Developing librarians as teachers to enhance the learner experience. Stubbings, Myhill & Bent
1. SirLearnaLot
Moira Bent – Newcastle University
Jo Myhill – University of Bedfordshire
Ruth Stubbings – Loughborough University
2. Format of morning
• You and teaching – throughout session
• What is SirLearnalot
• How the course was designed
• Piloting SirLearnaLot
• Reflection & way forward
3. SirLearnaLot is:
An online tutorial that aims to promote and
disseminate effective teaching, learning
and assessment of information literacy
It is based on EduLib
4. Partners
Funded by HEA ICS & CILIP CSG IL Group
Partners Authors Tutors
Bedfordshire Moira Bent Moira Bent
Loughborough Debbi Boden Jo Myhill
Newcastle Ginny Franklin Ruth Stubbings
Northamptonshire Chris Powis
Worcester Ruth Stubbings
5. Project management
• funding used for project assistant NOT
authors and project manager
• communication
– one face-2-face meeting
– rest via email & telephone
• project delayed due to:
– personal issues
– work loads
– project assistant getting another post
6. Creation
• written in html
• re-use of existing material, e.g. links to
websites, e.g. YouTube
8. Content
Tools for learning
Information literacy
Learning styles
Planning a learning event
Delivering a learning
Resources to support learning
Assessing your learners
Evaluating your teaching
9. Learning activities
• reading
• analysis
• collaboration through:
– discussion lists
– wiki
• personal reflection:
– learning journal
– case scenarios from own teaching
• creation of teaching & learning materials
12. Participants
Participants in pilot come from a range of
institutions:
– Huddersfield University
– London School of Economics
– Loughborough University
– Newcastle University
– Oxford University
– University of Worcester
– University of Bedfordshire
13. Delivery
18 weeks long (break for Xmas)
–induction
–delivered in online via Moodle
–8 units, plus welcome unit
–time released
–two weeks for each unit
14. Evaluation
• questionnaires
– pre-course
– short after each unit
– post-course
• analysis of:
– discussion forums
– wiki entries
– reflective learning journals
• focus groups
15. How it went
• time
• learning activities
• content
• communicating in a public forum
• motivation & engagement
• librarians as teachers
16. Time
• timing of pilot
• length of each unit
• amount of “stuff to do” in each unit
• dedicating time to study
17. Sound bites - Time
“Fitting in the work for the first module around my
normal workload has been quite a challenge and
it has required more time than I initially thought it
would.”
“Concerned at the amount of time this could take -
working part-time so already limited time wise to
do a job that could incorporate longer hours”
18. Sound bites - Time
“Okay been doing this for about 2 hours - have flicked
through the other activities that need to be done and
finding it a bit daunting.”
“I am beginning to cherry pick some of the
elements of each unit as I am finding it
increasingly hard to devote the time needed to do
the whole lot.” (Halfway through)
19. Sound bites – Time
“I have also been totally overwhelmed by
all the emails that have come into my
box relating to the course - I don't have
time to read a fraction of them so have
ended up deleting all of them so I can
manage my work load better.”
21. Sound bites - Activities
“I just haven't had the time to complete all the
activities - which whilst useful to contribute to
a group wiki were getting a bit samey...”
“I haven't managed to complete all the tasks,
however, as there were so many!”
22. Content
• lots of it
• different delivery formats
• lots to think about
23. Sound bites - content
“I just do not like theory” (unit 3)
“My final thoughts on the module are wow,
that was useful, relevant and really helpful in
planning the session” (unit 4)
“The planning grid method is one that I will be
using again as it helps me to clarify my
thoughts and provide some semblance of
structure”
24. Communicating
• contradictory views
– love the discussion forums
– dislike the discussion forums
• too public
• not confident on sharing ideas /
viewpoints
• didn’t like this style of learning
25. Sound bites - Communication
“Seems limited conversation going on
though...” (March 2010)
“I enjoyed using the discussion forum to hear
and offer a variety of viewpoints ”
“proving to be an excellent source of helpful
tips from other participants”
I think the wiki and the discussion forums would be
useful tools if only more people contributed”
26. Sound bites - Communication
“There is a lot of online/forum discussion
which as I may have mentioned before I find
rather intimidating”
27. Motivation & engagement
• varied hugely
• what’s in it for me?
• do I need this?
• not a high priority
28. Sound bites – Motivation
“I suppose the main problem is, if I'm honest, is
a lot of these things don't interest me. I know I
have to keep up-to-date with my working
environment, but I feel my only strength is the
customer service side of my job and being
one-to-one with the students or delivering
training sessions, not investigating the latest
Wiki account or blogs etc”
30. Sound bites – teachers
“…not being a teacher who contributes to the
university grading process means that I feel
awkward about it. I usually try to make them as
short and painless as possible!”
“This is mainly due to a lack of confidence in talking
about things that i do not fully understand”
“As I don't do that much teaching - that's through
choice due to confidence factor”
31. BUT….
“I really enjoyed the course and really, really hope it
can be rolled out more widely, I think it would be a
very valuable course to undertake.”
“I thought it was an excellent course”
32. What next?
• still undertaking evaluations on the pilot
• identify lessons learnt and reflect!
• how do we develop SirLearnalot?
33. Available from
FREE under Creative Commons
Licence from
http://www.sirlearnalot.org.uk
r.e.stubbings@lboro.ac.uk
jo.myhill@beds.ac.uk
Hinweis der Redaktion
Three flipcharts
Have you done any e-learning
What is your preferred way of learning
Do you see yourself as a teacher?
Have they heard of SirLearnaLot?
AIM:
promote and disseminate effective teaching, learning and assessment
encourage development and exchange of good practice in the evaluation of teaching methods and
raise the profile of pedagogic research in the area of information literacy.
Delivered online, so can be done at own pace, at time that suits
Have they done any e-learning?
PROJECT DETAILS
Funded by HEA ICS & IL group
Partners: University of Newcastle, University of Worcester, Lboro, University of Bedfordshire, University of Northamptonshire – a mixture of university’s with a mixture of students and staff skills.
Didn’t go to plan – way behind and got told off lots by HEA ICS
Reading on page analysing and relating it to our experience
discussion forums for:
each unit
each mentor group
role is to share ideas with peers
Podcast. Learning outcomes, handouts
65% female
77% over the age of 30 (19% between 18 – 30, 31% over the age 0f 40)
38% had worked in libraries between 6 – 10 years
73% had been teaching for between 1 – 5 years
73% felt there understanding of IL was moderate (15% high, 8% low)
69% thought there understanding of pedagogy was moderate (8% high, 19% low)
42% had never taken an online course (42% had occasionally and 12% frequently)
Take lead in designing IL – 27% v. frequently, 35% frequently, 12% occasionally, 23% never
Take lead in delivering small group IL - 19% v. frequently, 46% frequently, 19% occasionally, 12% never
Take lead in delivering large group IL - 12% v. frequently, 19% frequently, 46% occasionally, 15% never
Formally assess - 4% v. frequently, 8% frequently, 27% occasionally, 58% never
INDUCTION - Face to face and virtual induction, dim dim did not always work- not everyone could make it - definitely impinged on motivation.
COURSE- Units released every two weeks, some slippage
LOST people on the way - six officially withdrew, % just didn't participate
engagement with learning activities - too much / too public
motivation to do and therefore dedicate time and energy so it becomes a low profile and slips down the agenda
what's in it for me? lack of formal assessment I think has hindered the learning and engagement, not fully signing up to the concept both in terms of delivery and content. Lack of appreciation of I am a teacher as well as a librarian or willingness to be seen as a teacher
collaborative learning - too much out of the comfort zone for a lot of people
lack of confidence in own abilities - happy to lurk and see what others are doing
Time - possibly started at the wrong time of year, modules probably need to be longer.
engagement with learning activities - too much / too publicmotivation to do and therefore dedicate time and energy so it becomes a low profile and slips down the agendawhat's in it for me? lack of formal assessment I think has hindered the learning and engagement, not fully signing up to the concept both in terms of delivery and content. Lack of appreciation of I am a teacher as well as a librarian or willingness to be seen as a teachercollaborative learning - too much out of the comfort zone for a lot of peoplelack of confidence in own abilities - happy to lurk and see what others are doingTime - possibly started at the wrong time of year, modules probably need to be longer.
Timing of the pilot
Length of the units
Amount of collaborative interaction – forums
Number of tasks
“Okay been doing this for about 2 hours - have flicked through the other activities that need to be done and finding it a bit daunting.”
What is your preferred way of learning
“The planning grid method is one that I will be using again as it helps me to clarify my thoughts and provide some semblance of structure”
engagement with learning activities - too much / too publicmotivation to do and therefore dedicate time and energy so it becomes a low profile and slips down the agendawhat's in it for me? lack of formal assessment I think has hindered the learning and engagement, not fully signing up to the concept both in terms of delivery and content. Lack of appreciation of I am a teacher as well as a librarian or willingness to be seen as a teachercollaborative learning - too much out of the comfort zone for a lot of peoplelack of confidence in own abilities - happy to lurk and see what others are doingTime - possibly started at the wrong time of year, modules probably need to be longer.
engagement with learning activities - too much / too publicmotivation to do and therefore dedicate time and energy so it becomes a low profile and slips down the agendawhat's in it for me? lack of formal assessment I think has hindered the learning and engagement, not fully signing up to the concept both in terms of delivery and content. Lack of appreciation of I am a teacher as well as a librarian or willingness to be seen as a teachercollaborative learning - too much out of the comfort zone for a lot of peoplelack of confidence in own abilities - happy to lurk and see what others are doingTime - possibly started at the wrong time of year, modules probably need to be longer.