News

Posted on Tue 09 Apr 2013

Tune into our webinar for free accessible resources for your staff and learners

Listen into the Jisc Advance ‘Discover Jisc’ webinar to hear about new and updated FE and Skills resources coming your way.

Running on Tuesday 16 April from 12-12.45, we’ll be telling you more about the Jisc materials available for staff and learners which are being made accessible and adaptable to meet the widest range of needs. Plus, we’ll be introducing you to a sample of the supporting staff development materials (CPD).

The webinar is presented by Shirley Evans, Lisa Featherstone and Simon Ball of Jisc Techdis, a leading UK advisory service on technologies for inclusion and is suitable for all FE and Skills providers.

All the resources will be freely available to providers and individual practitioners over several months. You’ll be able to access the first tranche of resources in May. Get ahead by hearing about them here first!

Find out more and book your place on our webinar here.

Posted on Wed 27 Mar 2013

Jisc Procureweb is changing to GeM

Jisc Procureweb and the services it offers will be changing over the coming months.

To ensure that Jisc supports you to make the greatest savings in its procurement activities, Jisc will be reducing the current offering of Jisc Procureweb to GeM. GeM is an online contracts database and store for the higher and further education sectors. It provides a central location for higher education institutions and further education colleges to purchase all their goods and services directly from consortia negotiated contracts.

By focusing on delivering GeM, Jisc Procureweb will ensure that it is able to help organisations to save money by enabling users to buy a wide range of everyday goods and services directly from national, regional and local contracts. GeM will streamline the procurement process across HEIs and FECs resulting in quantifiable savings, time efficiencies and procurement compliance.

As part of this change, Jisc Procureweb will become known as GeM from 31st July 2013 and existing services will be stopped over the next few months.

From 30th May 2013 Jisc Procureweb will no longer be offering its:

• Coding tool

• HELP and

• CuPID Archive

Jisc Procureweb is currently looking for alternative organisations to manage tenders.ac.uk and Xchange and will keep the sector updated over the coming months.

To discuss any of the changes please contact the Jisc Procureweb by either emailing team@procureweb.ac.uk or calling 02920 870333.

Posted on Thu 07 Mar 2013

Learn at lunch!

Moodle Grade Tracker

Friday 22nd March 2013 @12.30pm

This webinar will be of interest to all further education colleges and training providers who offer BTEC programmes

Fancy doing something different with your lunch hour? Grab a sandwich and headphones and listen in to the Jisc Advance webinar on Friday 22 March at 12.30pm.

Presented by Roy Currie from Bedford College, hear how its new mobile system using Moodle provides a continuously updated record of student progress on BTEC programmes. The ‘Moodle Grade Tracker’ not only helps to support learners more effectively, it identifies their support needs earlier than current systems are able to do

This free webinar will help both staff and students to make use of Moodle for tracking, diagnostic support and follow-up.

Book your place on our webinar here.

Posted on Thu 14 Feb 2013

Henshaws College and Jisc launches accessible YouTube website

Henshaws College has launched an accessible version of YouTube, which was funded by Jisc through Jisc Advance. It allows people with learning difficulties and disabilities to use this mainstream technology independently.

ACCESS: YouTube simplifies the standard You Tube site making it easier to search and play videos, and allows the use of assistive technologies. It is now publicly available so everyone can benefit from this accessible method.

Mike Thrussell, assistive technology coordinator, explains the challenges facing many of his students when trying to use the standard YouTube website: “Students at Henshaws College have a range of needs from visual impairments to additional learning difficulties and disabilities. Our students love YouTube, but the standard site contains a lot of extra content such as adverts, comments and links which can be distracting. This makes the site difficult to navigate using assistive technologies such as screen-readers and as a result some students require support to use it.”

Mike has spent the last 18 months developing ACCESS: YouTube to try and overcome these issues, and allow students to use the site more independently: “I have used large fonts, visual cues and a logical layout to improve access using assistive technologies. By simplifying the site and removing content such as adverts and comments, the website is more accessible to screen readers.” For Henshaws students, this means they can independently control their leisure time without the need for support. Staff can also be confident that students will be kept safe as the site automatically filters out any inappropriate material.

Nigel Ecclesfield, programme manager at Jisc Advance says: “We are delighted to have provided the funding for the development of this wonderful tool that opens up the world of YouTube to those with visual difficulties. YouTube provides access to many exceptional educational resources and we are proud to be associated with a project that will make a real difference to the lives of many learners as they can now access these materials independently.

“For example, twenty one year old Billy is severely sight impaired and has cerebral palsy which affects his movement. He uses two large switches and scrolls through the simplified menu to navigate ACCESS: YouTube. Screen reader software then reads out each option for him so that he can select or search for videos he wants to listen to.”

Billy explains: “When I first started, I didn’t know how to use it, but now I can play videos without help. I have made my own playlists for my favourite videos including Take That and Kylie Minogue. I can use the site out of college sessions. It’s great to have the freedom to do this.”

Chris Surtees, from the North East Autism Society says: “ACCESS: YouTube is minimalistic, clean and allows a learner with additional support needs to increase their independence whilst accessing a form of media which appeals to them.”

Henshaws hopes the technology will have a positive impact even beyond the specialist education sector, as Mike explains: “ACCESS: YouTube is just the first in a whole suite of accessible websites which we are developing at Henshaws College thanks to funding from Jisc service - Jisc Advance. The launch of similar accessible websites later in the year will allow users of assistive technology to search for images online, to give honest independent evaluations using a feedback tool and to access personal email accounts. These sites have huge potential to make browsing the internet easier for a whole range of people.”

The developments come at an exciting time for Henshaws as they coincide with the college’s new Media and IT Centre which is due to open this spring. Facilities will include an IT suite, two recording studios and a print centre which will be fully accessible to students and local community groups. The building of this new facility was made possible by the generosity of Henshaws supporters. Henshaws thank the trusts, businesses, individuals and students who made this happen.

Henshaws welcome any comments or feedback on the ACCESS: YouTube website. mike.thrussell@henshaws.org.uk

Posted on Tue 05 Feb 2013

Book on our free webinar to gain skills in assistive technology

Disseminating Assistive Roles and Technology 2 (DART-2)

Presented by Rohan Slaughter from Beaumont College and hosted by JISC Advance

Wednesday 13 February 2013 @12.30pm

This webinar will be of interest to all further education colleges and independent specialist colleges.

Overview

Three leading specialist colleges - Beaumont College, National Star College and Henshaws College - are working with experts from across the sector to help providers make better use of access and inclusion technology. This will increase staff’s knowledge and expertise in supporting students with disabilities and learning difficulties.

What you will take away from the session:

Understand what technology is available to support students with disabilities and learning difficulties.
Help both your staff and students to make better use of assistive technology.
Learn about the assessment materials being used to evaluate learner needs.
Find out more about three workshop days open to all providers in the sector.

Book your free place here

This is one of 33 projects being funded by Jisc Advance. The projects represent all countries of the UK and cover all aspects of the FE and Skills sector including work-based learning, adult and community learning, colleges and specialist providers. They focus on a wide range of different technologies and their applications, including Mobile Learning, Audio feedback, the use of Student Owned Devices, Remote (and automated) assessment and many others.

Posted on Mon 28 Jan 2013

Jisc launches new procurement service for Work Based Learning providers

Jisc has launched the first national eMarketplace for the Work Based Learning (WBL) sector. It will ease the purchasing process and offer savings of up to 20%.

GeM for WBL is a website offering users savings on everyday products and services via quality-assured suppliers and negotiated contracts. All suppliers have been carefully chosen for their competitive prices and level of service to the WBL sector, giving users the reassurance that they can buy with confidence.

With independent training providers spending, on average, £170 million per year on procuring products and services, this is a welcome initiative for the growing WBL sector. Users can initially gain savings on a wide range of office equipment including furniture, stationery and uniforms via the website’s first supplier, Office Depot. Other suppliers will follow shortly and will focus on typical high-spend items for the WBL sector including:

• Awarding Organisations

• Energy

• Print and copying

• IT Hardware and support

• Telephones/communications

• Specialist (by curriculum) materials and equipment

• Insurance

• Travel (hotels, car hire and car leasing)

A number of training providers have already had a sneak preview of the site whilst piloting the service. Carl Johnson, Finance Director at the Training for Travel

Group Ltd said: “We did a full cost analysis of our 20 top ordered items in comparison to the two stationery providers that we use and found that we would get a 39% saving with Office Depot. This amazed us as we had been using local suppliers and had spent a long time negotiating the prices down. Add to that the online ordering system, quick delivery and range of products..."

Paul Warner, director of employment and skills at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), the national membership organisation representing the WBL sector, said: "Healthy cash flow is as vital as ever for work based learning providers when margins are tight. The GeM for WBL service could therefore be a critical tool in helping to minimise outgoings and I encourage AELP members to check it out, especially as it's free!"

The service - being led by Jisc Advance and using breakthrough cloud technology from @UK PLC - is free for training providers* to use. It is funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and supported by AELP. Local WBL provider networks have been crucial in shaping the service with the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network being a key project partner.

Guy Lambert, CEO of Jisc Advance said: “This new service is based on the established GeM service for higher and further education which has helped institutions buy more competitively and simply over the last year, saving money both on external spend and internal administration. We are therefore delighted that we can now offer a service to training providers which combines these efficiency savings with access for the first time to nationally-negotiated contracts, thus providing a double benefit.”

Ronald Duncan, chairman of @UK PLC comments: “Jisc is once again leading the way with this new and innovative service that will transform the relationship between training providers and suppliers. We are delighted to be providing our unique technology to help achieve this transformation.”

To register to use the service visit www.gemforwbl.ac.uk or contact steve.durham@jiscadvance.ac.uk

*Providers of work based learning include Independent Training Providers, Further Education Colleges, Local Authorities and Employers. The main focus of this project is to get Independent Training Providers to use this service as at present they are unable to access any national purchasing agreements. All of the other three subsets have access to their own aggregate procurement arrangements.

Posted on Fri 11 Jan 2013

Jisc secures agreement to provide a continuing legacy for schools resource

Jisc is delighted to have finalised an agreement to preserve and host the Vital subject portals, an invaluable resource for schools.

From 1 April 2013, management of the established subject and special interest portals will move from The Open University. The portals direct teachers to some of the best subject resources available, helping to bring about innovation in the classroom to inspire learners.

Guy Lambert, CEO of Jisc Advance said: “We are delighted that the DfE and The Open University selected us to provide a legacy for the Vital programme. We’re looking forward to taking over the reins of these established resource portals, accessed by up to 6,000 users every year. Over time, we aspire to be in a position to extend the value the Vital portals already deliver to the curriculum and to teaching and learning. Vital currently serves teachers in England; our ambition is for all teachers across the UK to benefit from this invaluable resource.”

The portals will be free to access, complementing Jisc Advance’s new subscription offer to schools which is due to be launched in Spring 2013. This service will provide local hands-on practical support to:

Optimise the use of schools’ and academies’ existing technologies
Link the use of technology to improvements in learning outcomes and progression
Provide opportunities to share with and learn from peers
Provide open access to resources and professional development opportunities.

Peter Twining, director of Vital, commented: "I'm thrilled with this agreement with Jisc Advance which is a win-win for everyone concerned. It provides a huge endorsement of the work Vital has been doing, it will help Jisc raise its profile within schools, and most importantly ensures the ongoing support for teachers that the Vital subject portals provide."

Current Vital users will be contacted by Vital in Spring 2013 informing them of the changes and increased benefits. They will be offered the opportunity for their registrations to be transferred to Jisc to ensure continuity of service. Users can rest assured that the portals will remain similar with possible enhancements introduced in the future.

For more information please contact Claire Richardson, Business Development Officer on 07595 273 488 or email claire.richardson@jiscadvance.ac.uk

Posted on Tue 18 Sep 2012

Successful bids from JISC Advance funding programme to enhance learning and teaching

Thirty two bids are to receive funding for new learning resources, methods and expanding opportunities in post-16 learning across the UK.

The successful projects - managed by JISC Advance and funded by BIS - will run throughout 2012-13 and will focus on four key areas:

Innovative uses of technology
Improving the learner experience
Improving efficiencies
Making better use of existing resources.

The 33 bids represent all countries of the UK and all aspects of the FE and Skills sector including work-based learning, adult and community learning, colleges and specialist providers. They also involve 90 partners and numerous local links.

Ian Southwell at the West of England College for Young People with Little or No Sight was “elated to receive the funding which will help us make online resources more readily available to learners with little or no sight and help improve their experience of working with technology. Our aim is to simplify access to technology as much as possible for this group of learners and we are delighted we will be sharing our work with the rest of the sector.”

Susan Easton of NIACE (The National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education) said “this is fantastic news for NIACE who have long advocated the ongoing development of digital capabilities for adult learners. With our partners, including the WEA (Workers Education Association), Coleg Gwent and Bolton Metropolitan College, among others, we see this funding as a real boost to this work, bringing real benefits to the FE and Skills Sector as a whole.”

The FE and Skills Development and Resources programme managed by JISC Advance was launched earlier this year in response to the Government’s pledge to improve learning across the UK - ‘New Challenges, New Chances’ report. There is a total of £1.35m to fund the projects.

Guy Lambert, Managing Director of JISC Advance commented: “We received an unprecedented number of bids which demonstrates how important technology is for the future of post-16 teaching and learning. JISC Advance is delighted to be leading this essential piece of work, making a significant impact to the FE and Skills sector.”

For further information please contact Clare Jefferis on 07958 115583 or email clare.jefferis@jiscadvance.ac.uk