Spotlight

Its always fun getting up to speed with a new agenda. Working with new people and organisations; understanding new drivers and obstacles; learning about new technologies and processes and, of course, trying to get your head around new acronyms.
And so it has been with research information management over the last few months as I have begun supporting JISC’s ongoing major programme of work in the area of Research Information Management.

For most institutions the forthcoming implementation of the HEFCE Research Excellence Framework is providing the impetus for making a strategic assessment of their current provision and future requirements when it comes to ‘Research Information Management’ whilst maximising organisational efficiency and research potential continue to be key drivers for investment in this area for many HEIs.

Of course for all that may appear immediately different about the research information management agenda there is also enough similarity and overlap with the records and information management area that is my particular background to give a pleasing and potentially useful sense of symmetry.

For example, both records management and research information management:
- are strongly influenced and driven by external regulatory factors
- have an important part to play in increasing organisational efficiency
- require a consistent, strategic and organisation-wide response
- involve the effective management of information throughout its ‘lifecycle’
- require an understanding and rationalisation of business processes
- are change management activities which cannot be successfully tackled purely through the introduction of new technology alone

But records management isn’t the only agenda with strong links to Research Information Management. Flexible Service Delivery, Business and Community Engagement and Open Educational Resources are, amongst others, also of related interest and all areas that we at JISC infoNet are actively engaged with.

And so, as the first part of JISC infoNet’s support programme we have tried to reflect both these facets of Research Information Management on our new homepage for this agenda. So our RIM page attempts to start to define a little of what is unique to this area and provide links to the specific initiatives and agendas which are driving it whilst also placing it firmly in the broader context of these related areas of work.

Through the new Digital Repository infoKit, also available from this page and created in association with the Repositories Support Project, we also have a practical ‘how to’ guide to setting up and running digital repositories. The kit contains information on a broad range of topics running from the initial idea of a digital repository and the planning process, via detailed sections on repository set up and promotion, through to the maintenance and ongoing management of the repository.

Both these resources will continue to be added to and updated as the outcomes from our Research Information Management support and synthesis programme start to emerge over the coming months and as further information on the implications of the Research Excellence Framework become available.

Enjoy!

The latest news about JISC Innovating e-Learning 2009.

Charlie Leadbeater, influential innovator and adviser to companies, cities and governments, is opening the JISC Innovating e-Learning 2009 conference live in Elluminate on 24th November. In 2007, Charlie was ranked as the most outstanding innovation expert in the UK by the Financial Times. Read more about this exciting development on the JISC website.

Register now: next week is Reading Week!

Innovating e-Learning 2009 takes place online on 24-27th November with sessions based around the theme of Thriving, Not Just Surviving! The Reading Week begins very soon (Tuesday 17th November) and gives delegates time to browse, read, watch and listen before joining in discussions when the conference opens.

Sarah Knight, JISC programme manager and conference organiser, offers some advice for those taking part for the first time:

‘My top tip for making the most of the conference is for delegates to use the Reading Week to browse through the sessions and identify the ones they particularly have an interest in and want to follow closely during the conference.’

James Clay of Gloucestershire College and mobile learning expert and conference blogger, has also recorded a useful podcast of tips for new delegates. You can also view his exciting video trailer, ‘Wherever you are’ for the conference.

The two themes of the conference are Finding the Way and Meeting the Challenge. These include live keynotes in Elluminate and a variety of sessions, many using multimedia presentations. Alongside the main conference are a range of alternatives: the Have-a-Go, Social and Resource-Sharing areas, guided tours in Second Life led by staff from the JISC Regional Support Centres (RSCs) not to mention chilling out in the Virtual Coffee Shop and posting your very own comments on the conference blog.

Innovating e-Learning 2009 is a simply unmissable conference experience! Register now and let us know your top tip for making the most of an online conference. If you have not yet registered, please hurry. The conference programme and booking information are available at the JISC website.

You can follow the conference on Twitter, using #jiscel09

JISC Advance is launching today (09 September) at the Association for Learning Technology conference (ALT-C) at the University of Manchester. JISC Advance is bringing together eight established JISC services, including JISC infoNet, to enhance our support for the education and research communities.

JISC Advance is bringing together JISC Digital Media, JISC infoNet, JISC Legal, JISCMail, JISC Netskills, JISC Procureweb, JISC TechDis and the JISC Regional Support Centre UK.

Further information is available on the website www.jiscadvance.ac.uk

At this week’s Higher Education Academy Conference, JISC launched Effective Practice in a Digital Age, a guide to technology-enhanced learning and teaching which provides the further and higher education sectors with a welcome update to the popular 2004 JISC publication, Effective Practice with e-Learning.

The resource is designed for those in further and higher education whose focus is on designing and supporting learning: academic staff, lecturers, tutors and learning support staff, facilitators, learning technologists and staff developers, and others with an interest in enhancing the quality of learning and teaching, and a curiosity about how technology can assist them.

The publication can be ordered in hard copy from http://survey.jisc.ac.uk/digitalage or downloaded in PDF and accessible text-only formats from www.jisc.ac.uk/practice. In addition, a number of supplementary resources are available online in the Effective Practice Resource Exchange (www.jisc.ac.uk/resourceexchange) which may be added to over time. These currently include themed video clips covering topics such as Responding to learners and Rethinking learning resources, a range of podcasts and audio resources, plus extended versions of the case studies.
All resources associated with this publication can be downloaded for use in educational contexts.

A UK-wide distribution of Effective Practice in a Digital Age begins this week, targeting senior managers with a responsibility for the curriculum and heads of e-learning and staff development. The resource is recommended for your personal use and for discussion with colleagues and curriculum team members.