Dear Members
ALT news digest #48, 4 September 2003
Lots of jobs in this issue:
1. Welcome to new members
2. ALT-C 2004
3. ALT news
4. ALT events
5. Other events
6. Other news
7. Vacancies
8. Courses
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1. Welcome to new members
A warm welcome to the following organisations which have joined ALT:
Colleges, universities & similar organisations:
Bradford College http://www.bilk.ac.uk/
Suffolk College http://www.suffolk.ac.uk/
College of West Anglia http://www.col-westanglia.ac.uk/
Corporate members:
Scottish Enterprise http://www.scotent.co.uk/
All new members are invited to the new members' lunch to be held at
ALT-C 2003 on Tuesday 9 September.
Email us if you have not received details: [log in to unmask]
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2. ALT-C 2004
Exeter, Devon, UK
14-16 September 2004
Missed your chance to attend ALT-C 2003? Then put ALT-C 2004 in
your diary now!
http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2004
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3. ALT news
3.1 Annual General Meeting
Monday 8 September, 13.15 - 14.00
Fulwood Room, University House, University of Sheffield
(please note change of room)
Come and meet the new committee members who will be running ALT!
Please make every effort to attend.
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4. ALT events
4.1 Making the mould: academic practitioners and learning technology
standards
A one-day workshop from ALT
Oxford Brookes University
22 October 2003
Cost: £85 ALT members / £140 non-members
Booking deadline: 8 October 2003
http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.asp?e=109
Presenters: in association with CETIS Pedagogy Forum:
* Allison Littlejohn
* Lara Whitelaw
* Lisa Corley
* George Roberts
* James Dalziel
This workshop will examine the ways in which learning technology
standards will affect academic practitioners, and the ways in which
academic practitioners will affect learning technology standards. The
workshop will not only inform practitioners, but also help them to engage
even more effectively with the tools of their trade.
Booking form:
http://www.alt.ac.uk/docs/Workshop_booking_form.rtf
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4.2 Scenario planning to guide the adoption of learning techniques in
education
A one-day workshop from ALT
HEFCE, Centrepoint, London
26 November 2003
Cost: £100 ALT members / £150 non-members
Booking deadline: 12 November 2003
http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.asp?e=110
Presenters:
Henk Frencken, University of Leiden, the Netherlands
Dr Wim de Boer, University of Twente, the Netherlands
The aim of this workshop is to introduce the field of scenario planning
and to show how different techniques and approaches can be applied to
help shape institutional strategy. The workshop will explore different
models of technology and change in higher education with the aim of
turning research into guidelines for practice.
Booking form:
http://www.alt.ac.uk/docs/Workshop_booking_form.rtf
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5. Other events
5.1 Encouraging and supporting image use in learning and teaching
FILTER Workshop
Tues 23rd September 10.30 - 4.00,
University of Bristol, Merchant Venturers Building, Bristol
Please note: Booking is required for this workshop. A small charge of
£50 (fifty pounds) will be made to cover costs. Materials, lunch and
coffees/teas are included. Please see the online booking form,
http://www.filter.ac.uk/workshops/
or email [log in to unmask]
for further information or to register.
The Focusing Images for Learning and Teaching: an Enriched Resource
(FILTER) project aims to enable the use of images for learning and
teaching in Further and Higher education through resources and
examples contained in a Web-based project database.
The exemplars of image-based learning and teaching content cover a
wide range of subjects and are presented in a variety of formats. Along
with useful case studies and other resources these materials have been
created by further and higher education research and teaching
practitioners, supported by generic guidelines developed by the project.
Together these provide templates and support for individuals in
beginning to produce their own image-based materials.
Who should attend:
Learning, teaching and research practitioners who wish to create image-
based resources and better understand the benefits and limitations of
using images.
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5.2 eLearning Network Conference
SCI, Belgrave Square, London
September 26th 2003
E-learning Buyer's Masterclass - How to manage learning suppliers is
the subject of the next eLearning Network Conference.
Have you ever wondered why it is so difficult to find exactly what you
need when it comes to e-learning? "The more you learn the more you
realise how much you need to know" really rings true here. This
conference will hear from both sides of the line. From a vendor who
sells a high value product with masses of features in a highly competitive
market and from a user who has just completed that process and
emerged intact! There will also be a panel session of experts to discuss
the burning issues of the subject.
In the afternoon there will be an interactive workshop where the whole
process of project managing a major procurement will be practiced by
the whole audience. At the end of this conference you will be ready for
anything an e-learning project can throw at you.
Plus an excellent lunch and plenty of time for networking makes for a
very interesting day. At only £75 for non-members it is amazing value for
money and less expensive than virtually any other conference. ELN
members pay only £60 and less if they have bought meeting credits.
You can register for this conference via
http://www.elearningnetwork.org
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5.3 eLearnInternational World Summit 2004 - Futures for eLearning
Call for papers
18-19th February 2004
Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Scotland, UK
Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency for
Scotland, is hosting its second major international conference designed
to facilitate an examination among practitioners, consultants, academics
and government officials on Futures for eLearning.
The 2004 eLearnInternational conference key aim is to build on the
themes of last years' conference by moving the conversations along the
path of diffusion and exploitation. From the debates and presentations
in the highly successful 2003 conference in Edinburgh, we learned what
is likely to work in a global eLearning context. We also learned,
however, that the real challenges ahead lies in translating promise into
practices that make a fundamental difference to how all organizations -
corporate and educational, suppliers and customers, public, private and
voluntary - learn and create knowledge.
An integral part of the Conference is the refereed paper track, which was
a highly successful feature of last year's conference. Consequently, we
are inviting papers from academics and practitioners that address the
key issues on which the final outcomes of eLearning will turn. Full details
of the call for papers, including submission deadlines are available on
the conference web site at
http://www.elearninternational.co.uk/2004/callforpapers.asp
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6. Other news
6.1 JISC Circular 7/03: National Centre for Text Mining - call for
expressions of interest
The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), the Biotechnology and
Biological Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have agreed to fund the
establishment of a UK Centre for Text Mining.
Funds totalling £1 million have been made available by these bodies to
fund the Centre as a three year proof-of-principle service. The Centre
will initially focus on biological and biomedical science as this area of
science has the largest user community, the fastest growing literature,
and the area where most applications research in text mining is being
undertaken. It is anticipated however that the tools developed by the
Centre will be of interest and relevance to the needs of the wider
academic community.
Expressions of interest are invited to host the Centre from UK Higher
Education institutions. Those short listed will then be invited to make full
bids. The deadline for expressions of interest is 12 noon on Friday 24
October 2003.
The full circular is available at
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=funding_textminingcentre
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6.2 New NESTA Fellowship: Dreamtime
New opportunities for technologists, scientists and artists
Apply before: 10 October 2003
In a country notoriously obsessed with output and the work ethic, there
are few opportunities to explore the original and pioneering. If you're at
the top of your sector, but looking for the time to refresh your thinking
and develop your potential, away from the demands of your professional
life, you could benefit from a NESTA Dream Time Fellowship.
Dream Time Fellowships offer time out, either for a concentrated period
or to work alongside reduced career commitments. In return you need to
demonstrate the benefit such support would bring to you, and a
willingness to put what you've discovered to good use.
http://www.nesta.org.uk/dreamtime
You will be a high achiever, with an outstanding track record and over 10
years' experience in your field. We're especially interested in people
whose work crosses disciplines.
Dream Time Fellowships last for up to a year, offering financial support
of up to £40,000 and a mentor. In return you will need to provide
evidence of a contribution (which can be cash or 'in kind'). If you're
interested and you'd like to receive an application pack you need to
email us.
If your application is mainly concerned with science, email
[log in to unmask]
If your application is mainly concerned with arts, email
[log in to unmask]
If your application is mainly concerned with technology, email
[log in to unmask]
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6.2 Pixus phase 2
We’re nearing the end of phase 2 of Pixus, the project to deliver an
image portal demonstrator for JISC. We’ve introduced a ‘lightbox’ feature
and integrated more image collections, besides enhancing performance
and usability. Could you help us evaluate Pixus once more? Visit
http://www.scran.ac.uk/jisc for details.
Erin Jackson
Pixus project manager, SCRAN
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6.3 News from SURF
The SURF news service is in Dutch, but now features an English
section.
The first article that was translated is this one, now online:
http://elearning.surf.nl/e-learning/boekenensites/1909
Review: "Reusing online resources. A sustainable approach to e-
learning"
Author of publication: Dr Allison Littlejohn (ed.)
Reviewed by: Henk Frencken (ICLON, Leiden University, The
Netherlands)
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7. Vacancies
7.1 UK eUniversities Worldwide (2 vacancies)
UKeU's latest exciting development is the establishment of a new
Research Centre which will be run jointly by UKeU and the Universities
of Manchester and Southampton. The aim of the Research Centre is to
establish a centre of excellence in Higher Education oriented eLearning
research with an international reputation. The Centre now wishes to hire
a Project Manager and Evaluator to be based at UKeU's London
Headquarters.
Vacancy 1: Research Centre Project Manager
(between £40 - 44k dependent on experience)
Reporting to the Director of Special Projects, Paul Bacsich, the role of
the Research Centre Project Manager will include responsibility for the
following areas:
* Project management of Research Centre projects.
* Management of staff within these projects.
* Recruitment of staff if needed.
* Deputising for the Director of Special Projects as required.
* Liaison with team members and other departments within the
Company to ensure that the project management and financial
methodologies used are consistent with UKeU policy in this area for
project funding and matched funding.
* Maintenance of financial records and production of reports to
enable monitoring of finances by UKeU and external stakeholders.
* Preparation of publicity, project and dissemination
documentation.
* Liaison with relevant institutions and agencies in UK and
beyond.
* Giving conference presentations at national and international
events.
* Authoring or contributing to the authoring of journal
publications (including refereed journals).
* Assisting with formulation of the research and development
strategy for the Research Centre.
* Assisting with bidding for related and continuation projects.
You must have demonstrable experience in the project management of
complex projects to short deadlines (6-24 months), teaching (or training
or presenting) experience, financial experience and writing experience
(papers and reports).
With a degree in a relevant discipline related to e-learning (e.g.
Computing, Education), and ideally with a PhD or Advanced Masters
degree, you must be already research-active or be able to convince us
that you have the capability to become RAE research-active at
international level within 3 years.
It is desirable for you to have evaluation skills in the area of
cross-cultural learning, or educational system design using UML, or
cost-effectiveness of new learning paradigms.
Vacancy 2: Research Centre Evaluator - London
(between £30 - 34k dependent on experience)
Reporting to the Director of Special Projects, Paul Bacsich, the role of
the Research Centre Evaluator will include responsibility for the
following areas:
* Analysis and interpretation of data collected, by the platform,
questionnaires, and by other means, on each offering (both those on the
platform and those on other platforms) during its lifetime.
* Development and modification of evaluation methodologies and
materials as required, in collaboration with the Research Centre,
managers and evaluators in partner HEIs.
* Close liaison with all partner HEIs engaging in their own
evaluations.
* Liaison with other departments within UKeU.
* Liaison with members of the Research Centre at UKeU and the
two partner HEIs, respecting company confidentiality ("the firewall"),
partner sensitivities, and research ethics of the HE sector and its lead
organisations including HEFCE and JISC.
* Creation of written reports and papers, including for
conferences and seminars.
* Preparation of presentation materials, including for conferences
and seminars.
* Keeping abreast of new evaluation methods, materials and
studies, across the HE sector and with JISC and DfES and its agencies.
* Other ad hoc duties as required.
With a Masters degree in a relevant discipline related to e-learning
evaluation (eg IT, education or social sciences) and ideally with a PhD,
you will posses at least 2 years evaluation experience of e-learning.
A proficient IT user (MS Word, Excel, databases), you will have
extensive experience of data analysis, and ideally data reporting (eg
Oracle Discoverer) and statistical packages (eg SPSS) also. An
essential requirement is a background in writing reports relevant to area
of study.
If you are interested in applying for either of these positions, please
email a copy of your CV with a covering letter, giving details of your
current salary package, to: [log in to unmask]
The closing date for receipt of all applications is Friday 19th September
2003. Interviews for this post will be held in London.
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7.2 Vacancies: 2 Project Managers - Education
Salary £25,000 + package
Project Manager - Distance Learning
Management of distance learning provision in Further Education
colleges including:
o Initial project scoping
o Use of on-line contract project management system
o Liaison between senior college personnel
o Management and training of college administration staff
o Adaptation of paper based systems to ensure effective data collection
o Management of project to ensure audit compliance
o Adaptation of indicative delivery models to suit college requirements
o Providing feedback to atyourpace including the reporting of issues and
opportunities
o Promoting atyourpace and additional courses and services
Person Specification
Essential
1. Professional background in both Further Education and commercial
sector;
2. Knowledge of the Learning and Skills Council funding for Further
Education institutions;
3. Experience working with distance learning initiatives or similar;
4. Project Management Experience;
5. Knowledge of MS Office programmes including Word and Access;
6. Excellent communicator, people skills are a must;
7. Driving licence;
8. Willingness to travel and work flexibile hours;
Desirable
1. Experience in the development of e-learning courses for distance
learning;
2. Experience in delivering IT courses over distance learning;
This position will require travel throughout the UK, although where
possible travel will be kept to a reasonable minimum. A company car,
laptop and mobile phone is provided.
Ref No: 103350-R00LH.1
Job Type: Permanent
Location: UK
For more information contact:
Laura House at Capita Business Services
on: 01256 383600 or by e-mail at: [log in to unmask]
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8. Courses
8.1 H850:Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education
This programme for practising teachers and learning support
professionals in higher education is designed to develop and
demonstrate your practice as a reflective teacher. It will lead to a
professional accreditation of your teaching capability as well as an
academic award. Drawing on your experience in working with students
and designing courses, it offers you an opportunity to explore a range of
theoretical models of learning and development. Individual and collective
online activities and constructive comment from your tutor will challenge
you to build your own confident rationale for your professional practice
as a teacher.
For further information go to
http://iet.open.ac.uk/coursesonline
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The digest returns on 24 September.
All notices, jobs, news to [log in to unmask] by 23 September, please.
Best wishes
Rhonda
Rhonda Riachi, Director
Association for Learning Technology
Oxford Brookes University, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1865 484125 Fax: +44 (0)1865 484165
Email: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.alt.ac.uk/
Registered Charity Number: 1063519
ALT-C 2003: Communities of practice, 8-10 Sept 2003
Tenth anniversary conference: www.shef.ac.uk/alt/
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