Research goes virtual: developing collaborative environments

Give and take with JORUM JISC

informissue 10 summer 2005 PPoolingooling resresourcesources PPrroovviiddiinngg ttoooollss ffoorr ccoollllaabboorraattiioonn iinn eedduuccaattiioonn he magazine of the Joint Information Systems Committee ISSN 1476-7619 ISSN Committee Systems the Joint Information he magazine of T aanndd rreesseeaarrcchh

Supporting institutions An interview with Paul Ramsden, Chief Executive, Higher Education Academy JISC inform summer 2005

‘The future JISC depends on organisations collaborating to inform be successful’

3Digimap steps back in time 4: Interview with A familiar resource becomes historic Paul Ramsden 4Supporting institutions An interview with Paul Ramsden, Chief Executive, Higher Education Academy 8The National Grid Service builds up steam Sharing facilities on the Grid 10 Sharing resources Pioneering digital repositories

11 Making effective use of JISC e-resources How JISC e-resources can enrich education and research

12 Diagram: the JISC Model Licence and its benefits

15 Research goes virtual Developing collaborative environments 18 Give and take with Jorum A unique new service is set to take its bow

20 Spreading expertise RSC helps colleges prepare for inspection 22 Impact and integration JISC 2005 conference in pictures

JISC inform is produced by the Joint Editor Tell us what you think Information Systems Committee (JISC) to raise Philip Pothen awareness of the use of Information and Your feedback on this publication, Communications Technology (ICT) to support Production Coordinator including suggestions for contributions, further and higher education in the UK. Greg Clemett Contributing authors include members of the is most welcome. Please contact JISC JISC family of services and initiatives, the Designer Communications and Marketing: JISC’s partners and staff working in the FE Kelvin Reeves email [email protected] and HE sectors. or tel 0117 954 5083 The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of JISC. www.jisc.ac.uk JISC inform summer 2005

New developments of a familiar resource are allowing online access to historic maps for the first time. Tim Riley reports on how this new e-resource will have a major impact on the way we explore both our historic and our geographic environment Digimap steps back in time

Maps give us a sense of place but, covering Great Britain from the mid- when presented in historical 1800s to the early 1990s. Digital scans of sequence, can give us a powerful OS maps, totalling some 400,000 sense of time too. Add the separate map images, can now be ‘joined’ functionality of the online to provide seamless coverage where the environment and the potential for maps allow it. Zoom and pan facilities learning, teaching and research help users to navigate, and up to four becomes immense. maps of the same location at different dates can be viewed side by side. For some five years Digimap has provided online access to contemporary Ordnance This new resource continues the trend of Survey maps and geographic data. An online resources providing a level of

established resource in further and higher functionality not possible until now. supplied service Survey/EDINA An Ordnance right 2004. / database copyright © Crown map service education, less than a third of its users These new possibilities are in turn are, in fact, geographers. Specialists from transforming learning, teaching and a range of subject areas as diverse as research by providing new ways of medicine and hairdressing are currently looking at resources, whether in this case using it. The new Digimap Historic Map historic maps, or in other cases, the full Collection is set to continue this trend for text of out of print books, Census data multi-disciplinary use of maps and which can be manipulated by powerful software, or images and moving pictures. geographic data.

The resource will be of benefit to a range Funded by JISC and hosted and developed of subject disciplines, including those by EDINA, the service for the first time investigating the changing landscape, the offers online access to historic maps development of modern transport and communications networks, archaeological sites, and so on, but will also be of use in genealogical studies, the evaluation of past planning decisions and agricultural history, to name a few. But perhaps most exciting of all are the ways of using the resource which learners, teachers and researchers will discover for themselves.

Tim Riley EDINA EDINA Digi from sourced map, Landline.Plus Contemporary 2005 Group and Landmark Information copyright maps © Crown Historical O.S. maps from 1883, 1921, 1931 and 2005 show For further information please go to: the development of Somerton from a small Up to four maps of the same location at www.edina.ac.uk/digimap rural settlement to an urban district of different dates can be viewed side by side Newport Gwent 3 INTERVIEW

JISC inform

An interview with Paul Ramsden Supporting instit

The Higher Education Paul Ramsden has had a busy year. As its serving and to be seen to be serving Academy was founded Chief Executive he has been responsible the HEIs.’ for leading the still-new Higher last year to support Education Academy as it sets about ‘The student experience’ higher education making the right connections and in delivering the best establishing new partnerships. ‘We’re just The Higher Education Academy has three possible learning a year old,’ he says, sitting in his office in key strands to its work: to provide an the new Academy building on the authoritative and independent voice at experience for all outskirts of York, ‘but we’ve been the policy level; to support the students. Chief establishing connections with funders, professional development and Executive Paul Ramsden partners, organisations like the recognition of staff in higher education; spoke exclusively to Leadership Foundation, the QAA (Quality and to support institutions in their JISC Inform about the Assurance Agency), JISC, and establishing attempts to improve the quality of the our presence in the four countries of student learning experience. Academy, the place of the UK.’ ICT in its work and its It is the ‘student learning experience’ partnership with JISC Central to the Academy’s work, though, which perhaps most clearly drives Paul has been the need to establish contact Ramsden in his work at the helm of the with higher education institutions (HEIs) Academy. ‘We are about improving the themselves. ‘They are our clients,’ student’s learning and support Professor Ramsden explains. ‘They pay a experience. There’s a business aspect to subscription. It’s important for us to be this, but also a value aspect. If you speak 4 JISC inform summer 2005

‘I believe that JISC and the Academy have a common vision about excellence and about supporting our institutions to provide the kind of experiences our students need’

accredited programmes - ‘most Professor Ramsden speaks of the first universities have at least one of them’ - time he used an Apple Mac. ‘I was struck which provide the Academy with its by the fact that someone had thought registered practitioners. He speaks too of hard about the user’, he says. ‘That’s how the significant investment in the it should be in universities. When you’re Academy’s network of subject centres, using a car you don’t think about the which provide discipline-based support compression ratios of the cylinders. The throughout the UK. ‘The work of the computer gets on with it. Someone subject centres,’ he says, ‘is regarded both somewhere needs to have thought about nationally and internationally as a big how it works, but the big emphasis for us success. They have been working very is the fact it has to be seen as part of the much with the grain of academic life and bigger question of the student utions although their work will develop, that experience.’ work is certainly something to build on. There are also obvious connections HEFCE has charged both the Higher between the work of the subject centres Education Academy and JISC with to most senior managers in universities, and that of JISC,’ he adds (see page 7). implementing its e-learning strategy, they will say that these things are vital. published in March of this year. Paul Working with JISC Ramsden sees this partnership as a good ‘But what do we mean by the student example of how the Academy will need experience?’ he asks. ‘Well, does it stop Can working with JISC, then, help to to collaborate in general. at the lecture hall? Or the IT room? Or support institutions to improve their the PC? What the student remembers is students’ ‘learning experience’? Professor not always the inspirational lecturer, Ramsden is clear that it can. ‘I believe important though he or she may be, but that JISC and the Academy have a maybe the departmental admin assistant common vision about excellence and who helped them change their about supporting our institutions to enrolment. Or the car parking facilities, provide the kind of experiences our or the IT facilities, or the quality of students need and increasingly require. assessment they’ve received. So what we We have an enviable reputation in this mean by the student experience is that country for the quality of our courses, we allow them to say what they mean by but this reputation is not something that it, to say what they think is important.’ stands still. We have to be getting better all the time. Clearly ICT is a crucial part What has the Academy been doing so of higher education. It’s not an optional far to improve the learning experience extra, and our students have been telling of UK students? Paul Ramsden talks of us that for a while. It’s something that the Academy’s 150 or so nationally one simply expects to be there.’ 5 JISC inform summer 2005

‘We were both involved jointly in the resources and e-learning uptake. The enhancement procedures and to turn consultation process for the strategy, but funded projects cover a range of topics, that situation around. At the end of the also now in implementing it. The great including image banks, learning object process we saw a 30-40% increase in thing about the strategy is that it is repositories and question banks. student satisfaction and we were able to about embedding e-learning as a normal demonstrate to the community, including part of the business of higher education. ‘This engagement will support JISC as potential students, that management and The future depends on organisations not well as the Academy’s goals,’ says collegial processes had been responsible duplicating roles but collaborating to be Professor Ramsden, ‘by raising the profile for that.’ successful. Different emphases need to be of e-learning within HE subject coordinated into an integrated message.’ communities. They’ll enable the Subject Implementation of a virtual learning Centres to benefit from the expertise in environment (VLE) played its part in He cites the example of the proposed e-learning built up through JISC improving student satisfaction at Sydney joint JISC- and Academy-funded National development projects and, of course, its too. ‘The main driver for the use of our e-Learning Advisory and Support Centre, advisory services.’ VLE was the students. Once it got going something outlined in HEFCE’s e-learning they just expected it and they would strategy. ‘It will be a virtual centre,’ he Australian experiences wonder why course materials weren’t says, ‘to coordinate activities and provide available on it, and so people were under leadership in the embedding of e- Experiences as the Pro Vice-Chancellor some pressure from their students to use learning in universities. We’re not about (Teaching and Learning) at the University it. Our job was then to provide the right providing a one-size-fits-all solution for of Sydney between 1999 and last year kind of support systems, help desks and institutions. They are at different stages have strongly influenced Paul Ramsden’s so on to encourage staff to use it.’ and not all can be leading edge. views about the importance of a student- Sometimes later adopters can get ahead led approach to excellence in teaching Are the lessons learned then still because other people have made the and about the place of ICT in that applicable now, in the UK? ‘Some mistakes.’ approach. academic staff are still turned off by technology and we have to help them by He also mentions the JISC Distributed ‘At the University of Sydney we were providing them with things that they find e-Learning Programme, which has losing ground to the competition and my useful rather than berating them. allocated funding to Academy Subject brief was to provide incentives, Interoperability and systems issues are Centres to explore the subject-specific management structures, quality important but the people issues are more issues surrounding sharing of digital assurance mechanisms, quality important.’

This leads on to a familiar and important theme – that the Academy, like JISC, is not a regulatory body. ‘The Academy works by supporting institutions, sharing good practice, coordinating and brokering activities. We don’t stand up and tell people what to do. We aim to avoid jargon or saying we know what’s best. Universities know what’s best for their students and if we can support them in securing their destinies, then we will have done a good job.’

For further information on the Higher Education Academy please go to: www.heacademy.ac.uk 6 INTERVIEW

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Working together on e-learning: JISC and the Higher Education Academy

What do philosophers make of e-learning? How can old engineering materials be given a new lease of life? What sort of resources can be shared and used by lecturers in dance, geography, social work or tourism? The Higher Education Academy Subject Centres are working with the JISC e-Learning programme to tackle these and other issues around the use of e-learning within their subject communities.

The Academy’s 24 Subject Centres have been participating in projects, funded by HEFCE under the Distributed e-Learning programme, to explore the cultural and subject issues related to the sharing and reuse of resources. The projects funded are as diverse as the terms: ‘Funding is enabling us to Interviews and observations with subjects they represent but in each understand not only the existing uses participating staff will highlight the case JISC investment has enabled and attitudes towards e-learning potential for this type of reusability centres to work with practitioners to within our community, but also their and form the basis of dissemination to explore issues relevant to them. real fears and concerns about its the broader subject community. impact on the teaching of the subject ‘The concept of re-use and sharing of as a whole.’ While the Subject Centre projects are resources is clearly a sensible one,’ says still in the early stages (the majority of Mike Sanders, C&IT Manager of the The Subject Centre for English is projects run from January 2005 to Geography, Earth and Environmental working on three projects, perhaps the March 2006), JISC and the Academy Sciences (GEES) Subject Centre, ‘but most innovative of which is the are exploring other areas for trying to get busy practitioners to exploration of the reuse of LAMS collaborative working. Lawrence engage with the idea is not as easy as learning designs in the subject. Hamburg, Head of e-Learning at the it might first appear. The funding has Building on the work undertaken in Academy, notes that ‘the Distributed allowed the Subject Centre to identify the JISC e-Learning Pedagogies e-learning Programme has proved to be the needs of the GEES community in programme, the project has created a a major opportunity to work closely this area and then allocate resources number of learning design sequences with the JISC through our network of to allow practitioners to explore the on diverse topics from Emily Dickinson Subject Centres. Both organisations are reality of reuse and sharing.’ and William Blake to editing skills and exploring new ways of working manuscript studies (see image). together, playing to our individual and Brett Lucas, Learning Technology joint strengths.’ Officer at the Subject Centre for In the second phase of the project the English, has also welcomed the reusability of the designs will be tested opportunity to explore e-learning by using them in live teaching Liz Pearce issues with practitioners on their own situations in other institutions. The Higher Education Academy

7 JISC inform summer 2005

The National Grid Service builds up s

Just six months after it began operation, the JISC-funded National Grid Service (NGS) has passed a major milestone. In early May, two universities, Bristol and Cardiff, joined as the first non- founder partners by offering to share some of their computing facilities on the Grid. The number of registered NGS users has swelled to 210, encompassing more than more than 20 e-research projects.

A JISC-funded service is providing a network of The NGS consists of separate but linked linked computing facilities to bring researchers computing facilities held at different together and to make otherwise complex tasks sites (nodes). Via a web portal on an much easier. Judy Redfearn explains ordinary desktop or laptop, a user taps into this distributed resource to perform lengthy or complex computations or gain access to data resources held at different sites. Tasks such as engineering design, real time 3-D scientific simulation and Census data analysis become possible far more quickly or with many more variables than before. Many jobs that would have taken days, and so may never have been attempted, take just minutes or seconds, leading to unexpected advances in the depth of understanding of a problem. 8 JISC inform summer 2005

‘Many jobs that would have taken days, and so may never have been attempted, take just minutes or seconds’ team

The NGS became fully operational last resource available to all NGS users. to bear on engineering design. It is using September with four nodes. JISC funded ‘Applications that can make use of the the NGS to allow designers to explore three, at Leeds, Manchester and Oxford, shared memory capabilities and high- the effect of small changes in the design and the Council for the Central speed internal network of Silicon Graphics of, say, an aircraft wing, on surrounding Laboratory for the Research Councils systems should benefit the most,’ says fluid flow via a computer model before (CCLRC) funded the fourth at the Jonathan Giddy, Grid coordinator at the testing with a physical one. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL). Welsh e-Science Centre. Leeds and Oxford offer Grid users Neil Geddes, GOSC director, would like to impressive computer power, whereas RAL Any researcher in a UK university can see more nodes adding new resources to and Manchester offer access to and apply for time on the Grid. ‘Applicants the Grid. ‘The current user community is manipulation of large datasets. The high need to specify what they want to do and telling us they’d like better visualisation,’ performance computing facilities at how much disk space and processing he says in the future. ‘And we would like Manchester and Edinburgh are also time they’ll need. The application then to integrate access to more data storage available on the Grid to researchers who goes through a lightweight peer review facilities.’ In the meantime, work will have specific permission to use them. which takes about a week,’ says Andy continue to improve the ease with which Richards, who coordinates usage on the the NGS is accessed. In the past six The nodes at Bristol and Cardiff are the NGS. A Grid Operations Support Centre months, a new improved web portal first to be funded from a non-central (GOSC), coordinated by RAL, helps both design has been introduced and further source. Bristol, the first UK university to novices and experienced users to get the improvements are on the way. set up its own campus grid of several most from their time. hundred linked PCs, has donated this Judy Redfearn resource to the Grid. ‘We wanted to raise Bridges is an example of a project that is JISC/EPSRC the profile of Bristol as an e-science using the NGS to compare large datasets. centre and encourage internal users to It aims to unravel the genetic and make better use of the NGS and our own environmental influences on the resources,’ says David Wallom, operations development of high blood pressure by director at the Bristol Centre for comparing genetic information for e-Research. humans, mice and rats. The NGS is allowing the project to integrate data For further information please go to: Cardiff University added its Silicon held at six different sites. The Geodise www.ngs.ac.uk/ Graphics machine, the first non-Linux project is bringing the power of the Grid 9 JISC inform summer 2005

A programme largely responsible for bringing the phrase ‘digital repositories’ to the attention of the education and research communities is soon to come to an end. Chris Awre looks at what the programme has achieved and how its important work will continue Sharing resources

A three-year programme looking at extent of the work undertaken and institutional resources can be shared, how colleges and universities can lessons learned. both nationally and internationally. The share their digital resources with programme has influenced, and been one another comes to an end this The website provides easy access to the influenced by, the growing open access autumn. The FAIR programme projects’ many outputs, including movement, and many of the outcomes (Focus on Access to Institutional software, advice and guidance, reports, from FAIR have centred on the role of e- Resources) and its 14 projects have events, publications and presentations. prints and e-theses. But the sharing of investigated the technologies and These are also placed in the context of the images, of museum object data, and of the organisational and cultural key themes that have emerged from the datasets has also been the subject of issues involved in making resources programme. projects, and enabled a cross-sectoral accessible by others, and in doing perspective on the issues that led to FAIR so have pioneered the development The use of digital repositories as a place being initiated. of digital repositories in the UK. in which resources can be deposited has been one of these key themes, and JISC In the three years of the FAIR programme Fostering a culture of sharing and has extended this area of investigation the issues it successfully grappled with collaboration has been central to the through the recently announced Digital have moved to prominence within the programme, and a website and brochure Repositories Programme. Intellectual education community. The findings and have been developed to capture the full property rights (IPR), copyright, and lessons from FAIR, drawn together in this cultural change have also emerged as website and brochure, provide the end of important issues in making local one chapter, but also the start of another. ‘The programme resources available to others. Further work in this area is being undertaken by Chris Awre has influenced, and JISC in collaboration with SURF in the University of Hull been influenced by, Netherlands. the growing open The brochure will complement the website by placing FAIR in the broader For further information please go to: www.jisc.ac.uk/fair_synthesisintro.html access movement’ context of initiatives examining how

10 COLLECTIONS

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The portfolio of JISC e-resources represents the largest nationally procured online education collection in the world. Central to these resources, and their effective use, is the JISC model licence. Over the following pages we explore what the JISC model licence is and how staff and students benefit from the favourable terms and conditions it provides Making effective use of JISC e-resources

JISC negotiates for online resources that can enrich education and negotiate such licences with publishers research. Journals, datasets, images, moving pictures and sound, on behalf of further and higher e-books and maps are just some of the online resources which are making education. The JISC model licences a real difference to learning, teaching and research. contain provisions that allow students and staff to make effective use of online However in order for institutions to make Negotiating with publishers resources for learning, teaching and effective use of online resources, the research.’ terms and conditions of use need to be So what is the JISC model licence? flexible enough to support a variety of Lorraine Estelle, JISC collections team At the moment there are three model activities. So JISC’s portfolio of online manager, explains: ‘The JISC model licences covering electronic journals, resources adheres to the JISC model licence is a licence drafted by us which datasets and e-books. The terms and licence, which allows colleges and contains more favourable provisions than conditions governing who can use a universities to use them in a range of any standard commercial licence for resource, and how, are similar for both ways and by a range of people. access and use of a resource. We the dataset and e-books model licences

continued on page 14 © National Trust for Scotland for © National Trust © National Gallery of Scotland, available from Scran from available Scotland, © National Gallery of © Getty Images, available from the Education Image Gallery the Education from available Images, © Getty

Miss Billington carries a banner A view of some of the flora Haystacks, Snow Effect by Monet inscribed with the suffragette found in the Pass of (detail) slogan 'Votes For Women' during Killiecrankie near Pitlochry a demonstration at Westminster 11 COLLECTIONS

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Making effective uses of JISC e-Resources

The JISC Model Licences provide a consistent approach to access and use of online resources to allow teachers, learners and researchers to use each resource to its fullest potential to support their activities. nce ce Li l e JISC Model Licen d

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• u • S •••••••••• •• • • Mu • lt • ip • le • u • s • e • Q: What about remote access? r

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institutions to provide 24/7 •

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simultaneously. •

Librarian• •

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• •• • •• • • • •• • •• • Q: What library services • • s •• ic•e are allowed? he • rv • • e ac • S • c •• y • A: Inter-library loan • r • l • a • a • using Ariel • r • c •• b • o • i • A: Print and electronic L • L • • • • copies on request of •• Q: Can I make a local cache? • •• • staff and students •• •• ••• A: Yes, this is particularly •• ••• •A:• Local••• •downloads•••••• •for helpful where staff wish to Librarian training. Librarian use a resource during a training session.

12 JISC inform summer 2005

The licence allows me to search, print, save, cut, edit and paste extracts from the resource for use in our teaching materials such as course packs, reading lists, handouts and for interactive tutorials in our VLE or Teacher Intranet.

I can search, save, print, cut and paste parts of the resource to use in my projects, portfolios, assignments and dissertations – all properly referenced of course! Student

If I’m putting together a presentation at a seminar, conference or workshop I can publicly display or present the resource as part of my own work. Researcher

The licence means that the resource is copyright cleared for educational use and it contains an indemnity to protect my institution from intellectual The signing of the institutional property rights infringement. Librarian licence means that the resource is made available to all students and staff of that institution.

I can access JISC resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any location (via Athens) as long Distance and as I have an Internet connection. part-time learners

I am not a member of the subscribing institution but I am permitted to use its library and access online resources for my educational projects and assignments. Walk-in user

13 COLLECTIONS

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with differences relating to specific Uses in learning and teaching characteristics associated with resource type and format. For example, the model The JISC Collection of online resources licence for e-books secures an archival supports the education and research copy of a title in perpetuity. JISC may experience across a multitude of subject create further models for other resources and course disciplines. For example, in accordance with new developments in teachers and lecturing staff can online resource provision and delivery. incorporate parts of these resources in traditional materials such as reading lists Negotiations take place on behalf of all and handouts providing they are FE and HE institutions and specialist appropriately acknowledged. They can colleges in the UK and, in some instances, also create electronic course packs and research councils. Each model licence interactive tutorials by using still and A Guide to the JISC Model Licence provides a starting point for negotiations moving images, or include them in VLEs with publishers. and intranet sites or reproduce extracts in other formats that aid accessibility, But what are the benefits for the UK FE such as Braille. and HE community? Lorraine Estelle is responsible for the process of negotiating Peter Collett, library services manager at The terms of the model licence also with publishers for online content and the Central School of Speech and Drama, ensure that researchers too can exploit she is clear about the importance of the is enthusiastic about the ways in which online resources, enabling them not only model licence and its impact on further JISC resources can be used at his to search, save and print single copies of and higher education. institution. He says: ‘We have part-time extracts from these resources but also to students, students on study leave or display or present the resources publicly ‘The model licences provide a consistent based at our second site which has no as part of their work at seminars, approach to access and use of resources,’ library provision, so the ability to access workshops or conferences. Lorraine says. ‘They allow teachers, these important resources remotely is learners and researchers to use each invaluable to us and to our students. They The JISC model licence is central to the resource to its fullest potential. While can also use parts of these online new and innovative ways that JISC’s every effort is made to retain all the resources either in printed or electronic e-resources are being used in colleges clauses, occasionally amendments are form in their projects, assignments, and universities across the UK. As made. But this only occurs after portfolios and dissertations, provided of Lorraine Estelle says: ‘We listen closely to consultation with skilled legal counsel to course they include the details of the what the education community wants ensure the interests of the FE and HE source, title listing and copyright owner.’ and our job is to get the community the community are protected.’ best possible terms, to save it money and to make subscription and access to online resources as easy for them as possible. The model licence enables us to do this.’

Brian Mitchell JISC

Although the terms and conditions from the model licences are invariably achieved, it is the responsibility of each institution to check the precise wording of the terms and conditions of each licence and, if necessary, to seek legal advice, before you sign a JISC-negotiated licence. © Getty Images, available from the Education Image Gallery the Education from available Images, © Getty For further information please go to: Lily pond inside the San Francisco Page image from Early English www.jisc.ac.uk/coll_guide_jiscmodel.html Conservatory of Flowers Books Online 14 PROGRAMME FEATURE

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A new JISC programme is supporting ground breaking work in the research community by developing virtual but collaborative environments across a wide range of subjects. Maia Dimitrova reports Research goes virtual

Geographic, institutional and However, researchers need tools and subject boundaries are no longer technologies to share ideas and data and barriers to research in the 21st to access specialist online resources in century. As advanced technologies such an environment. They need them too are changing the way science is to ensure that the UK remains at the undertaken, so research is forefront of scientific innovation in an increasingly being conducted increasingly competitive world. across disciplines, across institutions and often across A new £3.2 million JISC programme national boundaries. is beginning to build and deploy collaborative, multi-disciplinary environments – called Virtual Research

continued on page 16

A demonstration of Virtual Reality software being used by Earth scientists in the

© Earth Sciences Department, University of Manchester of Department, University Sciences © Earth Visualization Immersive Projection Laboratory at the University of Manchester 15 JISC inform summer 2005 © The Manchester Museum, accession number 1766 Museum, accession Manchester © The

2-D and stereoscopic images of the skull of an Egyptian mummy from the Manchester Museum

‘A key Environments (VRE) – to bring together Another project led by the University of these tools and technologies to manage Reading’s Department of Archaeology objective the increasingly complex tasks which will pilot a system that will help researchers are being called upon to archaeologists collect information from for the perform. archaeological sites, co-ordinate programme is expertise, and manage the resulting body A key objective for the JISC Virtual of data. As part of the pilot, to provide Research Environments programme is to archaeologists will use mobile handheld provide framework integrating tools and devices, such as PDAs, to improve real- frameworks resources specifically designed to support time data gathering at the Silchester the underlying processes of research on Roman Town site, one of the largest integrating both small and large scales, particularly Roman sites in the UK. tools and those which are not well catered for by the currently available infrastructure. Finally, a team of experts at the resources The programme builds on existing Manchester Visualization Centre, part of technologies such as the Grid and the the University of Manchester, are specifically Access Grid, which are being increasingly working on developing a collaborative designed to used by researchers in both academia and industry. support the For example, the Collaborative underlying Orthopaedic Research Environment processes of project conducted by the University of Southampton is developing tools that research’ will enable orthopaedic surgeons to collect and analyse medical data, and produce reports from research undertaken through Grid simulations or by clinical trials at various locations. 16 PROGRAMME FEATURE

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Stereoscopic Access Grid Environment on a whole range of challenging and ‘This approach (SAGE) which will allow semi-immersive interesting problems not possible up collaborative interaction in a 3-D to now. represents a environment (see inset box below). Maia Dimitrova powerful new This new approach represents a powerful JISC paradigm for the new paradigm for the conduct of research. By combining the potential of For further information please go to: conduct of ICT systems with multi-disciplinary www.jisc.ac.uk/programme_vre.html collaborative possibilities, traditional research’ www.silchester.rdg.ac.uk barriers between disciplines are broken www.man.ac.uk/MVC down. This allows researchers to work Stepping out Homebrew Virtual Environment System in under £10K

The SAGE project is creating portable 3-D animator while a dancer performs in Through the JISC funded SAGE project a Virtual Environment systems available real space. wiki self-help guide is being created to to all research departments; from give help and support to the engineering to geology, from design to This will create a novel level of environment created by the project. performance art, but costing a fraction ‘presence’: the dancer believes and sees of the price of a specialist Virtual that he or she is performing in the Environment Centre (VEC). environment while the audience will For further information please go to: believe the virtual environment and the http://kato.mvc.mcc.ac.uk/ This is made possible due to the dancer are in the same space. All this sve-wiki/SAGE technical innovations achieved in the occurs in real time. past decade, and aims to initiate a new spirit of confidence and wave of construction, reducing prices and widening participation.

Using a standard PC and commercial off-the-shelf products it is possible to © De Montfort University © De Montfort build a portable high quality ‘mini VEC’, now connected through the Access Grid to communicate with the entire globe.

As an example of the sort of integration a VEC can allow, consider a dance performance in which the user controls a virtual environment using a

Test piece choreographed by Helen Bailey

17 A new and unique development will provide a national digital repository to enable teachers and lecturers to share, access and adapt learning materials. Paul Davey reports on how this innovative service has the potential to transform the way we create and access resources for use in the classroom Give and take with JORUM

‘JORUM will help to build a community for sharing,’ according to its project manager Moira Massey. As a collaborative venture to collect and share free learning and teaching materials, partnership, engagement with the education community and value for money are all key themes of the new JISC-funded service.

The JORUM project began in October intraLibrary, procured from Intrallect Ltd, 2002 under Exchange for Learning (X4L) an established software company. Project funding, where the focus was on staff, based at the JISC-supported enhancing the considerable investment national data centres EDINA and MIMAS, that has taken place in the UK in have worked closely with each other and developing online content for use in with Intrallect to develop a highly learning and teaching. Initial close useable system, driven by the needs of consultation with staff in both further those who will use the service. and higher education gave strong direction to the project in its early stages. There are two main elements to the service – a Contributor Service and a User ‘As part of that original exercise,’ explains Service, both launching later in 2005. Moira Massey, ‘we not only worked with JORUM Contributor allows colleges and the X4L projects, but we also scoped user universities to share learning and requirements by providing an online teaching materials with one another, questionnaire, to which we had 300 while JORUM User provides access to the responses. We also ran six focus groups materials themselves. made up of teachers and support staff.’ The most important outcome from the Teaching and support staff in colleges requirements work was the clear and universities that take this service will evidence that resources developed by the be able to find, preview, download, reuse community should be used by the and adapt materials for use. Teaching community, right across the UK. support, staff development and case study materials will be available to assist The JORUM repository offers a searchable them in using the learning materials. online library of learning and teaching Moira explains that the JORUM team resources and uses a system called have worked in conjunction with partner 18 JISC inform summer 2005

Out of Darkness and into JORUM

This is an example of a resource to be created the resource in Macromedia resource provides objectives and tasks, found in JORUM. ‘Out of Darkness’ is a Flash. as well as film trailers, links and tutor learning object, on the theme of film notes. While being highly interactive, noir, produced by one of the 23 JISC- Using this resource, teaching staff can the learning object has customisable funded Exchange for Learning Phase 1 introduce students to the growth of settings which improve accessibility. Projects. Hollywood and the popularity of film noir as a movie genre. Learners engage For further information please go to: Staff working on the E-Studio Project, with the subject matter by playing the www.e-studio.ac.uk/HOME.html based at Wolverhampton University, role of an LAPD detective in 1936. The

organisations to ensure that ‘materials on access, either as contributors or users, and collaboration in the community for are standards-compliant, so they can be although a wide-ranging set of the benefit of all staff in colleges and used across different software platforms.’ permissions ensures that the content can universities.’ We look forward to the be used flexibly and dynamically launch of the service. Hosting materials that have been publicly according to the individual needs of funded, but also materials that have teaching staff. Paul Davey been developed within colleges and JISC universities, JORUM has developed a The word JORUM is of Biblical origin and robust licensing system through which means a collecting bowl. Available free colleges and universities using either through Athens and in due course For further information please go to: service sign appropriate licences. Shibboleth, JORUM will, Moira Massey www.jorum.ac.uk Individuals agree to terms and conditions says, ‘help to foster a spirit of sharing 19 RSC FEATURE

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A JISC Regional Support Centre is providing vital guidance for colleges facing inspection. Craig Seton reports on how further education institutions are benefiting from expert advice Spreading ex

JISC’s Regional Support Centre (RSC) in e-learning best practice can be the West Midlands is providing further integrated into the curriculum. Peter education and sixth form colleges with Kilcoyne, West Midlands RSC curriculum vital support in preparing for inspections adviser, said: ‘The inspectorates are by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) increasingly looking at e-learning skills in and the Office for Standards in Education colleges. While the ILT infrastructure in (Ofsted). colleges is undoubtedly much better – most have got virtual learning With the rapid development of e-learning, environments (VLEs), for example – the the information and communications use of e-learning is still patchy. technology (ICT) strategies of colleges are increasingly becoming the focus of ‘Some staff have very good skills, but inspections, which usually take place others are either not using e-learning at every three years. all or effectively. Awareness is mixed – not everyone is aware of national Seven of the West Midlands’ 54 colleges networked learning materials. In many have now called in the RSC to undertake places, interactive white boards are an in-depth pre-inspection review of gathering dust and a lot of teachers stick their ICT facilities and to advise on how to traditional classroom techniques. Part of it is a generation thing – younger staff tend to have greater knowledge of new methods. It is about changing attitudes and changing the culture.’

Reviews usually take four or five days and involve RSC curriculum specialists visiting institutions, talking to key ILT teaching and support staff, asking students for their views and, importantly, ensuring management strategies support effective e-learning.

‘It started when one college asked for our support and recommended us to others. 20 JISC inform summer 2005

‘RSC curriculum specialists visit colleges, talk to key ILT teaching and support staff, ask students for their views and, importantly, ensure management strategies support effective pertise e-learning’

An inspector calls RSC’s e-learning review – an ‘invaluable’ exercise We go in, identify strengths and weaknesses and provide a list of ideas to Worcester College of Technology, a further education college with improve the e-learning infrastructure and nearly 8,000 students, called in JISC’s West Midlands RSC to review its show how it can be used to improve e-learning and ILT strategies prior to an inspection in January 2005. teaching and learning. It also gives staff Terry Dillingham, Assistant Principal focus group was also involved – it was ideas for long-term development’. with overall responsibility for the very thorough. Irrespective of the curriculum and ILT, said the RSC review inspection, the whole exercise was The West Midlands RSC has held a covered the college’s arrangements for very useful, the first time we have had training day for staff from other regional e-learning, including all IT and ILT such a specialist review. It gave us centres and other regions, the North policies, procedures and practices. invaluable pointers in terms of West for example, has started similar moving our priorities forward. We’ll work with their local colleges. He said: ‘ILT is very important to the do it again and that is how we’ll use it college. It is a major priority and we in the future.’ Over the next few months several RSCs are having a major thrust to ensure it will be holding pre-inspection workshops provides an additional, important Access to the college intranet and with learning providers. The experience dimension to teaching and learning learning resources were both judgedas gained from these pilots will help to and in supporting students and staff. good in the January inspection. In inform the scope of a service that the It is about using technology to the addition, the report noted that some RSCs could offer for consideration during maximum. departmental intranets were of high the negotiations for the next round of quality and well used. RSC funding. ‘RSC staff met teachers, management, staff with responsibility for IT and ILT, Peter Kilcoyne For further information please go to: technicians, ILT champions. A student RSC West Midlands www.rsc-westmidlands.ac.uk/ 21 EVENTS and PUBLICATIONS

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Impact and integration JISC 2005 conference in pictures

JISC BRIEFING

Published regularly and distributed to senior managers and practitioners in further and higher education, JISC Briefing Papers aim to raise awareness of crucial issues that will have a major impact on colleges and universities, suggesting or detailing any required actions. They may also describe specific resources, and provide a guide to further advice and guidance currently available. Briefing Papers published in recent months include those on information safety, Shibboleth and Freedom of Information.

22 JISC inform summer 2005

EVENTS CONFERENCES WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS JISC Conference 2006 14 March 2006 International Convention Centre, Birmingham www.jisc.ac.uk/events

JISC is sponsoring the following events:

ALT-C 2005: Exploring the Digital Curation Centre Frontiers of e-Learning Conference 6–8 September 2005 29–30 September 2005 University of Manchester, Hilton Bath City Hotel, Bath Manchester www.dcc.ac.uk www.alt.ac.uk/altc2005

All Hands Meeting 2005 CERN Workshop: Innovations 20–22 September 2005 in Scholarly Communications East Midlands Conference (OAI4) Centre, Nottingham 20–21 October 2005 www.allhands.org.uk http://oai4.web.cern.ch/oai4/

PAPERS

To find out about JISC publications, and to order them, see: www.jisc.ac.uk/publications

23 JISC inform summer 2005

JISC is currently funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the Learning and Skills Council, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, the Scottish Further Education Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the National Council for Education and Training for Wales and the Department for Employment and Learning. JISC works in partnership with the Research Councils.

Further information

Web: www.jisc.ac.uk Email: [email protected] Tel: 0117 954 5083

To find out about JISC developments, join the mailing list JISC-Announce. Send the message “join JISC-Announce YourFirstName YourLastName” to: [email protected]