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A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of Bath Bath, UK, BA2 7AY UKOLN is supported by: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/leeds-2006 Acceptable Use Policy Recording/broadcasting of this talk, taking photographs, discussing the content using email, instant messaging, Blogs, SMS, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised. Also feel free to access the presentation, follow links, etc. This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 2.5 licence (but note caveat) * * Subject to confirmation at end of tal

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Page 1: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian KellyUK Web UKOLNUniversity of BathBath, UK, BA2 7AY

UKOLN is supported by:

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/leeds-2006-03/http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/leeds-2006-03/

Acceptable Use PolicyRecording/broadcasting of this talk, taking photographs, discussing the content using email, instant messaging, Blogs, SMS, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised.Also feel free to access the presentation, follow links, etc.

Acceptable Use PolicyRecording/broadcasting of this talk, taking photographs, discussing the content using email, instant messaging, Blogs, SMS, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised.Also feel free to access the presentation, follow links, etc.This work is licensed under a Attribution-

NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 licence (but note caveat)

*

* Subject to confirmation at end of talk

Page 2: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

2

Contents

• Introduction• Background – The History of the Web • Where Are We Now?• New Developments:

W3C developments Web 2.0

• Deployment Challenges• Conclusions

Page 3: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

3

About Me

Brian Kelly:• UK Web Focus – post funded by JISC and MLA to

advise UK HE / FE and cultural heritage sectors on best Web practices

• Based at UKOLN, University of Bath• Helped set up Web service in Leeds University in

Jan 1993 - first in UK(?) and in first 50 registered at CERN)

• Web evangelist from 1993 (vs. Gopher orthodoxy!)• Helped persuade several universities/groups to

deploy the Web (Sheffield Hallam, Oxford Univ. [2 Mar 94], TLTP, Commonwealth IT Group, …)

• Attended several WWW confs since first in 1994 • Author of many peer-reviewed papers

and given many talks on Web issues

Page 4: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

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About This Talk

This talk uses Web 2.0 technologies & attitude:• PowerPoint slides contain links to relevant

resources• Resources bookmarked on del.icio.us social

booking service (with tag leeds-2006-03 )• Add your own related resources using the same tag• Virtual WiFi network can be used by audience for

discussions (you can think about implications)• Possibly use of Skype to maximise access to talk• CC licence for slides (and talk)• Always beta – not everything will necessarily work,

but that's not the end of the world

Note ~ 50 slides, which you can reread at your leisure!Note ~ 50 slides, which you can reread at your leisure!

Page 5: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

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History Of The Web At LeedsDec 92 Internet SIG demonstrates technologies – Gopher,

Veronica, Archie and WWW (W3)Jan 03 UCS installs University WWW ServerFeb 03 Robert Cailliau visits LeedsEarly 03 Local innovation: Music, Chemistry, Comp Sci, Library

& Admin services; Nikos Drakos writes LaTex2HTML; …

May 94 WWW 1 conf in CERN (BK and Nikos attend) 1994 Web Handbook published by AGOCG

(followed by invitation to contribute to early Web book)1994 Local politics; power struggles; backlash; …1994-5 Web wins; Gopher relegated 1995 WWW everywhere

Reflections:IT Services can (and should) learn from departmental innovation and deploy on institutional level. But institutional inertia, power struggles and local politics can hinder development. Have we learnt from these lessons?

Reflections:IT Services can (and should) learn from departmental innovation and deploy on institutional level. But institutional inertia, power struggles and local politics can hinder development. Have we learnt from these lessons?

Page 6: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

6

National Picture: We're Doing Well Positive aspects of the UK HE Web community:

• Willingness to share experiences (e.g. on web-support and website-info-mgt lists)

• A well-established annual event (IWMW)• Avoidance of the ghetto mentality: senior managers, information professionals, designers, software developers, trainers, … meet, talk & socialise

Challenges we face:• Managing with limited resources• Managing service vs supporting user needs• Role(s) of our Web services• …

and the exploitation of new stuff – covered today

Page 7: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

7

What About Web Standards?

Early Days• HTML+CSS+WAI WCAG =

(Netscape's support for CSS was a problem)

Later• XML a winner• New W3C formats (PNG, SMIL, SVG, …)• Limited take-up – and other solutions have benefits

(e.g. Flash)

More Recently• Complexity and Confusion: Semantic Web, Web

Services, deployment difficulties (e.g. XHTML 2.0), patent issues, process issues, …

Page 8: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

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Summary – UK HE Web In 2004/5

State of play in 2004/5:• Web is mission critical• We have Web teams and resources (but

we'd like more)• We have a Web/Information Strategy• Focus tends to be on publishing and "stand-

and-deliver" model of e-learning?• Key applications areas:

Institutional Web site Intranets VLEs Portals Digital repositories …

Page 9: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

9

Web For 2006+

Significant changes seem to be happening:• Blogs and Wikis• RSS and Podcasting• Mobile devices• Pervasive networks (WIFi, broadband at

home, 3G, …)• Integration of services ("mashups")• Microformats• Google developments• SOA• Web 2.0

Page 10: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

10

Web2MemeMap, Tim O’Reilly, 2005

Characteristics Of Web 2.0

• Network as platform• Always beta• Clean URIs• Remix and mash-ups

Syndication (RSS)• Architecture of participation

Blogs & Wikis Social networking Social tagging

(folksonomies)• Trust and openness

Characteristics Of Web 2.0

• Network as platform• Always beta• Clean URIs• Remix and mash-ups

Syndication (RSS)• Architecture of participation

Blogs & Wikis Social networking Social tagging

(folksonomies)• Trust and openness

Web 2.0

What Is Web 2.0?

Marketing term (derived from observing 'patterns') rather than technical standards - “an attitude not a technology”

Page 11: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

11

Web 2.0 Exemplars

Let's look at some examples Let's look at some examples

Page 12: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

12

Google as a Web 2.0 ExemplarGoogle – developed GMail, Google Maps, …

Use AJAX to provide richly interactive interfaces

Web

2.0

• Is your campus map rescalable (without loss of resolution)?

Or do you have a campus map in GIF format: poor quality when printed, not reusable, but at least you own it and you've got the University logo on it. (UNN is an exception )

Or do you have a campus map in GIF format: poor quality when printed, not reusable, but at least you own it and you've got the University logo on it. (UNN is an exception )

• You will still have work to do, though. For example is your building on the map?

Page 13: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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13

Note:• Greasemonkey

environment

Note:• Greasemonkey

environment

Page 14: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

14

Can you merge data from 3rd party sources with your maps, like this merging of Google maps and BBC traffic data?See <http://www.backstage.co.uk/> for examples.

Can you merge data from 3rd party sources with your maps, like this merging of Google maps and BBC traffic data?See <http://www.backstage.co.uk/> for examples.

Mashup – merging information from multiple sources (cf music mashups)

Mashup – merging information from multiple sources (cf music mashups)

Mashups

Page 15: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

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RSS

E-mail has its role but:• Why send messages which time-out when many users will

read them too late?• Why not use delivery channels which are spam-free?• Why not use delivery channels which are more suited to

receiving information (as opposed to discussions)?• Why not allow users to select their preferred channels?

RSS:• Syndication of content• A light-weight standard

used in the JISC IE• View on Web, using one of

many dedicated RSS viewers, Opera or Pluck IE plugin

Shouldn't RSS viewers be standard on desktops?Shouldn't we be creating RSS feed for news alerts – and not just adding to email overload?

Shouldn't RSS viewers be standard on desktops?Shouldn't we be creating RSS feed for news alerts – and not just adding to email overload?

Google for "rss is opt-in authenticated email"

See RSS briefing paper

See RSS briefing paper

Page 16: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

16

Netvibes.com

Example of a personalised Web environment – just add your favourite RSS feeds

Can be:• Conventional

news feeds• RSS from email

(e.g GMail)• Dynamic RSS

from searches • …

Note that Netvibes has an AJAX interface, so that the windows can be dragged around browser area, closed, etc.

http://www.netvibes.com/http://www.netvibes.com/

Page 17: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Mobile Devices

Potential of mobile devices in learning, research, etc.

Lectures on iPods; student-created Podcasts; ..

Page 18: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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18PDF

Note that Talis (UK library vendor) are publishing Blogs and Podcasts about "Library 2.0"And UKOLN/CDNTL have also been experimenting

Note that Talis (UK library vendor) are publishing Blogs and Podcasts about "Library 2.0"And UKOLN/CDNTL have also been experimenting

Page 19: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Are your University Podcasts available through iTunes?Aren't you missing out on a major distribution channel? (Note Student's Union radio shows are leading the way)

Are your University Podcasts available through iTunes?Aren't you missing out on a major distribution channel? (Note Student's Union radio shows are leading the way)

http://www.everyobject.net/static.php?page=interactivehttp://www.everyobject.net/static.php?page=interactive

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A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Web

2.0

Google "auricle bath" for URLGoogle "auricle bath" for URL

Blogs (1)

Blogs seem to be ideal for use in HE:

• Use by students: sharing learning; reflections on learning; developing writing & social skills; …

• Use by researchers: sharing knowledge and ideas; maximising impact; … (plus above)

High profile e-learning Blog from Bath Univ. Note reference to Podcast – another very relevant technology for HE.

High profile e-learning Blog from Bath Univ. Note reference to Podcast – another very relevant technology for HE.

Keep informed of e-learning developments from Scott Wilson's (CETIS) Blog. Note use of an RSS reader (reuse of chunks).

Keep informed of e-learning developments from Scott Wilson's (CETIS) Blog. Note use of an RSS reader (reuse of chunks).

http://www.cetis.ac.uk/members/scott/http://www.cetis.ac.uk/members/scott/

http://www.technorati.com/http://www.technorati.com/

Use Technorati to search new postings in Blogs. Will you / your researchers) miss out? (NB ~ 100 hits for UCISA on 14/03/2006)

Use Technorati to search new postings in Blogs. Will you / your researchers) miss out? (NB ~ 100 hits for UCISA on 14/03/2006)

Page 21: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Blogs And IT Services (2)

University of Warwick seem to be leaders in the UK with their Student Blogging service:

• Listen to Auricle Blog & Podcast with John Dale

• Note that "students will say and do the wrong thing" issue has been addressed!(Note this is nothing new)

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/johndale/entry/student_mobile_ownership/

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/johndale/entry/student_mobile_ownership/

Want to engage with your users? Why not set up an IT Services Blog? Here John Dale has received 20 comments on a posting about student mobile ownership (a typical high response rate)Or read Owen Stephen’s Blog about recent UCISA conf.

Want to engage with your users? Why not set up an IT Services Blog? Here John Dale has received 20 comments on a posting about student mobile ownership (a typical high response rate)Or read Owen Stephen’s Blog about recent UCISA conf.

Page 22: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

22

Wikis (1)Wikis provide collaborative, easy-to-use Web-based authoring. Sounds ideal for HE:

• Students, researchers and support staff: collaborative work focus on content,

not on authoring tools

..

Web

2.0

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_of_Warwick

Issue: (for Web/marketing people)• Shouldn't you be proactive in ensuring content is accurate, …• Should you seek to lead in order to define structure?

Issue: (for Web/marketing people)• Shouldn't you be proactive in ensuring content is accurate, …• Should you seek to lead in order to define structure?

Page 23: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Wikis (2)

How can you not have a Wiki, for (e.g.)

• Systems documentation

• Better note-taking

• Student group working

• Collaborative research work

• …

Should we be promoting/providing Wikis? UCISA/UKOLN event, Nov 2004Yes. There could be real benefit and exciting possibilities in every area of institutional activities: teaching & learning, research, administration and user support. We need to get in there first and understand what users need and what they might do. We also need first make better use of wikis ourselves so we can ..

Should we be promoting/providing Wikis? UCISA/UKOLN event, Nov 2004Yes. There could be real benefit and exciting possibilities in every area of institutional activities: teaching & learning, research, administration and user support. We need to get in there first and understand what users need and what they might do. We also need first make better use of wikis ourselves so we can ..

Page 24: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Social Bookmarking / Folksonomies

Social bookmark services introduced "folksonomies":

• User-defined tags

• Used for bookmarking, shared photos, etc.

Comments:

• Librarians point out flaws in approach

• But can miss the potential benefits

Web

2.0

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/ucisa-wlf-2004-11/

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/ucisa-wlf-2004-11/

Looks a good event – I'll bookmark it (with 'UCISA' tag).

Looks a good event – I'll bookmark it (with 'UCISA' tag).What else have I bookmarked with the 'UCISA' tag? I notice others have bookmarked the same page.

What else have I bookmarked with the 'UCISA' tag? I notice others have bookmarked the same page.

Who are these other people?Who are these other people?What are their interest?What are their interest?As well as resource discovery, social bookmarking can help:

• Identify impact• Find related resources (cf

Amazon)

As well as resource discovery, social bookmarking can help:

• Identify impact• Find related resources (cf

Amazon)

Page 25: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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http://www.flickr.com/

+

“folksonomies”

Issues• Should you "claim your

tag" (e.g. "iwmw-2006") and convention (e.g. "leeds-publicity", "leedsmet-graduation-2006") for your photos, Blogs, etc.?

• Should you proactively make you photos, etc. available?

Issues• Should you "claim your

tag" (e.g. "iwmw-2006") and convention (e.g. "leeds-publicity", "leedsmet-graduation-2006") for your photos, Blogs, etc.?

• Should you proactively make you photos, etc. available?

Page 26: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Instant Messaging (IM) IM – popular, widely used, with benefits for collaboration, but banned in some placesMeebo:

• Web-based IM client• An AJAX application

Issues:• How do you ban it?• Interoperability• Doesn't it break WAI

guidelines?

http://www.meebo.com/http://www.meebo.com/

Should IT Services ban applications when there are trivial ways around such bans? What is the reason for such bans: ideology; resource management; support; security; …?

Should IT Services ban applications when there are trivial ways around such bans? What is the reason for such bans: ideology; resource management; support; security; …?

Web

2.0

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A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Web

2.0 Skype / VoIP

VoIP is coming, so now’s the time to gain experiences. What are the implications of ‘free’ always-on telephony (i.e. it's not just about software) - you could be broadcasting this talk now!

VoIP is coming, so now’s the time to gain experiences. What are the implications of ‘free’ always-on telephony (i.e. it's not just about software) - you could be broadcasting this talk now!

Skype is a good example of Internet telephony:

Integrated voice, IM, Web (and now video)

Can be high quality Free / cheap calls Conference calls Accessibility benefits Proprietary Network and

management issues

Page 28: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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UK participants include:

National Archives

Natural History Museum

Creative Commons, Science Commons, Open Access, Open Source, … are helping to drive Web 2.0.What's the UK HE's take on this?

Creative Commons, Science Commons, Open Access, Open Source, … are helping to drive Web 2.0.What's the UK HE's take on this?

Page 29: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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http://creativecommons.org/

See "Let's Free IT Support Materials!" (EUNIS 2005 paper) as an example of what UK HE could be doing

See "Let's Free IT Support Materials!" (EUNIS 2005 paper) as an example of what UK HE could be doing

Page 30: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Deployment Challenges

Such questions:

• How do we go about deploying Web 2.0?

• More importantly, should we (isn't it just hype?)

Challenges:

• The Web policy is owned by the marketing people; they see the Web as a publishing vehicle not as a communications tool

• We can't use Creative Commons, open access, etc.

• We shouldn't make use of commercial services

• These services are:• Technically / philosophically flawed• Don't reflect our views on open source / standards • Breaking out of our existing culture, software, …

Page 31: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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Technical & Cultural Barriers

Technical Barriers:

• Will it work? Is it interoperable?

• Is it secure? Is performance acceptable?

• Do we have the expertise, resources, …

• …

Cultural and Organisational Barriers:

What/who are the barriers?

• IT Services Librarians

• Academics Senior management

• Users …

I may need an escort out of the building after upsetting all of these groups!

I may need an escort out of the building after upsetting all of these groups!

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Nobody Likes Us - The Users' View

IT Services:• Don't understand learning and teaching and think that

students only ever use the Web for messing around.• Have no interest in what the users actually want and

generally prefer to give the users what they themselves think they want. (I've seen senior IS staff dismiss the data gathered in formal user requirements gathering exercises because it doesn't fit their own viewpoint.)

• Tend to work in silos (example: student information systems team which won't talk to the VLE team), and will do anything to avoid working with others outside of their own silo. They have no concept of team working across services or with academic staff.

• Consultation usually consists of them telling you what they are going to do. If you tell them what you want they don't listen!

IT S

ervi

ces

Bar

rier

Do these comments ring any bells? If not, how can you be sure?Do these comments ring any bells? If not, how can you be sure?

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A centre of expertise in digital information management

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A Blairite Vision Of Control?

The government wishes to introduce:• ID cards• Greater powers of arrest• …

in order to minimise the dangers of global terrorismIT Services (esp. networking staff) seem to wish to:

• Manage applications used by users• Ban certain software • …

in order to minimise dangers of computer attacks The rational for organisations to wish to introduce greater control mechanisms is understandable.But citizens / users may regard such measures as not also necessary and may tolerate some level of risk-taking.(And do any of the above "sex up" the information to achieve these goals?)

The rational for organisations to wish to introduce greater control mechanisms is understandable.But citizens / users may regard such measures as not also necessary and may tolerate some level of risk-taking.(And do any of the above "sex up" the information to achieve these goals?)

IT S

ervi

ces

Bar

rier

Page 34: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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34

Beware The IT Fundamentalists

We need to avoid simplistic solutions to the complexities:• Open Standards Fundamentalist: we just need XML• Open Source Fundamentalist: we just need Linux• Vendor Fundamentalist: we must need next version of

our enterprise system (and you must fit in with this)• Accessibility Fundamentalist: we must do WAI WCAG• User Fundamentalist: we must do whatever users want• Legal Fundamentalist: it breaches copyright, …• Ownership Fundamentalist: must own everything we

use• Perfectionist: It doesn't do everything, so we'll do nothing• Simplistic Developer: I've developed a perfect solution –

I don't care if it doesn't run in the real world

IT S

ervi

ces

Bar

rier

IT Director, March 2006 "I could give names of the individuals in my department!"

IT Director, March 2006 "I could give names of the individuals in my department!"

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The Librarian FundamentalistsLibrarians:

• Think they know better than the user e.g. they don't like people using Google Scholar; they should use Web of Knowledge (who cares that users find it easier to use Google Scholar & finds references they need that way?)

• Think that users should be forced to learn Boolean searching & other formal search techniques because this is good for them (despite Sheffield's study).

• Don't want the users to search for themselves (cf folksonomies) because they won't get it right.

• They still want to classify the entire Web - despite the fact that users don't use their lists of Web links.

• Want services to be perfect before they release them to users. They are uneasy with the concept of 'forever beta' (they don't believe that users have the ability to figure things out themselves and work around the bugs).

Lib

rary

Bar

rier

Page 36: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

A centre of expertise in digital information management

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The Problem With Academics

The enthusiasts academics will be:• Here, encouraged by Web 2.0 descriptions• Cheering the critiques of the service departments

However:• Many academic are conservative & won't care• Many will feel threatened• Many won't like WiFi in lecture theatres, students

chatting on IRC, Googling answers, …• Many will soon ask for WiFi to be removed,

blocked from lecture theatres (including areas where it's not yet available!)

Aca

dem

ics

Bar

rier

Page 37: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

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Problems With Senior Management / UsersSenior management:

• Don't understand technologies

• Can be conservative

• More comfortable with conventional business relations with vendors

• May be over-cautious about being sued

• …

Users:

• Can be conservative

• Many don't understand technologies

• Those that do may use the technologies in dangerous ways

• …

Page 38: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

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Addressing the Barriers

How do we address such barriers:• A change in culture• Being more open (surely what HE is

about?)• Revisiting AUPs• Developing more sophisticated models for

standards, accessibility, open sources, …• Integrating IT Policies With Institutional

Policies • Developing key principles• Ongoing debate and discussion

Page 39: A centre of expertise in digital information management Web 2.0: Implications For Higher Education Brian Kelly UK Web UKOLN University of

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Need To Change Catch Phrases

Computer Says No!

Time to ditch this catch phrase

Wikis? IT Services says noFolksonomies? Library says noSkype? UKERNA says no

Wikis? IT Services says noFolksonomies? Library says noSkype? UKERNA says no

Yer, but, no, but, yer

Time to embrace the ambiguities acknowledged by Vicky Pollard

Yer, like Wikis are well cool, but, OK so I copied my homework, but, like I always copy my homework

Yer, like Wikis are well cool, but, OK so I copied my homework, but, like I always copy my homework

Images from BBC Web site

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Implement An Open ApproachImplementing an open approach should not be difficult:

• We have tradition of sharing & using OSS• The HE sector is now more open to discussing open

access issues (e-prints, financial issues, …)• Creative Commons (CC) provides a legal framework

What can we do:• Make support services resources available with CC

licence: see paper on "Let's Free IT Support Materials!"• Exploit UKOLN's QA Focus briefing documents:

90+ documents available with CC licence • Contribute to UKOLN's Wiki on Best Practices For CMSs

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Using other's resources and service may be unpopular (job security, ideology, …). For example, should IT services host email, … when this can be outsourced?

Using other's resources and service may be unpopular (job security, ideology, …). For example, should IT services host email, … when this can be outsourced?

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Acceptable Use Policies (AUP)

Is Skype Permitted over JANET?"The Computing Service is frequently asked for a ruling on whether Skype may legitimately be used ... the Computing Service considers that use of Skype contravenes the JANET Acceptable Use Policy, although UKERNA does not concur with this view."

Missing The Point?There may be (religious) debates over the interpretation of UKERNA's words. But

• Did the policy come from God? Is it infallible?

• Why do we hide behind AUPs?

Proposal: An AUP is meant to work on behalf of an organisation, helping to ensure the effective use of IT by its users.An AUP should not be used as a control mechanism to prevent usage which IT staff may frown upon.

Proposal: An AUP is meant to work on behalf of an organisation, helping to ensure the effective use of IT by its users.An AUP should not be used as a control mechanism to prevent usage which IT staff may frown upon.

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The Need For An AUPP

AUPs:• Shouldn't be cast in stone: technologies change;

usage changes; culture changes (e.g. AUPs banning social use; email; Web; messaging; …)

• Therefore need for mechanisms for changing AUPs and engagement with users

Proposal:• We need an Acceptable Use Policy Process

(AUPP) • We need mechanisms to ensure users can input

into the discussion process• We need more flexibility in our AUPs (e.g. to

reflect blended learning, pervasiveness of IT; …)

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Example of AUPP For Skype

Background:• P2P applications banned: typically used for

downloading copyrighted materials• Legitimate uses of P2P grow e.g. Internet telephony

Discussions:• Skype is proprietary; lack of management control; can

degrade performance; SIP provides open alternative; …• Skype works; minimal support needed; provides rich

functionality not available with SIP (e.g. video; shared browsing; etc.); my remote colleagues use Skype; …

Pragmatic Solution (Yer, but no, but yer):• Evaluation period• Network problems in halls banned there in response

to user concerns; discouraged on campus, until technical solutions (e.g. network shaper) tested, with plans to then liberalise policy (or SIP is usable)

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Framework For Diversity: Standards

Open Standards – the ChallengesOpen standards? Yer, great. Like, Bill Gates is SO evil. But, well RDF, hmm. OSI? Coloured Books? How old do you take me for? No, but, I always use MS Windows for playing games.

Contextual ApproachA contextual approach to standards has been developed:

• Recognises context (not one-size-fits-all)

• Scalable for use by others• See "A Standards Framework For

Digital Library Programmes", ichim05 conf & "A Contextual Framework For Standards" at E-Government: Barriers & Opportunities workshop, May 2006

Purpose Governance Maturity Risks …

Sector Funding Research …

External Self assessment Learning …

Context: Compliance

External factors: legal, cultural, …

Context: Policies

Annotated Standards Catalogue

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Framework For Diversity: Accessibility

Accessibility – the Challenges• WAI WCAG – important area and high visibility• But the model is flawed, fails to take into account

developments e.g. can you use Podcasts?

Holistic / Approach Blended Holistic approach to e-learning accessibility developed

• Accessibility of learning outcomes (not necessarily digital resources) is paramount

• WAI WCAG are guidelines• See "Implementing A Holistic Approach To

E-Learning Accessibility" prize-winning ALT-C 2005 paper

• Follow up paper at W4A 2006, May 2006 will further develop model

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Liberalising Our PoliciesNothing NewDerek Law pointed our arguments for a more liberal approach at IWMW 2002 (see video clip from 09:50-11:00).Issues:

• Should we ban dubious (but legal) use if students have paid?

• How strongly do we enforce bans of P2P apps (Napster)?These issues related to clear 'social' use of IT – and didn't consider use of P2P, etc. in a work-related context.Wider ContextWe need to think about policies in a wider context:

• Blended Policies which reflect wider University culture (e.g. blended learning; blended accessibility; …)

• Policies which describe principles, but allow flexibility in implementation (e.g. to allow academics flexibility in exploring learning issues )

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Need For Shared Understanding

UKOLN/UCISA/CETIS workshop on “Disruptive Technologies” agreed on potential benefits for principles on mutual understanding between user community and IT Services

Draft Principles for Service ProvidersUser Focus: We will ensure that priority is given to a user focussed approach to our services. Avoiding Dogma: We will develop policies (e.g. standards, open source, accessibility, …) would these will evolve and won't be used in a dogmatic way.Responsive to Change: We will seek to be responsive to changes in technology, user needs, cultural and political developments.Good Communications: We will establish (and monitor) effective communications channels Learning: We recognise that HEIs will seek to make use of IT in innovative ways and we will support such innovation

Draft Principles for Service ProvidersUser Focus: We will ensure that priority is given to a user focussed approach to our services. Avoiding Dogma: We will develop policies (e.g. standards, open source, accessibility, …) would these will evolve and won't be used in a dogmatic way.Responsive to Change: We will seek to be responsive to changes in technology, user needs, cultural and political developments.Good Communications: We will establish (and monitor) effective communications channels Learning: We recognise that HEIs will seek to make use of IT in innovative ways and we will support such innovation

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Proposed Principles (2)Draft Principles for DevelopersScalability: Developers will recognise that there will be scalability issues to be addressed if innovations are to be deployed into service. Sustainability: Developers will recognise that innovations need to be sustainable if they are to be deployed into service.Reliability: Developers will recognise that a high level of reliability is needed if innovations are to be deployed ...Integration: Developers will recognise that innovative services may need to be integrated with existing systems. Consistency: Developers will recognise that innovations need to be harmonised with existing systems (e.g. avoid replicating functionality, …)(Also need something on security)

Draft principles availableNotes on Wiki available

Draft principles availableNotes on Wiki available

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Keep Talking

In a period of rapid change it is important to have wide open debate and discussion

Web 2.0 deployment issues were addressed at the UKOLN/UCISA/CETIS workshop on "Initiatives & Innovation: Managing Disruptive Technologies" at University of Warwick on 24 Feb 2006. A Wiki kept a record of the discussion group summaries.<http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/kcl-2006-01/>

Web 2.0 deployment issues were addressed at the UKOLN/UCISA/CETIS workshop on "Initiatives & Innovation: Managing Disruptive Technologies" at University of Warwick on 24 Feb 2006. A Wiki kept a record of the discussion group summaries.<http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/kcl-2006-01/>

The 10th Institutional Web Management Workshop will be held at University of Bath, 14-16 June 2006. <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2006/>

The 10th Institutional Web Management Workshop will be held at University of Bath, 14-16 June 2006. <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2006/>

What will you be doing in your institution; in your region; within your community?

What will you be doing in your institution; in your region; within your community?

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Discussion

Questions, comments, etc. welcome