ENABLING THE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION USER IN UK FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION.

1. ENABLING THE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION USER IN UK FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION. Further findings and reflection from the JUBILEE project. http://www.jubileetoolkit.org Graham Coulson, Dr. Linda Banwell, Dr. Alison Pickard, Gayle Haswell and Susan Heaford Information Management Research Institute IMRI Division of Information and Communication Studies School of Informatics, Northumbria University UK

2. JUBILEE JISC User Behaviour in Information seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of Electronic information services • Longitudinal study: • 1999-2004 • Currently in cycle 5 of the project Funded by The Joint Information Systems Committee • Research main aim: • Monitor • Investigate • Evaluate Staff and student use and non-use of Electronic Information Services (EIS) in UK FE and HE

3. JUBILEE JISC User Behaviour in Information seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of Electronic information services • LIDA paper 2002 - Barriers to the use of EIS • Factors discovered: • Accessibility • User proficiency • Training • Integration of EIS in teaching & learning LIDA paper 2004 – Further Findings Research revisited. What has changed since 2002?

4. INCREASED EXPENDITURE ON EIS IN THE UK • Rise of EIS in UK post 16 education market • A 3.6% EIS expenditure increase • £160 million spent 2001-2002 in HE Libraries • Increase mainly dedicated to serials, book spending reduced • 2003 – Expenditure on electronic resources rose ‘by an impressive 14% to £19 million’ (Library Information and Statistics Unit 2003:3) • BUT….. • Further Education still behind HE. • 90% of FE Library budget report that 75% of their budget dedicated to print materials (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals 2003:19)

5. JUBILEE 1999-2003 Type of Educational Establishment Higher Education Further Education Higher and Further Education Totals Type of research In-depth and Revisit In-depth, Pilot and snapshot Action Research No. staff questionnaires collected 395 105 5 505 No. student questionnaires collected 1161 1031 69 2261 No. staff interviews/focus groups held 217 191 32 440 No. student e-mails/interviews/focus groups 34 33 89 156 Totals 1807 1360 195 3362 RESEARCH BACKGROUND

6. Accessing EIS in HE & FE In 2002 at Libraries in the Digital Age JUBILEE said…… ‘Enabling access to information electronically has emerged as a pivotal aim, not only for library and information professionals, but also for academic staff…in an increasingly digital world, access is the key.’ (JUBILEE paper, LIDA 2002)

7. Accessing EIS in HE & FE 2004…….there’s been an improvement! • Reasons for improvement over past two years: • Increased PC provision • Increased off-campus access provision • Increased opening hours • Streamlined authentication procedures • Ongoing evaluation of provision and access policies

8. Accessing EIS in HE & FE HE respondents ‘There are enough access points to EIS’ FE respondents ‘There are enough access points to EIS’

9. Barriers to Accessing EIS in HE & FE In 2002 at Libraries in the Digital Age JUBILEE said…… ‘In both sectors the reliability of networks and the variety of different access procedures to services, particularly governing remote access in the form of passwords and user identifications can [be]…barriers.’ (JUBILEE paper, LIDA 2002)

10. Barriers to Accessing EIS in HE & FE • Existing barriers in 2004: • Multiple passwords still in use across HE and FE • Provision of ATHENS and remote access in FE Colleges are not widespread • However… • In the HE sector there is a more widespread evidence base suggesting that the situation is slowly being resolved: • ‘The issue of passwords used to be a much bigger concern because we had such a proliferation, but that has been streamlined with Athens being used for most things now.’ (HE Library staff)

11. Skills & User Training In 2002 at Libraries in the Digital Age JUBILEE said…… From the JUBILEE research, skill levels would appear to be largely dependent on the individual user rather than being influenced by other factors such as discipline studied, gender, or institution, for example: I think they are fairly aware of it [EIS]…how well they use it is another point…you’ve got some students who know how to use it really well but other students who have got fairly basic knowledge of it’. (HE respondent) (JUBILEE paper, LIDA 2002)

12. Skills & User Training • A remaining challenge…. • Wide variance in user awareness, skills and abilities. Library and academic staff continue to note wide differences in student ability and confidence in the use of EIS. • JUBILEE Cycle 4 (2002-2003) evidence revealed: • HE sample • 8.9 % felt they were beginners • 74.4% had intermediate skills • 16.7% felt they were expert • FE sample • 16% felt they were beginners • 64% had intermediate skills • 19% felt they had expert skills

13. Skills & User Training HE student respondents - I use EIS more than print sources FE student respondents - I use EIS more than print sources

14. Skills & User Training • Students prefer EIS! • In HE and FE, reasons stated for EIS preference included: • ease and speed of access • wider variety of information sources • improved presentation of work • up-to-date information • more reliable information • Cycle 4 (2002-2003) evidence demonstrates: • 74% of HE respondents found it ‘easy’ to find reliable and accurate information • 82% of the FE sample believed the same to be true • Students employ a number of methods for evaluating information

15. Skills & User Training In 2002 at Libraries in the Digital Age JUBILEE said…… ‘Concerns have been voiced from library and academic staff - in both sectors – regarding the ability of users’ to evaluate the information they obtain electronically, particularly as regards the reliability and accuracy of much data retrieved from the Internet: They think it’s all there, and the fact that it comes through the web easily, they confuse it with reliability’. (HE respondent) (JUBILEE paper, LIDA 2002)

16. Skills & User Training • Patterns of user behaviour exist because search engines are: • Familiar • Immediately accessible • Perceived as a quick & easy way to retrieve ‘useful’ information ‘We do get a lot of people who already think that they know about the Internet because they’ve used Google. There’s a kind of expectation that ‘it should all be on the Internet,’ but less awareness that there are some quality issues.’ (HE library staff) • Cut and paste culture of students leads to the issue of plagiarism • Training is still seen as a major issue!

17. Integration of EIS into Courses & Curricula In 2002 at Libraries in the Digital Age JUBILEE said…… ‘Respondents have observed that such user education has been successful when delivered in timetabled sessions, having been developed in partnership between library and academic staff…training in EIS information handling and evaluative/critical skills must be embedded into teaching and learning.’ (JUBILEE paper, LIDA 2002)

18. Integration of EIS into Courses & Curricula • Methods for effective EIS integration and use: • Embed EIS into modules and courses • Academic staff recommendation and awareness raising • Vital that all academic staff are aware and have subject specific training in EIS • JUBILEE evidence - academic staff attitudes to EIS: • Variation of attitudes at the departmental level • Some take a proactive role, recommending useful sources • Across sites examples of innovative incorporation of EIS into courses • But….!

19. Integration of EIS into Courses & Curricula Certain academic & library staff are reluctant to change of working practice: ‘It does come down to the individual. I'm 36 and I've only been in post six years so it's not surprising that I'm embarking on IT training for my students but you know two or three of my colleagues don't even have computers in their offices.’ (FE academic) ‘Staff attitudes have really influenced the fact that information skills sessions aren't sufficiently embedded in yet… there is still some distance to go.’ (HE library staff) • Factors determining staff use of EIS: • Access to a computer • The attitude of staff to IT • Level of IT skills • The requirements to use EIS in the classroom • Time available to learn how to use these resources • Cultural and governmental forces

20. Integration of EIS into Courses & Curricula • Academic staff recommendation of EIS is variable across UK HE & FE institutions but this is changing • JUBILEE Cycle 4 (2002-2003) • Students are increasingly being pointed in the direction of useful EIS by tutors: • 86% of HE students questioned noted that use of EIS is required in some assessed work • 90% felt that lecturers referred to & encouraged use of certain EIS • Over 75% of the FE sample believed that EIS is required in some assessed work • 89% stating that teaching staff referred them to useful EIS

21. Conclusions • JUBILEE reports • JUBILEE dissemination • JUBILEE toolkit • Main areas for development…

22. Areas for Development HE & FE • Accessing EIS: • Facilitate access via multiple media (print; EIS, on/off campus); • Widened opening hours of IT areas; • Continuously evaluated provision and access policies; • Access solutions, including simplified, streamlined authentication procedures. • Library staff at all sites need to continue to raise the awareness of service providers regarding the particular needs of the higher education marketplace, including effective and comparable monitoring statistics for EIS products

23. Areas for Development HE & FE • Skill levels & user training: • Central direction is needed from the university in terms of clearly delineating the specific roles and responsibilities of different departments in relation to the training and development of students’ IT and information literacy, particularly in the sphere of critical and evaluative skills; • EIS training needs of academic staff could be assessed, ensuring that tutors’ needs are supported, and any information passed on to students via their teaching is reliable; • Begin or continue to explore means of unlocking the potential and usefulness of web-based training packages.

24. Areas for Development HE & FE • Integration of EIS into courses & curricula: • Strive to overcome the entrenched attitudes of certain academic staff in relation to the use of EIS • Capitalise on the enthusiasm and goodwill of academics for the use of EIS and IT • Students should be encouraged to recognise the relevance of EIS to the furtherance of their studies, and future careers by both academic and library staff • Increase strategic direction and policy for the embedding of EIS and IT into teaching and learning; • Both academic and library staff should develop/maintain an active role in the use and integration of EIS into new platforms for the delivery of teaching and learning (e.g. VLE)

25. ENABLING THE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION USER IN UK FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION. Further findings and reflection from the JUBILEE project. http://www.jubileetoolkit.org Graham Coulson, Dr. Linda Banwell, Dr. Alison Pickard, Gayle Haswell and Susan Heaford Information Management Research Institute IMRI Division of Information and Communication Studies School of Informatics, Northumbria University UK