We will be shutting down our Museums, Galleries and exhibitions spaces starting today.
We will be shutting down all the ISG managed libraries on all campuses with the exception of the Main Library on George Square.
The Main Library will remain open as a vital service for remaining students and staff who require Wifi, study, office, printers and other services. In a further communication we will publish revised opening hours and services that the Main Library will offer.
We have sourced additional laptops for use in high priority areas of the University. These will be prioritised by the University COVID-19 planning team. We hope to have these available to hand out to staff by the end of this week.
We have sourced 100 extra mobile phones. These will be prioritised by the University COVID-19 planning team. We hope to have these available to hand out to staff by the end of this week.
We have enlarged the size of the Remote Desktop Gateway threefold. We have modelled that this will allow the number of connections needed. (enlarged from 2 host servers to 6 host servers)
We have accelerated the installation of the new VPN. The new VPN has a bandwidth of 10 Gig and over 100,000 concurrent connections. We will announce this new service when it is up and running.
We are creating about 200 new teleconference numbers. A simple, but highly reliable, low-tech option for staff meetings and other activities when you work remotely. We are looking to have these built by early next week and distributed to units across the University through the PA and Technology staff.
We have worked with our external SaaS providers such as Blackboard (LEARN VLE and Collaborate), Microsoft (O365, OneDrive & Teams) to ensure they are scaled up for the expected increase in demand.
Based on ideas from staff we have sourced disposable gloves for Library staff who wish to make use of them.
ISG is performing a series of tests to ensure each of its teams can work from home. Lisa McDonald is coordinating this testing.
We will be reviewing our IT Change management processes and communicate later this week about whether additional Change controls will be put in place.
We would ask staff to sign out of your PCs, but do not turn them off as we may want to enable remote desktop on your machines.
Some top tips to keep in mind when planning to teach remotely:
It is important to remember that good teaching online brings with it some of the same principles as good teaching face to face. A strong teacher presence, engaged learning communities, contact time between teacher and student and for students in pairs or groups. The following tips are designed to facilitate that as simply as possible and minimise disruption both for you and your students.
Keep it simple. See the technology as servicing some core teaching function and only choose what you need. Video for lectures (if you lecture), discussion boards for debates and dialogue, a virtual learning environment for hosting your content, a well-structured reading list, maybe a blog for student reflection and group work.
Get professional advice and ask for help early on if you can. Speak to your school learning technologist and IT support; information services staff and librarians are here to help and advise.
Communicate with students. This is critical. Let them know we are trying something new and why. Let them know where to go and who to contact if they run into difficulty. Get them talking on the discussion boards with prompts and questions at regular intervals.
Discuss with your colleagues and networks of contacts at other universities how they may have used technology in similar situations teaching in similar disciplines. Many universities offer the same or very similar learning technologies, so sharing practice can be helpful to someone you know.
Your students may already know you, but you need to show them you are present online: a picture of yourself, some short videos, encouragement on the discussion boards. Videos don’t need to be perfect. Showing personality has currency in the online space.
Consider assessments. Do you need to rethink the assessments if you are moving online? You might. There are many ways to assess online and most aren’t too complicated.
Consider which parts of your course such as fieldwork, labs, studios and practicals may have to be cancelled or changed. Think about the adjustments you have previously made for students with disabilities, are those alternative versions appropriate for all your students now?
Do the best you can 🙂 we understand this will be new and different for many teachers.
Issue 26 p. 1 front cover Illustration of hanging a sheet on a washing line Usage terms: We have been unable to locate the copyright holder for Hanging a sheet on a washing line. Please contact copyright@bl.uk with any information you have regarding this item. – See more at: http://www.bl.uk/collection-items/spare-rib-magazine-issue-026#sthash.qZnKW0Db.dpuf
This is the second time I’ve been on strike across International Women’s Day. The UCU strike action two years ago was at the same time of year.
That year, while we were on strike we were also hit by the ‘Beast from the East’ -unprecedented snow. This year we are hit by Coronovirus and the University is hurriedly making preparations ( but not reparations obv.).
The snow and the virus are acts of G_D and can be seen as business continuity incidents. The impact of both can be mitigated by use of learning technology.
If you are wondering why your university is slow to publish guidance on using tech for remote teaching and working from home. It may be because some of the professional expert teams are on strike.
The strike is not about short term things, it is about long term things and these are things worth recognising on IWD. The lack of equality at the University of Edinburgh is real. The pay gaps are real: gender (16.7%) and race (7.9%).
It is frustrating to not be able to come into work but we have gone for some digital celebrations, most of which do not require anyone to cross any picket lines.
To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March 2020, events and activities are taking place across Information Services Group to celebrate women and their contributions to the University and beyond.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, a new training room at JCMB is being named after computer scientist and educator, Xia Peisu.
Xia Peisu (夏培肃) (1923 – 2014) has been hailed “the mother of computer science in China.” After graduating from The University of Edinburgh with a PhD in electrical engineering in 1950, she returned to China where she was recruited by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xia eventually became a founding professor of the Academy’s Institute of Computing Technology and led the development of Model 107, China’s first locally designed general-purpose computer.
Throughout her long career, Xia made numerous contributions to the advancement of high-speed computers in China and helped establish both the Chinese Journal of Computers and the Journal of Computer Science and Technology. A devoted educator, she taught China’s first course in computer theory and mentored numerous students. In 2010, the China Computer Federation honoured Xia with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her pioneering work in China’s computer industry.
LinkedIn Learning playlist
The Digital Skills and Training team have compiled a LinkedIn Learning collection of International Women’s Day themed videos and courses. The collection includes videos in a wide range of topics, presented by women who are experts in their field, and will be available from Monday 24th February. To access this playlist, make sure you are logged in to LinkedIn Learning with your University account, and choose My Learning > From Your Organization > International Women’s Day 2020. Alternatively, you can view the collection at https://edin.ac/37Nhs1N.
The Main Library’s Digital Wall is showcasing images and videos of women who are shaping the University and those who have had a significant impact in their field. These range from content from our historic collections including L&UC digital images collections and videos have been curated from the Media Hopper media asset collection.
Visit the Main Library to see the Digital Wall, which will be live until the end of March 2020 as part of Women’s History Month.
Data-Driven Innovation – Women in Data campaign
The Data-Driven Innovation Women in Data campaign aims to showcase the rich landscape of women working with data science, technology and innovation across a diverse range of industries, fields and sectors in the City Region. From students to government ministers, chief executives to lab technicians, the campaign captures their achievements, careers and hopes for the future in our 60+ eclectic interviews.
Women in Data aims to show women and girls that others ‘just like them’ are thriving in these areas, including from atypical and ‘non-scientific’ backgrounds. The campaign sheds light on their stories and talents, and supports long-term, critical conversations about the ongoing journey to gender equality.
In 2020 90% of lecture courses are taking place in rooms where recording is enabled. Of those,89% are using the automatic scheduler developed by ISG and Timetabling teams to minimise the admin burden for staff. The percentage coverage of 90% is above the sector average, which is approximately 80%.
Use of the service has risen rapidly, reflecting the expansion each year to cover more rooms. In 18/19 we had 470,000 video views, in 19/20 we have 1.14 million.Coverage across schools has been good with only4 schools currently below 80% in semester 1 19/20.
Recorded lectures are made available to students via Learn VLE as a supplement to face-to-face teaching. In 17/18 500 course in Learn had recorded lectures. In 2019, the number is 1605.With lecture recording implemented university-wide, negative comments on the lack of a central lecture recording service are no longer appearing in the NSS.
A focused study was undertaken in the Medical School and among the benefits discussed, the most common was the use of lecture recordings to enhance or complement students’ learning practices, such as revision, clarification purposes, and especially learning in their own time. Staff participants perceived lecture recordings as an accessibility tool, which can be useful for students who may struggle to learn, e.g. those with learning adjustments. The provision of lecture recordings was seen as reassuring and conducive to better engagement by all students interviewed, as they discussed that they can immerse themselves in the lecture experience rather than struggling to take notes while listening and trying to understand the taught material at the same time.Early findings from research done in Moray House institute of Education and Sportindicates that Students perceive lecture recording as a ‘luxury’ service provided by the university to enhance accessibility and enable a more individualised and flexible approach to learning.
Signatures of the Edinburgh Seven in the University of Edinburgh Archives.
The BSHS Ayrton prize recognises outstanding web projects and digital engagement in the history of science, technology and medicine (HSTM). The prize name was chosen to recognize the major contributions of Hertha Ayrton (1854-1923) to numerous scientific fields, especially electrical engineering and mathematics, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The prize is awarded once every two years.
Given the remarkable strength of the field, they decided to supplement the main Prize with a Highly Commended category, to be awarded to two further projects.
I’m delighted to say that our University of Edinburgh Wikipedia project “Changing the ways the stories are told” is one of the two Highly Commended projects! The judging panel were particularly impressed with the initiative’s track record of contributions to the infrastructure of knowledge on which research and public engagement in the history of science depend.
Our submission:
‘Changing the ways the stories are told’: Engaging staff and students in improving the Wikipedia content about women in the history of science, technology and medicine in Scotland.
This project began 5 years ago and has been delivering more and more each year with wider reach, large engagement numbers and considerable impact in terms of public engagement and media coverage. This project is supported by University of Edinburgh and we work in partnership with science, engineering and heritage organisations in Edinburgh to run events to edit and improve Wikipedia content of topics specifically related to the history of women in science.
Our mission is to work with staff, students and members of the public to support them in developing the digital skills they need to engage in writing and publishing new articles on Wikipedia. We have a specific focus on the history of women in science and medicine. Our first ‘edit-a-thon’ in 2015 was based on ‘The Edinburgh Seven’- the first women to study medicine and our most recent was in conjunction with Young Academy Scotland at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This work towards getting all students and staff in the university to be active contributors is unique in the sector.
The audience for our content includes any members of the public who look at HSTM articles on Wikipedia. The audience for our skills development training are staff and students who learn about how historical information can be brought out of the university (and other) archives to illustrate, enhance and improve the stories of historic development of science, technology and medicine. We work closely with librarians, archivists and academic researchers to bring their hidden content into the most modern digital platforms and give it new relevance for the public today.
Edinburgh staff and students have created 476 new articles, in a variety of languages on a huge range of topics and significantly improved or translated 1950 more. These articles have been consumed by millions of readers. All editors are supported to understand the impact and reach of their work, to find the analytics and reports which show how their contribution is immediately useful to a wide range of audiences.
By working closely with HSTM scholars, digital librarians and archivists we ensure that our staff and students learn the best practice in using digital platforms for public engagement. We ensure that information is accessible and navigable and make best use of both the archives and the new technology. Images released from our archive collections and added to Wikipedia as part of this project have now been viewed 28,755,106 times.
As well as learning the skills of editing, referencing and science communication, we are ensuring that many more of our staff and students learn about how information is created, shared and contested online. We work specifically to address gaps in coverage and improve information where it is poor.
We address the gender gap amongst Wikipedia editors by training large numbers of female students and staff and empower them to edit on whatever topics they choose and thus engaging in the use of digital platforms for their own study and work.
The University of Edinburgh is the first UK university to engage a Wikimedian in Residence to focus entirely on developing student and staff skills. The project fits with our missions for teaching, research and public engagement as well as the embedding of technology in our activities to engage in digital citizenship and crowd-sourced sharing.
The most innovative part of the project has been to work closely with academic colleagues to embed Wikimedia tasks in the curriculum so that students work on topics which have direct relevance to their studies. One example where we work with the students on the MSc Reproductive Biomedicine is now in its fourth year. The students are assessed and gain credit for the work they do in improving content of Wikipedia.
Five years on from our original work in changing the way the story of the Edinburgh Seven is told, the University gave posthumous degrees to the women who had struggled as pioneers in this area. The degree ceremony in 2019 marked 150 years since the Surgeons Hall riots and this new, updated history of women in science and medicine gained considerable media coverage and impact in Scotland and beyond.
We ensure the sustainability of this project by making it part of the ongoing digital skills and digital literacy training programme delivered to staff and students in the University of Edinburgh and we hold public engagement events alongside our partners in library, heritage and science organisations in the city.
The Wikipedia platform is maintained by the Wikimedia UK foundation and our contributions to improving the public facing content on that platform is part of ensuring that it is a sustainable, growing, open, relevant and useful resource for everyone. Working directly with the Wikipedia platform to add content ensures that we do not take on the long term costs of hosting such a platform for our selves, thus the work of training editors and contributing content can continue as long as the platform is an appropriate place to do it.
Last year this work won a Herald Higher Education Award for innovation in technology and we are expanding our skills training team in the coming year to ensure that we can meet the demand from academic colleagues and students to be trained as editors and as contributors to Wikidata and similar sister projects.
This project represents a clear statement by the University that we want to enable our staff and students to engage in becoming active citizens in the digital world.
Photo taken by me at the zoo. No rights reserved by me.
Happy new year to you, Reader.
In the long dark days of the Scottish winter when its tempting to hibernate it’s always nice to have a few things lined up to look forward to in the ‘Spring’. Here are some of the dates I already have in my diary. These are events and conferences at which I’ll be giving presentations or keynotes about a range of topics.
Over the the last few years I have cut down on my international travel for work, but still very much enjoyed the range of events at which I get invited to speak.
If any of these topics interest you, it would be great to see you there.
Strategic leadership of open and online learning
31st March- Keynote: Online Learning Summit ‘Growing your University online: Routes to student success’.
18th June- Keynote at University of South Wales Learning & Teaching conference. Thank you to Catherine for the invitation.
The future of libraries and learning technology
27-28th May- Keynote: CONUL Conference 2020 ‘Imagining the future and how we get there’. http://conference.conul.ie Thank you to Laura for the invitation.
Wikimedia in the curriculum
I’ll be presenting with Ewan about our work embedding wikimedia in the curriculum and LILAC and OER20 and we’ll be launching our book of case studies of wikimedia in UK HE reflecting 5 years of ongoing work. At OER20 Lorna and I will be reviewing 5 years of our Open Educational Resources (OER) service at University of Edinburgh.
Digital literacy and digital skills
6-8 April at LILAC conference I’ll be hosting a panel with Josie and Jane called ‘Hindsight 2020: if we knew then what we know now’ https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-2020
Equality and diversity/women in STEM
17-19 March- Equality Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2020: ‘Courageous conversations and adventurous approaches: creative thinking in tackling inequality’ I’ll be presenting with Dominique about the experiences of making changes in our organisation and joining a panel about the the ‘taboo’ subject of menopause. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/programmes-events/conferences/EDIConf20
I am also planning to complete and defend a massive piece of writing which is currently a bit of a monster, but i’m hoping that preparing these presentations will help me to hone my ideas.
“A Permanent National Necessity…” – Adult Education and Lifelong Learning for 21st Century Britain
100 years since the Ministry of Reconstruction’s adult education committee published its Report on Adult Education, the centenary commission I sit on has published our report which argues that adult education and lifelong learning must be a permanent national
necessity, an inseparable aspect of citizenship, vital to addressing the huge societal divisions and challenges to democracy we currently face.
The challenges include the climate crisis; communities more divided than in living memory, with many feeling excluded from today’s politics; and artificial intelligence threatening to disrupt jobs and permanently alter the nature of work forever. The report mostly focuses on England but we did manage to get in some references to Scotland and Wales and to the potential of digital to transform the ways in which adult education can be offered and enjoyed. Funding for adult learning and apprenticeships has fallen by 45% in real terms since 2009-10, cutting adult education participation dramatically.
Our Report calls for:
• A national Adult Education & Lifelong Learning Strategy, with a participation target to reduce the gap between the most and least educationally active.
• A Minister with specific responsibility for Adult Education and Lifelong Learning to report annually to Parliament on progress.
• Community Learning Accounts, alongside Individual Learning Accounts to provide funding for informal, community-based learning initiatives led by local groups.
As you know the broad objectives for all International Men’s Day are applied equally to men and boys irrespective of their age, ability, social background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief and relationship status, and each year they add an additional theme. This year’s theme is: “Making a difference for men and boys.”
To promote positive male role models; not just movie stars and sportsmen but everyday, men who are living decent, honest lives.
To celebrate men’s positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and to the environment.
To focus on men’s health and wellbeing; social, emotional, physical and spiritual.
To highlight discrimination against men; in areas of social services, social attitudes and expectations, and law.
To improve gender relations and promote gender equality.
To create a safer, better world; where people can live free from harm and grow to reach their full potential[125]
Some of the things we do in ISG to make a difference for men and boys.
We showcase the exciting work our male student interns do.
ISG Directors Tony, Alistair and Kevin have all attended our Fathers Network events to highlight the importance of understanding the workplace issues which face working dads. The sessions help to normalise experiences by sharing experiences and telling stories about fatherhood with other dads. They are valued as a chance to meet other fathers with the university and learning from how others deal with policies and flexibility. Some comments from our staff on the value of these sessions include: ‘Understanding updated policy on parental leave.’ ‘Hearing experiences from other working fathers’. ‘Raise awareness of issues facing fathers – as peer support’.’ Significant difference as it raises awareness of “invisible” issues’. ‘Anything that helps encourage dads to be involved and ask for help is worth it.’Strengthen families & hence benefit society is worthwhile.’
We run personal development programmes specifically for men
This year develop a full day session:Men at Work: Expectations, experiences, and the workplace. We are partnering with Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) to host an interactive full-day workshop for male colleagues. This workshop will delve into the often tricky and sometimes complicated area of identity in the workplace with a focus on your experiences. Aspects such as society, career stereotypes, diversity and cultural norms in workplaces create a set of unspoken ‘rules’ that shape expectations of actions and behaviours. This workshop will explore how these expectations manifest themselves in ISG, the advantages and disadvantages this offers, and what (if any) steps we can take as a result.
We promote mental health
Stewart is now bidding for funding for the third! edition of his mindfulness colouring book.
Lothian Health Services Archive’s UNESCO-recognised collections on the history of HIV prevention, treatment and care in Edinburgh reflect a widespread and co-ordinated response from a range of individuals and groups to an unprecedented crisis which reached its height in the late 1980s.
We promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion
Ewan runs regular wikipedia editathons which focus on celebrating hidden voices and changing the way stories are told.
The Playfair steps programme runs staff development and engagement sessions which take an intersectional approach to workplace diversity.
Kevin ‘s detailed and caring approach to developing processes has transformed the scale and quality of our student employment programmes, such that they are now award winning.
Gavin our CIO has set equality and diversity targets for the whole of ISG and regularly calls out teams or areas which are being slow to change.
You’ve been waiting a long time. The last one was written in 2006. Writing with Chris and Clara has been just like old times.
You’ll be thinking loads has changed in the techniques of learning design and use of technology to support learning and teaching……
For most teachers the main technology to support teaching on campus is still the VLE, but in this edition I’ve managed to include up to date examples from lecture recording, maker spaces, OER, online reading lists, diversity in the curriculum, inclusive design and learning analytics. Course leaders still need a really good grounding in learning design though, if their teaching is going to be successful. We have a Learning Design Service at Edinburgh which is growing from strength to strength.
Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this fully updated new edition of Designing Learning offers accessible guidance to help those new to teaching in higher education to design and develop a course. With new considerations to the higher education context, this book uses current educational research to support staff in their endeavour to design and develop modules and degree courses of the highest quality.
Offering guidance on every stage, from planning to preparing materials and resources, with a focus on the promotion of learning, this book considers:
Course design models and shapes, and their impact on learning
How the external influences of learning and teaching are translated by different institutions
How to match the content of a course to its outcomes
Frameworks to enable communication between staff and students about expectations and standards
Taking into account the diverse student population when designing a course
The place of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), communication tools and systems for monitoring students’ engagement
The importance of linking all aspects of the taught curriculum and wider co-/extra-curricular activities to support learning
Ways to evaluate and enhance a course and to develop oneself as a teaching professional in HE.
Providing advice, illustrative examples and case studies, Designing Learning is a comprehensive guide to designing a high-quality course. This book is a must-read for any academic looking to create or update their course or module.
as of March 17th:
