SMT Focus JISC RSCs Praised in Customer Satisfation Survey JISC RSC West Midlands has once again been highly praised for its “invaluable” service in a national customer satisfaction survey. Learning providers from across the FE and skills sector responded to the survey, with 87% expressing that they are ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the services and support provided by RSC West Midlands.
Some of the feedback from our learning providers included: • “We value JISC RSC highly as a service which understands our needs and is able to provide a really professional, always helpful response.” (Management and Leadership, Sixth Form College) • “The RSC services are invaluable and having such knowledge at the end of the phone is an outstanding service to tap into” (Learning resources, FE College) • “Fantastic resource, really helpful and knowledgeable group of staff” (Teaching, Adult and Community Learning) • “If it wasn’t for the JISC RSC, I wouldn’t have half the knowledge or the ability to support staff at the learning provider that I work for. The JISC RSC has been invaluable.”(Staff development, Sixth College) • “They add value to our projects by increasing engagement, helping to disseminate information to others, signposting resources and offering additional e-learning support.” (Management and Leadership, Work-based Learning).
Greg Vivash, JISC RSC West Midlands Manager says, “I am delighted with the results of this year’s survey. Year on year, RSC West Midlands receives high levels of praise which is proof that we are highly valued in the sector by our supported learning providers.” The JISC RSC Customer Satisfaction Survey confirms the significant benefit the JISC RSC network brings to the sector nationwide. Three areas of support - improving the learning experience, advice on staff development and optimising shared services - were identified as being the most valued, demonstrating that the JISC RSC network is responding to the current issues and challenges facing the UK-wide community. The results highlighted an overall customer satisfaction rate of 87%, with no less than 50% of respondents declaring themselves ‘very satisfied’ – an outstanding result – and many respondents stating that the support that they received from the JISC RSCs couldn’t be found anywhere else. Tracey Boston-Townsend, Operations Director for JISC Advance and heading up the strategic direction of the JISC RSCs said: “This survey is just one example of the many ways that we measure the impact of our work. The results reinforce and confirm our service is valued and useful across the community and will help us to continue to deliver relevant information and advice to keep the sector better informed for the future.“ The survey was conducted by LISU, a national research and information centre based in the Research School of Informatics and the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University.
Issue 4 – Summer 2011
In this Issue
1. RSCs Join JISC Advance 2. Latest e-Learning Good Practice From Praised Our Region 1. JISC RSCs in - Regional Satisfaction Survey Results Customer Survey 3. Meet the RSC Team: 2. Learning HEMobile Co-ordinator Project Makes an Impact - My StudyBar Saves - Dashboards£500,000 Help Organisations Improve Organisational 4. Online Tutorials for Effi ciency Finding Images and 3. What’s on the Videos Horizon? - A Guide to - Case Study: Screencasting Independent ILT Regional review 5. LSIS Introduce changes attitudes and Development Managers drives progress - Save Yourself Time 4. Contact Online: RSSUs Feeds Making of From 6. Getting Sense the Most Copyright for Senior Moodle Managers - RSC Launches Networkin-a-Box 7. Apple iPad is a Hit with the RSC - iPad Alternatives 8. Forthcoming Events - Green Tips From the Team - Coming Soon - Online Delegate Packs
Mobile Learning Project Makes an Impact
Dashboards Help Improve Organisational Efficiency
At the start of 2011, RSC West Midlands initiated a new project to explore and potentially Have youthe registered with increase use of mobile technologies the Gateway?in the work based learning sector. Ten successful bidders were awarded £500 each, to be spent on mobile devices that would enhance aspects of the learner journey and help their organisation take the use of mobile learning forward.
Data Dashboards can be linked up to most organisational systems - image courtesy of Dynistics
The majority of providers taking part chose a tablet device such as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy. Other devices included the Amazon Kindle, digital cameras and a portable whiteboard. Each provider produced a report summarising how they used the devices with learners and the challenges, advantages and impact that using these devices had on the learner and the organisation. Feedback included; “..it (Apple iPad) has cut down administration for the Assessor; a quicker turnaround on portfolio reviews and less time spent travelling to and from the college to submit, upload and review candidate material. “Using the iPad has speeded up progress towards the attainment of key skills and has greatly improved access to Internet research.” To read the full project report visit our wiki at http://bit.ly/k4DmyH 2
If you are looking for ways to increase efficiency, and work with real-time data to give an accurate, overall picture of your organisation, then data dashboards could be a way of helping to achieve this. A data dashboard displays information in a visual format using graphs, charts and gauges. It retrieves information from existing business systems and collates it in one easy to manage, central place. a college, If youInare lookingthe for data wayscould to be drawn from systems including increase effi ciency, and work attendance monitoring, timetables, with real-time data to give rooming, payrolls, success rates and exams. So, foroverall example, if youof are an accurate picture interested in monitoring enrolment then fiyour guresorganisation, at the beginning ofdata term, a dashboards could be a of dashboard could show theway student numbers as they sign up in a bar helping to achieve this. graph. The data is displayed in a A data dashboard displays web browser and allows multiple information in a visual charts/graphs to be shown in the browser window. Further examples of dashboards for a college could include: • Learner responsive data – cash flow, guided learner hours and Standard Learner Number (SLN) values • Staff hours – timetabled hours versus actual hours • Programme area data – overall attendance within a programme area and attendance by individual course
Dashboards are useful tools which help senior managers to make decisions based on current data rather than relying on hindsight. They allow learning providers to monitor business critical concerns such as falling student numbers and act immediately rather than at the end of the course. Dashboards typically include an alert facility which notifies, for example, the programme area head if the gauge for this particular dashboard moves into a critical ‘amber or ‘red’ zone. Learning providers who currently use dashboards have noted a significant impact on their organisation. In some instances, it has made staff more responsive to changes in learner trends, increased attendance, saved time and reduced workloads. It has even proved useful for Ofsted inspections where staff were more aware of the data. Dashboard products include PerformancePoint which links to Microsoft SharePoint and Active Dashboards by Dynistics, which a number of learning providers in the West Midlands have adopted. To find out more about Active Dashboards, and read case studies of two learning providers in our region who use Active dashboards, visit www.dynistics.com
What’s on the Horizon? Advances in technology constantly present education and training with a never ending shopping list for the latest “must have” e-learning products. As shrinking budgets make tough decisions harder, how can leaders’ source information to help inform decision making?
The Horizon Project Implemented by The New Media Consortium (NMC) since March 2002, the project has held an ongoing series of conversations and dialogues with hundreds of technology professionals, campus technologists, and faculty leaders’ from colleges and universities, which has charted the landscape of emerging technologies for teaching and learning. From this process, NMC produce an annual report which presents how technology enhanced learning is being adopted and how it is likely to make the biggest impact. Although the project states that it takes an international perspective, the focus does tend towards North American and Oceania and much of the content is derived from educators from these countries. However, there is some European input and the type and range of technology mirrors that of the UK. The Horizon Report for 2011 suggests that over the next year, cloud computing and mobile technology will be the areas to watch. To download a full copy of the report, visit http://bit.ly/eHLpM9
JISC Inform
Case Study: Independent ILT review changes attitudes and drives progress eLearning g Health checks – Reflections on their impact at City College Birmingham.
Closer to home, since 2002, JISC Inform has been raising awareness of the use of ICT to support further and higher education in the UK. Contributing authors include members of the JISC family of services and initiatives, including JISC Advance, as well as JISC’s partners and staff working in the FE and HE sectors. JISC Inform is now published online. Each edition provides information and guidance about e-learning and technology across a wide range of topics, for example cost reduction through technology, green ICT, and pedagogic advice for using mobile technology. To access the latest version, visit http://bit.ly/ktzu00 The JISC Pedagogy Programme The pedagogy programme provides advice and guidance to the post-16 and HE community with accurate, up-to-date, evidence and researchbased information about effective practice in the use of e-Learning tools. Further information can be obtained from: http://bit.ly/4haCHU
“Having recently had our second eLearning g Health Check from the team at RSC WithWest the arrival of a in new Midlands jjustprincipal over 2 in 2008, and a recognised need years and reflecting back on to review the College’s core the process, I’m struck by the infrastructure, staffeach fromindividual Burton marked impact and South Derbyshire College visit produced. invited the JISC Regional Support Centre (RSC) Midlands to The first oneWest carried out in April carry out an independent review 2008 allowed us to identify y the ofareas the College’s ILT needed provisionwork and that we felt strategy. outcome ofStudent the i.e. inThe improving the review led to a clearly ned experience in the defi classroom ILT strategy, a greatly improved and resulted in the college IT infrastructure, and ang increase writing g an e-Learning strategy gy in staff student confi dence that and delivered real benefi ts byy in using technology for teaching increasing the level of ILT in and learning. the classroom coupled with an extensive teacher support The review focused on IT program. infrastructure and systems; ILT management andhealth planning; The second check and completed learning resources in June and 2010 was learning the used spaces.It to give anhighlighted external view main strengths, emerging on our progress g ingood terms practice,ofareas for development infrastructure, student and key experience recommendations and learning summarised in adelivered report and a resources and a much subsequent action plan. that our needed confi rmation strategy gy was working. g It also During a two-year period, the we identifi ed keyy areas where College made many signifi cant could develop further resulting changes, some ofto which were a in improvements the college’s direct result of the review. Learning Resources Centre and some new projects that we have Vaughan Head of in ITall says, plansDyche, to pilot. So all an “Iexperience would definitely whichrecommend proved to be inviting in, like the JISC key in people supporting progress and Regional Centre, forbest a producing gSupport real results. And, critical approach to help of all,friend – this high g quality y service you to formulate a plan.for If you was provided free.” close yourself off to problems, youRob won’t get anywhere. It’s Jones, Head of Learning important to be open and honest Technologies about what haveBirmingham and what City you College you want to achieve.” To read the full case study visit http://bit.ly/ifxAkL
3
Contact us
Making Sense of Copyright for Senior Managers
Manager Greg Vivash greg.vivash@rsc-wm.ac.uk E-learning Advisers Christa Appleton (HE Coordinator) christa.appleton@rsc-wm.ac.uk Jason Curtis (Learning Technologies) jason.curtis@rsc-wm.ac.uk Jane Edwards (Adult & Community Learning) p.jane.edwards@rsc-wm.ac.uk Matt Gallon (Learning Resources) m.gallon@rsc-wm.ac.uk Colleen Romero (Technical Infrastructure) colleen.romero@rsc-wm.ac.uk Allen Crawford-Thomas (Teaching and learning) a.crawford-thomas@rsc-wm. ac.uk Theresa Welch (Work-Based Learning) theresa.welch@rsc-wm.ac.uk Alison Wootton (Staff Development and Accessibility & Inclusion) a.wootton@rsc-wm.ac.uk Information Officer Kirsty Hill kirsty.hill@rsc-wm.ac.uk Events Co-ordinator Lea Smith l.smith6@rsc-wm.ac.uk Administrator Jan Farmer j.e.farmer@rsc-wm.ac.uk
JISC RSC West Midlands Technology Centre Wolverhampton Science Park Glaisher Drive Wolverhampton WV10 9RU Tel: 01902 518982 E-mail: support@rsc-wm.ac.uk Web: www.rsc-wm.ac.uk
4
What’s the Issue? Your staff and learners are likely to be making widespread use of materials that belong to others, including books, articles, software, images and multimedia. An appreciation and an understanding of copyright is necessary in order to take full advantage of existing materials. This can improve efficiency and can reduce the cost of developing teaching and learning materials. Copyright is a legally enforceable property right that allows the rights holder to control how the work is used. It is governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA) which gives exclusive rights to copyright owners over copying, lending, distribution, performance and adaptation of their works. Your staff and learners can perform these actions where: • The institution is the copyright owner (eg. if institution staff have written the materials themselves) • They have the copyright owner’s permission (eg. where, for example, a blanket Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) licence is in place or the owner of the work has licensed it under a Creative Commons licence that allows reuse). • The use falls into one of the limited exemptions under the CDPA, for example, fair dealing for criticism or review, copying for purpose of preparing or giving examinations, copies for private use of visually impaired students. What are the Consequences of Ignoring Copyright? Ignoring copyright risks distribution of infringing materials and possibly: • Withdrawal of materials where the copyright holder objects • Legal liability and costs for your institution • Waste of time and resources in the creation of an unusable resource for users • Damage to your institution’s reputation • Lack of confidence in other institution resources
What Action Can You Take? - JISC Legal’s Top Tips Licences permit your institution to do things with other people’s stuff. Blanket licences can cost a lot less in time and money than negotiating individual permissions to use copyright works or dealing with a claim for infringement. Get the most for your money by: • Ensuring all staff know which licences are held and what they permit • Providing staff training on the topic • Circulating awareness raising reminders and compliance tips for your users • Advertising your champions of re-use Negotiate the Best Deal When negotiating licences for resources you should ensure that possible future uses are taken into account. For example, get permissions that will allow your materials to become a future open educational resource (OER) with all the benefits of sharing. Encourage Compliance Raising awareness of copyright in staff and learners can be a positive investment. Encouraging staff to address copyright issues promotes confidence in the compliance of your institution’s teaching and learning resources. Keep staff and learners informed of where to access guidance on copyright. Need Further Information? For further information regarding copyright, please visit the copyright area on the JISC Legal website: www.jisclegal.ac.uk/copyright If you need individual assistance on any of the legal areas discussed, please contact the Helpdesk via email, web form or telephone: www.jisclegal.ac.uk/helpdesk JISC Legal offer workplace-based staff development training in copyright, data protection and other legal issues via JISC Legal Plus: www.jisclegal.ac.uk/plus Please note: This guidance is for information only and is not intended to replace legal advice when faced with a risk decision.