We would be very grateful if you could vote here to help us go for the top prize. You’d be really helping us at Reference Tree on our mission to create smarter ways to learn. It takes 30 seconds to vote and rest assured, you don’t need to give any details.

We are building up to launch our online service in September this year, enabling students to buy digital textbooks by the chapter. If you’d like to find out more about our business, please do read the intro on our homepage at reference-tree.com.

London-based entrepreneur Amil Tolia has been named as a regional finalist in The Barclays Business ‘Take One Small Step’ competition.

Amil Tolia, the CEO of the new UK based eTextbook Aggregator, Reference Tree (www.reference-tree.com), is proud to announce that Reference Tree has been named as one of three shortlisted companies in North London to win through to the regional finals of a national competition that aims to reward the ten freshest business ideas up and down the country with a prize of £50,000 to put towards future business growth.

Barclays Business ‘Take One Small Step’ competition has had over 3600 entrants country-wide and Reference Tree’s regional finalist success is already a significant achievement. Over the next month, Reference Tree will be put forward for the public vote via the competition’s own website at https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk.  If you would like to vote for Reference Tree, please use https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/3355.  To vote by text, please send the word TREE to 87222.

Reference Tree is the exciting new resource that delivers electronic textbooks by the chapter.  Designed to address the changing dynamics of study and learning in today’s digital climate, the resource allows students to purchase just the portions of the textbook they require to efficiently complete their coursework.  The Reference Tree approach not only provides the opportunity for students to spread the cost of learning materials to fit in with individual budgets, but also access to the most up-to-date materials available, enhancing their learning potential as they strive to achieve the highest possible grades.  Other features include annotations and collaboration with trusted peers through sharing of notes and comments.

Due to launch in September 2010, Reference Tree has already attracted the interest of key publishers who will deliver their content through the resource in time for the 2010/2011 academic year.  This nomination further confirms the credence and status that the resource has already gained pre-launch and further cements its place as an authoritative future reference site for academic study.

Amil said: “I have always had a keen interest in education, and having been a student myself I know full well the great costs involved when purchasing study material. Reference Tree enables students to gain access to information in a concise and relevant manner, whilst focussing their spend on exactly the material they need.”

“Having started this business alone, I now have a team of people helping to build and maintain an efficient and resourceful online tool. In winning the competition, I would use the funds to further develop our product and expand our digital catalogue. At launch, our initial target is 85,000 students.  We are continuing to look at the most effective ways in which to feed students the required information and relevant excerpts of text. Our goal is to deliver a “smarter” way of learning”.

- Ends -

For further information:

Amil Tolia                        Reference Tree        07786 262577

About Reference Tree

Reference Tree is a digital learning company focused on Higher Education. The Reference Tree service licences academic textbooks to students by the chapter, saving students money and providing a new distribution model for publishers.

About Barclays Business

Barclays Business is the business banking arm of Barclays. It has over 700,000 customers that are a mixture of start ups, sole traders, partnerships and limited companies.

I found this page on Facebook, it had 21,100 fans (far more than many degree related pages), and many of the comments on it were about exam stress, a lack of engagement in subject matter AND most concerningly a view that the degree is lacking in value.

This should be a wake up call for all those who value and care about higher education. It is not a sufficient response to say “Bah Students are never satisfied!” -  and I am sure that there will be those who will remark in this way.

The key, to my mind is to understand what underlies these negative thoughts and rather than brushing them off. To seek to challenge ourselves as providers, supporters and advocates of tertiary education to understand them.

The idea that “We shall build it and they will come” was appropriate previously but in the current and future digital environment where students link up via tools such as friendfeed, facebook and twitter, and have access to more information on courses and universities than institutions could possibly marshall, there is a need to understand the needs of the student body in terms of learning style and engagement.

In no way do we advocate the simplification of subjects, materials or the intellectual challenge which are key reasons why we study what we study. It is our responsibility to understand how technology can be adopted and adapted, not just through the use of Virtual Learning Environments or ejournal platforms, but fundamentally into how courses are designed, presented and assessed.

The approach (and this, to us at Reference Tree, is non-negotiable) must hold the concept of reading for a degree as an intellectual and academic exploration of a subject at its core. Studying the why leads to enhanced understanding and new techniques and approaches, studying the how leads to repetition and perhaps some refinement.

Within the UK Higher Education space there are frustrations, and pages such as this one provide an insight into the thoughts of students about their course as they happen rather than after the fact proxy analysis based on exam results.

Our suggestion is to not only rely on satisfaction surveys or polls but to ask the question “Do we really know the level of engagement of students on their courses?” and answer it through supplementing formal attitudinal research with the less formal, more freeflowing and in many cases more accurate attitude barometers represented by the page above.

While sitting at the table at a very good Mexican fast food joint in Angel, I was munching into their delicious totopos (Tortilla chips with beans, cheese, roasted vegetables, guacamole…) while discussing the fascinating world of Eyes.

Our discussion centred on the importance of continuous learning and education. Although my friend, (and champion and supporter – Thank You!) had just successfully completed a set of qualifying exams she had already started to consider how to continuously up her skills and knowledge levels.

Whilst there are those whose reaction to the completion of professional exams is a big sigh of relief, it’s those whose thirst for knowledge is only partially parched that will go on to lead their field.

So how to quench this thirst?

The thought we had was as follows, to share the knowledge gained with a motivated group of professionals who can all contribute their brain power to investigate and diagnose conditions whilst continuing their professional education. The mechanics of this and the tools needed are everywhere from the required discussion fora to the means to share imagery and run conference calls. All that is required are the motivated professionals whose views of the field go beyond their consulting rooms.

This approach is not just limited to one field…so if you know of any successful models in this vein (sorry) then email us at info@reference-tree.com

To share knowledge is the learn from it, to learn from knowledge to is develop and through developing one can find new avenues and thoughts to further enhance one’s knowledge.

Collaboration, discussion, knowledge sharing = the new continuing professional development.

Reflecting on the last week, I realised that we always, though not consciously, make choices on what levels of information we require and importantly, what levels and quality of information we think­ others need from us.

Whilst speaking and communicating with potential investors, depending on the type (known), risk appetite (unknown but guessable), funding potential (unknown but figure out able) of the investor, we have to make a decision regarding what to say and how to say it. This is where listening to others is absolutely key, for its not the questions they ask, but the way in which the questions are posed which speaks volumes about their prevailing viewpoints.

Its all a learning process, but a key lesson is that one has to listen out for the ‘meta conversation’.

‘Meta conversation’ = The conversation about the conversation.

The ‘meta conversation’ makes itself known through signals and visual clues, rarely is it spoken, it appears through intonation, speed of elocution and volume. Someone you are talking to keeps your gaze for the whole time, speaks clearly and openly? They are engaged…they look around and try to glance at the clock above your head, while batting back incomplete answers to your questions? Time to get to the point or politely walk!

The meta conversation….bear it in mind, for its not what you say but how you say it that influences my belief in you and consequently changes my information requirements.

….would be a lot harder if it was easy

Reference Tree has been growing over the past few weeks and months, and with it I (amil) have been growing too. From a team of 1 we now have about 8 working full/part time on the Reference Tree. Each one has talent and skills beyond what I bring to the party!

Each day is a new challenge and learning experience, (which is good given we are an Education company).

If I got a dollar for each time someone said to me, “running your own company, why would you do something like that?” I would have a few dollars rolling around my pockets. But why do I do something difficult?

Because its the choice I choose to make.

Its your call every time. Do you do the easy thing, not look for the game changing opportunity, continue that work around because thinking of a new way to do it just is too much effort, or do you take the challenge and work to make what you see as the right way happen?

Interestingly – the question arises, if you take the easy way, and the alternative is to try a little harder, do you get to increase your moaning rights?

I bet many a person would get indignant that they can’t increase their moaning rights….let them, just don’t let them see the big yellow ear plugs you are wearing…

Enjoy and relish the challenges for one day you will be challenged no more.

But remember, though the world seems to be going out of its mind, you have yours.

The difference between finding a graduate job and not finding a graduate job can mean either temporary work somewhere, dutifully dulling your mind while something else may come along, or temporary work where you can take an active interest in performing well and then some…

Its with the ‘then some’ that new opportunities might be found…if you keep your head down, clock-in clock-out 9-5 feel free, but if you consider opening your mind to possibility go for it….your new ideas may just jumpstart your new career…

Reference Tree started 2010 well with great strides forward in all aspects of the business. We are working towards preparing for the year the Reference Tree goes live.

Our development team are working away, and we are setting out our marketing plans.

To give you a heads up we will be piloting in April 2010, with our launch in time for the 2010/2011 Academic Year.

As we make progress and sign up our Publisher Partners and make great leaps forward we will keep you updated.

I have just been chatting with friends who are all heading to or are just starting bachelors and masters programmes, and what struck me is the genuine excitement and motivation to go to University to party (of course) but mainly to study their chosen subjects.

These are individuals who have read much wider than school needed them to, worked harder at work (experience) than their peers to be able to truly understand the subject area they are moving into. The passion is tangible and for someone excited about learning their attitudes are inspiring.

But sometimes, when we get to university we lose sight of the core motivations we had to study, but why?

• Is it the partying?
• is it a worry about the financials?
• the intimidation of having to self-manage one’s time, one’s reading and studying?

I think its the latter, as the partying is important, and I think that whether one’s wallet is fully loaded or empty, financials are a constraint (More on this later). The reason its Time, is that it is so easy to miss a reading or a lecture/seminar. Having missed one, perhaps by accident, we give ourselves permission to miss another. The permission can turn into further permission to miss a course. The short term gain of coffee with friends or a lie in is wonderful…the longer term aaarrrgh factor is the mouse, that grows into an aardvark, that grows into the elephant of unread course material combined with looming deadlines in a corner of the room.

So we need to determine how to manage one’s time so that we can read, we can study and party hard too (remember that is really important!).

There is plenty of stuff out there to support learning about time management, some write to do lists on their hands (or write with a biro on a banana), stick notes on walls, or use something like tada lists. I would recommend you invest in either a time management course or work your way through this book, which has excellent tools and techniques for making your time more efficient, effective and more fun.

Next time the choice arises between the lecture or the lie-in, remember bed will be there in an hour…but the opportunity to learn may not.

I have just had a great conversation with a potential publishing partner, the representatives on the phone were interested in the concept and stated that they look forward to seeing it happen as we move forwards. The impressions I obtained, was that there is a belief that this is a good concept.

At this stage, a belief is what one has, but it is through the understanding of the execution that you know what you have is good. To all of the publishing partners who agree with the great people I speak to about the idea, I say thank you for your belief in Reference Tree.

Now begins the fun part, turning that belief into a knowing not just a gut feel “I get it” or “sounds good”, but to make it into a tangible product.

Its time to Make It Happen