1. Electronic Resources

2. NLN
NLN gives access to a range of multi-media online learning materials produced specifically for the post-16 sector in the UK.
To view the resources go to the website (
A login needs to be created before you gain access to the resources. This can be done by selecting the new user link from the login box on the left hand menu. A form then needs to be completed (users should indicate they are from the JISC RSC SW Scotland Region to ensure their college is available from the list). They also need an institutional login which can be ed to them if they don’t already know it.
Users can browse the materials available and they can create their own collections of resources and make them available to their students.

3. JISC Collections
JISC Collections manage the licences for a number of collections of online resources available to the FE/HE sector. Access to some collections is free whilst others need to be subscribed to. Further information about JISC Collections is available from their website including the A-Z of resources available (
A password is required for access to the collections subscribed to by your institution. Your library or learning resource centre should be able to supply you with logins. (This was previously an Athens password, and may have changed to another authentication method).

4. E-Books for FE
The e-books for FE project makes a core collection of e-books available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so the book you urgently require will not be out on loan just when you need it! Around 3000 e-books are availably until August
The e-books can be accessed outside the college network via a PC or a mobile device such as a mobile phone. Text and images from the e-books can be copied and pasted into a VLE or to student handouts or coursework and the source is automatically cited. This saves time and improves accuracy of information.
The fact that materials are in a digital format results in the resource being much more accessible to a range of students including those with a visual impairment.
Users can personalise their e-books by adding their own notes and comments and highlighting relevant parts of the text.
Books are available for a variety of subjects relevant to the UK FE curriculum.
There are titles of relevance to the Scottish Curriculum including:
Fashion / design / software engineering / health & social care / automobile electronics / beauty therapy / practical lambing
Further information about the e-books collection is available from the project website ( ).
To access the e-books a login and password is required. Your library or learning resource centre should be able to provide you with access.

5. EDINA
Edina is a JISC-funded national datacentre based in Edinburgh University. It hosts a number of eResource collections including the Education Image Gallery (EIG) and Film and Sound Online, and Newsfilm Online. They all require a login and can be accessed from links on the Edina home page ( ). Your institution will need to subscribe to each of the resources before you have access to them. Your library or learning resource centre should be able to give you login details.
The Education Image Gallery (
The Education Image Gallery gives you access to a collection of over 50,000 images specifically designed for educational purposes. A Quick Reference Guide and Training Guide are available via the Help & Support link. You may want to search for a title using a keyword or browse the images available. Once an image is found it can be stored in the My Albums area and/or downloaded onto a computer. It’s important to be aware of the terms of use and images all need to be properly acknowledged (acknowledgement details are included with each image).

6. Film & Sound Online
Film & Sound Online gives access to hundreds of hours of downloadable films and videos for free use in Further and Higher Education. Visit the website ( to view the materials. A login is required and your library or learning resource centre should be able to provide you with login details.
Film & Sound online can be searched by film collection or from the standard or advanced search options. There are Quickstart and training guides available via Help & Support link. The films can be download in full or in segments and a detailed description of each clip is available.

7. Newsfilm Online
Newsfilm online ( ) is a JISC-funded service comprising a selection of news stories and programme scripts from the ITN/Reuters archives. Around 3,000 hours of footage as well as around 60,000 stories. The resource contains ITN footage ( ) including Channel 4 News and News At Ten, as well as Reuters material ( ). In addition to the video clips, resources such as running orders and scripts, images, background on news footage, and learning and teaching tools are available.
Guides are available via the help & support link. A demo is also available and can be accessed here -
Your college or HEI will need to subscribe to the resource before you can access the content and a login is required.

8. SCRAN
SCRAN aims to provide educational access to digital materials with a focus on Scottish culture and history.
The service hosts over 336,500 copyright cleared images, movies and sounds. The resources can be saved to the My Stuff area of the site for future reference and/or downloaded. You will need to adhere to the terms of use which is explained in the copyright section of the site. The help menu takes you to flash movies demonstrating different features of SCRAN.
SCRAN can be accessed via the website ( A login is required and if your institution subscribes, your library or learning resource centre should be able to provide you with this information.

9. Virtual Training Suite
The Intute Virtual Training Suite is a set of free online tutorials. They aim to help students, lecturers and researchers improve their Internet information literacy and IT skills. They provide subject focussed tutorials which are fairly HE specific, however there are resources suitable for FE students including the Internet Detective and the image searching tutorial. Both can be accessed from the home page ( and do not require a login.
The following FE focused tutorials were available (please note the VTS has had it’s funding model changed and is now focussing on HE content so some of the content may no longer be available):

10. Jorum
Jorum is a free online repository for teaching and support staff in UK Further and Higher Education Institutions. Jorum encourages sharing, re-use and repurposing of learning and teaching materials. It hosts a range of learning and teaching materials such as Word documents or PowerPoint presentations, as well as complex learning packages that combine various multimedia formats such as video, audio and animation.
There are two areas within Jorum:
JorumUK - Users are required to login to search for resources in the JorumUK service.
JorumOpen - Users can search for open educational resources which are licensed using Creative Commons and no login is required.
The Jorum website contains help and advice about accessing the resources (

11. JISC Digital Media
JISC Digital is a JISC funded service which provides advice and guidance on the use of digital media within further and higher education. Their website ( contains a wealth of useful advice and information about audio, still, and moving images, including how to find, manipulate and store digital materials.
They provide training on the use of digital materials and they you can keep up to date with their activities on their blog.

12. JISC RSC Website
The RSC Scotland South & West Web site ( gives access to a range of information, useful resources and advice.
Selecting the Online Resources link will give you access to the following materials:
eMerge . This is output from project-based training conducted by RSC with colleges. It is stored by subject area and all the resources are available for download and use.
Curriculum Mapping. This project aimed to map JISC and other electronic resources to SQA units across a range of curriculum areas. The project ran in 2001/2002 (and again in 2004) so some links may now be out of date but worth browsing to see if there are any relevant resources in appropriate subject areas.
Bank on Success. An e-Assessment project providing a range of e-Assessment content for use in the Moodle or Blackboard learning platforms.
Xerte. A project based training initiative creating accessible learning objects with output available to download.