Hi everyone,
Pages was originally conceived as a way of people being able to add repeatable and uniquely addressable notes to a list. The need for this came from a pattern we have noticed whereby general instructions or guidance text, from both academics and library staff, was being re-added time and time again to multiple lists. Through the existing notes function, the text has to be added each time, and worse, if the guidance changes you have multiple places to update it.
So, we thought it would be useful if there was a "bookmarkable" note that could be re-added to multiple lists, and if it was changed, changed everywhere. In this context, Pages and the way it is implemented makes a lot of sense. We also felt the ability to embed videos would work well for those sites hoping to create specific local documentation and tutorials (including some the the CC licensed video tutorial content we've made available at http://support.talisaspire.com). From an implementation/cost point of view, the focus required to create the Pages function was minimal, as it borrows extensively from the existing notes functionality.
It's true that the agile release strategy doesn't give customers 100% control over the pace of roll out of new features. Whilst we could put permissions control around every new feature, we try and strike a balance between allowing customers to customise functionality (and turn off what they don't need) and having too many choices. Inevitably, we don't always get the balance 100% right. When we don't, I hope we'll be judged on how quickly we can react to the situation.
So, if anyone who would like us to suppress the pages function in their tenancy completely, please contact us via the support portal and we'll be happy to temporarily disable it (via a simple CSS change on your tenancy). Meanwhile, I'll raise a story to add a permission around the pages functionality so customers can selectively decide which roles they would like to offer the function to (if any at all).
Finally, I recognise that some of the debate is around the boundary between resource lists and VLE, and of course it's up to individual customers to decide for themselves the right place for those boundaries. Ultimately our vision is that Aspire is about creating a world class environment focused on the provision of learning resources - the remit of the VLE can be, and is much wider than that. Up until now, we've focused on helping academics manage references to those resources created by others - but clearly there's a debate to be hand (over and above this one feature) about helping those that teach include original content too - either via direct authoring, or tighter integration with specific HE-orientated learning technology tools.
Chris
On 22 Mar 2011, at 16:50, Cross, Richard wrote:
> Although my liaison library colleagues can come at this from a far more
> informed pedagogical perspective than me; from a technical service and
> application management point of view I echo the concerns that Annette
> raises.
>
> Every site implementing Aspire has to address the question of the
> balance of Resource List content as it is reflected in the Resource List
> system, the VLE, the library web site and catalogue and the university's
> web and teaching spaces. Careful attention has to be paid to the
> question of which sort of teaching content (and related support
> materials) goes where, and numerous policies may require sign-off and
> best practice guidelines need drafting to ensure that academics are
> clear where the university expects them to create content and where
> students should be directed to discover this.
>
> The new 'Pages' functionality in Aspire is not - as far as I am aware -
> an enhancement that customers have advanced as a priority, and I can
> honestly say that I've never had a conversation with an academic, a
> student or another librarian in which the phrase "I wish Aspire came
> with a built in all-purpose page creator" has entered the conversation.
>
> My own view is that the Pages option muddies rather than improves the
> functionality of Aspire, and, like Annette, I feel that this is a
> functional tangent for the application. I'd rather see Talis focus on
> making Aspire a world-class, leading edge Resource System application
> than spend time and developer resource on bolting on the sort of web
> page hosting functionality that an academic can create for themselves on
> Wikidot, Wordpress or a thousand other online locations, should they
> choose to do so.
>
> It is also my view that significant functional enhancements of this type
> should not be auto-released, defaulted-in and non-optionally mapped to
> existing roles in Aspire (and without the necessary support
> documentation being available) but should instead be preview-able and
> optional. An 'agile' release strategy is great for getting enhancements
> out to customers in an efficient, timely way. But when Talis wrong-foots
> those trying to manage the service by switching on significant new
> functionality without allowing them time to assess, prepare and decide
> how (and if) the new buttons should appear in the environment, agile can
> very easily become premature.
>
> If you not had a chance to experiment with Pages as yet, a demonstration
> 'Page' (that I've drawn up to help show library colleagues what's
> possible in Pages) can be viewed here:
> http://resourcelists.ntu.ac.uk/page/pages-in-the-rlms.html
>
> In the meantime, I've no management tools which would allow me to report
> to my managers how many Pages have been created in our Tenancy, by whom,
> with what titles, and included on which lists. And I've no Pause button
> to enable me to suspend this function while my managers decide how and
> when it might be used or supported.
>
> Regards
>
> Richard Cross
> Resource Discovery and Innovation Manager
> Libraries and Learning Resources
> Hollymount House
> Nottingham Trent University
> Nottingham NG1 4BU
> t: +44(0)115 848 4878
> m: 07789 983916
> e: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Talis Aspire Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Annette Moore
> Sent: 21 March 2011 13:09
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [LIS-TALIS-ASPIRE] Aspire release, 14th March
>
> Has anyone else had a look at the New Page option released last week?
> My first reactions are somewhat mixed. A richer note function would have
> been useful within the pre-existing note field but I hadn't envisaged
> the option to create a separate web page. This seems to be moving
> away from the idea of a Resource List. Already there is overlap between
> use of the course VLE and Aspire Reading Lists.
>
> We also noticed that academics could copy and paste from word into the
> New Page and have concerns that this may be used as a 'short cut' to
> paste their reading list in from the course handbook (usually a word
> doc) rather than bookmarking resources and adding them to the list
> therefore making them available for review. It would need to be clear to
> academics that any Resources mentioned in a 'New Page' would not be part
> of the library review of the list.
>
> Annette
>
> --On 14 March 2011 20:05 +0000 Chris Clarke <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>>
>> We released a new version of Aspire today. This version included:
>>
>>
>> * Pages - Building on the recent release of the rich note
>> functionality, Pages are a new feature supporting even rich and
>> extended educational notes and annotations, including those that embed
>
>> external images and even video content. Available to list editors,
>> Pages work a bit like a large note, with the ability for a much wider
> range of formatting.
>> However, unlike a note, each page gets its own web address and can be
>> included on multiple lists - ideal for tutorial or help content you
>> want to re-use again and again. You can add a new page directly from
>> the list editor. Users can either create content directly in the rich
>> WYSIWYG editor, or paste in pre-prepared content directly from
>> Microsoft Word - rich formatting is preserved. We'll be talking more
>> about Pages soon via the product blog on www.talisaspire.com and in
>> forthcoming video tutorials.
>
>
> This email is intended solely for the addressee. It may contain private and confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, please take no action based on it nor show a copy to anyone. In this case, please reply to this email to highlight the error. Opinions and information in this email that do not relate to the official business of Nottingham Trent University shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the University.
> Nottingham Trent University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus-free, but we do advise that the recipient should check that the email and its attachments are actually virus free. This is in keeping with good computing practice.
>
> ########################################################################
>
> To unsubscribe from the LIS-TALIS-ASPIRE list, click the following link:
> http://jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=LIS-TALIS-ASPIRE&A=1
Head of Product
Talis Education
http://www.talisaspire.com
http://twitter.com/talisaspire
Talis Group Limited
43 Temple Row
Birmingham
United Kingdom
B2 5LS
Mobile Number: +44 (0)7595 022154
Email: [log in to unmask]
########################################################################
To unsubscribe from the LIS-TALIS-ASPIRE list, click the following link:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=LIS-TALIS-ASPIRE&A=1
|
