TELSTAR
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Richard Nurse
11 May 2009
Introduction
TELSTAR: Technology Enhanced Learning supporting
STudents to achieve Academic Rigour
One of 21 projects funded under the UK Higher
Education JISC Institutional Innovation Programme
(Phase 2 - Large-scale Institutional Exemplars)
Project timescale: November 2008 - February 2010
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Who is involved and What is it
all about?
• The Open University
– Library
– Learning & Teaching Solutions
• RefWorks
http://www.refworks.com
“How can The Open University manage the
process of integrating legacy systems into a
recently introduced institution-wide VLE?”
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Aims
To create an exemplar project to:
• develop a more robust integrated solution for managing
library content within the Virtual Learning Environment
workflow;
• model more effective bibliographic resource
management;
• investigate the impact on changing bibliographic
referencing practice;
• support the development of high quality bibliographic
management skills.
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Objectives
• Options for developing bibliographies
• Investigating changes to the e-production process
• Integrating the bibliographies created with RefWorks into
the VLE (Moodle)
• Incorporate persistent linking technologies
• Enable bibliographies created to be reused by students
• Test integrating a RefWorks application within the current
ePortfolio system
• Explore the potential of free tools e.g. Zotero
• Evaluate staff and user experience
• Develop a Service Usage Model (SUM)
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Current processes and issues
• RSS feeds of resources developed for each course and
fed into the VLE
• Some courses have access to the MyOpenLibrary
resource portal but it isn’t scalable to all courses
• Many “standards” of citation referencing – do you have
a standard style?
• RefWorks and Endnote used
• No integration or re-usability of bibliographic citations
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
My Open Library
Course – K315 Critical Social Work Practice
TELSTAR workflow
Project Outcomes
• Prototype plug-ins within the VLE and the ePortfolio system to allow integration with
RefWorks
• Expected benefits for:
– Learners
– Programme and course teams
– Library Services
– The OU
– RefWorks
– The wider community – Moodle and HE
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Progress to date
• Project website http://www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
• Team recruited
• System investigations (OU VLE, ePortfolio system,
MyOpenLibrary & RefWorks)
• Process investigations including the eProduction
process
• Project dissemination
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
Next steps
• Refinement of the TELSTAR integration model
• Detailed stakeholder requirements with Learning and
Teaching Librarians and Faculties
• Development of prototype plug-ins for VLE and eportfolio systems
• Disseminating progress through the project website
and through conferences and events
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/
TELSTAR
http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/707350/JISC_TELSTAR_Project
www.open.ac.uk/telstar/