Beacons of learning – micro-location technology on campus
The growing use of smartphones is making micro-location technology more attractive and delegates at this week's ALT Annual Conference 2016 will learn about how it could be used in universities. Ahead of the presentation, Sheffield Hallam University's Ian Glover describes a study he has jointly carried out into the use of 'bluetooth beacons' in higher education.
North east universities to benefit from £750m construction agreement
Collaborative procurement on construction for universities in the north east of England has been made easier with a £750m framework agreement, the first of its scale in the UK. Greg Barnes, who worked on the agreement for the North Eastern Universities Procurement Consortium (NEUPC), describes its benefits and lessons learned while putting it together.
Assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of porters and cleaners
Benchmarking is increasingly used in the quest for efficiency and most universities have used the Procurement Maturity Assessment, developed by SUMS Consulting and the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortia. SUMS has now developed another maturity model that allows easy self assessment and indicates a way forward and has applied it to portering and cleaning services.
Less selfishness could mean more space efficiency, report argues
Universities could reduce estate footprint by 25% if staff become less “territorial” and share their teaching and office space with colleagues in other departments, says a report by a Dutch university quoted in the Times Higher.
How to build sustainability resilience into university business
A guide to building economic, social and environmental sustainability into all university operations has been launched by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges. The aim of the guide is to demonstrate the business benefits for universities in making sustainability resilience, innovation and opportunity a top table issue.
Could the common room be coming back?
The common room has been phased out of some Higher Education institutions in the name of efficiency. But writing in Wonkhe, Paul Greatrix observes that the need to encourage more collaboration may see its return.
Andrew May: ‘we are the vehicle for driving the efficiency agenda’
As the University of Hertfordshire approaches the midway point of its ten-year long estates strategy, the university’s director of estates, Andrew May, tells Rosie Niven about how estates are at the forefront of the efficiency agenda at the institution.
Demonstrating HE Efficiency and Effectiveness
This report focuses on how universities continue to deliver value for money in a climate where income is reducing in real terms and competition is increasing, while finding recurrent savings which will enable them to make necessary investments. It includes examples from universities across the UK where universities are saving money through efficient estate management.
UK university income grows by £2bn in one year, AUDE report reveals
UK Universities' response to the efficiency agenda and their own income generating projects have helped them increase their income to a record £30bn.
AUDE updates its toolkit for sustainable estates
An updated version of the Model of Estates Costs has been published by AUDE, which feeds into its toolkit providing guidance for a sustainable estate. The toolkit, which is backed by a number of higher education funders, was put together to improve the tools available to institutions for the management of space in the sector.
