Falling University entries and top-up fees have contributed to a step-change
in the operational environment for the HE sector. This change has resulted in an
acute pressure on institutions to innovate for success. This presentation will
explore some opportunities for institutions to capitalise on new and emerging Web
technologies in response to such changes.
While there is much hype about web 2.0, there are some genuine opportunities for
straightforward applications of Web 2.0 technologies in institutions that are
low risk and low cost, and have potential for significant returns if they are
introduced and managed correctly and the right people are involved.
While not a genuinely new technology, RSS and its content syndication and subscription
model enable innovative applications, particularly for marketing functions in
institutions. Podcasting and blogging, enabled in part by RSS, can form the basis
for some low cost applications that, if deployed effectively, can have significant
marketing benefits. The right and wrong ways of approaching such deployments will be reviewed.
Every HE institution provides the usual search interface to its courses, typically
using an A-Z, subject area selector and school or department selector. The new
bookmarking/tagging services, such as del.icio.us, provide platforms for a new
class of more organic user interfaces to core HE content such as course information.
The keys to success lie in empowering marketing staff to manage these interfaces
in line with marketing initiatives.
Time:
This talk took place from 13.15-14.00 on Wednesday 14th June 2006.
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