The ISsue
eBulletin for information and technology developments for the University October 2011
Library 24/7 opening dates
The University's six largest UK libraries will be open 24/7 during selected periods in 2011/12. The dates for 24/7 opening for each library are shown in the table below:
Further information about library opening times is also available on the
individual library pages.
Update to the Information Security policy
Protecting the campus network from attack remains a challenge. Recent periods of heightened activity have seen the campus email filtering service intercepting up to 100,000 email-borne viruses per month. One million messages are processed per day and 80% of these on average are quarantined as spam. Increasing numbers of attacks via the web and portable devices have seen the campus web proxy service and desktop anti-virus software intercepting a further 220,000 items of malware per month at peak times.
With these risks in mind, the Information Security policy has been revised for 2011/12 and published on the Workspace 
. The policy applies to all members of the University and aims to protect the institution from security problems and raise awareness of information security issues across the University.
The latest version has been simplified with many sections being combined and terms updated. A new section has been introduced which covers the responsibilities of “third party” service providers and users have been placed at the top of lists of responsibilities to highlight the importance of individual actions regarding information security.
The policy is a “living” document that will be reviewed annually as threats, technology and best practice change. The schedule for revising the document is as follows:
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December 2011: Initial call for suggestions for the 2012/13 policy (via IT Reps)
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March 2012: Initial draft of the 2012/13 policy available for review and comment on IS website
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May 2012: Final policy draft ready for approval by IS and University Management
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August 2012: New policy published to website ready for 2012/13 academic year.
Information Services has been working with other groups within the University including the Research Knowledge Transfer Board, Audit Committee and Internal Audit to look at ways to improve the Information Security policy, security practices and procedures. We will continue to keep colleagues informed of developments in this area as they progress.
Rogō - the new name in e-assessment
From the end of October TouchStone, the centrally supported e-assessment tool will be known as Rogō.
This is to avoid possible trademark infringements around the previous name following the decision to release the software under an open source licence.
Rogō is a Latin word that means ‘I ask’.
Rogō will be available from November onwards starting at version 4.1, where TouchStone leaves off. The application will be 100% compatible with the old system and the existing question bank.
New functionality that will be released in Rogō 4.1 includes:
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new maths/chemistry equation editor
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enhanced marking – questions can now be a variable number of marks
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enhanced labelling question – now included dragable graphics
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open source – five UK institutions will be piloting Rogō over the next 12 months
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language support – opening up potential international collaborations.