Staff Development Hour
‘Project Spotlight’ – TELSTAR Project
Anne Gambles
4 March 2009
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Agenda
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Introduction
Partners
Key Project Personnel
What is it all about?
Aims
Objectives
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Outputs
Outcomes
Progress to date
Next steps
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Introduction
TELSTAR: Technology Enhanced Learning supporting
STudents to achieve Academic Rigour
One of 21 projects funded under the UK Higher
Education Joint Information Systems Committee's
Institutional Innovation Programme (Phase 2 - Largescale Institutional Exemplars)
Project timescale: November 2008 - February 2010
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Partners
• The Open University (Library and LTS)
• RefWorks http://www.refworks.com
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Key project personnel
Project Director
Gill Needham
Steering Group Chair
Niall Sclater, Director of Learning
Innovation
Interim Project Managers
Anne Gambles/Non Scantlebury
Project Support Officer
Teresa Gage
Lead Technical Developer
Based in LTS
Technical Developer
Based in LTS
telstar@open.ac.uk
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
What’s it all about?
• How can The Open University manage the process of
integrating legacy systems into a recently introduced
institution-wide VLE?
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Aims
To create an exemplar project that seeks to:
• replace the legacy system, MyOpenLibrary (MOL) with a more
robust integrated technical solution for managing library content
within the VLE workflow;
• model more effective bibliographic resource management for the
institution and the broader e-learning communities which can
ensure efficient, timely and more flexible distribution of these
resources;
• investigate the impact on changing practice for managing
bibliographic referencing within e-learning;
• support the development and application of high quality
bibliographic management skills for learning and employability.
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Objectives
• specify the options available for developing bibliographies
and associated e-production workflow
• review and make any necessary amendments to the eproduction process
• test the usability and scalability of integrating the
bibliographies created with RefWorks within the
appropriate areas of the VLE (Moodle)
• test the performance and scalability of incorporating
persistent linking technologies
• enable the bibliographies created as part of the eproduction process to be reused by students
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Objectives
• test the feasibility of integrating a RefWorks application
within the current ePortfolio system and specify functionality
and end-user workflow required
• explore the role, performance and scalability of incorporating
freely available Web-based bibliographic services
• evaluate staff experience and assess their change
management requirements
• evaluate students, researchers and other end-users
experience and assess impact
• work towards a Service Usage Model (SUM) as part of the
JISC e-Framework for Education and Research.
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
K315 Critical Social Work Practice
Issues: complexity, developing bibliographic skills
throughout the programme; multiple interfaces and
styles
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Issues - hierarchical organisation, distributed
resources. Where’s my ePortfolio?
Help where
am I?
Where’s my library?
Project Outputs
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Workflows options appraisal
Prototype Technical Documentation
User Requirements Specification
Solution prototypes
New eProduction procedures documentation
Report on referencing skills required / training provided
Guidelines for storage and use of resources and materials,
including Good Practice, IPR and fair use
A sustainability model
A contribution to the e-Framework for Education and Research
Service Usage Models development
A written case study of the exemplar project
An evaluation report
Summative Project Evaluation
Dissemination activities
Project Outcomes
Benefits for:
– Learners
– Programme and course teams
– Library Services
– The OU
– The wider community
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Benefits for learners
• equality and consistency of service provision across
courses and programmes;
• reduction of time spent on re-creation of bibliographic
resources, and reduction of complexity in managing
bibliographies;
• improved efficiency and quality of references created;
• enhancement of information literacy;
• support for avoiding plagiarism;
• improved support for lifelong learning, employability
skills and the development of student scholarship;
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Benefits for programme and
course teams
• support for the development of new student-centric
pedagogies, especially related to programmes requiring
a more research or resource-based approach;
• reduction of time spent on re-creation of bibliographic
resources;
• improved efficiency and quality of references created;
• potential reduction in time spent on plagiarism
detection.
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Benefits for Library Services
• more scalable support for building e-learning focused
libraries, building on the success of the MyOpenLibrary
system;
• opportunity to develop a clear articulation of where the
Library adds value within the student’s learning journey,
especially with regard to new project-based and workbased learning courses.
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Benefits for the OU
• more efficient and effective support for learners through
consistent, mainstreamed provision within a tried and
tested workflow;
• improved efficiency and quality through exploring how the
process of integrating legacy systems with the institutionwide VLE can be managed and mainstreamed.
• more effective use of current subscription based
bibliographic management tools (RefWorks and also
potentially Endnote) through their integration within our
current OUVLE tools and structured authoring solutions.
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Benefits for the wider community
• OUVLE Programme developments and enhancements
are being made available through Creative Commons
• Opportunity to integrate commercial bibliographic
management systems with Moodle
• Demonstrating good practice in integrating library
services and resources into the learning and teaching
workflow using latest web2.0 technologies
• Service Usage Model will describe the integrated
workflow as a reference model for other institutions
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Progress to date
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Project website http://www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Project webpage on JISC site
Project Plan
Project Collaboration Agreement (draft)
Recruitment
– Project Manager (estimated start early June)
– Project Support Officer (started 24th Feb)
– Lead Technical Developer (to start 9th March)
– Technical Developer (to be re-advertised)
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Next steps
• Start blogging on the website
• Identification of pilot courses
• Identify User Requirements in conjunction with the
Course Teams, Learning & Teaching Librarians & LTS
• RefWorks training for Project Team
• Decide on most appropriate RefWorks folder structure
• Firming up the technical work
• Creative resource scheduling
• 2009-03 Interim progress report to the JISC (including
financial statement)
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Partners
Key Project Personnel
What is it all about?
Aims
Objectives
•
•
•
•
Outputs
Outcomes
Progress to date
Next steps
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04
Staff Development Hour
‘Project Spotlight’ – TELSTAR Project
Anne Gambles
4 March 2009
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
OU Library 2009-03-04