Electronic information resource use: Implications for teaching and library staff

Traditionally, guidance from teaching staff to students on the use of information sources has taken the form of reading lists containing a mix of books and journal articles, and the assumption is that information specialists within the library will provide whatever additional help is needed to access these resources. Given the rapidly increasing availability of electronic sources of information, and changes in the learning and teaching environment, such an approach can no longer be regarded as appropriate. This paper addresses the issue of the best way of helping students make effective use of electronic information resources, thereby developing their information‐gathering skills. Reference is made to the lessons learned from undertaking a small action research project in this field. Consideration is also given to a number of broader, more contextual issues, such as the ongoing shift towards more independent learning by students and changing relationships between teaching staff and information specialists. We conclude that more research is urgently needed if ways are to be found of ensuring that students maximize the potential of electronic information resources, and argue that there should be greater collaboration between teaching staff and information specialists, and that their roles and responsibilities in providing appropriate support and in assessing the information‐gathering skills of students need to be redefined

From videocassette to video stream: Issues involved in re‐purposing an existing educational video

Conventional video recordings can be converted into video streams but the process can be complex and problematic. The authors’ experience of re‐purposing an existing video, Back Care for Health Professionals, for streaming is used to illustrate what was involved and to highlight the important issues. Financial, legal, technical and pedagogic issues are examined

Accessing and engaging with video streams for educational purposes: experiences, issues and concerns

Video streaming has the potential to offer tutors a more flexible and accessible means of incorporating moving images into learning resources for their students than conventional video. Consideration is given to this assertion by drawing upon the experiences of staff and evidence from students at the University of Southampton in the use of a video, Back Care for Health Professionals, before and after it was streamed. The resulting case study highlights various issues and concerns, both logistical and pedagogic. These include ease of access, the form and frequency of guidance with respect to technical matters, the use of multiple channels of communication to convey key messages about the availability and value of the video, and the provision of demonstrations or 'tasters'. In other words, what some might regard as the 'softer' aspects of technological developments should receive at least as much attention as the 'harder'

Faith and good works: congregationalism in Edwardian Hampshire 1901-1914

Congregationalists were a major presence in the ecclesiastical landscape of Edwardian Hampshire. With a number of churches in the major urban centres of Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, and places of worship in most market towns and many villages they were much in evidence and their activities received extensive coverage in the local press. Their leaders, both clerical and lay, were often prominent figures in the local community as they sought to give expression to their Evangelical convictions tempered with a strong social conscience. From what they had to say about Congregational leadership, identity, doctrine and relations with the wider world and indeed their relative silence on the issue of gender relations, something of the essence of Edwardian Congregationalism emerges. In their discourses various tensions were to the fore, including those between faith and good works; the spiritual and secular impulses at the heart of the institutional principle; and the conflicting priorities of churches and society at large. These reflect the restlessness of the period and point to a possible 'turning of the tide'. They also call into question the suitability of constructs such as 'faith in crisis' or 'faith society' to characterise the church history of the Edwardian era

What’s wrong with instrumental learning? The case of business and management

Explores the nature and symptoms of instrumental attitudes to learning in higher education and the relationship between instrumental and expressive learning. Examines some of the causes of student instrumentality, particularly with respect to business and management, including the increasing emphasis on higher education’s contribution to economic reproduction; instrumental attitudes among tutors, with learner support being seen as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself; and an over-reliance on didactic methods of teaching. Suggests some remedies, such as giving due recognition to the affective dimension of education; using research to stimulate teaching; and the adoption of more creative approaches to learner support

Environmental citizenship

Exercise looking at climate change and our impact on the environment. There are tasks focusing on ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and the work of environmental campaign groups. Includes links to related websites and carbon calculators and suggestions for teachers on using this resource.

Global citizenship

Exercise looking at global citizenship. There is an introduction to the topic providing various definitions of the term 'global citizenship' along with a number of tasks examining the theoretical ideas and academic debates surrounding the concepts of globalisation and citizenship. Includes presentations, video clips, related web links and suggestions for teachers on how this resource could be used.

Measuring citizenship

Exercise looking at the attitudes and behaviours associated with citizenship. The introduction highlights three key works on the subject. There are tasks looking at composing a survey to investigate whether people in the UK act as good citizens and challenging the learners to assess how they measure up as citizens. The resource includes video clips and suggestions for teachers on how the resource could be used.

Gendering citizenship

Exercise looking at gender inequality. The introduction considers the attitudes of philosophers, such as Hobbes and Aristotle, towards women and outlines the work of various feminist philosophers. There are sections on women in the workplace and women in positions of power. The exercise has web links, audio clips and suggestions for teachers on how this resource could be used.