Newsline from EDINA
March 2006: Volume 11, Issue 1
EDINA and MIMAS, who have worked together with JISC to develop Jorum as the national repository for online learning materials, are delighted to announce that universities and colleges can now register to allow for their staff and students. Over 50 institutions have signed up to Jorum User in the weeks since the launch.
Jorum User allows staff from registered institutions to search, browse, preview, download, review, reuse and repurpose resources in Jorum. This free online repository service hosts a range of learning and teaching resources, covering a variety of subject areas and educational levels, in a format that can readily be used in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs).
The type, breadth and subject coverage of resources available in Jorum depends upon contributions made by the community. Jorum is built on the support surrounding the service by the team, the long term view taken by JISC and its future success needs commitment and enthusiasm from both Contributors and Users.
Institutions must register first before staff are able to gain access. They can register free for the Jorum User Service on the JISC Collections Web site. A Site Rep and a Technical Rep should be nominated, providing a local point of contact for staff within the institution and for the Jorum Team.
The Jorum Contributor Service, allowing institutions and projects to donate resources to Jorum, was launched in November 2005. Since then an initial collection of resources has been submitted, from over 20 institutions. The current collection reflects the projects and institutions which have contributed material so far; there are a number of sizeable collections including engineering and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Language).
The newly updated Jorum Web site has a comprehensive new section on Jorum User offering support in registering and logging in, as well as a useful selection of support, training and promotional materials.