Monash Virtual Research Environment using Quickr (Quickr VRE)

Monash e-Research Centre is currently introducing the use of Sakai and Lotus Quickr  research collaboration environments.  We seek to understand which works better in different circumstances.

With Lotus Quickr VRE  you can share files within your research team, create wikis and blogs, create multiple virtual work areas, add participants into your team, and publish information to the internet or keep information secure within your research team.  Quickr VRE has many other exciting features for you to explore as you need them.

Accessing Monash Quickr VRE

Any Monash staff and HDR students can have access to the Monash Quickr VRE pilot, so please contact Nicholas McPhee or Peter Dixon in order to arrange access and then log in to the Monash Quickr VRE pilot web site.

Use by your research collaborators external toMonash University is encouraged and welcomed.  You can set this up very easily yourself.  Once logged-in you can create additional users of your worksites.  When creating users external to Monash please use their official home-institution email address as their Monash Quickr VRE username, preferably in the form:

External username format:  firstname.lastname@homeinstitution.edu.au

When adding users to your worksite please do communicate with them directly first, so that they know to expect an invitation and agree to participate.  Otherwise they might throw away the email invitation from Monash Quickr VRE thinking it is just more spam email.

Getting started and getting help

You are more than welcome to explore Quickr by yourself if you want to: Once registered, simply log in and start playing.

Also, we don’t want you to feel lost or overwhelmed.  If you want any help or advice from us, or suggestions or discussion about how to best use Quickr or other tools to best meet your needs please do not hesitate to contact any of us by any means.  In particular please direct Quickr enquiries to:  Nicholas McPhee or Peter Dixon.  We do not want to lose your interest.

Quickr’s rich functionality can easily obscure the particular features you need to do your research.  So we are developing specific information about using Quickr as a Virtual Research Environment:

• a quick-start guide
• a comprehensive user guide
• see also the About, Features and FAQ sections within the Monash Quickr VRE

Specific limitations of the pilot service

In the future, Quickr will be rolled out as an integral component of the University-wide Lotus Notes Integrated Collaboration Environment (ICE) deployment.  In the meantime, the Monash Quickr pilot service is externally hosted, hence:

• There are currently no formal support arrangements.  Please do not refer enquiries to your local IT support staff.  Instead please contact the Monash e-Research Centre directly.
• Each research group’s VRE appears as a “virtual sub-room” under one common eResearch “place” – secure access controls can be put in place between “virtual sub-rooms” as required (contact Nicholas McPhee or Peter Dixon for details).
• There is no MDS/LDAP integration – so we have to enter your registration details for you (contact Nicholas McPhee or Peter Dixon for details).
• File size limitations apply – your data is not stored in LaRDS (contact Peter Dixon or Nicholas McPhee for details).

Acceptable use policy and Disclaimer

This Monash e-Research Quickr Virtual Research Environment pilot is provided ‘as is’ byMonash University for use by Monash researchers and their research collaborators at other institutions. Use by your research collaborators external to Monash University is encouraged and welcomed.  Use of this pilot by all users is subject to Monash University 's normal Staff Acceptable Use Policy for IT Services (AUP) available at: www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/management/its/it-use-policy-staff-and-authorised.html.

The Monash team leader of each research group is responsible for ensuring that the AUP is adhered to by all members of the group.  Publication of information, information access controls and group membership controls are the responsibility of the team leader of each worksite.  Monash University does not warrant the accuracy of the information provided by the service, nor the fitness for purpose of the service for your intended application.  Data is stored and backed-up on an external hosted data store.  Services are provided to 3rd parties on an ‘all care no responsibility’ basis.  Use of this site indicates your acceptance of these terms and conditions.