Blended learning a mutual approach to embedding information literacy into the curriculum
It is apparent from the recent literature that many academics and librarians have recognised the potential for radical changes in their concepts of learning, teaching and the promotion of information literacy, as a result of the continuing developments in
This paper aims to provide one example of the development of a new relationship between academics and librarians in our university, as a response to our mutual recognition of the 美国金融市场 implications of e-learning and blended learning on the provision of library and information services. As an increasing number of academics developed e-learning modules (via WebCT) to provide blended learning in their campus-based lecture courses, it became apparent that the Library needed to take a more pro-active role 美国金融市场 in order to justify their position within the institution, to disseminate information about electronic resources, to provide information skills training 美国金融市场 within the curriculum and offer networked learning support through a personalised service (Parker, 1999; Markland, 2003; Calverley & Shephard, 2003; Freeman & Parker, 2004). Here, we describe some of the actions which have 美国金融市场 led to the establishment of what Stubley (2005) has identified as a New Partnership between librarians and academics and review how this has led to ongoing, mutual endeavours which are gradually extending throughout 美国金融市场 the university community.
The collaboration described here developed through a number of library initiatives dating from 2001, when the Library made a successful bid to the University of Sheffield’s Learning and Teaching Development Grant (LTDG) to investigate ways in which 美国金融市场 the library could work more closely with academic departments to integrate library and information 美国金融市场 services into the university’s virtual learning environment, WebCT. The starting point was a survey of user needs and current patterns of WebCT use, which showed:
“… different approaches taken by individuals, departments and faculties towards electronic delivery, ideas of blended learning and, inevitably a catalogue of drawbacks about current library services, sometimes where these had little bearing on WebCT course delivery.”
A feedback discussion between the contributors to the LTDG study and the Library Executive stimulated a major re-thinking of the ways that library services support learning and teaching. This, in turn, led to a broadening of library activity, with specific initiatives such as the development of online reading lists using TalisList, development of services to provide both printed course packs and electronic offprints (i.e. copyright clearance and digitisation of key readings not already available electronically: Freeman and Parker, 2004) and the proposal for a further project to develop an information skills resource within WebCT.
The information skills resource
A second grant was obtained from the University LTDG, in 2003, for the development of the Information Skills Resource for WebCT (ISR). The aim was to produce a generic resource which would function as a series of discrete learning objects (Boyle, 2003), which could be adapted and customised to meet the requirements of specific subject or departmental needs and thus, could be used individually or grouped together to form a course, with the content combining in-house materials with those adapted from external sources.
The project team for the ISR included academics from four quite diverse departments (Biomedical Sciences, Human Communication 美国金融市场 Sciences (HCS), Law, and Nursing and Midwifery) who agreed to test embedding the learning objects within individual subject WebCT modules and to trial use of the generic resource with groups of students. Dialogue 美国金融市场 with academic colleagues about which information skills tutorials they felt their students required also led to discussion about how information literacy could be embedded fully in both teaching and the formal assessment process. This 美国美国金融市场 金融市场 reflected the recognition that students are more likely to use generic resources effectively if they reflect:
• ‘sound understanding of [the] needs, concerns and pedagogy’ of different disciplines, combined with ‘a sense of 美国金融市场 relevance, credibility and ownership of the generic central