skills@library at the university of leeds
DESCRIPTION
Presentation for the academic skills support event at Leeds Metropolitan University June 2012, outlining why and how Skills@Library evolved and looking at the services we provide.TRANSCRIPT
Why? - Blending Academic and Information Literacies
• Universities reacting to fees agenda, employer concerns, changing student attitudes:
–skills acquisition and employability taking a higher priority–definition of graduate attributes
Association of Graduate Recruiters 2010, p.5
“Employers need graduates who are equipped with a range of core work skills as well as academic ability…these competencies…make graduates employable”
Why? - Blending Academic and Information Literacies
• Universities reacting to fees agenda, employer concerns, changing student attitudes:
–curricula reviews to make them fit for purpose and unique:• innovative, global, broad
King’s-Warwick Project 2010, p.9
“the teaching and assessment of student literacies requires greater prioritisation within the curriculum”
Why? - Blending Academic and Information Literacies
• IL is not a discreet set of skills: transferability is vital• Skills development is continuous and ongoing• Close links and overlaps in content• Student-centred with focus on changing needs, esp. in digital
environment
Head and Eisenberg 2010, p.2
.
“the sheer act of just getting started on research assignments and defining a research inquiry was overwhelming for students”
Why? - Blending Academic and Information Literacies
• Embedding of both is critical (working with Faculties)• Division can be confusing to staff and students in practical terms
Peacock 2011, p.2
“This blended model allows intelligent connections across the planning, resourcing and implementation of student-facing support, and places the onus for service and support sensemaking on the institution rather than the student.”
Curriculum review at Leeds University
Core of all programmes:• Research-
based learning
Core threads in the curriculum:• Employabili
ty• Global &
cultural insight
• Ethics & responsibility
Providing wider opportunities within the curriculum:• 10
broadening strands
Bringing together Leeds experience, including extra-curricula:• 19 Leeds
for Life skills
Changes at Leeds University Library
Bring skills strategy and delivery together and address overlaps• S
trategy – Structure - Delivery
Strategy, Structure & Delivery
Strategy: for Academic Skills, to replace the IL Strategy
Structure: teams and roles
Delivery: changes needed to deliver the strategy
Academic Skills Strategy
Leeds University Library 2010 Academic Skills Strategy
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/library-academic-skills-strategy
“The aim is that by 2015 all Faculty Team Librarians will be able to deliver the full range of academic skills, with the exception of Maths support. The Skills@Library Team will provide strategic direction and a high level of support to both Faculty Team Librarians and academic staff for this, particularly in the area of learning technologies”
What? Academic Skills Strategy
• Central team leads AS activities• FTLs deliver AS in curriculum• Work with academic staff and provide support for them• IL is part of a broader set of academic skills:
“Academic skills are those generic and transferable skills which underpin the learning development of undergraduate and taught postgraduate students in higher education, enabling them to be confident, independent critical thinkers and reflective learners.”
Why this approach?
Integrated IL / AS supportStudent-centred service
Developmental, positive approachEmbedded, subject-specific
Collaborative: our teams with academic schoolsRetains a single point of contact for schools
Fits into University curriculum initiatives
Who? - StructureLearning & Research Support
Skills Team Faculty Team – Arts & Social Sciences
Faculty Team – Science & Engineering
Faculty Team - Health
Customer Services
Skills@Library
Leeds University Library Organisational Chart
Skills@Library
Skills Team : generic support
Workshops
Website & e-learning
1 to 1 support
Faculty Teams: subject supportIn-curriculum
teaching
Subject-specific e-learning
1 to 1 support
Who? - Structure
How? – Service delivery: initial steps
- Consultation re in-curriculum
teaching- Improved
support through Lecturer
webpages, ULTA & staff workshops
- Expand e-learning tutorials- Retain generic
workshop programme- Survey of
needs
Involving staff: Involving students:
How? – Service delivery case studies
1. Using or adapting generic online resources to support / replace face-to-face teaching
2. Working closely with academic staff to develop a package of support which they help deliver
3. Providing support for staff to deliver academic skills themselves
Using generic online resources
• Library Guide has replaced long face-to-face induction sessions: used nearly 3,000 times in 2 weeks
• Harvard tutorial used over 10,000 in 5 months!
Adapting generic online resources
Rethinking support for distance-learners and final year projects / dissertations
In-curriculum teaching
Face-to-face teaching & online support via VLE provided jointly.
AS Officer inputs initially then hands-over to FTL and academic staff.
Faculty Team
Librarian
Academic Staff in a School
Academic Skills
Officer
Support for academic staff
• Lecturer webpages: generic teaching materials (lesson plans, powerpoints, activities)
–Used by librarians and academics
• Workshops–ULTA (University Teaching Award)–Generic: open to any staff member
What next?Define clearly skills / competencies supported at different levels
Continue to identify gaps in our provision
Devise measures to monitor progress
Review subject librarian role
Questions / comments
Helen Howard
Skills@Library
University of Leeds
0113 3434983
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills
@helhoward
References
• Association of Graduate Recruiters. 2010. Talent, opportunity, prosperity. A manifesto for graduate recruitment : http://www.agr.org.uk/Content/AGR-A-manifesto-for-graduaterecruitment
• Head, A. J. and Eisenberg, M.B. 2010. Truth be told: how college students evaluate and use information in the digital age. Project information literacy progress report: http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_Fall2010_Survey_FullReport1.pdf
• Howard, H. 2012. Looking to the future: Developing an academic skills strategy to ensure information literacy thrives in a changing higher education world. Journal of information literacy, 6(1), pp. 72-81. http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/LLC-V6-I1-2012-2
• King’s-Warwick Project. 2010. Creating a 21st century curriculum: http://kingslearning.info/kwp/attachments/134_KWP%20-%20Creating%20a%2021st%20Century%20Curriculum%20-%20summary%20report.pdf
• Peacock, Judith A. (2011) Integrated literacies : every online player wins a prize. In Proceedings of 15th Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Information Online Conference, ALIA, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, NSW. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/41370/
• Thornes, S. L. 2012. Creating an online tutorial to support information literacy and academic skills development. Journal of information literacy, 6(1), pp. 82-95. http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/LLC-V6-I1-2012-3