Microsoft SharePoint use in HEIs

The final report is now available.

The literature review from the 'Investigation into the use of Microsoft SharePoint in Higher Education Institutions' is now available for download.

This study has been funded under our Research Programme for two reasons:

• There is some evidence that interest in SharePoint solutions is growing within the UK education and wider public sector. This study is being funded to improve HEI's understanding about the level and nature of such interest and whether it is justified in terms of accepted good practice.
• In addition the work is expected to enhance our own understanding about the uptake and usage of Microsoft SharePoint solutions in the UK HE Community and to influence our 2-3 year plans for service provision in line with our charitable mission.

The final report from this study will be made freely available to the community under a Creative Commons licence.

The work is being undertaken by Northumbria University and is being led by Professor Julie McLeod. It will include a mix of telephone interviews, face-to-face meetings and an online public consultation. Please see the project website for further details.

Literature Review Summary

The literature review (PDF, 404 Kb)  from the 'Investigation into the use of Microsoft SharePoint in Higher Education Institutions' is now available for download.

The published literature about SharePoint implementations in UK HEIs is relatively small and focuses on the experience of a few HEIs and what they have been willing to say about their implementations in public. Little has been published in formal journal literature since SharePoint 2007 is a relatively recent phenomenon and a proprietary product.

Some of the key findings from the available literature are:

• SharePoint 2007 has spread rapidly in the Higher Education sector, as in most other market sectors
• The most extensive implementations of SharePoint in UK HEIs have been:
• to power the institution’s external website
• as a staff portal
• as a student portal
• to provide team collaboration spaces
• Specific areas or functions which SharePoint will support and has brought (or is expected to bring) benefits include:
• teaching and learning; 
• research; 
• student administrationsocial computing
• workflow and process improvement; business intelligence