This page will provide updates on current projects - more recent info may be in my blog Informaticopia. General information about work commitments can be found at my CV & list of Web Sites I run. My research and consultancy history over the last 20 years or so may give some insights into how I got into these areas of work.
The project has established a gateway of Internet resources, against established and published criteria, for this user population, available on the World Wide Web since spring 2001 at: http://nmap.ac.uk/,
The project has been awarded funding for 2 years starting from the first of August 2000 by JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee of HEFCE, through the Resource Discovery Network (RDN). Since extended and now part of the BIOME hub funding
NMAP works in conjunction with OMNI http://omni.ac.uk/ and will form part of the BIOME service at http://biome.ac.uk/, serving the UK's learning, research and professional communities in the health and life sciences.
I acted as project manager for NMAP on a part time basis from 2000-2005, and still work with the team & will be presenting some work related to this at WWW2006
Notes & further information
BIOME is a health, medical and life sciences Internet gateway designed to enhance learning, research and professional development by equipping Internet users with simple and effective access to high quality Internet resources, together with support and guidance in how to use them. BIOME is part of the RDN (Resource Discovery Network - see below). Visit BIOME at http://biome.ac.uk/
The RDN is a federated network of subject-based Internet services funded by JISC (the Joint Information Systems Committee - see below). The service is committed to enhancing learning, teaching, research and professional development by providing free, effective access to high quality Internet resources selected and described by specialists throughout UK academia or closely affiliated organisations. Visit the RDN home page at http://www.rdn.ac.uk/
The JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) is a strategic advisory committee to the UK higher and further education funding bodies. The JISC is currently funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Further Education Funding Council, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, the Scottish Further Education Funding Council, the Welsh Funding Councils and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment. The JISC works in partnership with the Research Councils. For further information visit the JISC website at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/
Further information about the project is available from Rod Ward on rw@biome.ac.uk.
I am currently writing a proposal and going through the registration process for my PhD/DPhil. although this has been "put on hold" for several years while I undertook various secondments, had small kids etc.
A project for the Faculty of Health & Social Care UWE to take existing packs given to adult nursing students to achieve "EU outcomes" in child, maternity and mental health, and put them online in a more interactive format. Started Sept 2004 - scheduled to "Go Live" Sept 2006. Currently completing Maternity & Mental Health, field testing & evaluating Child. Issues remaining concerning copyright, user registration & tracking systems & SENDA compliance.
A group project funded by HSC academic grant to examine the support needs of students on placement and devise mechanisms to help with these electronically. Project suspended due to other developments in the faculty. See http://hsc.uwe.ac.uk/hsc/index.asp?pageid=649 Paper written & submitted to Nurse Education Today. Presentation paper on this project as been accepted for NI2006, Korea
Funded by School of Adult Nursing Staff Development Fund & involving a team of researchers from various professions and research paradigms, this project aims to develop, test and retest for validity and unidimensionality an attitude scale measuring healthcare staff attitudes to IT. Now completed. Report published. Paper given at Medinfo 2007, Methodology paper in Press with Nurse Researcher, results paper being written.
Funded by the Faculty of Health and Social Care Small Grants Programme and involving several academic & library staff, this project is conducting a comprehensive search of research in this field over the last five years, with the aim of producing a report highlighting key trends and findings. - Now completed, report published, paper submitted to Health Information and Libraries Journal.
This new module has been validated at levels 3 and M and is due to have it's first run in Oct 2006
see http://hsc.uwe.ac.uk/net/research/Default.aspx?pageid=397 &http://elgg.jiscemerge.org.uk/
Funded by HEA Health Sciences and practice Centre see http://hsc.uwe.ac.uk/net/research/Default.aspx?pageid=355
If you have comments or would like to find out more about the activities listed above please mail me. Rod@RodSpace.co.uk
Page created: 16.12.96
Page last updated: 28.8.07