Queens' College, Cambridge

On Wednesday Clive and I gave a workshop on Project Management to an audience of learning providers - colleges, universities, local authorities and one private provider - in the wonderful setting of the Old Kitchens of Queens' College, one of the colleges of Cambridge University.

Queens' rather than Queen's because it was founded originally by the Queen of Henry VI, Margaret d'Anjou in 1448. For some reason it was refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville, the Queen of Edward IV and therefore the placing of the apostrophe in Queens' College is correct.

Above is seen the Cloister Court. There is a modern and a medieval "side" to the college, with each being separated by the River Cam. We were in the medieval side, or the Dark Side as it is known affectionately. The Cloister Court was built in the 1490s, though the President's Lodgings, facing onto the river, is 30 years earlier.

It was raining quite heavily that day but I couldn't let that put me off whizzing round with the camera for a couple of minutes at lunchtime.

Leading from the Cloisters up through a corridor with the Old Kitchens on the right and a sumptuous Banqueting Hall on the left are these well-worn stone steps. Walking straight through brings you to a second, earlier courtyard, the Old Court. First however we'll have a peek through that door on the left into the Banqueting Hall.

I've seldom been in a more impressive room, even walking through the likes of Windsor Castle. This room is awe inspiring with its ceiling guarded by gilded angels projecting from beams, the gold leaf decorations and the age-blackened panelling. And this in an education establishment! How different from the canteen to where I was marched in a long crocodile in Form 2 at Heywood Grammar... Do the diners here have to put up with lumpy tapioca and semolina, haricot baked beans served without the saving grace of a tomato flavoured sauce...

I left the room only with reluctance and turned left to the Old Court with this magnificent Gatehouse at the opposite side. It was a brilliant venue to give one of our workshops and I'd like to thank both the Queens' College and the JISC Regional Support Centre, Eastern for making such a splendid venue available to us.

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It's Monday, It's Plymouth

It's the start of a new week and I'm in Plymouth. Not an easy place to get to from Blackpool either by car or train, so I'm afraid I added a bit to my carbon hoofprint and came down by plane from Manchester.

It meant a very early start to the morning but then again both the train and car would have meant that and by flying down I was in my hotel by lunchtime and able to get on with some work this afternoon.

Tonight I've been out briefly to walk around the Barbican area and found it a place full of all sorts of restaurants and interesting shops and galleries. There's a marina full of boats - all deserted of course! It can't be long before any would-be invader has to parachute in as the country will soon be ringed with marinas without a break and, as none of the boats ever move, the invading army would have to sail back and say "Sorry - we couldn't find anywhere to park..."

I was up not long after 5 o'clock, so I'm knackered! I settled for a plain simple fish and chips, choosing a chip shop and cafe that had a steady stream of locals queueing up and it was a good choice. I can recommend the Barbican Fish Bar.

And now I'm going to kick off my shoes and lie back on the bed with my book, waiting for Clive to get here. If I don't fall asleep, we'll grab a pint or two before we head for our beds. Then we have two days of running Project Management workshops at the university to come.

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A Week On The Rails

It's been a busy week so far. I was in Leicester on Tuesday, a four and a half hour rail journey from Blackpool, though enlivened for a while as Chrissie Turkington from the JISC RSC Northwest walked past me on the platform at Preston so we spent ten minutes between Preston and Wigan, where she got off to continue to St Helens, catching up and swapping news.

I had another change at Birmingham New Street with its underground platforms - not the most pleasant of city stations, I always think.

Finally to Leicester where I joined a CAMEL workshop (Collaborative Approaches to Managing e-Learning) and joined in the conversations on communication with stakeholders, even being videoed playing the part of an Australian distant learner at one point, and ran the Change simulation, EduChallenge with them during the afternoon.

Then onto London, where yesterday I met with someone at Kings College London to discuss the sort of activities that a Centre of Expertise in Project Management might get involved with and how my organisation, JISC infoNet, might help support that with our online resources and participation in events.

Today I am feeding back on a project to a group of university and college IT Managers, who are meeting to discuss Business and Community Engagement and how IT might support that type of activity.

London is having what I'd call Blackpool weather - brilliant sunshine one minute then a monsoon and then back to sunshine!

I'm travelling back home tonight and tomorrow will be a well-earned day off!

Edinburgh With A View

I've moved from Newcastle to Edinburgh and am now in the middle of two workshops that we are running for the JISC Regional Support Centre (RSC, but not the Royal Shakespeare Company) for Scotland North and East.

I'm staying in the Holiday Inn on Queensferry Road and from my 5th floor room have an excellent view towards the castle and city centre.

Having spent the first half of the week in Newcastle, it seems a long week. I travel a lot for work and quite enjoy it, but leaving the house on Monday mornings and not getting home until Friday night is not my favourite working week!

Clive has been with me today as we were running a Project Management workshop. Tomorrow I'm on my own, delivering an Information and Email Management workshop at the same venue in Edinburgh's Telford College.

We got here last night just a touch too late to take advantage of a brilliant 2-meals-for-£5 offer at a Sainsburys store just opposite the hotel. I made sure I was there in time tonight, but being on my own the offer was a bit wasted really... I did consider that it would only cost an extra 60p for a double meal but even I'm not that much of a gannet! Good meal though!

Back at home, Fran's busy psyching herself up to cater for 80-ish people at a gig the band have arranged in the Blackpool region. Saturday might be as much of a rush as the rest of the week has been!

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Busy Week

After the flu it's back to work with a vengeance as I left the house on Monday and am not due back until Friday night.

I met up with Clive in Birmingham on Monday night to talk over our input to a project meeting on the following day. This seemed to go down well, the project was a JISC 4-year project looking at the process of designing the curriculum. One of the problems with such a project is in controlling the scope as just about every other process in an university either impacts on it or is impacted by it.

We introduced some Process Review techniques and some issues for Change Management and communications, given that for many stakeholders the implication that there could be changes to such a core process could be quite challenging.

Then it was off to Shrewsbury last night where we sat in front of a log fire that we tried hard to make roar... but we did get a whimper or two and briefly let out a cheer as a flame appeared for an instant!

We've spent today working on our own Business and Community Engagement related project and then headed north and we are currently in Ormskirk, prepared to deliver a Project Management workshop tomorrow. Then it's back down to Shrewsbury to end the week.

The voice is a little croaky after so much talking straight after the flu and a bottle of Buttercup Syrup has made the journey with me and been an essential if somewhat face pulling piece of equipment!

Glad we don't have a gig with the band this weekend...

Not sure the photo would stand enlarging - it was taken on my phone from the hotel window in Birmingham.

Workshop Design

Yesterday saw me up in Penrith, meeting up with Clive whilst we discussed our latest workshop for JISC infoNet.

The Project Management Masterclass covers Portfolio and Programme Management, looking at where projects come from and how and why they are authorised. It concentrates on the senior management roles in directing projects and programmes and how they can empower project managers to act under their own initiatives whilst suggesting mechanisms for keeping information flowing and for involving senior decision makers where necessary.

The workshop is a one-day workshop and will be available to colleges and universities from January 2008.

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Glasgow City

As the new academic year starts, I'm back travelling the roads and rail networks of Britain again.

Tonight I'm in Glasgow, overlooking Glasgow Central Station - not an imposing view as these things go, but the double glazing is doing a good job of keeping the noise out!

Tomorrow Clive and I are delivering one of JISC infoNet's Project Management workshops to an audience of librarians. It's a while since we saw each other actually and at the moment he's still negotiating the M8 so who knows where he might end up.

My satellite navigation system needs a serious talking to, as it has a totally different idea than do Glasgow's city planners as to where the one-way streets are or which way you drive down them. It would have had me down three bus-and-taxi-only streets had I stuck to it rigidly...

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Tuesday in Hatfield

I've been at the University of Hertfordshire today, delivering a Project Management workshop for some of the university's administrative staff. A familiar face walked in the room and was a touch surprised to hear me recount meeting him 20 years ago on a BTEC Higher in Public Administration at what was then Preston Polytechnic! Obviously he must have made a bigger impression on me than I did on him! :-)

Feedback was good - we have a 3-point scoring system so it's either "poor", "satisfactory", or "excellent" and of 90 possible marks I got 74 "excellent" plus 16 "satisfactory".

Some individual comments under the headings on our feedback form:

Organisation of workshop - order, pace, time spent on each topic
"Felt a bit rushed - a lot to take in"

Appropriateness of content - tailoring of session to audience
"Very good fit to our requirements"

Presentation - style, use of visual aids
"Excellent presentation, made the subject very interesting"
"Lively, funny, and very useful"
"Excellent presentation"
"Very good"

Activities - interactive elements of the workshop
"Liked the small group work"

Additional comments
"Lively, great examples and illustrations. Many thanks"
"Very useful as had an HE (Higher Education) flavour"
"At times felt like a hard sell of infoKits" (our free online resources)
"Good overview of Project Management, good to point to the website for more in-depth stuff"
"John's style, subject knowledge and delivery was excellent"

Many thanks to the delegates for so many comments - one of my colleagues from another organisation was talking to me about feedback sheets the other day and said "Isn't it strange how you can knock yourself out putting on a good workshop and all the comments are about the food or how hot or cold it was...!" I think the University of Hertfordshire staff gave the lie to that one then!

Am staying in Hatfield overnight and then in and out of London for a meeting tomorrow, before driving down to Winchester to deliver a Change Management workshop on Thursday.

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My Course - Final Day

Ah, Home, Sweet Home!

I'm back in Blackpool now with the memories of that final 3-hour exam behind me! It's a toughie and no mistake, but after sitting it I'm now feeling what can best be summed up by one of my classmates' phrases - I'm "stupidly optimistic"!

I have to remain that for 8-12 weeks before I get my results though!

I've never before spent a full week in London and seen so little of it - apart from last night where we had been told to relax, every night consisted of leaving the course, buying a sandwich, taking it back to the hotel and studying after checking work emails and occasionally updating this blog.

I've overdosed on AirCon - 10 minutes fresh air a day just doesn't add up to enough really! Has it been enjoyable? Well in what could seem a masochistic way, yes it has. Such an intensive course generates strong comradeship in any group and we've all swapped email addresses and went for a pint together after the exam.

The train was absolutely packed coming back - a Friday before a Bank Holiday I suppose it's only to be expected. Passed through a storm too at one point although both London and Blackpool seem to have reserved some sunshine for me!

Ah... long weekend... sleep... music... family... sleep... sleep... slee-e-e...... zzzzzzz

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My Course - 4th Day

Day Four, water ran out on 2nd night. Last night Carruthers left the tent saying he'd only be gone for a few minutes. He made a hell of a racket and eventually we went out to drag him back in...

Ok, fiction over, what follows is almost the truth of it! Phew this is not an easy course - even for someone like me who has been running Project Management workshops for 4 years! That means I've got 4 years of "other terminology and methodology" in my head of course, so have had to ditch that for the week.

This morning as I expected I passed the Foundation Exam with plenty of marks to spare. I was feeling very wary of the Practitioner Exam which is tomorrow but the tutor gave some excellent exam strategies and tips this afternoon so that I'm now ready for them to wheel on the question paper! (Well I am now - tomorrow morning may be a different thing!)

We were told not to do too much cramming tonight but to have a rest and relax. I've been out for the first time this week. Every day so far has been leave hotel, walk 5 minutes to course venue, leave at 5:30, walk back, study, rush out for meal (or have taken a sandwich back) and then more study until falling into bed. Heavy going!

Tonight I walked down to Trafalgar Square and was aghast to find it crowded with people sitting on grass!!! It is extremely warm and humid in London tonight, I walked down to the river and then past the Eye to the Golden Jubilee Bridge and back up to Bloomsbury by the back streets. I was a dripping mess by the time I got back to the hotel! (Cuts an attractive mind picture eh, ladies?)

Am back to my usual cool sophisticated self now though! Where's that exam? Let's get it over with, then let's hit the train for home!

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My Course - Second Day

Well I have to admit there's a bit of a culture shock for a 50 something year old to find he has 2-3 hours studying to do every night on top of a very full day's course. It's full too - I can't do it in 2 hours and it's been 3-3.5 for me the last two nights. That means I get up, go to the course, come out, study, go to eat very quickly, come back and study, go to bed.

The Prince2 Course is not for the faint hearted. Thursday has a Foundation Exam - signs are that I will walk that but I'm not going to get complacent about it!

Friday morning is a 3-hour open book exam but with a lot to do so knowing where everything is in the book is paramount. Last night's exercise showed that I would pass that - just, which for day 2 I suppose is about right and I need to apply myself to make sure the next day and a half (after Thursday's exam) is used to full effect.

Interesting to see the similarities and differences between the JISC infoNet approach and Prince2. I had to set my head to a different mindset for this week and forget what I already know so that I will give the correct references for everything!

Ding Ding - Round 3...

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London Workshop

Yesterday Clive and I were in London to deliver the third of JISC infoNet's Project Management Workshops for JISC Development Projects.

We were at Brettenham House on Lancaster Place - a short skip to Waterloo Bridge from which I took this photo during a lunchtime sniff of fresh air.

Brettenham House houses some office space for the JISC Executive and also the JISC Meeting Rooms in which we held the workshop.

The workshop seemed to go down well, the comments on feedback forms included:

Organisation of Workshop Content
"Good Use of the day to take this overview"

Tailoring of Session to Audience
"Both facilitators excelled at this"

Presentation Style
"Style was excellent - informal and interactive but also very informative"
"Great!"
"An authorative yet entertaining double act!"

Activities
"Very lively and a good opportunity for peer sharing of knowledge or expertise"
"Fun and engaging"
"Well-timed and very valuable"

If you work in Higher or Further Education in the UK and would like more details of this or other workshops by JISC infoNet then contact us directly, or contact your local JISC Regional Support Centre (RSC). [Edit: The Jisc RSCs are no longer active]

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Learning Spaces

Yesterday I was at New College Durham at a joint LSC / JISC infoNet / CEL event: Leading a New College Build.

New College Durham have completed a project which included replacing their old campus with a brand new one on the same site whilst remaining open to students, a project that caused a few challenges but which has come to an excellent conclusion.

The day included a tour of the New College campus (including the music recording studios that made my mouth water!) and the design and layout is stunning.

Not designed merely to be attractive to look at, the college took stock of how it expected learning and teaching to develop over the lifetime of the new buildings. Things are moving so fast currently, especially within the ever-developing world of new technology, that this is an almost impossible task but the design incorporated lots of innovative ideas and technologies.

Learning is much more interactive than it used to be. Whilst yesterday's students were used to lecturing staff imparting knowledge, today's students want a say in how they learn. They discuss things in groups much more and a lot of learning comes from more informal social interaction than it used to. Colleges are now incorporating lots of social spaces into their design, with comfortable seating and a mix (once seen as risky in the extreme) of refreshment outlets and IT equipment!

The staff at Durham were extremely open and honest about the challenges of their building project and the delegates of college estates and facilities directors and other senior managers were enthusiastic about what they had seen and heard.

My own organisation, JISC infoNet has a large resource for colleges and universities involved with Planning and Designing Technology-Rich Learning Spaces backed up by our core resources or infoKits on such things as Project Management, Risk Management Change Management and more.

Photograph by kind permission of New College Durham.

From Leeds to Taunton!

After leaving the AoC NILTA conference yesterday, I drove down to Taunton, where today I've delivered a session at an RSC seminar for South West Colleges and Universities.

The seminar was all about bidding for project funding from external sources and the session I gave was about ensuring your business case matched the needs of the funders and presented what you wanted to do in the best light. "RSC" means the JISC Regional Support Centre, 13 of which support Further and Higher Education Colleges and Adult Continuing Learning in their region of the UK.

I was the last speaker of the day and wondered whether delegates may have gotten a little jaded after a day of what could have been quite a dry subject, but they seemed to be up for it and nodded in the right places!

We were at Hestercombe Gardens, perhaps not seen at their best today, but I'll bet it's a beautiful place on a sunny day from spring to autumn. One tree had a gnarled trunk, looking like a face.

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