EDUCAUSE | Open Source and Articles, Papers, and Reports

Free digital texts begin to challenge costly college textbooks in California

ckeller — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:53:43 -0500

Would-be reformers are trying to beat the high cost -- and, they say, the dumbing down -- of college materials by writing or promoting open-source, no-cost online texts.

Queensland University of Technology: Three Generations of IT Governance (and Counting)

ckeller — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:18:43 -0500

This ECAR case study complements the 2008 ECAR study, Process and Politics: IT Governance in Higher Education, by Ronald Yanosky with Jack McCredie. ECAR undertook this case study of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to demonstrate how the underlying elements of a mature governance process facilitate the strategic development of information technology (IT) services. QUT has carried on a sustained program of IT governance development for almost a decade, in order to create a mature set of institutional supports, a layered advisory and decision-making structure that feeds innovation, and a network of involved governance participants, with the ultimate goal of developing a set of optimal IT services for the university. Characterized as "relationships underpinned by light-weight process frameworks in order to extract value from technology tools," QUT's IT governance structure relies on engaged people who drive the process as well as the project management and financial tools that assist with decision making.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A., and Gail Salaway. "Queensland University of Technology: Three Generations of IT Governance (and Counting)" (Case Study 4). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Reforming IT Governance at Berkeley: Introducing an Enterprise Perspective to a Decentralized Organization

ckeller — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:07:47 -0500

This ECAR case study complements the 2008 ECAR study, Process and Politics: IT Governance in Higher Education, by Ronald Yanosky with Jack McCredie. ECAR undertook this case study of the University of California Berkeley to demonstrate how a large, decentralized research university approaches a complete rethinking of a campus information technology (IT) governance structure and the steps taken to initiate the transition to the new structure.

Citation for this work: Spicer, Donald Z., and Judith A. Pirani. "Reforming IT Governance at Berkeley: Introducing an Enterprise Perspective to a Decentralized Organization" (Case Study 3). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Happy Families, Good Fences, and Winning IT Collaborations

ckeller — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:12:46 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin introduces the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation research on successful collaborative practices in the context of higher education. It details 20 collaborative success factors and maps them to relevant examples gleaned from research on IT collaboration conducted by ECAR.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A., and Toby D. Sitko. “Happy Families, Good Fences, and Winning IT Collaborations” (Research Bulletin, Issue 15). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Moving to Moodle: Reflections Two Years Later

ckeller — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:26:32 -0500

Adopting an open source learning management system combined benefits and challenges, with lessons for change management.

A Bridge Between Blackboard and Open Source?

ckeller — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:57:22 -0500

"Blackboard, the dominant player in course management software, has the ability to inspire devotion and, for the more fervid open-source adherents, not a little contempt. So today’s announcement may cause a stir among those more apt to liken Blackboard to the devil than a gentle giant: The company is partnering with Syracuse University to develop a way to integrate Blackboard with Sakai, one of the primary open-source alternatives."

Free and Open Source Options for Creating Database-Driven Subject Guides

ckeller — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:32:39 -0500

This article reviews available cost-effective options libraries have for updating and maintaining pathfinders such as subject guides and course pages. The paper discusses many of the available options, from the standpoint of a mid-sized academic library which is evaluating alternatives to static-HTML subject guides. Static HTML guides, while useful, have proven difficult and time-consuming to maintain. The article includes a discussion of open source database-driven solutions (such as SubjectsPlus, LibData, Research Guide, and Library Course Builder), Wikis, and social tagging sites like del.icio.us. This article discusses both the functionality and the relative strengths and weaknessess of each of these options.

Large-Scale Open Source E-Learning Systems at Open University UK

gdobbin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:25:04 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin examines the factors leading to the selection of the open source learning management system at the Open University, details the many aspects of development work that had to be undertaken, and describes the issues involved for institutions participating in an open source community. It also looks at some of the many business and cultural challenges the institution has faced, and at how faculty are being encouraged to move toward a model of education incorporating increasing amounts of e-learning content and activity.

Ccitation for this work: Sclater, Niall. “Large-Scale Open Source E-Learning Systems at Open University UK” (Research Bulletin, Issue 12). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Dynamics of Supporting Sakai Through Local and Global Collaboration

gdobbin — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:06:36 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin discusses the adjustments that the Indiana University information technology organization made, and continues to make, in order to support membership in Sakai. It has been said that supporting Sakai can seem like trying to change a tire on a moving car. As co-founder of and active participant in the Sakai collaboration, the effects of IU’s decision—the unexpected, the challenging, and the delightful—are discussed in terms of the intra- and interuniversity realities of highly collaborative efforts.

Citation for this work: Goodrum, David, Jan R. Holloway, Anastasia S. Morrone, Lance Speelmon, and Elizabeth A. Van Gordon. “Dynamics of Supporting Sakai Through Local and Global Collaboration” (Research Bulletin, Issue 11). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Recasting the Centralization-Decentralization Debate: Advancing the Innovation Support Cycle

gdobbin — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:33:06 -0500

This research bulletin explores the importance of focusing on innovation in decision-making about IT. Acknowledging the apparent dichotomy between the efficient use of resources in a centralized IT model and the effective application of IT resources toward innovative research and pedagogy, the bulletin presents a model for IT service delivery that can be used or adapted in colleges and universities.

Citation for this work: Frederick, Lawrence W. “Recasting the Centralization–Decentralization Debate: Advancing the Innovation Support Cycle” (Research Bulletin, Issue 10). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Open Source Software in Education

elilly — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:02:16 -0500

Academia has adopted open source software for some online learning initiatives because it addresses persistent technical challenges

IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice - Corporate Edition

ckeller — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:55:01 -0600

This ECAR research study was designed in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges to analyze the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise in medical schools and colleges. As the potential of biotechnology, proteomics, informatics, computational genomics, and other IT-intensive disciplines continue to offer breakthroughs in medicine, research in these fields requires greater and higher-level technology resources for infrastructure as well as IT support and services. The study is based on the results of a web-based survey sent to 125 medical schools and colleges in the United States, as well as qualitative interviews with leaders at 10 institutions. Respondents to the survey were predominantly chief information officers or other top administrators from 50 medical institutions, yielding a response rate of 39.7 percent. The findings contained in this report echo the results of the ECAR 2006 study, IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study, illustrating that the role and importance of IT in research is growing, while funding and budget decisions remain difficult. A non-profit edition is available here.

Citation for this work: Nelson, Mark R. IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice (Research Study, Vol. 1). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice Roadmap

ckeller — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:27:19 -0600

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2008 study, IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice, by Mark R. Nelson. This ECAR research study was designed in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges to analyze the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise in medical schools and colleges. As the potential of biotechnology, proteomics, informatics, computational genomics, and other IT-intensive disciplines continue to offer breakthroughs in medicine, research in these fields requires greater and higher-level technology resources for infrastructure as well as IT support and services. The study is based on the results of a January 2007 web-based survey sent to 125 medical schools and colleges in the United States, as well as qualitative interviews with leaders at 10 institutions.

Citation for this work: Albrecht, Bob, and Judith A. Pirani. "IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice Roadmap" (Roadmap). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2005, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice

ckeller — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:11:35 -0600

Citation for this work: Nelson, Mark R. IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice (Research Study, Vol. 1). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

The Kuali Group: Effective Practices and Structures Foster a Successful Collaboration

ckeller — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:53:04 -0500

This case study complements the 2007 ECAR study by Philip J. Goldstein, IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources. Researchers undertook this case study to understand the methods and practices used to manage ongoing collaborative activity and how the Kuali group partners plan for the sustainability of their collaboration. The case study highlights the collaborative nature of the Kuali Project to meet its goal of building a suite of administrative software, rather than the project’s history, structure, or operations.

Next Generation Administrative Systems: Philosophy, Principles, and Technology

ckeller — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:58:20 -0500

It is time to think differently about administrative systems in colleges and universities. Using the Kuali Student Service System as an illustration, this ECAR research bulletin discusses a vision, and a set of functional and technical principles, for the next generation of administrative systems. Although the vision and principles are being developed for a new student system, they can serve as a framework for the development of an administrative system in any area of higher education. They are also a guide to what to look for in planning to select and implement a next generation vendor-supplied administrative system.

Intellectual Property and Cyberinfrastructure

ckeller — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:47:25 -0500

The development of a new generation of cyberinfrastructure promises to increase and facilitate globally distributed scientific collaboration as well as access to scientific research via computer networks. But the potential for such access and collaboration is subject to concerns regarding the intellectual property rights that will be associated with networked data and with networked collaborative activity. Intellectual property regimes are generally problematic in the practice of science, because scientific research typically assumes practices of openness that may be hampered or obstructed by intellectual property rights. These difficulties are likely to be exacerbated in the context of networked collaboration, where the development and use of intellectual resources will likely be distributed among many researchers in a variety of physical locations, often spanning national boundaries. Such issues may be addressed by a combination of public and private approaches, including amendment of U.S. law to recognize transborder collaborative work, and adoption of clarifying contractual agreements among those who are collaborating via cyberinfrastructure, including cautious adaptation of “viral” licensing from the open source coding community.

IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources Roadmap

ckeller — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:27:13 -0500

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2007 study, IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources. The study explores multi-institutional collaboration in terms of the types of information technology (IT) collaborations in higher education and the practices associated with positive outcomes. It is based on a literature review to identify issues and develop research questions; a screening survey of 586 colleges and universities to distinguish collaborators from non-collaborators; a follow-up survey tailored for 157 institutions presently engaged in at least one form of collaboration and a separate follow-up survey tailored for 113 institutions that have elected not to participate in IT collaborations; qualitative interviews with IT leaders from 30 institutions including both collaborators and non-collaborators; consultation with a select group of chief information officers who are extensively engaged in collaboration; and two in-depth case studies that look at how collaborators form, manage, and sustain their ventures.

IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources - Key Findings

ckeller — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:09:11 -0500

This document presents the key findings from the 2007 ECAR study, IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources. The study explores multi-institutional collaboration in terms of the types of information technology (IT) collaborations in higher education and the practices associated with positive outcomes. It is based on a literature review to identify issues and develop research questions; a screening survey of 586 colleges and universities to distinguish collaborators from non-collaborators; a follow-up survey tailored for 157 institutions presently engaged in at least one form of collaboration and a separate follow-up survey tailored for 113 institutions that have elected not to participate in IT collaborations; qualitative interviews with IT leaders from 30 institutions including both collaborators and non-collaborators; consultation with a select group of chief information officers who are extensively engaged in collaboration; and two in-depth case studies that look at how collaborators form, manage, and sustain their ventures.

IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources

ckeller — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:08:10 -0500

This 2007 ECAR research study explores multi-institutional collaboration in terms of the types of information technology (IT) collaborations in higher education and the practices associated with positive outcomes. The study is based on a literature review to identify issues and develop research questions; a screening survey of 586 colleges and universities to distinguish collaborators from non-collaborators; a follow-up survey tailored for 157 institutions presently engaged in at least one form of collaboration and a separate follow-up survey tailored for 113 institutions that have elected not to participate in IT collaborations; qualitative interviews with IT leaders from 30 institutions including both collaborators and non-collaborators; consultation with a select group of chief information officers who are extensively engaged in collaboration; and two in-depth case studies that look at how collaborators form, manage, and sustain their ventures. A corporate edition is available here.

IT Collaboration: Multi-Institutional Partnerships to Develop, Manage, and Operate IT Resources - Corporate Edition

ckeller — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:02:20 -0500

IT Collaboration: A Preview of Findings from the 2007 ECAR Study

ckeller — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:56:04 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin addresses a unique strength of higher education: its commitment to sharing ideas and promoting open access to knowledge. These values shape IT in higher education as well, as evidenced by many high-profile collaborations such as the Internet, Internet2, and open or community source applications such as Sakai and Kuali. Institutions work with one another on a broad range of projects and services including wide area networking, shared data centers, or disaster recovery. Some institutions share staff, while others outsource their IT operation to a fellow institution. Using findings from the 2007 ECAR study on IT collaboration, this bulletin explores the challenges that suggest that collaboration may become an even more prevalent strategy in the future.

Open Source IP Telephony: A Strategic Choice

drupal — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:37:51 -0500

This research bulletin discusses the evolving architectural models for open source IP telephony. It focuses on institutional rationale, risks, and advantages associated with open source IP telephony models that range from the unsupported, downloadable software PBX to the turnkey, commercial-grade, ready-for-service supported PBX.

Blackboard Makes a Pledge

drupal — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 11:47:54 -0600

"After months of criticism that its patent policies had the potential to squelch important education projects, Blackboard on Thursday announced a "patent pledge" under which it vowed not to assert its patent rights to sue open source projects or home-grown software used by colleges and universities."

Education Software Firm OKs Open-source Patent Use

drupal — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:09:03 -0600

"Blackboard, whose software can be used to manage university courses, has taken a significant step to mollify open-source rivals who perceive a patent threat from the company."

Beyond the Phone System: Converged Real-Time Communications for Enterprises

drupal — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:49:11 -0600

It has been widely assumed that next generation "phone systems" will be based on Internet Protocol private branch exchanges (IP-PBXs). The ever-increasing ubiquity of IP networks can improve upon the current environment of disparate communications systems. To plan for an integrated real-time communications environment, IT staff will need to become well-acquainted with unified communications (UC) systems, enterprise application integration, service provider IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), fixed mobile convergence, service provider application integration, public IM systems evolution, federation between systems, and the future of Skype. This Burton document analyzes the recent developments in converged communications, and recommends next steps.

Burton Group (www.burtongroup.com) provides technically in-depth research and advisory services for colleges and universities, government agencies, and commercial enterprises. Burton Group's practical and unbiased research and advice helps technologists make smart IT infrastructure decisions in increasingly complex environments. Burton Group covers directories, identity management, application platforms, architecture, and network and telecom infrastructure topics. Like ECAR, Burton Group is an unbiased advocate for the user and more than 80% of Burton Group's clients are user organizations rather than suppliers. EDUCAUSE member institutions can become users of Burton Group research services through EDUCAUSE pricing. Burton Group is an ECAR partner and can be contacted by email at slesueur@burtongroup.com or by telephone (801-373-5767).

Open-source Group Wants Educational Patent Reversed

drupal — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:48:59 -0600

"A legal center is trying to overturn a patent it says threatens three open-source educational projects, a sign of the tension between patent holders and the collaborative programming community."

Open for Change

drupal — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:19:39 -0600

The author discusses the use of open source in the context of advancing learning in both secondary and higher education.

Open Source 2010: Reflections on 2007

drupal — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:37:56 -0600

Has the vision proffered for "Open Source 2007" been realized? Will 2010 mark continued progress in the collaborative development of applications software—perhaps one of the most potent tools for addressing the challenging trends confronting IT in higher education?

EDUCAUSE Review Magazine, Volume 42, Number 1, January/February 2007

drupal — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:27:04 -0600

This is the entire issue of EDUCAUSE Review Magazine, Volume 42, Number 1, January/February, 2007.

Considering Open Source: A Framework for Evaluating Software in the New Economy

drupal — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:38:47 -0600

Open source software and the community source movement are raising questions for administrators about whether and when to adopt or devote resources to software development projects, provoking questions of sustainability, future directions, and total cost of ownership. This research bulletin frames the issues an institution should consider with respect to adding community source products to the portfolio of software, infrastructure, and services that constitute the IT environment.

Blackboard Patents Challenged

drupal — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:36:48 -0600

"Open source group asked U.S. to revoke rights asserted by software giant. Sides trade charges on why compromise talks collapsed."

Open Education 2006: Community, Culture, and Content

drupal — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:47:58 -0500

Open Education 2006: Community, Culture, and Content was a multidisciplinary event designed to promote the discussion of the variety of research, development, and other activities necessary to move the field of open education forward. The proceedings include over 30 papers on topics such as Open educational resources, Tools and software supporting open education and Reusing and remixing open educational resources.

Analysis of Open Source Principles in Diverse Collaborative Communities

drupal — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 15:00:34 -0500

Open source culture and practice emerged as software hackers took control over the production, ownership and distribution of their skilled work. This revolution, quiet and unnoticed by most, began over twenty years ago. Along the way, free and open source software hackers developed organizational and dialog structures to support their ethos, creating a successful model for collaboration. This paper applies traits common to successful free software and open source hacker communities as a framework to analyze three non–hacker collaborative communities.

IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study - Key Findings

drupal — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:50:47 -0500

This ECAR Key Findings explores the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise. To collect, analyze, and distribute information across an expanding range academic disciplines and geographic locations, research efforts rely heavily on IT infrastructure, people, and a broad range of IT services. Ever-larger data sets are being collected and shared, simulations and visualization are becoming routine tools, and the co-evolution of science and computing increasingly requires scientists to have solid grounding in information management.

IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study Roadmap

drupal — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:42:15 -0500

This ECAR Roadmap explores the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise. To collect, analyze, and distribute information across an expanding range academic disciplines and geographic locations, research efforts rely heavily on IT infrastructure, people, and a broad range of IT services. Ever-larger data sets are being collected and shared, simulations and visualization are becoming routine tools, and the co-evolution of science and computing increasingly requires scientists to have solid grounding in information management.

IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study

drupal — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:58:17 -0500

This ECAR study explores the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise. To collect, analyze, and distribute information across an expanding range academic disciplines and geographic locations, research efforts rely heavily on IT infrastructure, people, and a broad range of IT services. Ever-larger data sets are being collected and shared, simulations and visualization are becoming routine tools, and the co-evolution of science and computing increasingly requires scientists to have solid grounding in information management. This study reports the results of a variety of research initiatives: a literature review, quantitative and qualitative data from 328 higher education institutions (315 U.S. and 13 Canadian institutions), and five in-depth cases studies. In addition, ECAR published What Do Researchers Need? Higher Education IT from the Researcher's Perspective, to supplement this study.

Software and Collaboration in Higher Education: A Study of Open Source Software

drupal — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 12:01:46 -0500

In recent years over a dozen open source software (OSS) projects have been launched among higher education institutions with the aim of meeting the community's needs more effectively and at less cost than do commercial options presently available. There is, however, a concern in the community that its adoption is hindered by uncertainty about future support for and improvements in the software. The creation of a new organization, which we refer to with generic term "OOSS" (Organization for Open Source Software), has been proposed to address this need. This concept has received significant interest from the community and from a group of senior college and university administrators. There is a desire for further exploration of the need for such an organization and for a clearer definition of what its mission and areas of activity would be.

Paul Courant, Professor of Economics and former Provost at the University of Michigan, has agreed to lead a study in collaboration with Ithaka. Michael Carter, a consultant with decades of experience in academic computing and instructional technologies with major universities and leading companies in the technology sector, is also assisting in this effort. The goal of the OOSS study is to evaluate the landscape and market environment for open source software (OSS) created by and for the higher education community, to assess the need for an organization to promote the support and adoption of these OSS projects, and to define this organization's mission and service model, should we determine that such an organization is desirable.

OSS Watch Survey 2006

drupal — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 15:57:29 -0500

During February and March 2006, OSS Watch conducted a survey of UK Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) institutions. The purpose of the survey was:
* to produce an up-to-date picture of the deployment of open source software in HEs and FEs;
* to draw comparisons with the results of a similar survey undertaken in 2003;
* to scope areas for future work by OSS Watch.

A Collaborative IT Support Model for Research at Georgetown University

drupal — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 11:09:28 -0500

This case study depicts the formation, characteristics, and organizational success factors of Georgetown University's Advanced Research Computing (ARC) division. In collaboration with university researchers, ARC provides a range of services from computational support to multi-layered, multi-institutional support for research. A companion to ECAR's 2006 research study, IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study, this case study describes how Georgetown created a unique, collaborative, shared-cost IT division specifically for university researchers that now provides a secure environment for computational equipment and increases Georgetown's grant and fundraising competitiveness.

LAMP lights the way in open-source security

drupal — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:12:32 -0600

The most popular open-source software is also the most free of bugs, according to the first results of a U.S. government-sponsored effort to help make such software as secure as possible.

What's behind open-source ID push?

drupal — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:00:10 -0600

Big guns IBM and Novell threw their weight behind a previously obscure open-source identity management project this week, leading analysts to wonder: What's in it for those companies?

Open to Open Source

drupal — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 13:44:14 -0600

Open source software has found a permanent home on some college campuses. But according to a study released on March 1, 2006, by the Alliance for Higher Education Competitiveness, open source products, which enable programmers to modify code and customize programs, have yet to reach the masses of academe.

HOWTO: Open Source Software Licensing for University-based Research Projects

drupal — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 10:57:19 -0600

This publication is oriented towards release of open source by universities. This shows the results of case studies of three University of Toronto open source software projects including the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre's Decision Support Tool (DST) and Web-4-All; as well as KMDI's ePresence Media and ePresence Live.

Calit2: A Case Study in a Next-Generation Research Environment

drupal — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:55:08 -0600

In higher education, team-based, collaborative research activities, call for new modalities and methods of investigation. Calit2 is responding to this challenge by creating a next-generation research environment that includes a range of technical and nontechnical systems to foster large-scale, multidisciplinary collaborations in innovative ways. This case study explores the breadth and depth of this extensive initiative, including how Calit2 is experimenting with multiple technological methodologies to support locally based, distributed, and virtual research collaborations.

Honey, Have You Seen My Market?

drupal — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:14:14 -0600

The author discusses economics of software mergers and what higher education can do to minimize the impact.

What Is a Digital Library Anymore, Anyway?

drupal — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 12:37:45 -0600

The authors explore how digital libraries have evolved over the years and what form they have now taken."This paper describes an information model for digital libraries that intentionally moves "beyond search and access", without ignoring those basic functions, and facilitates the creation of collaborative and contextual knowledge environments. This model is an information network overlay that represents a digital library as a graph of typed nodes, corresponding to the information units (documents, data, services, agents) within the library, and semantic edges representing the contextual relationships among those units. The information model integrates local and distributed information integrated with web services, allowing the creation of rich documents (e.g., learning objects, publications for e-science, etc.). It expresses the complex relationships among information objects, agents, services, and meta-information (such as ontologies), and thereby represents information resources in context, rather than as the result of stand-alone web access. It facilitates collaborative activities, closing the loop between users as consumers and users as contributors."

Security Fears

drupal — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:00:49 -0500

The 2005 Campus Computing Project survey found that network and data security are the number one concern of university technology leaders.

Exploiting "Light-weight" Protocols and Open Source Tools to Implement Digital Library Collections and Services

drupal — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:41:25 -0500

This article describes the design and implementation of two digital library collections and services using a number of "light-weight" protocols and open source tools. These protocols and tools include OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative-Protocol for Metadata Harvesting), SRU (Search/Retrieve via URL), Perl, MyLibrary, Swish-e, Plucene, ASPELL, and WordNet. More specifically, we describe how these protocols and tools are employed in the Ockham Alerting service and MyLibrary@Ockham. The services are illustrative examples of how the library community can actively contribute to the scholarly communications process by systematically and programmatically collecting, organizing, archiving, and disseminating information freely available on the Internet. Using the same techniques described here, other libraries could expose their own particular content for their specific needs and audiences.

Blackboard vs....

drupal — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:16:31 -0500

Some higher education officials are wondering if in buying WebCT, did course-management giant wipe out the competition, or is open source the real competition?