This area of our website will provide links to information, case study write ups and interviews about initiatives local to South West Scotland.
Ayr College implemented the eSkills Training Transfer Model devised by the RSC team and have successfully rolled out the eSkills programme within the college. They participated in the original training delivered by RSC staff. Staff from the College attended the half-day induction workshop held at the RSC offices. The college were provided with a mentor from the RSC team who acted as the main point of contact for all issues and support relating to the eSkills Training Transfer.
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Over the last academic year Reid Kerr College have adapted and implemented the eskills for elearning course developed by staff at the RSC Scotland south & west. In this audio recording lecturers Anne Usher, David Farquhar and Derek Smilie who have completed the 8 modules describe the benefits of working through the course and the impact on learning & teaching. Joan Archibald who is responsible for supporting the course outlines different strategies she has used and the institutional benefits gained. listen to the interview.....
David McDade - Section Leader, Computer Networking at Stow College has integrated two complementary open source learning systems providing a single sign on process to minimize barriers for learners and reduce administrative overheads.
After the RSC demonstrated Mahara - the open source e-Portfolio system - David resolved to try to integrate it with the Moodle VLE that he had piloted with some of his students last year.
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This case study is based on an interview with Steve Bishop, IT Helpdesk Manager at Cardonald College. At Cardonald they've been using a very clever remote mouse/media control (the MX Air from Logitech) which can be charged for up to a week at a time and has a range which should work in large classrooms. They are in the process of rolling this technology out to departments across the college.
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The Regional Support Centre has been working with a number of supported institutions exploring the growing range of free and open source assistive technologies to support inclusion in FE and HE in Scotland. Over the last few years, the increase in free enabling technologies has allowed for a greater exploration of technology based solutions for a wide range staff and students, not only those who have identified barriers to participation, but also for people who have different learning styles, language support needs or who would benefit from different approaches to supporting the learning process or adapting their working environment to suit their needs.
Free enabling technologies can also be of great help for those who are in the process of applying for Disabled Students Allowance and, whilst waiting for commercially available resources to arrive, have the opportunity to take advantage of a short term solution until they receive the assistive technology solution identified for them.
In March 2009, Coatbridge College students investigated a range of free enabling technologies available via the AccessApps initiative and demonstrated resources that would help them in their studies.
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View the work carried out by Reid Kerr College in supporting dyslexic learners. The case study highlights how the college identifies learning difficulties when students enrol for courses and how barriers to learning are addressed. There are several contributions from students with learning difficulties. College staff talk about study skills programmes that have proved to be effective and JISC RSC SW Scotland talk about technologies to support inclusion.
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In response to the public duties set out by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, Glasgow Metropolitan College embarked on a one year cross-College initiative to train key staff on how to create accessible, electronic documents in the College house style. The project ran under the tagline CALM: Creating Accessible Learning Materials. find out more.....
In this video case study Margaret McKay of the RSC Scotland South & West talks to Errol Luders of Coatbridge College about how they approached the accessibility policy on their website. Craig Mill of the RSC Scotland North & East region demonstrates various accessibility technologies. watch the video .....
In this audio case study, Mark Clark talks to Martin Forte of Cardonald College on his experiences of migrating the college's critical systems onto virtual servers. This audio recording contains some images that will be displayed by your player. listen to the interview .....
The RSCs and JISC TechDis are jointly disseminating AccessApps - a suite of portable applications that are suitable for enhancing the learning experiance of students with accessibility issues. In this video case study Margaret McKay of the RSC Scotland South & West talks to several students who have embarked on exploring some of these applications. watch the interviews .....
In this audio case study features discussion between Margaret McKay from RSC SW Scotland, Andy Russell Regional Manager of Posturite Scotland and Katherine Metters Physiotherapist and Ergonomist at Posturite. This interview discusses the importance of creating healthy working environments by reducing the risk of work acquired repetitive strain or acquired ergonomic problems. This audio podcast contains some images that will be displayed by your player. listen to the interview.....
Glasgow Metropolitan College has recently adopted the BUFVC Box of Broadcasts facility. Tony Donnelly and Nicola Buddo of the college library services talk to Mark Clark and Joan Walker of the JISC RSC Scotland S & W. Tony and Nicola discuss the impact that the BUFVC service has had on their learners and academic staff.- This audio podcast contains some images that will be displayed by your player. listen to the interview .....
In this video case study Josh Duffy a fourth year engineering student at the University of Glasgow (who happens to be dyslexic) discusses his experiences using the Livescribe smartpen to record lectures and take notes. The Smartpen will take audio recordings of lectures or meetings and ties the audio to handwritten notes on special paper making it easier to recall what was said at the time you drew a diagram or wrote a particular note. For further information contact the RSC or Livescribe
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Watch our demonstrations, where Jonathan Park from Iansyst introduces Livescribe and explains how it works and shows how to synch the Livescribe to your computer.
After the completion of the ISLE project in 2008, Dumfries and Galloway College have embedded the use of ePortfolios and now have over 1200 learners actively using an ePortfolio ......read more
Colleen Hurren from Cumbernauld College has been a member of the Scottish Moodle User Group Forum (SMUG) since its inception in 2005 and has been actively promoting the use of Moodle within the college for several years. Moodle easyVoter was mentioned by a presenter at the SMUG meeting in December ’09. Colleen immediately saw the potential in having this student response system and set about introducing it to staff at Cumbernauld College.
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In response to a college-wide drive to embed blended learning across the curriculum, the college's Learning Materials Development Unit has produced a variety of visually rich learning and training materials with guidance from JISC Digital Media. read more......
The JISC RSC Scotland south & West and a lecturer in design from James Watt College of Further & Higher Education decided to transform a traditional PowerPoint presentation to make it more accessible for her Deaf learners. Find out more ..........
Featured in the 'JISC TechDis Go Mobile: Maximising the potential of mobile technologies for learners with disabilities' publication, teaching staff at North Glasgow College who work with students with mild and moderate learning difficulties have been involved in initiatives that use multi-media tools and mobile technologies to transform their learning and teaching. Throughout this initiative, teaching staff have acknowledged the impact students play in leading the way in this field. The staff at North Glasgow have created exciting experiences for student and opened new doors to create innovative learning opportunities.
'We found that the learners were highly skilled in using games consoles and could wirelessly network with one another to compete during breaks - something we didn't know how to do'.
' No matter what you come up with, the learners will open your eyes to something else. Don't assume you know better!'
Jim Brady, Extended Curriculum Manager, North Glasgow College
Download a copy of 'Go Mobile' in pdf.
The RSC was invited to follow up the results of a staff survey carried out at Motherwell College during February 2009. Focus groups was the methodology chosen as they provide an opportunity to gain in-depth insights into particular issues and are a valuable means by which to collect detailed qualitative data. As well as delving more deeply into certain areas, the aim was also to obtain an overall picture of the perceptions and views of staff and students about the current use of technology to deliver elements of courses.
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In order to help students with their revision in practical skills for Beauty and Hairdressing, Cumbernauld College Learning Technologist Colleen Hurren set up a pilot using video to record beauty therapy classes. The videos were embedded into the VLE, allowing students to access them from both College and home. Students could re-play the videos to practice their timing, hand positioning and technique in real time, while watching the video. The videos proved very popular with both students and staff and became rapidly adopted in other subject areas in the College including Catering and Hospitality, Motor Vehicle and Sports Performance students.
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With UWS stating an institutional commitment to make Turnitin available on all modules where text-based plagiarism is a potential issue, Neil McPherson, Lecturer in Sociology at the UWS has written a paper reflecting on student perception of using anti-plagiarism software and the potential of Turnitin as a technical and pedagogical tool.
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The GOAL Project was a collaborative project which aimed to improve access to Lifelong Learning by training key personnel in e-skills, developing on-line learning materials and thereby provide opportunities for individuals to access new learning methodologies and other activities. The project Manager at Anniesland College sought information and advice on a number of ICT issues. Discussion about project communications, how best to organise, test and share project outputs, copyright issues and possible qualifications were all areas that the Regional Support Centre could advise on and provide links to other appropriate JISC services and advice.
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In liaison with the college’s Professional Development Coordinator the JISC RSC Scotland S&W have contributed to a planned programme of training courses onsite as part of a college wide approach to up-skill staff, linked to the development of e-learning capacity and move to a new build. Moving to a new build was a good opportunity for a college-wide staff development initiative to encourage new ways of delivering the curriculum using technology where appropriate, whilst using the new building to its full potential.
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As part of their on-going aim for excellence in teaching, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) needed to take a snapshot of the current position of staff ICT skills on the learning curve and to identify preferred methods of learning. This would give a starting level from which The Academy could then measure improvement as a result of proposed staff development and training.
Facilitated by the RSC Scotland South & West, RSAMD conducted an online survey of staff in February 2009 using the RSCs Training Needs Analysis (TNA) tool. An institution-wide exercise of this magnitude required dedicated and informed staff to execute it, along with strong support from senior management. RSAMD faced a particular challenge regarding staff numbers. In addition to 190 full time teaching staff, RSAMD also employ in the region of 700-900 part-time peripatetic specialist staff. The TNA would provide a useful overview of staff training needs and impact on the use of e-Learning.
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