Job vacancy at RSC Scotland S&W

The RSC currently has a vacancy for an e-Advisor: eAssessment.
The eAdvisor will lead RSC eAssessment advice and services for supported FE & HE institutions in the provision of relevant training and guidance. This will involve assisting the strategic integration of eAssessment, including the use of ePortfolio and learning platform systems by liaising with senior managers within supported institutions. This post is available until 31 July 2011.

Salary: £38,951 - £45,155 per annum (max appointment £38,951).

A secondment opportunity for this post would be considered. Applicants should seek clearance for release for secondment from their employers before making formal application.

Closing date for applications: 3 September 2010.

Best of the West keynote presentations online

If you missed our Best of the West 2010 Conference in June you can now visit our Best of the West website to listen to the Keynote Presentations:

• Jason Miles-Campbell, JISC Legal - Gonnae no dae that!" Safeguarding - Meeting your e-Safety Duties.
• Professor Derek Law, Chair of JISC Advance - O'er a' the ills o' life victorious: making the most of JISC's Services.

Read more about the Case Studies featured in our Best of the West 2010 Conference on the RSC website.

Best of Newsfeed

Throughout the year just gone the two Scottish RSCs have sifted through the virtual highways and byeways to bring you the best and most interesting new technologies to add sparkle and value to teaching and learning, publishing them in our fortnightly RSC NewsFeed.

We thought we'd prepare this small but action-packed publication, which brings together some of the best and most interesting items which appeared in NewsFeed in 2009.

Get the Best of NewsFeed 2009 here.

JISCLegal - guidance on The Digital Economy Act 2010

This guidance document from JISCLegal examines the Digital Economy Act 2010 and its implications for universities and colleges in the UK.
Download it from their website

JISC Digital Media launch free online tutorials

JISC Digital Media in conjunction with the Virtual Training Suite (VTS) have launched two new tutorials: Internet for Audio Resources and Internet for Video and Moving Images. The free to use tutorials (funded by JISC Advance) have been designed to assist staff and students within the education sector to locate audio and video for use in both teaching and learning.

David Kilbey, Training Coordinator at JISC Digital Media said, "the emphasis of the tutorials is on finding copyright cleared resources, which are available free of charge; facilitating users with quick, hassel free access to a vast reange of online audion and video resources."
find out more

Regional Support Centres become part of JISC Advance

On 1st August 2010 JISC Regional Support Centres (RSCs), which guide and support the deployment of technologies for learning providers, became part of JISC Advance.

JISC Advance is a not-for-profit company which delivers ICT support services for the Further Education, Skills and Higher Education sector on behalf of funding councils.

The advent of the RSCs into JISC Advance creates a broad and resourceful national service combined with the regional strengths and local relationships of the RSCs.

JISC Advance Director, Guy Lambert says, "We are pleased to welcome the RSCs, with which we have been working closely over the last year, into JISC Advance. They are a vital element in both helping our customers interpret and make best use of our resource, and as a feedback channel to help our services develop resources that address customers' priorities."

Through joining JISC Advance, the resources and advice of the Regional Support Centres are now complemented by a range of specialist services within the same organisation. These are: JISC Digital Media, JISC infoNet, JISC Legal, JISCMail, JISC Netskills, JISC Procureweb and JISC TechDis.

Effective Assessment in a Digital Age

JISC's new guide Effective Assessment in a Digital Age demonstrates how technology can significantly improve the experience of assessment and feedback. As many higher education institutions are reviewing their assessment strategies, JISC is looking at the transformative effects of technology that increase learner autonomy, enhances the quality of the assessment experience and improves teaching efficiency.

Visit the Effective Assessment in a Digital Age webpage to find out more about the guide and listen to a podcast by the author

Netskills Autumn Workshop Schedule

Netskills run a comprehensive training programme with a wide range of workshops at locations throughout the UK. Their October/November offerings in Newcastle include workshops such as:

• Community Participation with Blogs and Social Networking
• Dynamic Presentations for Interactive Teaching
• Podcasting
• An Introduction to Instructional Design for eLearning

See the Netskills website for the full workshop programme.

Open consultation for JISC review

HEFCE, is carrying out a review of JISC. Work will begin in September 2010, with the final report due early in December 2010. The Review Group would welcome your comments and suggestions on JISC as part of their review.

The review will consider:
• JISC's activities and evidence about their appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and added value.
• The effectiveness of how JISC delivers its core functions, including:
• The relationship to and governance of JISC related bodies/companies.
• Internal structure and processes of JISC and relationship with HEFCE.
• Capabilities and resourcing within JISC, reviewed against comparator organisations, including views on how demands may change in the future.
• JISC's use and effectiveness of its committees, especially in terms of identifying needs of the community, horizon-scanning and use of programme funds.
• How effectively and efficiently JISC meets the needs and works in partnership with the FE and HE communities, UK government agencies and other key stakeholders.

See the JISC website for further information and details of where to submit your comments.

The deadline to respond is midday on Wednesday 10 November 2010.

Innovating e-Learning 2010 Online Conference

The 5th JISC international online conference taking place on 23 - 26 November 2010.

• How are colleges and universities going to change in light of recent policy announcements?
• How do we sustain the investment in technology-enhanced learning in the current climate?
• Do we know what students really want in relation to technology?
• How can we transform current assessment for learning practice?
• Is the future mobile?

Innovating e-Learning 2010 invites you to explore these highly topical issues with leading thinkers and experts. With over 20 live sessions covering these themes followed by in-depth discussion, the format is highly participative; providing opportunities to interact with the keynote speakers and colleagues over and above what would be expected from a more traditional conference. Live sessions are recorded ensuring you have access to the full programme content and can participate in as many sessions as you wish. In addition, our official conference blogger James Clay, from Gloucestershire College will keep you informed, engaged and entertained throughout the conference - see his early posts on a sense of community, value for money and the environmental benefits of Innovating e-Learning 2010.

Visit the conference website for further information and booking.

New eAdvisor: eAssessment at RSC Scotland S&W

New eAdvisor: eAssessment at RSC Scotland S&W

We are pleased to welcome Grainne Hamilton to the RSC Sotland S&W team as our new eAdvisor for eAssessment. As well as working with curriculum practitioners to support the embedding of eAssessment in the curriculum, Grainne disseminates information and delivers events and workshops. She can advise on eAssessment, feedback and ePortfolios.

Addressing History: a new searchable database

AddressingHistory is asking history enthusiasts to explore their ancestors and local historical connections by finding and placing historical Scottish Post Office Directory listings on the map.

Funded by JISC, the AddressingHistory website combines the listings from the Directories, historical forerunners of Yellow Pages, with maps from the same years. The site, which is free to use, allows users to search for historical people, places and professions and presents results both on a map and as an editable listing that links to the full digitised Directory page.

Find out more about AddressingHistory from the JISC Website.

JISC Digital Media Online Surgeries 2011

As realtime online teaching resources are becoming increasingly popular with students, a series of online surgeries will help lecturers looking for advice on screencasting.

Screencasting allows you to capture what you are doing on your computer and package this screen capture as an effective and accessible learning resource. Especially in online and distance learning screencasts containing slides, onscreen examples and an audio track covering the core lecture material can be more helpful for students as a way to reinforce the classroom experience and allow them to move at their own pace as they can pause and rewind.

To help you better understand screencasting, over the next few weeks JISC Digital Media's online surgeries will focus on a number of topics. See the JISC website for the surgeries schedule and further information.

SAGE wins JISC TechDis Award for library service

SAGE, a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media has won the inaugural JISC TechDis Publisher Lookup Award for library service, which recognises publishers who have been nominated by library staff for their excellent service in supplying books in alternative formats.

Find out more about the JISC TechDis Publisher Lookup Awards on the JISC TechDis website.

Going Green: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - FREE Online Conference 7-11 March 2011

RSC Northern are running an online series of events promoting and discussing green issues. Hear from those who have sustainability top of the agenda.
Topics include:

• Using Technology to be Greener.
• Lean, Green and Keen students.
• Sustainability in HE: how legislation and guidance is impacting upon the organisation.
• Access to Sustainability resources.
• JISC's Greening ICT Programme - it's role in helping institutions hit the Green Target.
• Prize Draw.

JISC Conference 2011

Apply now for priority registration notification for the JISC Conference 2011, being held in Liverpool on 14 & 15 March 2011. The theme of the conference is Financial challenges - digital opportunities and will look at ways to help to meet the challenges ahead and realise the opportunities that digital technologies provide.

See the Conference Website for details of the programme, speakers and registration.

JISC TechDis OASES Award

JISC TechDis want to celebrate the progress that colleges, universities and other learning providers are already making in ensuring equality of access to teaching and learning. This is why they have introduced the JISC TechDis OASES Award for Institutional Progress on Equality using Technology to recognise the best that is happening here and abroad and spread the word about good practice. There is a world of difference between simply providing support for learners/students with disabilities and creating an inclusive environment where barriers are reduced so that support needs are fewer.

The OASES Award is available open to all universities, colleges and other learning providers in four categories:

• UK organisations with more than 250 staff (FTE)
• UK organisations with 50-250 staff (FTE)
• UK organisations with less than 50 staff (FTE)
• An international award for any learning organisation outside the UK

Initial submissions should consist of a maximum of 500 words, explaining what your organisation has done and the difference it has made to working practice, highlighting any change in policy and mentioning any evidence of impact.

Closing date for entries: 1st June 2011

Visit the JISC TechDis website for more information about the OASES Global Award.

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EAUC Annual Sustainablility Conference: 11-13 April 2011

The 15th Annual EAUC Conference, the sustainability event for the Further and Higher Education Sector in the UK, is being held in York from 11th - 13th April 2011.

The Conference is geared towards Sustainability Practitioners, with learning and knowledge exchange, sharing best practices and providing valuable tools and contacts to use after the event. The Conference will follow 3 Sustainability strands:

• Inspire Operations - Changes for sustainability in what and how we do things.
  Sessions will include: Energy, Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Sustainable ICT, Labs, Workshops & Studios, Procurement, Transport, Waste


• Inspire Estates - Changes for sustainability in our physical environment.
  Sessions will include: Biodiversity, Capital Projects - Achieving in Low Carbon, Post-Occupancy Evaluation, Low and Zero Carbon Technology, Optimising Space Utilisation, Sustainable Master Planning


• Inspire People - Changing culture, how we engage and take everyone with us.
  Sessions will include: Communicating Effectively, Going Greener - the role of student engagement and behaviour change, Corporate Responsibility, Green Economy & Skills for a Green Economy, Financing Sustainability

See the EAUC website for further information and booking.

Learning Online - Pilot courses

The RSC plan to roll-out some online learning modules (based on the eSkills for eLearning modules) and are calling this new initiative Learning Online. Two pilot courses will take place in May and June this year and will be delivered and fully supported online.

• Learning Online: Online Communications & e-tutoring (9th-20th May)
• Learning Online: Getting to Grip with e-Assessment (13th-24th June)

The modules are free of charge during the pilot phase - find out more.....

JISC TechDis OASES Award

The new JISC Techdis website was launched at the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) event in Birmingham on 2 February 2011 - aptly named; Embracing Technology for Success.

There is now a dedicated search facility and to further improve this area, they have also included a link on the site to a handy summary of their most popular resources and publications.

Visit the JISC Techdis website for further information.