HE Success StoriesThe case studies below highlight a selection of success stories where colleges and universities have adapted their IT infrastructure and facilities to help students get much more out of their learning. See how establishments in the HE sector have improved academic standards while enhancing operational efficiency by implementing better management and administration solutions. You can also find out how students have benefited from better learning resources and elearning solutions, or how universities and colleges have significantly improved their IT infrastructure to help streamline vital functions and processes such as student registration procedures, email facilities and administration. On This PageCollaborative Campus | Coventry University implemented a new online student voting system to increase efficiency and participation while reducing costs. The university is now saving thousands of pounds a year and projecting a modern, hi-tech image to both students and educators. |
"We want a student community that is engaged over the Web. We saw this opportunity as a good way of extending that type of community, encouraging participation and collaboration."
Peter Yeadon, Director of the Customer Relationship Management & Portal Development Programme, Coventry University  | Grid ENabled Integrated Earth system model (Genie) is a project created by the Natural Environment Research Council to consolidate the work of scientists and researchers operating in different areas of Earth system study. The Genie technical team created a virtual framework to links all applications and data, regardless of the system used to create them so collaboration is easier and research productivity is improved. |
"A few years ago, scientists wouldn’t have dared to calculate some of the findings that are revealed by the integrated Windows platform. Now, not only can we ask these questions, but we have the tools, technology, and integration to answer them."
Simon Cox, Professor of Computational Methods, University of Southampton and Technical Director, Genie
 | The University of Manchester’s Genetic Epidemiology department focuses on the factors that influence disease and public health. It analyses huge volumes of data to understand how disease manifests across a population, so it must ensure that data is accurate. With the new solution, scientists can consolidate data into a research object that is accessible from anywhere in the world with a browser, meaning this valuable data can be easily shared to support ongoing medical research. The solution has proved so popular the team is now looking to roll it out at partner institutions across the region.
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"Using SharePoint, we have an excellent, multifaceted tool that acts as a repository of knowledge, where like-minded scientists can submit information in a controlled, standardised manner."
Ian Buchan, Director and Senior Lecturer in Public Health Informatics, University of Manchester
Dynamic Education Infrastructure | A research group at the University of Cambridge has been using the advanced capabilities in the latest Microsoft database software to extract information from data that was originally collected 150 years ago. The timing couldn’t be better because the information relates directly to the ideas of Charles Darwin and is being uncovered just in time for his bicentenary—celebrations for which will be centred in Cambridge in 2009. |
The analysis we’ve already done with this software would have been impossible without the spatial data types and has already produced some very interesting findings."
Mark Whitehorn, Research Associate, University of Cambridge  | Scientists at the Northwest Institute for BioHealth Informatics (NIBHI) at the University of Manchester study the effects of molecular, personal and community factors on common diseases. Their new solution has enabled researchers to reduce the time they spend on developing applications, and NIBHI can invest more time and budget on research, ultimately helping the scientific community to progress understanding of health and healthcare.
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"This technology takes the pressure off scientists to be software engineers."
Iain Buchan, Director of the Northwest Institute for BioHealth Informatics, University of Manchester
 | As part of a long-term project to integrate information systems and create a Managed Learning Environment, the University of Wales Institute Cardiff implemented Microsoft collaboration tools as the foundation for a central repository of documents. Productivity among teaching and technical employees has improved, the university has established a consistent look and feel across all its websites and can update its online prospectus automatically. |
"The collaboration tools help us make full use of our centres of excellence expertise, both within the university and with our industry partners."
Mike James, Assistant Principal, University of Wales Institute Cardiff
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