Building literacy: the relationship between academic literacy, emerging pedagogies and library design

This paper will consider how the design of library buildings contributes to a complex and evolving range of academic literacies and emerging pedagogical frameworks. The paper will also consider the contribution these literacies make to the experience of students reading for a degree in an increasingly digital environment. To acquire academic literacy students need library buildings that take account of “what the student does” (Biggs 2007) and changing learning styles. Equally as academic staff develop innovative e-learning activities, library spaces need to accommodate new learning opportunities

Editors’ Introduction

When we commissioned the authors to write for our book we anticipated that these practitioners, operating at the forefront of their respective fields, would stimulate and provoke debate about academic libraries now and in the future. When we read the chapters as they were delivered we were not disappointed. We hope the reader will be struck by two seemingly disparate aspects of their content. On the one hand each chapter is highly individual, not only in style and content, but also in approach and reflection. On the other hand common themes emerge: notably the opportunity afforded by technology (especially mobile technology), the importance of training and development for library staff, and evaluation, as well as the interdependence of teaching and research and the role technology plays in bringing these even closer together. To focus these synergies and differences we decided to use word clouds to introduce each chapter. As we ran each chapter through Wordle[1] we saw themes and patterns emerging; we hope that readers of the book will find this a useful and stimulating contribution to each chapter and the book as a whole. A word cloud for the entire book has been created for the cover, demonstrating in a very graphic way the breadth and depth of the content

Small Changes - Big Difference: Bournemouth University Library and its learning community

The design of The Sir Michael Cobham Library at Bournemouth University (BU) represents an holistic approach to meeting student expectations. This paper will consider how the latest innovations in Library design are shaped by technology and learning. Parallels will be drawn with the libraries of the ancient world, printing revolution of the fifteenth century and their impact on learning. Best practice was used in the design of BU Library and continues to inform enhancements to the learning space. The big differences made by small changes are discussed; especially the changes in the boundary between group social and silent study space to ensure that library buildings are still seen as relevant in an increasingly digital world. The student experience at BU is enhanced by innovative pedagogical frameworks that bring together learning activities and academically- led quality e-resources within the unit of study. In this environment the JISC (2007) description of ICT “fading into the foreground” becomes a reality as students embrace new technologies and own the library space in which they are available

Ways to engage widening participation students

Widening Participation (WP) covers so-called “non-traditional” students from diverse backgrounds who are being encouraged to consider further and higher education. This paper seeks to show that by identifying the learning issues of two different groups of WP students it is possible to find better ways of responding to their needs. Without this understanding we are relying on 'what the teacher does' rather than 'what the student does' within the learning environment and thus failing to engage the student fully (Biggs 1999). In the absence of engagement, information skills work cannot be embedded or integrated, and is thus perceived to be unconnected with study, work or professional practice. It is seen as a means to an end only; i.e. encouraging a surface learning approach (Marton and Saljo 1984). It can also be counter-productive as students who are not engaged can display negative behaviour, be disruptive and spoil the group dynamic. At a surface level there can be little real engagement for the student, no matter how well sessions are planned or how good the content. Students' prior and present learning experiences affect their perceptions and expectations and can be associated with the three barriers to learning as identified by Cross (1981) and cited by Merrill et al. (2000). Within new situations these perceptions and barriers can have a significant influence on learning approaches and styles (Prosser and Trigwell, 1999). WP students from FE or a professional background, are likely to have more varied learning experiences than traditional students. To understand this relationship and determine how students perceive their situation is a further step towards developing appropriate learning and teaching contexts for successful engagement and deeper learning

Characteristics of a Troubled Development Project: The Defense Travel System

The Department of Defense (DoD) is attempting to cut travel costs through a new system, the Defense Travel System (DTS). The system is currently well behind schedule and lacking in promised functionality. DTS has not implemented essential project management practices. It was developed without the requirements, cost, performance and schedule documents, and analyses needed to assess system effectiveness and ROI. The DTS project has failed to keep pace with current technology, which is evidence of failure to implement effective software processes. DoD is piloting five-year-old technology and paying to modify it. There are features in the original solicitation that are no longer required by DoD personnel, although they are still paying for the features. Full deployment of the DTS is not expected until FY 2006. This paper reviews the process that DTS has followed for development, the missed timelines, the problems that DTS encountered, and how the problems could have been avoided

The Impact of E-Resources at Bournemouth University 2004/2006

Action research is being used to survey the impact of electronic resources on the learning and teaching community of Bournemouth University. Results from one Academic School were compared the following year with the results from two other Schools. These results show how the use of, and enthusiasm for, electronic resources is widespread amongst students and staff

Collaboration between Librarians and Learning Technologists to enhance the learning of health sciences students.

Collaboration between Librarians and Learning Technologists at Bournemouth University (BU) has been stimulated and cemented by Pathfinder funding from the Higher Education Academy. This paper will consider four case studies collected as part of the eRes Project that describe the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the School of Health and Social Care at BU. The project aimed to enhance the student learning experience in an increasingly electronic environment. This was achieved by developing and disseminating innovative pedagogical frameworks, bringing together learning activities and academically led quality e-resources within the unit of study. An e-reading strategy which encompasses models for resource discovery and e-literacy was developed, drawing on the experiences and findings of the case studies. Issues considered in this paper will include accessing academic electronic reading materials and using a social bookmarking tool integrated within BU’s virtual learning environment with students studying away from the main campus. Additionally the paper will consider how technology can be used to motivate students, especially in large groups and how it can be used to engage students with a subject perceived as “dry” or “difficult”. The rich possibilities of health science materials can be exploited more fully using new technologies embedded within the curriculum