JISC

Introduction  

The JISC Information Environment (IE) is working to develop an on-line environment that will enable presentation, delivery and use of on-line resources in ways tailored to support individual and institutional requirements. An integral part of the IE is the Presentation Programme. To support this Programme, the JISC has commissioned an investigation into personalisation. In this context personalisation is taken to mean any process, explicit or implicit, in which a presentation service tailors the individual user's experience. 

Aims and Objectives  

The aims of the study are:

• to advise JISC and the FHE community on the state of the art
• to provide a useful and meaningful report to aid decisions when planning or considering personalisation services within the JISC Information Environment
• to make the results of the study public so that others may comment on and perhaps use the work, both within JISC and outside, for example within partners in the Common Information Environment
• to find out what is currently happening on personalisation in JISC services
• to look at the practicality and desirability of personalisation in different circumstances

Overall Approach  

We aim to provide the following:

1. State-of-the-art & literature review, gathering information from outside UK FHE.
   The literature review will seek to identify relevant commercial and, especially, public initiatives taking place outside the UK FHE arena. In considering these initiatives, we will concentrate on identifying the key technological approaches taken towards achieving personalisation and attempting to identify their potential applicability within the JISC Information Environment
2. Information gathering and consultation within UK FHE.
   A selection of JISC Services, Collection and Projects will be interviewed and/or visited with detailed examination of projects actively developing personalisation and portal technologies. This will include those active in developing the JISC Information Environment and directing the research agenda associated with it.
   As an adjunct to the individual discussions we are proposing to hold two or three Regional Meetings so that interested parties can debate the issues, air different views and share enthusiasms and reservations about future directions in the area. We hope that a lively atmosphere will be engendered by some short contributions given by key players to fire discussions
3. Précis, collation, synthesis and recommendation.
   We will bring together views, updates and opinions on the potential, the possibilities, problems and pitfalls of employing personalisation within the JISC environment. This may include input from those active in institutional developments, those developing security and authentication solutions, usability and accessibility experts and those who might speak on behalf of end-users.