www.intute.ac.uk

Informs at Intute

Lisa CharnockMimas Development Officer - Intute

Outline

• A bit of background• What is Informs and what can it do?• How are people using Informs?• Future plans

Over the Pennines

• INFORMS at Huddersfield

– 2001 – 2003 INFORMS created at the University of Huddersfield

– 2006 – 2007 User community lobbied for safe future home for INFORMS: JISC fund 6 month project to transfer INFORMS to Intute

• Informs at Intute

– 1st May 2007 Informs launches at Intute

– Registered institutions rise from 50 to over 200

– Database of over 2000 learning objects

– Ongoing programme of developments

What is Informs?

• Flexible software tool for the creation of online tutorials

• Database of user created content for sharing, re-using and amending by other users

The ‘Guide at the Side’

Live website

Creating a tutorial

How are people using Informs?

• Induction

• Database guides

• Embedded into online tutorials

• Staff development

….and what do they think?• “Without Informs, our approach to information

literacy would be scuppered. Student feedback on Informs used within our skills module tells us that their understanding and use of e-resources has improved as a result of our Informs tutorials. More importantly, they are telling us that their marks are also improving!”

• “I love using informs as this is great to introduce distance learners to databases who would normally miss out on classes. Students in classes always comment on how they enjoy using it to learn by doing rather than being shown.”

• “I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to develop my online tutorials without it!”

Future plans

• New project• Funded by JISC• April – October 2008• Three strands:

– Accessibility– Functionality– Community

Informs Project

Accessibility

Functionality

Community

Assessment

Implementation

Customisation

Web 2.0

Seminars

Collaboration tools

Contacts and help

Informs Help:www.informs.intute.ac.uk/informshelp.html

Informs Contacts:www.informs.intute.ac.uk/contact.html