JISC

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Nottingham Trent University plans to enhance the University’s repository provision by developing and extending its standards-based repository infrastructure to include Learning Object Repository services. Business, administrative and technical processes are needed to facilitate use of the Learning Object Repository (LOR) by the academic community. This project aims to integrate processes and technology to develop effective management of the Learning Object Repository (LOR) in the University’s VLE.

The two year project is being undertaken in partnership with Desire2Learn who are investing in technical development. This partnership draws on the work of the University’s LOR Working Group, which has carried out a range of tasks aimed at preparing for the release of the LOR tool in the VLE for the next academic year.

Aims and Objectives

The success of the JISC supported Institutional Repository (IRep) enabled the University to develop repository services to include a range of objects associated with learning and teaching. The repository enhancement project will undertake to do the following:

• further develop the institutional repository and embed its use and content population into the life and work of academics at NTU;
• collaborate with Desire2Learn to work on the integration of the Learning Object Repository (LOR) with IREP and external repositories e.g. Jorum;
• define metadata mapping and metadata application profiles for the description of different types of content;
• develop policies for the sharing and licensing of content within the LOR, the IRep and National Repositories such as JORUM.
  

Fostering change in academic learning and teaching practice

As well as providing a repository infrastructure and processes, the project has a significant goal of encouraging change in learning and teaching practice aiming to:

• promote and enhance content creation, facilitate learning and teaching resource sharing and management;
• maximise the effective use of learning and teaching resources currently locked up in personal storage devices, module locations on the VLE, and less reliable media;
• improve capability of re-use and re-purposing of L&T resources;
• Achieve a measurable increase in deposit rate to the LOR and IREP;
• share outcomes of work undertaken to develop the interface between IRep, the VLE LOR and external repositories e.g. JORUM.
  

The institutional approach adopted is aligned to the e-Framework ADDI methodology that directly addresses the importance of organisational perspectives, cultural issues, sharing and reusability, interoperability and accessibility and retention when considering policy, processes and guidelines for the management of LOs and LORs.

 Project Reports

• Project Plan
  

Lead Institution

• Nottingham Trent University

Partner Institution

• Desire2Learn