Beginning of term

The new term began on Monday 5th September and we were as ready as we could be.  All staff were back and most things were working. 
We started our LRC / e-learning / IT inductions on Monday afternoon and they have worked really well.  They consist of a 3D experience which is a walk through of the LRC with events then a demonstration and hands on practical part where students log on to the computers, log on to Blackboard and their course, use the LRC Blackboard page including the OPAC, log on to the e-Book collections and search for resources.  Then we have a quiz using the interactive whiteboard voting sets to get feedback.
There is a lot going on and I was worried that it would not be logistically possible, technically possible or might be overwhelming.  However I'm pleased to say it works and the planning that we did has paid off.
The actual sessions have been calmer yet more focused and interesting than previous years.
One part that we have left out this year is the printing - we explain about it briefly but last year we actually showed students how to set up their printing accounts as it is a little complicated and how to print an item but found that they still came back to the desk on subsequesnt occasions as they couldn't remember how to do it.  So this year it is brief explanantion, step by step instructions on the leaflet that students are given and then they can come to the main counter at anytime for help. 
Students fill in a registration card at the end of induction which is needed for the first time they borrow a book - this is laborious for them & LRC counter staff to input the data but the automatic feed of data is still 'pending'. 
There are various computer issues, as there always are at the beginning of the academic year, but they are working and students can get logged on.  We have moved to Windows 7 and Office 2010 which is taking some getting used to for some staff and students.  The move to Internet Explorer 9 has also thrown up some compatiability issues.  Our computer booking system MyPC is working in the most part but hanging on to bookings rather than closing them when a student logs off so that means staff have to make sure they keep an eye on the computers and switch off and reboot if needed.
I was at the ALT conference last week and blogged about it here http://donlantechnologies.blogspot.com/ so it meant that I came into College most mornings and disappeared in the afternoons.  Not ideal but everyone else carried on brilliantly.
On Friday morning we did the first of our Curriculum Liaison presentations for the new academic year.  It was for the Sports, Uniformed Services and Travel & Tourism department.  It went well and we received positive feedback. 
This week we have been busy as even more students have enrolled and started their courses.  More inductions and planning events and activities for the next few months.