We have prepared this discussion paper to support conversations within and outside IT Services about the strategic approach we will take in support of the University’s strategic framework, Birmingham 2026. In recent weeks we have held a series of workshops for Professional Services staff, academics and researchers; and workshops specifically for IT Services staff. At … Continue reading “Digital Strategic Framework: Discussion Paper”
Category: IT Innovation
The intelligent campus
This is one of a series of articles written after the EUNIS 2019 conference, which I attended through the ucisa Bursary Scheme. Through my work as IT Business Partner for Estates, I’ve been involved in a number of discussions about the growing importance of data – for making decisions about the future of campus, for … Continue reading “The intelligent campus”
Working smarter with robotic process automation
Robotic process automation (RPA) has the potential to save 800 hours of staff time, so what is it exactly? RPA is an emerging business technology based on the notion of metaphorical software robots or artificial intelligence. In its most basic terms RPA is the use of computer software to automate business tasks which might take … Continue reading “Working smarter with robotic process automation”
UCISA, Corporate Information Systems survey results – how do we compare?
UCISA (Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association) is an association of higher education institutions, who work together to improve their “digital health”. This includes looking at both operational efficiency and student experience. Every year, a survey is sent out to universities asking for details of the main software/systems they use. This is compiled in UCISA’s … Continue reading “UCISA, Corporate Information Systems survey results – how do we compare?”
IT Innovation – Using artificial intelligence to understand business critical data
The University processes huge amounts of unstructured text data throughout the academic year, including staff and study surveys, support requests to services desk, and much more. The volume of textual data captured is huge and increasing at a fast pace, and our ability to understand this data holistically in a timely manner to support business … Continue reading “IT Innovation – Using artificial intelligence to understand business critical data”
Virtual Assistants – making IT simple for users
The era of Virtual Assistants and Natural Language Processing in higher education is upon on us The number of universities and colleges developing and deploying Virtual Assistants is on the rise – there are now several UK and International institutions using this technology to allow staff and students to access core university services. Utilising a variety … Continue reading “Virtual Assistants – making IT simple for users”
Business Partnering attend university and healthcare estates and innovation conference
In November, the University and Healthcare Estates and Innovation (UHEI) conference took place in Solihull, and with it being almost on our doorstep a number of colleagues from the University took part. The conference addressed a number of the key issues facing the university and healthcare sectors including sustainability, efficiency, and continuous improvement. Perhaps unsurprisingly, … Continue reading “Business Partnering attend university and healthcare estates and innovation conference”
Do you have an idea for a mobile app?
The IT Innovation team is about to commence on a project to evaluate React Native – an open source mobile development framework for creating native mobile applications for iOS and Android platforms. What do we mean by native mobile applications? A native mobile app is a smartphone app that is coded in a specific programming … Continue reading “Do you have an idea for a mobile app?”
Innovation team features in Arts & Science Festival with virtual reality art
The Innovation team is running an ‘Art & Technology’ workshop at the upcoming Arts & Science Festival in March. ITS Communications visited the Innovation Centre to find out which new technologies are helping to reshape art and its production – and how you can get involved. Over the past decade, new technologies have had a revolutionary … Continue reading “Innovation team features in Arts & Science Festival with virtual reality art”
Promoting innovation across the University
The IT Innovation Centre has recently launched the Emerging Technology (ETech) Competition 2017-2018. This is an annual competition aimed at students from across the entire University, encouraging innovative uses of emerging technologies. The depth and breadth of the ideas that our students come up with each year are a credit to them, and to the … Continue reading “Promoting innovation across the University”