Integrating an MLE with Voyager

Paul HudsonLearning Technology Development Unit

University of Hertfordshire

What I will be covering….

• Managed Learning Environments• The Role of Voyager• Reading List Manager• Live demonstration• How it works• Where Next?• Some links

Managed Learning Environments

What is an (MLE)?

JISC’s definition of a Managed Learning Environment is one which includes……

….the whole range of information systems and processes of a university (including its VLE if it has one) that contribute directly, or indirectly, to learning and the management of learning resources, and connects to external systems

Systems to integrate

• MIS System - Genesis

• Email

• Library Catalogue - Voyager

• Virtual Learning Environment - ?

The StudyNet development

• Started December 2000

• Developed in-house by the LTDU

• VLE aspects based on previous projects

• Developed using Lotus Domino

The StudyNet development

• ‘Pilot’ released September 2001• Driven central student record system• 22,000 users• Every user has a personal portal• Every module has a website (over

3000)• 100 staff training events• 50% usage in April

StudyNet : The main components

• Personal portal News, Courses, Personal Info,

Calendar, Contacts, Email, etc.

• Course Website News, Teaching Materials, Group

Work, Discussions, Reading Lists, etc.

The Role of Voyager

Voyager & the LTDU

•On-line tutorials

•Integrated search into LIS website

•Software for standalone terminals

•Waterstone’s search

•Developed interface

Voyager Integration in StudyNet

• Search Voyager from StudyNet

• Automatic logon

• Reading list manager

• Targeting E-journal and Exam Papers

The need for a Reading List Manager

Pilot with philosophy identified…..

• Reading Lists generally out of date

• Inappropriate stock levels

• Voyager reading lists unmanageable

Features of a reading list manager

• Create reading list items via Voyager

• Check stock levels of core items

• Request new copies

• Librarians can help academics update reading lists to reflect new editions

Let’s have a look around

How they communicate

• All done with CGI and Javascript

• Perl scripts used to grabs valid sessions id’s for ‘Auto-logon’

• Perl scripts used to grab records

• Javascript passes info to StudyNet

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaVoyager

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaVoyager cgi-script

Script on Voyager

•Grabs previous page

•Parse page and rips out necessary information

•Creates new page to give back to browser

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaVoyager cgi-script

Page Returned

•Page consists of Javascript

•Load record in to toolbar

•Redirects browser to ‘New Resource’ page on

StudyNet

Getting Record…..

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaStudyNet page

StudyNet requests the record from the toolbar

How it worksToolbarTemporary Storage Area

Work AreaStudyNet page

Toolbar sets the details in the record

Domains

• Default Javascript security stops pages on different servers from talking

• Possible to explicitly tell the browser to allow machines in the same Domain to talk.

I.e. www.studynet.herts.ac.uk voyager.herts.ac.uk• Requires HTML Header to be altered• Feature only available in 2000 release

Where next?

• Search Voyager from StudyNet

• Automatic logon

• Reading list manager

• Targeting E-journal and Exam Papers

E-Journals

• Subject Librarians have produced lists of related E-Journals and websites

• E-Journals are now in Voyager

• Special ‘E-journals’ location

• Produce subject lists based on RDN classifications

E-Journals - The records

• Extract journal subset and hold externally

• Data driven by Voyager• Librarians add RDN subject

classification

Voyager ExternalDatabase

Record Data

Subject Data

Librarians

E-Journals - The End User

• RDN subject areas mapped to programmes and appropriate lists are presented to the user

• Students can add areas of interest to their profile.

• Students can add build personal journal lists

• Students can review resources

E-Journals – The Library perspective• StudyNet logs ‘frequency’ of use

• Student feedback will help renewals

• Students and Staff can be made aware of new additions to our E-journals

• Identify faculties where use is low and feed into induction

Cataloguing

Things to consider…..

• Key wordse.g. Course Codes in exam papers

• Special ‘locations’e.g. ‘E-journal’ location

• Subject Keywords in records

Useful Links

• Learning Technology Development Unithttp://www.herts.ac.uk/ltdu/

• LTDU Magazinehttp://www.herts.ac.uk/ltdu/journal/

• Hertfordshire’s Voyagerhttp://voyager.herts.ac.uk

• The StudyNet projecthttp://www.studynet.herts.ac.uk/project.html