Parallel sessions

20 July 2010   -   22 July 2010
St Anne's College, Oxford

Parallel sessions

Abstracts and biographies of parallel session leaders are below the table.

Parallel Session 1 (PS1)
Tues 20 July
1630-1730

Parallel Session 2 (PS2)
Weds 21 July
1015-1115

Parallel Session 3 (PS3)
Weds 21 July
1415-1515

Parallel Session 4 (PS4)
Thurs 22 July
1015-1115

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Survey 2010
Richard Walker, University of York
&
Roger Hewitt, University of Manchester

Handouts

Room 9

Developing the use of Virtual IT Assistance (LogMeIn Rescue)
James Hargrave, University College London

Handouts

Room 8

Continuous workforce development in the ICT Department at London South Bank University
Jim Nottingham, London South Bank University
&
Paula Nottingham, Middlesex University

Handouts

Room 7

UCISA-SDG Best Practice Award Winner: Constructing gardens, building bridges, changing attitudes, 60 technicians of the IT variety and red wellies!
Ruth Allen,University of Derby
& 
Bev Millinchip, University of Derby

Handouts 

Room 7

Academic Support strand

The Academic Support sub-group parallel sessions will focus on emerging trends in the use of learning technologies to support learning and teaching activities. The TEL survey will provide a useful context for this strand, identifying patterns in technology enhanced learning and support provision across the sector. Colin Addy's presentation on ITIL will explore the theme of support provision and how traditional IT support models may be adapted to address pedagogic issues, enabling academic staff to leverage tools to best effect. Julian Park will focus on the student learning experience, outlining how video technology has been used as a vehicle to deliver personalised feedback to students. The sessions have been designed to support a mix of presentations and experience sharing amongst delegates, with wide ranging discussion on best practice in the use of learning technologies for learning and teaching.

A model for supporting e-learning
Colin Addy, University of Wolverhampton

A commitment to embedding e-learning technology in the curriculum must also include a commitment to supporting it. But, supporting e-learning can be difficult; many service providers are involved and users come with strong personal interests! At Wolverhampton, they are developing a collaborative model based upon ITIL best practice. Why? How?

Colin has worked in ICT in HE since 1992, and seen the MAC Initiative come and go and the omnipresence of the web! But ask him where ICT is still to make the biggest impact in HE and he’d say “in the role of connecting learners to learning". Discuss!

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Using video in feedback provision to students
Julian Park, University of Reading

Like many universities, the University of Reading is exploring and implementing a number of initiatives to improve feedback and dialogue with students with respect to their assessed work. In this interactive presentation, we will outline the results of a JISC funded project which evaluates the use of video to provide generic feedback to students. The presentation will provide information on the staff and student views of using video, the potential benefits to learning and the institutional issues that have arose in trying to establish this tool across the University.

Julian Park is Faculty Director of Teaching and Learning for Life Sciences at the University of Reading. He has specific teaching related interests in student assessment and feedback. He is also seconded part time to the HEA UK Centre for Bioscience.

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Survey 2010
Richard Walker, University of York
&
Roger Hewitt, University of Manchester

This session will offer an overview of the preliminary findings from the 2010 TEL Survey. The Survey sought institutional responses to questions focusing on strategies and motivations for TEL provision and explored the extent to which this provision was embedded across an institution. In this session we will invite discussion on the significance of the key findings and interpretation of their significance for TEL developments across the sector.

Dr Richard Walker is E-Learning Development Manager and VLE Service Group Leader at the University of York. He is also Chair of UCISA’s Academic Support Group, which researches and reports on trends in technology enhanced learning across the HE sector.

Roger Hewitt has been a member of the UCISA-SSG Academic Support Group since 2000. He stepped down from the Chair at the 2008 User Conference but continues as a member of the group. He is an eLearning technologist at the University of Manchester, based in the Faculty of Humanities.

Communications strand

The Communications sub-group has a very broad canvas, but for this Conference we will be focusing on three key areas: liaison, ITIL and the future of documentation in an increasingly web based world. The liaison session picks up on the successful event held in Manchester in January where different ways of liaising with researchers were explored. JISC have commissioned consultants to work on a project to identify and capture models of good practise in UK HE and they will be reporting on their findings so far. The session on ITIL looks at how the introduction of ITIL in an institution actually impacts on the ways it handles its communications, both internally and externally. The final session is essentially a debate on whether we should be looking to cut costs and eliminate paper altogether, or whether in fact in many instances there is a very real need to keep paper even though it may cost us hard cash.

The support of advanced ICT for research
Max Hammond, Curtis+Cartwright
&
Matthew Dovey, JISC

The impact of ITIL on communications
Rob Needham, University of Sheffield

The implementation of Service Management through the ITIL framework is driving a number of changes within many universities. This session looks at what impact implementing ITIL has on communication both internally and also with customers drawing on examples from the University of Sheffield.

Rob Needham is Head of Customer Service and Communication within CiCS (Corporate Information & Computing services) at the University of Sheffield. He is leading the implementation of Service Management through the ITIL framework at the University of Sheffield and is the Service Manager responsible for communication and collaboration.

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The paper chase − is technology a barrier to communication?
Philip Gourlay, University of the Arts London &
Marina Whitmore, Cardiff University 

Institutions are increasingly moving into the virtual communication world, drawn by the availability of an ever growing range of tools on the web. This session will explore the benefits of paper versus technological communication solutions and whether we can develop communication strategies that embrace the best of both worlds.

Phillip is the Information Services Associate Director heading up the User Services Division at the University of the Arts London, having full responsibility for the support of the users of technology. Previously, he spent time in Europe, managing the Network Global Application Support Team for DHL Aviation, in Brussels.

Marina Whitmore is a User Enablement Manager at Cardiff University, leading a team of consultants whose remit is to establish relationships and liaise with schools across the University. Marina has been in this position since 2004, and worked for the University since 1998 in a variety of customer facing roles.

Service Desk strand

The Service Desk sub-group parallel sessions will cover a range of innovative approaches to supporting service users including using students to deliver your services; the pros and cons of remote support; motivating your staff and how the UCISA ITIL Toolkit might support service quality. As usual, these sessions will be provocative, interactive and informative, providing delegates with the opportunity to learn from peers, exchange experience and develop their own best practice.

Using students to support frontline services
Stuart Barkworth, University of Sheffield
&
Colin White, LSE

Both Colin and Stuart have experience of employing students to provide support in a number of areas: face to face support within a learning centre/Library; technical support for laptop clinics; telephone support for staff helpdesks and ad hoc flexible support for specific projects. They will lead an open discussion covering the pros and cons of offering this type of support and the challenges facing the management of these areas.

Stuart Barkworth is Head ICT Support within CiCS (Corporate Information and Computing Services) at the University of Sheffield. He has been responsible for the helpdesk and associated services for 12 years and has previously managed the provision of computing facilities for students across the campus. Stuart is interested in the rapid change to our services and how we can manage to support the changing demands.

Colin White is Service Desk Manager with IT Services at London School of Economics, and lead system administrator for their ITSM software. He has worked in various desktop support and helpdesk roles in the education sector, and currently manages a team of more than a dozen student advisors who staff the LSE’s central IT support service for taught students.

Developing the use of Virtual IT Assistance (LogMeIn Rescue)
James Hargrave, University College London

The session will comprise a brief case study and demonstration about the development of the Virtual IT Assistance Service at the London School of Economics. This service allows users to chat live to members of their support team from their PC and then for support staff to remotely control their PC. There will then be a live demonstration including the newer features of LogMeIn Rescue such as Mac OS X, mobile device and web chat support. There will then be the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the future direction for this kind of service.

James Hargrave is Group Manager for Client Platform Services at University College London, and was previously User Support Manager at the London School of Economics.

UCISA ITIL for the HE community
Val Blackett, Loughborough University & Simon Clarke, Loughborough University

The presentation will provide a brief introduction to ITIL, describe the UCISA ITIL for the HE Community project and suggest what ITIL can do for us. It will then cover Loughborough University’s recent foray into ITIL good practice, before leading into a more detailed case study focussing on the Service Desk.

As Director of CIS at both Lincoln and Loughborough universities, Val Blackett led many business focussed change programmes to successful fruition. Now Deputy Director of ITS at Loughborough, she is leading a programme to improve IT service management. She also leads the UCISA ITIL for the HE Community project.

Having worked in a number of service management roles in the public and private sectors, Simon Clarke brought his extensive knowledge of service management good practice to Loughborough in 2009. As Service Desk Manager, he is transforming the former reactive Helpdesk into a pro-active, customer focussed Service Desk and IT hub.

Turning stale staff into service desk superstars!
James Woodward, University of Manchester

Staff are the most important part of a Service Desk. They need looking after, motivating and appreciation. James will give an insight into some of the techniques that have been used in the past to combat stale staff, increase staff morale and motivate your staff in order to provide an excellent service. Examples will be taken from experiences in managing helpdesks and service desks in academic institutions for 10 years.

James has been working in academia, in and around the University of Manchester for the last 12 years, starting in desktop support and moving up to Service Desk Management. Having managed service (or help) desks for about 10 years, James now works on strategic projects including the development of a service portfolio and the Learning Commons project. Having managed staff for a number years, James has managed different staff with different challenges and he hopes to share this information with you.

Staff Development strand

The Staff Development parallel sessions focus on the professional development and skill set of IT support staff. Sessions include a presentation from Derby, the winner of last year's UCISA-SDG Best Practice Award, with a very innovative approach to relationship building; ways of encouraging IT staff to acquire the new skills needed to meet everyday challenges and how such a system supports the strategies of London South Bank University; the skills required to support external engagement (especially topical given the current funding issues) from Netskills and a look at the needs of distributed IT support staff at Nottingham.

Continuous workforce development in the ICT Department at London South Bank University
Jim Nottingham, London South Bank University
&
Paula Nottingham, Middlesex University

The ICT Department at London South Bank University has undergone a significant transformation in the last two years. This change has focused on implementing a system of continuous workforce development that encourages staff to acquire new skills to negotiate everyday corporate challenges. Improvements to professional practice include enhanced team building, project planning, self reflection, self managed learning, competency training and better communication skills. The new ICT identity and new approach to workforce development has successfully delivered an excellence of service that will decisively underpin strategic innovation in learning and teaching for the University.

Jim Nottingham is Deputy Director of ICT at LSBU. Jim has also worked at the University of the Creative Arts, the University of Reading and Virginia Commonwealth University. Jim has an undergraduate degree from Loughborough University and a postgraduate degree from Louisiana State University. He is a Chartered IT Professional and a Prince 2/ITIL practitioner and was recently made a Fellow of the Institute of Historical Studies at the University of London.

Paula Nottingham is currently a Lecturer in Work Based Learning at Middlesex University, and previously worked as a sessional Lecturer at Birkbeck University of London Paula is also completing her doctoral studies at Birkbeck, concentrating on work based learning pedagogy within UK higher education. She is a member of the University Association of Lifelong Learning Work based Learning Network, and a member of the Society of Research into Higher Education.

This session will investigate the skills required for university IT service staff to support third strand or Business and Community Engagement activities. It will explore resources and tools being made available via the JISC BCE programme. BCE topics include:

• Knowledge transfer
• Employer engagement
• CPD programmes
• Public engagement
• Lifelong learning
• Spin off enterprises

Dave Hartland is the Director of JISC Netskills. He has experience in every aspect of JISC Netskills' work including developing materials and running training courses. Dave has been an active member of a number of national bodies in the ICT and education sectors including the UCISA Staff Development Group.

UCISA-SDG Best Practice Award Winner: Constructing gardens, building bridges, changing attitudes, 60 technicians of the IT variety and red wellies!
Ruth Allen, University of Derby
&
Bev Millinchip, University of Derby

How central staff development and senior IT managers enabled one of the University’s largest support functions take on four community based seven hour garden renovations.

Whilst the garden was an overnight success, relations were developed over five months, ensuring lasting results. Over a year down the line, we will share the impact!

Ruth has worked at the University for almost 19 years. Her main areas of experience are in application support and customer liaison. She currently manages a team of Business Analysts and Project Managers, delivering a service across the institution, and her areas of strength are valuing people and customer focus.

Bev has worked in industry, private training provision and within HE during the last 14 years. Her experience spans HR management and development. A member of the CIPM, through her MA in Strategic Staff Development she has a passion for applied learning and return on investment gained from staff development.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water

Andrew Shearsmith, University of Nottingham
&
Kevin Hopkins, University of Nottingham

With many IT support teams already working at capacity on day to day deskside support, increasing pressure on them to provide strategic support and liaison for research means that something has got to give. This workshop will explore the issues around freeing up capacity without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Kevin Hopkins manages the Information Services team providing deskside IT support and IT consultancy to the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham. He has led IT support teams for 20 years, both employed directly by an academic department and also managed as part of a central support service.

Drew Shearsmith has worked in IT support for 20 years and through various management roles covering data centres, libraries and faculty IT support has gained a broad knowledge of service delivery and support covering all aspects of centralised IT and library services. Key interests include Green IT and research support.

User Skills strand

The User Skills sub-group focuses on promoting good practice in training in terms of delivery skills and quality management. Our sessions at the User Support Conference reflect this − the innovative delivery style of bite size training developed by UCL and LSBU, two approaches to training students adopted by LSE and York and a clever way of demonstrating the value of training championed by the Institute of IT Training. The sessions will be informative, thought provoking and most importantly, interactive.

What can you learn in 15 minutes? A bite sized approach to learning
Ruth Brown, London South Bank University
&
John Scott, UCL

What can you learn in 15 minutes? is a taster format for a day long event, offering a programme of 15 minute talks that aim to inform lecturers of the possibilities of technology and the available support, and to inspire them to explore its use in their own practice. The drop-in, drop-out nature of the method allows academics to attend topics of interest without having to invest a great deal of time initially. It focuses on inspiring exploration rather than teaching new skills. It is a method of raising awareness of both the technologies and the available support which has been successfully implemented at UCL for several years, and has recently been transplanted into the LSBU environment. This hands on workshop illustrates that valuable ideas can change hands in very short timeslots. At the end, participants will have an action plan, tailored to their own particular institutions, upon which to base a bespoke version of the approach.

Ruth Brown is an Academic Developer at London South Bank University with a particular interest in the adoption of eLearning in higher education.

John Scott is an IT trainer/facilitator. He is interested in how presentation and design skills can improve the teaching, training and learning experience.

Certifying Students - a crazy idea?
Jeni Brown, LSE
&
Susanne Hodges, University of York

This workshop examines two very different approaches to student IT certification. Jeni Brown of LSE and Susanne Hodges of the University of York discuss how certification was set up at each institution, students’ and employers’ attitudes to it and the advantages and drawbacks of the different approaches.

Susanne Hodges has been IT Training Manager at the University of York since 2001 and is responsible for managing and developing the delivery of IT training to staff and students. She is also involved in developing collaborative courses with colleagues in staff development, graduate training and learning enhancement. She is currently developing alternative strategies for training, employing a range of delivery methods and media.

Jeni manages the development and provision of IT training in standard desktop software for all staff and students at the LSE. In addition to managing a small team of TAP-accredited trainers, she is involved in developing greater cross team collaboration and communication with colleagues in various training departments, such as those responsible for staff development, learning technology, information literacy and research skills. In her spare time, she also leads a group of volunteer web editors who maintain the extensive IT Services section of the LSE website.

Calculating the value of training
Alan Bellinger, Institute of IT Training

For years, establishing the value of skills has been as elusive as the holy grail; but with the increased pressure on performance, effectiveness and efficiency it's an issue we need to address. Alan argues the case for doing things differently − and shows that we only need the answers to five simple questions to identify the value of training. The trick is knowing which questions to ask!

Alan Bellinger is executive consultant to the Institute of IT Training (IITT) and has been writing on skills issues for IT Training magazine for the last 20 years. He is Director of Certification for ISO 15504 Assessor Certification Program, and a Non-Executive Director of a number of emerging enterprises. He is a former Director of the Institute of IT Training, Technical Director of the e-GIF Accreditation Authority, and a director of IT Skills Research. He holds the Colin Corder Award for services to IT Training for 2002. As an independent journalist and consultant specialising on IT skills issues, he writes regularly for a number of skills related publications.

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