What’s Inside May 2011: • • •
Articles on student funding Articles on Higher education economics Articles on access to higher education
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JOURNAL ARTICLES: STUDENT FEES Higher fees a major impediment to higher study, http://www.timeshighereducation.c o.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&stor ycode=416243&c=1 poll finds- many current students would not embark on postgraduate study if they had to pay undergraduate tuition fees of £9,000 a year.
JOURNAL ARTICLES: HIGHER EDUCATION ECONOMICS Evaluation of HEFCE's programme of support for Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects: A report to HEFCE by Curtis+Cartwright Consulting http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2 011/sivs.htm is available in full. The provision by universities of “strategically important and vulnerable” subjects such as mathematics, science and modern languages would have
suffered if the funding council had not intervened with extra support, report concludes Campaign of No Confidence in the policies of the Minister for Universities and Science. http://www.noconfidence.org.uk/ Founded by academics and students at Oxford who oppose the Uk governments HE policy. Read the online blog, comment and campaign materials.
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DIGI TAL
LEARNING: KEY
KEY RESOURCES:
WEBSITE
BIBLIOMETRICS
National Digital Learning Resources (Ireland) http://www.ndlr.ie/ Works to support Higher education staff in Ireland, with a specialist focus on sharing resources in teaching and learning in Higher Education. The site can be used to find out about Irish teaching and learning projects. It also has a useful catalogue of reusable learning objects. These include tutorials, papers, lesson plans and videos. While intended for Irish use, many have a far wider applicability. All subject areas are covered .There is a section on education and academic support https://dspace.ndlr.ie/jspui/handle/1063 3/2142
MyRI: an open access bibliometrics toolkit for training and awareness Free access to this great site created by 4 Irish university libraries as part of the National Digital learning Resources site. It is designed to help both library and information staff who are increasingly being asked to deliver training on bibliometrics and individual researchers who want to find out how bibliometrics can help raise their research profile.
which covers the creation of online learning modules. For instance see podcast of integrating facebook into course communication https://dspace.ndlr.ie/jspui/handle/1063 3/15553
Utah Open Textbook Project Determining the Cost Effectiveness and Educational Effectiveness of Open Textbooks http://utahopentextbooks.org/about/ Interesting project which is using the case study of 10 high schools in Utah to consider the impact of exchanging printed science textbooks for open eBooks. It is looking at both financial costs and the impact on student learning and achievement. The website has details on the methodology, papers and reports. It includes a cost calculator.
Key features include an online tutorial and sample workshop materials for presenters. The tutorial uses articulate software it includes well designed sections for departments wishing to use bibliometrics as a tool for research assessments and for individuals seeking to use it to further their career. Each section guides the use through a range of widely available tools: including ISI, Scopus and publish or perish assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each. Supporting materials include lesson plans, workshop notes and slides with detailed advice on how they can be tailored for local use. The site is on open access so there is the possibility of refiguring examples (i.e. removing some Irish contexts) with local needs.
For more Discussion on bibliometrics and their value see the new blog from the LSE Impact of social sciences on http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci alsciences/
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It is considering issues relating to measuring research impact, citations.
Compiled by Heather Dawson h.dawson@lse.ac.uk