Which university online service do you use?

How process.arts fits into UAL or how do UAL services fit into process.arts? This was one of the questions we asked in the DIAL Online Survey (http://tinyurl.com/dialsurvey) – and these are the answers we have received so far.

What do people use process.arts for and how does this fit into the UAL service portfolio of tools? Data collected using online survey.Understandably, with the focus being on teaching and learning, the most used platform was identified as being the current Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) – Blackboard. The fact that use of this platform (78%) was not the same as the (almost) 100% who were aware of it is probably owing to the number of support and admin staff who responded to the survey (and who because of their roles for the most part do not use it).

Blackboard the institutional VLE for course delivery, blackboard and CLTAD managed

• Blackboard I use less and less but it's good for globally email student groups.
• Blackboard for teaching materials
• Blackboard is okay as a filing system... although like any filing system it doesn't help you read the mind of the person who organised it.
• Bb for communication with students and staff and distributing resources
• I use blackboard to communicate with my students
• Blackboard is used to coordinate staff activities and record issues/policy changes

Lynda (online training) and MyBlog (blogs) are both used by almost half of the respondents – by 47% and 46% respectively.

MyBlog.arts in-house blogging service run on wordpress and CLTAD managed

• Responsible for updating CLTAD blogs - finding out what's going on.
• The blogs are great and Mike is a star for being so responsive to development requests.
• I use the myblog arts site for a student group blog and my PG Cert blog.
• I am using the blogs for DIAL.

Lynda.com – commercial subscribed to service providing training videos for software applications.

• Learning skills
• Lynda for learning software
• I use the new access we have to lynda.com to update my skills in Illustrator

Process.arts is used by 19% of respondents

process.arts an open online resource sharing day-to-day arts practice and research of arts staff, students, alumni and practitioners. Voluntary run and managed (transitioning into a service Sept 2012)

• I use it for archiving my own processes and I often point students to them verbally. I like to show real world examples of work.
• Research/finding out what people are doing
• Process Arts as a repository for research paper for the ‘fashion conference group’ which I help promote.
• Process Arts is great - I'm getting the PG Cert participants to upload their project videos to it next month.
• Process arts just to view what is on there
• I use process arts for my own research and would love the opportunity to design content for this site.
• I have searched Process arts and ALTO, and in the near future I will be uploading content to both.

And the new workflow.arts (ePortfolio site) by 15%. ‘Other’ services are used by 16% – popular platforms here are likely to include commonplace.arts and showtime.arts amongst others. Alto.arts is used by 8% of the respondents – this is also a new service and as a repository for hosting and sharing Open Education Resources its use is poised to grow significantly.

Workflow is new to the VLE portfolio, a highly flexible e-portfolio system which allows users to store their media files in the cloud, and design and publish web pages with full control over sharing options.    

• Have only just started using Workflow, I have high hopes for it.
• Workflow for student portfolios.
• I am looking at workflow as a communication tool.

Interesting interim findings – and we are still interested in knowing more. If you have not done so already – and would like to – you can tell us more about your Digital World via the DIAL Online Survey.