Integrating Learning Resources in to a MLE

Paul HudsonLearning Technology Development Unit

Learning and Information ServicesUniversity of Hertfordshire

What I will be covering….

• StudyNet - Hertfordshire’s Managed Learning Environment

• Integration with Voyager• Live demonstration• Targeted information resources for staff

and students• Live demonstration• Where Next?

What is an (MLE)?

JISC’s definition of a Managed Learning Environment is one which includes……

….the whole range of information systems and processes of a university (including its VLE if it has one) that contribute directly, or indirectly, to learning and the management of learning resources, and connects to external systems

StudyNet development

• Development started December 2000 • Developed in-house by the LTDU• VLE aspects based on previous projects• Developed using Lotus Domino• Re-use existing data wherever possible

i.e. Genesis - student record system Voyager - Resource Management system

StudyNet development

• ‘Pilot’ released September 2001/2• Driven by central student record system• 22,000 users• Every user has a personal portal• Every module had a website (over 3000

per academic year)• 100 staff training events• 50% usage April 2002

StudyNet - now

• Website provided for whole degree structurei.e. Programme, Pathway Point, Module

• System has developed to meet the needs of academics

• University requirements to provide at least ‘basic’ communication via StudyNet

• 1.4 million logins in Autumn term

StudyNet : The main components

• Personal portal News,Modules, Personal Info,

Calendar, Contacts, Email, etc.

• Teaching Website News, Teaching Materials, Group

Work, Discussions, Reading Lists, Learning Resources, etc.

The Role of Voyager

Voyager & the LTDU

•On-line tutorials

•Integrated search into LIS website

•Software for standalone terminals

•Waterstones search

•Developed interface

Initial Voyager Integration

• Search Voyager from StudyNet

• Automatic logon

• Reading list manager

The need for a Reading List Manager

Pilot with philosophy identified…..

• Reading Lists generally out of date

• Inappropriate stock levels

• Voyager reading lists unmanageable

Features of a reading list manager• Create reading list items via Voyager

• Check stock levels of core items

• Request new copies

• Information Consultants could help academics update their reading list to reflect new editions

Let’s have a look around

How they communicate

• All done with CGI and Javascript

• Perl scripts used to grabs valid sessions id’s for ‘Auto-logon’

• Perl scripts used to grab records

• Javascript passes info to StudyNet

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaVoyager

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaVoyager cgi-script

Script on Voyager

•Grabs previous page

•Parse page and rips out necessary information

•Creates new page to give back to browser

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaVoyager cgi-script

Page Returned

•Page consists of Javascript

•Load record in to toolbar

•Redirects browser to ‘New Resource’ page on

StudyNet

Getting Record…..

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaStudyNet page

StudyNet requests the record from the toolbar

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaStudyNet page

Toolbar sets the details in the record

LIS Learning Resources

• A-Z Lists of E-Journals• New books• Exam Papers• Consultants ‘subject’ web pages

However• Level of support was patchy• Duplication of work and data• Data couldn’t be reused

LIS Learning Resources - The StudyNet Generation• One central data source (Voyager)

• Remove duplication of work

• Provide simple tools to manage and organise resources

• Consistent level of support

Targeting Central Resources Project

• Project funded by University

• Catalogue and categorise by ‘subject’ central information resources.

• To use the categories to provide an information resources environment:– Determined by programme of study

Development Work

• Determine means of subject access– JISC Resource Discovery Network (RDN)

thesaurus. • Add resources to Voyager and allocate

subject terms.• Map subject terms to programmes• External database with facilities to

customise resources

The Implementation

• Weekly data export of journals and websites

• StudyNet database holds partial holdings record

• Data is classified by type and subject• Hierarchal browsing interface• Edit tools

Problems

• MARC has been ‘adapted’ to meet our needs• Confusion between internal cataloguing

‘standards’ - i.e. ‘Report’ or ‘Website’?• RDN terms had to be applied retrospectively -

big workload• ‘Quality’ of final record

(Cataloguing module doesn’t have error checking)

• ‘Round-trip’ missing• Marc conversion using Perl Marc module isn’t

100% accurate

Achievements

• One central journals database.• All journals and websites catalogued -

85% categorised.• StudyNet logging of resource usage• Consultant ‘subject’ pages generated

automatically.• Lecturers can set up their own

‘Learning Resources’ area on their websites.

Let’s see it all in action

Where next?

• Customised RDN for users

• Integration of Link Resolving software into Reading List

• Integration of Information Portal Software

Contact Details

• Email: P.a.hudson@herts.ac.uk

• Learning Technology Development Unithttp://www.herts.ac.uk/ltdu/