Welcome to the February 2025 issue of our e-books for FE newsletter.
Research Assistant coming to Ebook Central
There is a new feature coming to Ebook Central in late March: called Research Assistant, it is a generative AI-powered option which provides
- A key takeaway of a chapter or chapter section, typically a short paragraph or two with a summary of the contents
- A list of concepts discussed in the chapter or chapter section, typically four or five numbered items
This is currently in Beta testing, and Jisc are among the ‘early adopters’ who are giving feedback to ProQuest on functionality and usability.
Some key dates for this product development (subject to change):
- 6 March – an ‘opt out’ option will be made available to all institutions via your LibCentral platform, if your curriculum staff feel this is not for you at this time
- 20 March – Research Assistant will be turned on for all institutions who have not chosen to opt out
- However, all institutions can switch off Research Assistant at any time in LibCentral after 20 March if you so decide. Information will be given on how to do this.
Please let curriculum staff know about Research Assistant by sharing this ProQuest FAQ page which contains full details and screenshots.
Digifest 11-12 March 2025
This year’s Digifest will be held in the ICC Birmingham, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 March, and the programme is now available at https://jisc.ac.uk/digifest
Booking information is available at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/digifest/booking-2025
Digifest 2025 will explore the following themes:
- Data-informed education: powering the future – Harnessing data to drive innovation and improve outcomes through complexity and uncertainty
- Student success: a holistic approach – Leveraging technology to create engaging and inclusive learning environments
- Learning for the future: designing for success – Preparing learners for the future through innovative curriculum, pedagogy and technology integration
- Technology for good: sustainability and social responsibility – Balancing the benefits of technology with ethical considerations and social impact
- Collaboration for impact: building a stronger education ecosystem – Fostering partnerships to address shared challenges and drive sector improvement
Digifest 2025 is a CPD accredited event
Jisc is a member of the CPD Certification Service – by attending Digifest 2025 you can add this learning time towards your individual continuing professional development goals. After the event, you’ll receive a digital certificate with CPD points to add to your personal log or organisational file.
Top 20 users in January 2025
Well done to all organisations who reached a spot in the top 20.
| Rank | Organisation | User sessions |
| 1 | New City College London | 5,146 |
| 2 | Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College | 4,434 |
| 3 | Hills Road Sixth Form College | 3,773 |
| 4 | Varndean College | 2,986 |
| 5 | West Herts College | 2,966 |
| 6 | Northampton College | 2,715 |
| 7 | The College of Richard Collyer in Horsham | 2,101 |
| 8 | LTE Group | 2,071 |
| 9 | South Thames College | 2,071 |
| 10 | The Trafford College Group | 1,911 |
| 11 | The Sixth Form College Farnborough | 1,875 |
| 12 | Richard Huish College | 1,732 |
| 13 | Godalming College | 1,607 |
| 14 | HRUC | 1,530 |
| 15 | Peter Symonds College | 1,512 |
| 16 | East Kent College Group | 1,417 |
| 17 | Newcastle and Staffordshire College Group | 1,393 |
| 18 | Barton Peveril Sixth Form College | 1,229 |
| 19 | Solihull College and University Centre | 1,169 |
| 20 | Macclesfield College | 1,157 |
Mergers / closing accounts: If your organisation has recently merged with another, ProQuest may not have the most current merger information and your merger may not be reflected in the usage data. You may also need to close an e-book account after a merger. Please email customerservice@proquest.com and Cc Jacqueline.Stringer@Clarivate.com with the relevant details.
Top 20 titles in January 2025
| Rank | Title | User sessions |
| 1 | NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care | 7,475 |
| 2 | BTEC Nationals Business Student Book 1: For the 2016 Specifications | 3,805 |
| 3 | BTEC Nationals Applied Science Student Book 1 | 3,489 |
| 4 | NCFE CACHE Level 2 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care | 3,249 |
| 5 | OCR A-Level Law (2nd edition) | 2,962 |
| 6 | AQA A-Level Geography | 2,949 |
| 7 | BTEC Nationals Health and Social Care Student Book 1 | 2,860 |
| 8 | WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate and Diploma Criminology (revised edition) | 2,571 |
| 9 | NCFE CACHE Level 2 Diploma for the Early Years Practitioner | 2,557 |
| 10 | AQA A-Level Business | 2,078 |
| 11 | NCFE CACHE Level 3 Child Care and Education (Early Years Educator) | 2,027 |
| 12 | AQA A-Level Physics (Year 1 and Year 2) | 1,887 |
| 13 | BTEC Nationals Sport and Exercise Science Student Book | 1,760 |
| 14 | Education and Early Years T Level: Early Years Educator | 1,739 |
| 15 | AQA Psychology for A-Level Year 1 and AS Student Book | 1,723 |
| 16 | BTEC Nationals Business Student Book 2: For the 2016 Specifications | 1,679 |
| 17 | BTEC National Applied Law Student Book: For the 2017 Specifications | 1,601 |
| 18 | BTEC National Computing Student Book | 1,572 |
| 19 | Pearson Edexcel A-Level UK Government and Politics | 1,541 |
| 20 | BTEC National Construction Student Book: For the 2017 Specifications | 1,411 |