Eighteen universities across the UK are celebrating their achievements after they received this year's Times Higher Education (THE) Awards in London. The awards ceremony, hosted by THE's editor Ann Mroz and Michael Portillo, with an opening address by David Willets, was attended by more than 1,000 people from universities and colleges across the UK.
The JISC sponsored Outstanding ICT Initiative Award went to Bristol University for their innovative Dynamic Laboratory Manual (DLM) developed by Bristol ChemLabS staff and Learning Science Ltd. ChemLabS is the UK's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in practical chemistry and has transformed the way that undergraduate practical work is carried out, in part through the creation of this sophisticated e-learning tool.
Initially the DLM was envisaged to be an online, web-based laboratory manual containing all the information the students would require to carry out a particular practical investigation. But it quickly developed into a much more comprehensive student resource containing a complete video library of practical techniques, fully interactive simulations and virtual instruments, online pre-lab assessment and safety tests (both providing immediate feedback), online tutorial support, and a comprehensive marks database designed to track student progress.
Building on the success of this software, Bristol's Departments of Biochemistry, Physiology and Pharmacology have now introduced DLM-style software to support students in their teaching laboratories. The project has also had great impact on chemistry teaching and learning at Post 16. A commercial version of the e-learning tool called LabSkills will soon be available in every (4000+) secondary school in the UK.
The judges for the award were Professor David Baker, deputy chair of JISC and former principal of University College Plymouth St Mark & St John; Sean Mackney, deputy chief executive, The Higher Education Academy; and Sarah Porter, head of innovation at JISC.
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