Licensing is complex and the more open you make content under an end user licence the greater the risk if you haven’t sought the necessary permissions. In partnership with the Higher Education Academy, JISC is funding a support project on IPR and licensing issues for Open Educational Resources. The latest addition to their suite of support resources is a new tool - the Risk Management Calculator – designed to help understand levels of risk associated with publishing open educational materials. Typical examples of this might include materials which are still in copyright, but for which the rights holders cannot be traced or are unknown (so called “Orphan Works”). The calculator helps those relatively new to licensing to make the right decisions when creating open content.
JISC programme manager Amber Thomas says: “I’m very excited by the development and launch of this tool because it provides a means for projects and organisations to understand the criteria associated with the types of materials they wish to release – material with copyright but for which permission has not been sought. This tool helps projects to select the most suitable licences for their specific materials and in accordance with the delivery and usability of their Open Educational Resources.”
Project director Naomi Korn comments: “The Risk Management Calculator is a good example of the way the OER IPR support project team works: a marriage of copyright and licensing expertise with a group of immensely talented staff from the technology enhanced learning team at Plymouth University creating tools that users can use to help them understand and do copyright and licensing better.”
More and more organisations are realising the benefits of releasing their content under Creative Commons Licences, or similar open content licences such as the Open Government Licence, which explicitly grant the end-user permission to use materials, modify or redistribute them. Institutions like the British Library are releasing their bibliographic records to be reused without attribution and Creative Commons Licences are increasingly used by developing countries to open up content.
The Risk Management Calculator
The team will be demonstrating the calculator at the JISC Conference in March
Listen to an interview with Naomi Korn (Duration 7:18)
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The new computers use 80% less electricity than the previous IT set-up - giving the college a financial and environmental advantage. The initiative means that young people at Linkage College in Lincolnshire can use the devices to keep in touch with their friends and family using signing and talking, which gives them more privacy as they no longer have to rely as much on staff help.
The story of how the new system came to be – and the benefits for the students and college – has just gone live as the 300th case study on the Excellence Gateway, a portal for good practice as identified by JISC’s regional support centres (RSC's) in partnership with the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.Young people at Linkage College can use the devices to keep in touch with their friends and family using signing and talking
The case studies on the Excellence Gateway showcase innovative uses of technology by further education, sixth form and specialist colleges, as well as adult, work-based and community learning providers.
Angela Harvey, JISC RSC Services co-ordinator, says: “Reading, hearing or seeing how a colleague in another learning provider has used technology to good effect in their work, or how a learning provider has used technology on a wider scale to improve its effectiveness, can be enlightening.
“One of the roles of the RSC's is to help share the good practice around the country and these case studies are an excellent way to do that.”
Visitors can browse the case studies to find those relevant to their area of interest or to the type of technology they want to explore.
Rob Wye, LSIS chief executive, adds: “The good e-practice case studies section consistently appears in the top 10 most accessed content on the Excellence Gateway and we receive feedback from users on how useful they are for inspiring improvements in their day-to-day work. What is important is that most of the case studies offer supporting files and advice from the featured providers themselves, which will help anyone wishing to replicate the good practice.”
Over the past year alone, the good e-practice case studies section has received 130,204 views, averaging around 10,000 views per month.
Find out more about the initiative at Linkage College
Explore the other good practice case studies on the Excellence Gateway
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Learners who find digital information difficult to manage in today’s high tech world, perhaps because of a disability, could enjoy more independence thanks to two new developer competitions.
JISC Techdis is launching the competitions today after consulting the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Technology Strategy Board, joint sponsors of the initiative.
The first competition ‘Plain Sailing’ asks developers to create technology to help people produce and access their own personalised digital information anytime, anywhere.
The second ‘Making Waves’ competition challenges developers to come up with technologies to ensure that learners with communication difficulties can function effectively and independently.
JISC Techdis director Sal Cooke said: “Digitisation has opened up access to a mass of information for a vast number of people across the globe. Yet, in spite of legislation, accessibility standards and guidelines, equality of access is still denied to millions of people.”
The winning contract for each competition is worth £250,000, and will be chosen by a panel of independent experts.
John Hayes, minister for further education, skills and lifelong learning, said: "In today's world, those who find it difficult to engage with digital information also find it increasingly hard to access life, learning and employment opportunities. These competitions not only represent a fantastic opportunity for companies to help learners overcome these obstacles and make a real difference to their lives, but also for the companies taking part to improve their prospects."
Both competitions are part of the small business research initiative programme, which encourages innovative solutions to specific public sector needs by engaging a broad range of companies in competitions that result in technology development contracts.
The closing date is 15 March 2011.
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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.
There are many technical, as well as pedagogical considerations when making your own screencasts, and your goals will define what capabilities these should offer. “An overview of the whole workflow, good forward planning and preparation are all very important”, explains Gavin Brockis from JISC Digital Media; “even at the early stage of planning you should bear in mind where you want to end up, the needs of your audience and how they are going to access your screencast”.
To help you better understand screencasting, over the next few weeks JISC Digital Media's online surgeries will focus on a number of topics:
| Date | Online surgery |
|---|---|
| 19/01/11 | The major technical issues surrounding screencasting |
| 26/01/11 | Considerations for screencasts as teaching and learning support resources |
| 02/02/11 | Using a screencast as a lecture capture tool |
| 09/02/12 | Using a screencast to provide feedback |
Find out more or join any or all of the online surgeries
Contact JISC Digital Media with any questions
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As we look ahead to a tough financial year in 2011-12, JISC's annual conference in Liverpool is now open for registration with a packed programme on the theme of 'financial challenges, digital opportunities’.
The conference on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 March 2011 will focus on how digital technologies can bring cost and efficiency savings to universities and colleges.
Vice chancellor of the University of Bristol, Professor Eric Thomas, will be delivering the opening keynote speech ahead of his appointment as president of UUK in August.
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Delegates can participate in a new preview afternoon of mini interactive workshops to get even more from the experience.
Professor Thomas' keynote will be followed by sessions combining strategic guidance on areas like digital literacy and shared services with more hands-on advice on topics like improving research management and student assessment.
There will be networking opportunities throughout the day and delegates can visit exhibition stands to find out how to make the most of JISC's own services and other organisations back in their home institution.Event tag - jisc11
Over 950 people from the UK and around the world watched the 2010 conference keynotes in London streamed live over the internet. For those following the conference online in 2011, there'll be the added chance to interact live via the dedicated Twitter feed and live microblogging, as well as the usual opportunity to see the keynote speaker and selected sessions.
Join the debate using the hashtag #jisc11
Register for the conference now
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