Annual Report 2006 - TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute

Our Intellectual Capital — Creating andSharing KnowledgeNSI Annual ReportA new content management system ‘Contribute’ wasimplemented to ensure all content on NSI websites couldbe more easily maintained, including a workflow processwith identified writers, publishers and administrators.A review of the NSI internet website was commenced toupdate the content and architecture to align with changingbusiness needs. This website will be launched in 2007.Several NSI internal websites were developed or updated,including:• Online Induction Program• Annual Review Implementation• Data & information Links• NSI e-Library – the library ensures that all NSI administrativeresources contain appropriate metadata to improvestorage, access and sharing of resources and ensureinteroperability of storage systems.NSI commenced development of the ‘Dashboard’ tool,including online access to the financial reporting function,which gives head teachers and other NSI managers a quicksummary of the state of their sections, enabling them toreview the target versus actual Annual Student Hours (ASH)and the variance between budget and actual expenditureand to access reports to allow a more detailed analysis offinancial transactions.The Institute enhanced the ‘Business Planning System(BPS)’ which allows staff to develop, monitor and reporton marketing plans and business action plans at thebusiness line, college and support-unit levels. BPS includesan investment module called Business Planing InvestmentApplication System (BPIAS) which enables the plan owner toapply for funding associated with furniture and equipment,capital works, special projects and promotional activities.NSI libraries were involved in the successful implementationof a value-adding project in 2006 to improve the provisionof access to a range of e-books as well as indexed journals.NSI staff and students now have secure 24-hour access to avast array of electronic resources via the TAFE NSW librariesonline catalogue ‘TAFEcat’ at http://tafecat.tafensw.edu.au/tafecat.html).The main subjects for e-books are Business, InformationTechnology and Art, and the e-journals cover a broadspectrum of subjects with Australian content featuredprominently. Positive feedback was received from bothstudents and staff. Staff members recognised the potentialapplications for their teaching, especially for online coursesthat have the ability to embed links to full-text resources.Knowledge SharingThe NSI Knowledge Management Strategy 2005–2007was reviewed, and major NSI projects were mapped to theknowledge management focus areas and core and supportprocess for the Institute. Major projects included:• Business Planning system review• Environmental management system, processes andprocedures review and update• Strategic Intelligence System development andimplementation• Advertising request helpdesk development andimplementation• Standards and procedures for offshore delivery,development and communication.• Knowledge cafes initiative development andimplementation, focusing on e-learning tools andtechnologies to help in the sharing of information thatincludes Sharepoint, blogs and wikis.Intellectual PropertyA number of new products and services and flexible deliveryresources were developed by NSI during 2006 to increasethe learning and service options for our customers (seethese sections of the report for more details).22 TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute