4. Future development

4.1 Main objectives for the next reporting period

To expand into at least four more institutions
To deliver resources online at two or more institutions
To offer students the opportunity to select course-pack contents from a wide range of resources available and to order a course pack which will be delivered to them within 24 hours.
To receive electronic texts directly from publishers and establish the efficiency of doing so when compared with scanning and proof-reading.
The Technical Manager will continue to evaluate hardware/software alternatives to proof-reading. This may lead to further equipment/software purchases (within Project budget).
To seek to expand the range of publishers that have agreed terms with SCOPE.
To seek to re-negotiate SCOPE-publisher contracts before the Project end date with a view to establishing SCOPE as a service beyond the Project time frame.
To explore the merits of a variety of different payment models by offering texts online and allowing CMIs to select the most appropriate payment mechanism.
To explore further, delivery to distance learning students
To maintain and enhance the high profile of the SCOPE Project and to disseminate our findings as widely as possible among stakeholder groups. Dissemination will probably be undertaken in co-operation with other eLib ODP/electronic reserve projects.
To find a means of archiving SCOPE resources taking into account copyright and security issues.
To evaluate the Stage 6 products and services.
To commission a market research project which will give further indication of demand for materials delivered on-demand at SCOPE CMIs and indicate how the project may be useful to the CMIs.
To prepare a final exit strategy.

4.2 Proposed changes in overall direction

SCOPE has not planned any changes in overall direction since our last annual report. Our evaluation activities have shown us that there is growing interest in ODP in the HE community and for a variety of different types of resource and student. We will continue as planned, to expand SCOPE activities within Scottish HEIs with a view to demonstrating towards the end of the Project, the viability of the SCOPE service when compared with more traditional means of delivering teaching and learning materials.

4.3 The SCOPE service beyond the Project time frame

There is a growing consensus in the UK HE community that in the long term ODP activities can be supported most efficiently by a central service. Much of our experience is unique and we consider ourselves to be very well placed to fill that role. We believe that SCOPE is one of only two projects that have attempted to negotiate terms with copyright holders that will be considered viable beyond the Project time frame. These agreements with publishers allow us to transmit electronic copyright materials over the Internet for online delivery at 13 different Scottish institutions rather than to deliver materials at only one or very few institutions. We have convinced publishers that their material will be secure by developing an online delivery system that incorporates five levels of security. Our system has been demonstrated to representatives from a variety of UK academic publishers who have described it

as 'very impressive' and as 'marketable'. We believe we have just found a technical solution to the problem of maintaining security while delivering online to distance learning students beyond the UK, but further negotiations will be required with publishers. There is clear evidence of considerable demand from academics involved in distance learning and we see this as a very important area for the future. As a consortium we will have addressed problems of implementation in a range of different 'old' and 'new' universities before the Project ends. We have also negotiated the terms on which consortium members relate to one another. Expansion to a national service from our present position as a Scottish-wide service would be more manageable than for many similar projects that operate within one or two institution(s). SCOPE plans to expand our operation to further institutions and will seek funding from a variety of different sources. One or more commercial partner(s) is a possibility, as is further public funding. A further scenario was sent to the eLib Director in March 1997.

References

JISC (1997) The Impact of OD/ER on Teaching, Students and Libraries. Bristol: JISC, in press.

National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (1997) Higher Education in the Learning Society, Chaired by Sir Ron Dearing. [WWW].<http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ncihe>.

LH/CR August 1997

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