Efficiency Exchange
Implementation of Cost-Sharing Exemption in Universities
N8 universities have been working towards utilisation of the VAT Cost-Sharing Exemption (CSE) for sharing of equipment through the development of an approved Cost Sharing Group (CSG) model. By using an existing shared asset - N8 high performance computing - as a model facility for setting up a CSG, the N8 hoped to demonstrate its value and viability.
Cost sharing benefits outweighed by risks and costs, says N8 Research Partnership
A report by the N8 Research Partnership concludes the benefits of university 'cost sharing exemption' are outweighed by risks and costs, after running a cost sharing group for universities which share equipment. This press release produced by N8 following the two year project claims that too many legal and financial hurdles exist
Exploring institutional practices in the post-digital age
The 15th annual Academic Practice and Technology conference included discussions around student engagement and digital provision and provided an opportunity to expand on ideas that can improve the link between students and institutions. Steve Dawes writes on the Association for Learning Technology blog about how the event showed that there is still a willingness to use digital technology to help students individually as well as part of a group.
The UK Higher Education Learning Space Toolkit: a SCHOMS, AUDE and UCISA collaboration
This toolkit has been produced by three higher education organisations to help their members share best practice and work more effectively when creating learning spaces. It is intended to serve both as a practical guide and as a source of inspiration in the design of spaces that delight and motivate students, as well as meet their functional needs.
Enabling Efficiency in Internal Collaboration – Association of Heads of University Administration
The University of Dundee has implemented new IT collaboration software to join up processes to achieve better working across the institution. Dr Jim McGeorge, Secretary of the university explains the benefits in this blogpost.
Student surveys are a waste of everyone’s time
"Students have to answer 25 questionnaires a year and they are sick of it", an academic complains. In a post for the Guardian's Academics Anonymous blog, the unnamed physiology lecturer asks why universities are so obsessed with pointless data.
LFHE unveils Innovation and Transformation Fund grant winners
The universities of Edinburgh Napier, Northampton and Strathclyde have been selected by the Leadership Foundation to take part in the 2016 Innovation and Transformation Fund (ITF) round. Each ITF project is worth up to £8,000 and will fund initiatives that unlock and share good practice across the sector.
Full house for data experts at the University of Southampton
Universities around the world are providing their students with open data to enable students to extend the digital ecosystem with their own software. In the UK, the most well known is the University of Southampton and this write-up of a visit from UCL's TechSoc nicely describes project leaders' bingo-inspired solution to overcome resistance to opening up data
5 May: Design for Education | Service Design Basics, Lancaster
This one-day workshop will show participants how to develop and deliver great services through a design-led approach. This puts students, staff and stakeholders at the heart of delivery helping practitioners to learn new ways to find solutions to problems that impact their institution.
SHERPA REF Beta
A web service funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to clarify journal compliance with the Research Excellence Framework (REF), has been launched in beta form. Jisc's SHERPA REF Beta allows authors and institutions to quickly, accurately and easily check whether a journal they wish to publish in complies with open access policy for the REF.
