A new project set up as a partnership between the Universities of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Glasgow, to encourage much-needed research in the expanding field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will be launched at the University of Edinburgh, today, Monday 29 January. The Scottish Centre for Research into On-Line Learning and Assessment, (SCROLLA) will seek to improve the quality of technology-assisted learning at all levels of education in Scotland.

SCROLLA, which is funded by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, will assist major research initiatives involving a range of academic disciplines, including subjects as diverse as Artificial Intelligence, psychology, multimedia studies and IT Technology.

The Centre hopes ultimately to attract funding into the research system from outwith Scotland, particularly from the European Union and businesses in the United Kingdom and overseas.

SCROLLA will also establish a permanent forum for ICT researchers within Scotland and strengthen links between online teaching researchers and the Scottish software industry. Additionally, the Centre will produce reports on research findings and organise seminars on current developments.

SCROLLA's work will be divided between the three collaborating universities and it will be administered from the Faculty of Education at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Jeff Haywood, Director of the University of Edinburgh's Media and Learning Technology Service, said: "To date, almost all of the educational investment in ICT has been in development and not research,. However, the need for research to underpin the latest developments in ICT, and the need for a wider forum to inform and support good practice is vital.

"This is a young but expanding field, especially in Scotland, and it would benefit from some coordination to strengthen it. There is also a need to span all levels of education in a way that single research projects are unlikely to do."

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further information, please contact:

Dr Jeff Haywood, Director, MALTS Tel: 0131 650 4097 Email: j.haywood@ed.ac.uk

or Dr Erica McAteer, Teaching & Learning Service, University of Glasgow, 0141 330 4997 Email: e.mcateer@educ.gla.ac.uk

First published: 29 January 2001