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Stories from the project October 4, 2011

Posted by Chris Y in : Updates , comments closed

Business as Usual

Download a copy of Business as Usual? [PDF]

From 2008-2010, our JISC-funded project, Awareness and Education in Business and Community Engagement (BCE) for the Wider JISC Community, examined the nature of external engagement within universities and colleges.

The focus for the project was on how increased engagement activity might impact on the ability of the internal functions of an institution to support it effectively and consistently.

We ran and took part in around 25 direct consultations and workshops, with individuals and groups representing the range of support and enabling functions found in UK universities and colleges. Staff from over 75 universities and colleges attended project events to share their experience, helping us build a picture of the landscape for support and management of BCE activities; both locally and more broadly across the sector.

We also engaged with professional bodies such as UCISA, SCONUL and the AUA to explore the engagement-driven activity taking place right across the HE and FE sectors, with the aim to find out the context in which it was being experienced by key support staff working in IT, libraries and administration.

During that time we accumulated a lot of rich material on the project blog, wrote a report of our findings and experience and shortened the project name (to simply BCE A&E). This publication is an attempt to present those findings in a more relevant and easily digestible way.

As well as explaining how and why the term BCE is being used to describe activities taking place in and around your organisation, we have highlighted five common issues that cropped up during the project and then spoken in depth with the people involved in key work taking place to address them.

Also included is an overview of the wider JISC Business and Community Engagement (BCE) programme from the programme manager Simon Whittemore, plus an introduction to the JISC Advance BCE team, who provide a useful first point of contact for all matters BCE.

You can find the BCE team, along with more information on the wider JISC BCE programme at: http://bce.jiscinvolve.org/

Supporting and Enabling External Engagement: Videos October 29, 2010

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Video resources

During event on the 1st October, we interviewed all the speakers and asked them for a short summary of their contribution and how it could help institutions take things forward…

Shirley Wood on how JANET is working to support institutional BCE activity

Paul Hollins (JISC CETIS) on Relationship Management

Mark Williams on how JISC Collections is helping institutions in their external activities

Helen Blanchett on BCE and CPD

John Burke (JISC InfoNet) on how strategic embedding of BCE can help institutions in the times of tight budgets

Supporting and Enabling External Engagement: Links October 15, 2010

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A short summary of the “what now?” links and information from Supporting and Enabling External Engagement, held on Friday 1st October 2010, at the Lakeside Conference Centre, Aston University, Birmingham.

JANET: Supporting BCE

Shirley referred to the consultation process which JANET was undertaking during Oct/November.

You can contribute to the consultation on line at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/janet-bce

Shirley adds… “The online response asks for the respondent’s name, affiliation and contact details (the latter in case of a need to follow up). Alternatively, we are happy to receive responses directly.”

These should be addressed by e-mail to:

Shirley Wood
Head of Customer Engagement
Shirley.Wood@ja.net

There is more detail in the consultation document.

Relationship management

Paul’s presentation contained two links to important further information.

The first was to the dedicated Relationship Management section of the JISC CETIS website.

The second (and perhaps more important) was to the JISC funding call for projects looking at good practice, service innovation and alumni engagement. The full details are available on the JISC grant funding site.

FAM for BCE

Mark and John would welcome any questions or case-study expressions of interest. Currently the best way to contact the project is directly, via Mark Williams at:

m.williams@jisc.ac.uk

Embedding BCE

For more information on the Embedding BCE project visit the project blog.

The full Infokit will give you more detail on the methodology – in particular the use of the workbook and the way it can be used to structure discussion sessions.

Supporting and Enabling External Engagement: Resources October 15, 2010

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Around 50 people attended the free one-day conference Supporting and Enabling External Engagement, held on Friday 1st October 2010, at the Lakeside Conference Centre, Aston University, Birmingham.

The program covered five key areas which had emerged during the consultation sessions and workshops held over the course of the original BCE A&E project.

These areas of activity which were reflected across all of the audience groups consulted during the project.

Programme

Welcome and introductions
09.30-10.15 BCE A&E: How did we get here?
Chris Young, JISC Netskills
10.15-10.45 JANET: Supporting BCE
Shirley Wood (JANET)
11.00-11.45 Relationship Management: Challenges, Processes & Pitfalls
Paul Hollins (JISC CETIS)
11.45-12.30 FAM for BCE
Mark Williams (JISC Collections), John Pashoud (LSE)
Lunch
13.30-14.15 CPD and Skills for External Engagement
Helen Blanchett (JISC Netskills)
14.15-14.30 Embedding BCE through Business Process Improvement
and Internal Engagement)
John Burke (JISC infoNet)
14.30-15.50 Embedding BCE Workshop
15.50-16.15 Round-up and key take-home information
End

Presentations

BCE A&E: How did we get here?



JANET: Supporting BCE



Relationship Management: Challenges, Processes & Pitfalls



JISC Collections & BCE



Embedding BCE



Reminder: Extending Access Management into Business and Community Engagement September 3, 2010

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Just a reminder that the deadline for replying to the JISC Collections ITT for Extending Access Management into Business and Community Engagement is in two weeks time (13th September).

The ITT asks for proposals to create a package of materials and strategies based on Identity Management activity taking place at the bidding / partner institutions so as to enable other institutions to extend current identity management (IdM) to Business and Community Engagement (BCE) groups.

There’s more details at:

http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/News/fam2bce/

Please feel free to email or call Mark Williams ( m.williams@jisc.ac.uk or 02030066042 ) if you have any questions concerning the ITT.

Supporting and Enabling External Engagement July 29, 2010

Posted by Chris Y in : Events, Updates , comments closed

We are hosting a free one-day conference on Friday 1st October 2010 at the Lakeside Conference Centre, Aston University, Birmingham.

Supporting and Enabling External Engagement will explore key issues raised during the workshops, conference sessions and consultations held by this project over the past 18 months.

Over 75 UK HE and FE institutions and organisations were represented during these activities and the event audiences were drawn from staff at all levels from within library and IT services – as well as from across the whole range of management and administrative functions.

Five key areas emerged from those sessions, encompassing areas of activity which cut across all of the audience groups consulted during the project.

The conference itself will include a variety of sessions exploring current, practical resources and advice in these areas.

You will also hear about activities taking place within amongst others, JISC Collections, UCISA and JANET – some of which have been informed by the outcomes emerging from this project – as well as identify opportunities for you to participate and benefit early from some of that work.

Places on the conference are free and strictly limited so make sure you book early by visiting:

http://bit.ly/aston-oct10-bcesupp-r1

Videos available for Management and Administration for External Engagement July 19, 2010

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Anne Fry’s video presentation, along with the video interviews recorded on the day are now available.

On a separate video resources page you will find the video interviews with:

Use of JISC Legal Services in BCE July 1, 2010

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JISC Legal are looking for people who have used their resources and service to assist with business and community engagement (external engagement) activities. They’re looking to produce a useful case study for the sector in order to highlight the BCE work being carried out by institutions and to raise awareness of available JISC Legal support.

If you would like to be involved in this, please contact Jackie Milne at: info@jisclegal.ac.uk.

JISC Advance: Video(s) available June 25, 2010

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The first of the video interviews from the JISC Advance event on the 10th of June is online now.

You’ll find it (and the others to follow) on a separate video resources page on this blog.

Some of the photos Hanna took on the day are included as a slide show in the main event post.

JISC Advance: Services, RSCs & BCE June 15, 2010

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Workshop details

Date: 10th June 2010

Location: British Library, London

Target audience: JISC Advance Advisory Service and RSC staff

Description: A workshop to explore the current and future capacity to support BCE-related activities within the JISC Advance Advisory Services and Regional Support Centres (RSCs). It will also provide space to reflect on and discuss our role in the embedding of support and advice for BCE-related activities in the offers we make to our communities.

Programme

10.30 Welcome and introductions
10.40 BCE: Business as usual for our communities?
Chris Young, JISC Netskills
11.30 How are we already supporting BCE?
Marc Dobson & Andy Stewart, JISC Advance BCE team
12.00 Parallel Sessions
Advisory Services: Focus group follow-up
RSCs: Key questions and discussion
13.15 Lunch
14.00 Feedback from RSC session
14.15 Feedback from Advisory Service session
14.30 Evidencing Outcomes, Benefits and Impact
Jay Dempster, Belanda Consulting
15.50 Roundup
16.00 End

Presentations

BCE: Business as usual for our communities?



How are we already supporting BCE?



Evidencing Outcomes, Benefits and Impact




Download handout as PDF

Video interviews

We also made some short video interviews with some of the attendees on the day.