readingLive FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

IT Services have compiled a list of FAQ regarding readingLive which will be added to as the service matures.

For other FAQs regarding IT Issues, including readingLive, please see IT Services FAQs

Q: How will the University's and Microsoft's interests and commitments be governed if we use this free service?

A: Procurement and IMPS are currently working with Microsoft on the contractual terms which will govern the provision of this service to the University. This will address the usual commercial and data protection issues covered in service supply contracts.

Q: Will students see advertising?

A: No, not whilst registered as current students. If we extend the service to Alumni, advertising is envisaged.

Q: How will the University verify student usage and possible misuse?

A: IT Services will have an administrator view of our students' usage.

Q: What will student addresses look like?

A: These will be unchanged as initials.surname@student.reading.ac.uk, with variations for MBA and PGR students.

Q: What benefits will this development offer students apart from enhanced email functions?

A: Microsoft's Live@EDU service offers online access from anywhere to:

A hosted Microsoft Exchange service including calendar functions as standard.

Mailboxes will have a size quota of 10GB. (Current INBOX limit is 150KB)

Students will have access to a Microsoft Skydrive, 25GB of storage space "in the cloud"

Groups of students will be able to share documents and work collaboratively using this service which also includes Instant Messaging (IM) via Microsoft Messenger.

Students will have access to Office Live, ie web-based versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint without having to purchase these products for their PC ensuring compatibility with staff systems.

Q: What benefits will the University gain from this development?

A: In due course, the UNIX email system will be withdrawn, reducing the number of servers we have to deploy, maintain and replace. Staff effort can be re-allocated to higher priority activities. The principal benefit however is enhancing our students' experience.

Q: What other potential benefits could follow from this development?

A: The deployment of compatible email, office applications and calendaring across all staff and students opens the door for many innovative ways in which the University might in future work smarter. For example:

• Staff and student calendars might be populated automatically from university information systems such as the teaching (CEMIS) and examination (RISIS) timetables.
• The functionality of the Blackboard VLE could be extended by incorporating links to distributed resources, such as students' cloud-based calendars or shared documents upon which their assignments depend.
• Groups of staff and students working on projects with common documents will be able to do so without special facilities having to be set up for them by ITS.
• Graduates could retain their Live@EDU mailbox with no break in service, saving effort in the Alumni Office, RISIS and ITS. This would bring many operational benefits, such as compiling First Destination Returns of new graduates by the Careers Advisory Service.
• Fewer students may insist on using their private email addresses in correspondence with the University, assisting all concerned to manage correspondence professionally.
• The close working relationship we are establishing with Reading-based Microsoft could lay the foundation for future collaborations as new products developed which might add value to the services used by students and staff at the University