Jisc supports the FE sector to extend free resources during the coronavirus crisis

@Jisc collaborates with @ProQuest @Pearson @BloomsburyBooks @CengageLearning @HodderBooks and @TandFonline to deliver free resources to the #FE sector during the #Covid_19 crisis 

Teachers and learners can benefit from e-books, vocational learning resources, virtual reality resources, and ‘home use’ licences for personal devices.

Jisc has collaborated with sector-leading publishers including ProQuest, Pearson, Bloomsbury, Cengage, Hodder, and Taylor & Francis to bring an additional 66 titles to Jisc’s e-books for FE collection, which already held in excess of 500 curriculum-mapped e-books.

Resources cover GCSE English and maths, a range of A-level subjects, and vocational qualifications from levels 1 to 3. They are freely available to Jisc members at more than 300 UK further education institutions. Leading digital e-textbook platform Kortext has also extended its free student textbook programme (FSTP) initiative to FE colleges supporting higher education learners.

Further, the subscription fees for Jisc’s vocational learning resources have been lifted until 31 July 2020, supporting learners studying construction, digital and IT, education and childcare, health and social care, and hairdressing. The Vogue archive for FE is also available from license subscriptions manager. 

Katie Butler, librarian at Ashford College, says:

“At a time when accessing online resources and independently learning from home has become vitally important to students, Jisc has once again ensured that FE students are supported with the resources to help them succeed in their studies.”

Delivering education to the FE sector with a virtual reality resource, the educational charity NCFE’s PregnancyVue immersive app allows users to learn about foetal growth and development. It is available from Oculus stores, with versions also available on android and apple.

Dawn Baker, executive director of innovation at NCFE, comments:

“We’re proud to support UK students and teachers in further education, working alongside Jisc to provide high-quality learning materials for free to the FE sector.”

Meanwhile, in the rapid move to online learning necessitated by the pandemic, computer software giant Adobe has made temporary ‘home use’ licences available for FE learners and staff. These give access to Creative Cloud products via personal computers, laptops and mobile devices, and are available for free until 31 May 2020.

Paul McKean, Jisc’s head of FE and skills, concludes:

“We’re delighted to see free resources extended to the FE sector. At Jisc, we’re particularly pleased to be working with publishers to extend free access to a wider range of eBooks during this unsettling and unprecedented time. We hope more publishers will come forward to support the sector and are keen to work with publishers to roll out extensive trials.”

Publishers are invited to complete Jisc’s online survey, which seeks to capture the measures that content and service providers have put in place or plan to implement. The survey includes questions on provision for off-campus access and whether publishers intend to roll out extended trials or grace periods.

Responses are available on the Covid-19 section of the Jisc website and will be updated daily.