the upcoming JISC conference in Birmingham on the 15th April.

Last year’s award winner was the e-course team at the School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham, which won the award for its development of an e-course that allows users - with no formal training and no need of technical support - to create and contribute podcasts and interactive learning materials.

Developer of the e-course, Giles Perryer, said of his department’s winning of the award: 'It was absolutely superb, completely unexpected, and the sound of my chin hitting the table could be heard across the whole room. It was absolutely fantastic!'

Professor David Baker, Principal of the College of St Mark and St John and one of the judges, said: ‘The e-course team won because of their imagination and innovation. It seemed clear to me that the people involved really had moved us forward in terms of the application of ICT to learning and teaching. The winners provide an exemplar for higher education, which we believe can be rolled out across a wide range of subjects. This is just what the judges wanted to see. It was a difficult decision: the standard and quality of all the entries made the final selection a challenge.'

For further information and to enter the Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year Award

Listen to the podcast of last year’s winning initiative

For further information, please contact Philip Pothen