Enhancing our RLMS in response to local feedback Presentation by Gary Brewerton Based upon research undertaken by Ginny Franklin, Graham Walton and others

Setting the scene  We’ve had our own online reading list system at Loughborough for almost thirteen years  In February 2011 we undertook a survey of student reading habits  We had 1,106 responses which is significantly higher than usual for our surveys  In May 2011 we undertook a survey of academic staff on their views of academic reading  We had 81 responses to this survey

Student views on reading lists  Students were asked to rate various aspects of reading lists:  95% were satisfied with the comprehensiveness of reading lists  88% were satisfied with the availability of material on reading lists  84% were satisfied with the tutor’s guidance regarding reading lists  We also got 1,017 free text comments

Academic views on reading lists  Academics were asked to agree or disagree with various statements  95% agreed that reading lists are to extend students’ knowledge of lecture topics  80% agreed that reading lists are to help stimulate students to read  59% agreed that reading lists helped improve student engagement  We also got 39 free text comments

Analysing the free text comments  The comments across the two surveys break down into eight broad areas:  Purpose  Importance  Visibility  Content  Currency  Guidance  Length  Availability of material

Purpose of reading lists  Student comments:  “The reading lists seem to be very helpful, a lot of the stuff in some of the books help me understand what has been gone over in lectures”  “Used mainly for getting information that was not available in the lecture notes“  Academic comments:  “I get the feeling students think a reading list is what they should read, but I prefer to think of it as a guide to further reading and I expect students to also seek their own”  "as a source of reference in their career after completing their studies”

What we did about purpose  Recognise that reading lists have different purposes which will influence their content, structure and size  Continue to allow academics to structure their reading lists to best suit their subject and teaching rather than impose an institutional style  Suggest academics include a statement about the intended purpose at the top of their reading list(s)

Importance of reading lists  Student comments:  “The reading list motivated [me] to read and have increased my knowledge”  “Very helpful, without them I would struggle”  Academic comments:  “Nowadays students are too much focused on hand-outs and lecture notes”  “One of my modules is orientated towards energy/environmental policy and for this I strongly encourage the use of internet searches for relevant material using keywords”

What we did about importance  Revised institutional policies  E-Learning policy now states each module must have an online reading list  In some cases there may be a good reason why there isn’t an actual reading list  If so put a note stating this reason on the online system  Promote the importance of reading lists to academics at every chance we get  Illustrated with comments taken from the survey

Visibility of reading lists  Student comments:  “Very helpful, although I think there should be more emphasis placed on them by tutors/lecturers, as they can often be forgotten about or overlooked”  “Don't know about reading lists?”  Academic comments:  “My impression is that students essentially ignore them, even though I point out relevant chapters in the lecture”  “The reading list itself is not enough to stimulate reading, unless the student is already motivated. To motivate reading I use other approaches usually tied to marking”

What we did about visibility  Ensured there are prominent links to reading lists  Virtual Learning Environment  Library catalogue  Student Portal  Library website  Made our online reading lists mobile friendly  Emphasise to academics the importance of referring to reading lists in lectures and seminars

Content of reading lists  Student comments:  “The more books that are on it, the easier it can be to overcome any problems you may be having as each book will explain the topic differently”  “lists are too in depth and almost take you away from the limits of the modules”  Academic comment:  “it would be helpful to hear about any mismatch between lecturers’ and students’ expectations about reading lists. A digest of library loan statistics for my modules would be informative as well so I can see which of the books are actually borrowed”

What we did about content  Allow students to like/dislike items on reading lists  Provide feedback to academics on their reading lists via a dashboard  Usage of reading lists  What items students like/dislike  Related borrowing from the Library  Developing suggestions for inclusion on reading lists

Currency of reading lists  Student comments:  “Due to the rapidly changing nature of the subject, the Lectures reading lists are often out dated”  “I find it helpful when they are updated with the latest books”  “They are okay but need to be updated on a more regular basis to make them more relevant”

Currency of reading lists Data collected December 2012

What we did about currency  academics before the start of every semester to ask them to check their reading lists are up to date  Considering adding the date last updated/checked to the bottom of each reading list

Guidance on reading lists  Student comments:  “there should be more emphasis on what is required reading and what is optional reading, which books we should buy etc.”  “Most of the reading lists just state which books are on them. If they provided a brief explanation of the contents of the book or why they were on the list, it would be a lot easier to tell if anything on the list would be helpful at the time”  Academic comments:  “Provide annotations on the readings”  “I divide the module readings into separate shorter lists focussed by topic”

What we did about guidance  Made item importance (e.g. key, additional, etc.) more prominent to both students and academics on the online reading lists  Identify and promote best practice to academics  Discussed as part of training sessions  Included examples in support material (rather than just provide instructions on how to add a note say why you might want to add a note and give examples)

Length of reading lists  Student comments:  “Brief & to the point”  “long lists can be daunting!”  “In the end the reading list itself looks too challenging. Often lists can contain over 20 books per lecture!”  “They often are much longer than necessary”  “Helpful, but the list loses value when it becomes very long, with no clear indication of what book is good for which sub-topics”

Length of reading lists Engineering Science Arts and Social Sciences Average lengthMaximum length 1479

What we did about length  Not actually reduced the size of lists but tried to make them seem smaller  Introduced collapsible sections to online reading lists to allow users to focus only on what is relevant to them  Worked with (some) academics to revise the content and style of their lists including use of sub-lists

Availability of material  Student comments:  “Helpful, but often list too many books that either are too expensive to buy or get taken out by others students from the library”  “I would like to see all of the books on the reading list available as an e-book”  Academic comment:  “The library could help me a lot if it chose to by helping me check the validity of the range of reading I give on the lists, monitoring the publications market and, given my interest area, liaise with publishers over approval copies. Not your job? Probably not but it would help me deliver a better quality academic product”

What we did about availability  Lobbied University for additional funds to purchase texts on reading lists (particularly in light of increased tuition fees)  They gave us a one off sum of £56,000  Developed a purchase predictor  Initial purchase suggestions based upon student numbers  Revise downwards after considering library stock levels and loan activity  Keep purchasing suggestions under available budget

Conclusions  Surveying your students and academic staff about reading lists can provide valuable insight  Criticism can be a useful driver for development  There is clearly no one correct style of reading list that is suitable for all  No matter how much you think you’ve already done regarding reading lists there’s anyways more you can do!

Acknowledgments  Survey of student reading habits  Lee Barnett, Helen Halbert, Esther Healey, Ruth Kinna, Steph McKeating, Alice Swinscoe and Graham Walton  Survey of academic staff on their views of academic reading  Ginny Franklin  Development of LORLS  Jason Cooper and Jon Knight