Projects and funding

Our current projects are listed below, along with selected past projects. If you are running or thinking about running an e-learning project we'd love to hear about it. We can help with a range of things such as (resources permitting):

The earlier you involve us the more help we can offer. Contact us on e-learning@bristol.ac.uk and we'll be in touch.

Active projects

Blackboard Automated Administration

Status: active

Info: automation of processes designed to reduce the time school and faculty staff spend on basic administrative activities like creating courses and enrolling users.

Current activity: rollover to 2011/12 academic year successful, but further enhancements planned

Scale: University-wide

Open-ended project

Blackboard Mobile Learn

Status: active

Info: pilot of a system allowing activities, information and tools in Blackboard OLE to be easily accessible on a range of mobile devices (iPhone and iPod touch, Android, iPad, Blackberry) via a free app.

Current activity:being piloted

Scale: University-wide

Funded until September 2013

Blackboard Performance Audit and Tuning

Status: active

Info: external audit and tuning of the Blackboard Learn software, to assess the stability and reliability of our current environment and to make improvements to the performance.

Current activity: testing complete, report and recommendations being written

Scale: University-wide

Expected completion: 2012

Blackboard Upgrade

Status: active

Info: a number of workpackages, designed to add new features, enhance existing functionality and design, and fix bugs and issues with the current version. Includes a temporary Blackboard replacement service.

Current activity: detailed planning and testing

Scale: University-wide

Expected completion: August 2012

Embedded e-Voting Trial

Status: active

Info: loaning students TurningPoint handsets to use in practical classes and lectures. The aim is to evaluate how effectively the technology can be used to:

  • Increase real time feedback
  • Track student attendance
  • Monitor individuals' progress
  • Collect unit/element feedback

Current activity: attendance tracking trial, development and implementation of real time feedback practices.

Scale: 480 students on the MB ChB Programme (FMVS and FMDY)

Trial will end October 2013

e-Pens Pilot

Status: active

Info: exploring the use of e-pens for feedback and marking, and for the production of learning materials involving diagrams and notation

Current activity: pens purchased and distributed, pilots underway

Scale: 6-10 academics across several faculties

Pilot ends September 2012

Integrated e-Learning Services (IELS)

Status: active

Info: a major project upgrading Blacboard from the basic "Learning System" to the full "Blackboard Learn" suite. Main features and sub-projects:

  • Content System launch
  • Community System launch
  • eReserves pilot
  • Migration of Faculty of Engineering from WebCT
  • Assignment Handler pilot
  • Medical repository pilot

Current activity: all key functionality successfully launched and pilots completed or underway. Refinement, support and training ongoing.

Scale: University-wide

Expected completion: September 2012

Lecture Capture in Social Science and Law using the Panopto System

Status: active

Info: using an externally-hosted service to make audio, computer screen, and (occasionally) video recordings from lectures available to students in a semi-automated way.

Current activity: system in active use on several courses

Scale: Faculty of Social Sciences and Law only

Currently funded until August 2012

Maths and stats support

Status: active

Info: building a community to share resources and ideas on maths and stats teaching across a range of subjects.

Current activity: early stages of development

Scale: University-wide

Open-ended project

Questionmark Blackboard integration

Status: active

Info: implementation of software allowing Questionmark to share student and staff profiles and grades with Blackboard, and to schedule and run Questionmark assessments within Blackboard.

Current activity: testing

Scale: University-wide

Pilot during 2012

(Back to top)

Completed projects

Blackboard OLE 9.1 Upgrade

Status: completed

Info: upgrade of the core Blackboard functionality to Blackboard 9.1.

Scale: University-wide

Completed: July 2011

Questionmark Perception Snapshot Exercise

Status: completed

Info: survey and evaluation of the use of Questionmark Perception, used to set priorities for future development of the system.

Scale: University-wide

Covered usage between August 2009 and August 2010

Questionmark Perception Version 5 Upgrade

Status: completed

Info: a major upgrade of both the software version and the server infrastructure of the dedicated online assessment software.

Scale: University-wide

September 2011

"Student Expectations": Attitudes to Mobile Learning Survey

Status: completed

Info: a survey to identify current use of mobile devices, and identify key things which our students say they need mobile access to.

Scale: University-wide

Completed: July 2011

(Back to top)