Section 2: Activities

Section 2: Activities

2.1 Overview
2.2 Focus group programme
2.3 Research report
2.4 Workshop programme
2.5 Website
2.6 Discussion forum
2.7 Online course
2.8 Evaluation activities
2.9 Publicity and dissemination

2.1 Overview

Phase 1 (September 1995 - August 1996).

NLS "institution reviews" of a cross-section of higher education institutions, comprising, for each institution, a questionnaire survey and focus group discussion.

Literature and Web reviews covering: current practice in NLS; networked learning in the UK and internationally; technologies relevant to NLS.

Development of proposal and plans for Phase 2, based on consultation and feedback from the institution reviews as well as on information from the wider professional community.

Evaluation activities.

Publicity and dissemination.

Phase 2 (September 1996 - May 1998).

Web publication of report on research carried out in Phase 1.

Workshop programme in support of further institution-based review activities and cultural change.

Redesign and continuous development of Web site.

Hosting of on-line discussion forum and "mini-conferences" on NLS practice and issues.

Design and delivery of seventeen-week on-line course on NLS in higher education.

Evaluation activities.

Publicity and dissemination.

2.2 Focus group programme

Each participating institution in Phase 1 was invited to select a local NetLinkS co-ordinator from its library staff. Those selected were, in the main, of subject librarian status or equivalent. The intention was that they would take on liaison and organizational roles with respect to the Project, and play a pivotal role in facilitating debate on NLS from a local perspective and bringing about change in their organizations. It was hoped that members of this group would form the nucleus of a wider professional forum with interest in the development of the NLS role.

A one-day workshop for the co-ordinators was held on 15th November 1995 at the Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield. Twenty-three participant institutions were represented. The workshop aimed: first, to introduce co-ordinators to the scope of the Project; second, to gain preliminary feedback on the NLS involvement and perspectives of co-ordinators and participating institutions, and on what they hoped to gain from involvement in the Project; and, third, to begin to facilitate cross-institutional contacts between co-ordinators.

Following the workshop, nineteen "NLS institution reviews" were carried out by means of a questionnaire survey followed up with a focus group discussion in each institution. Through this process, the Project aimed to gather information about the range of local and cross-sector issues affecting the development of NLS, and to provide a means of awareness-raising at a local level and to stimulate further NLS activity if this was felt to be appropriate.

The questionnaire survey gathered preliminary institution profiling information to feed into the exploration of NLS practice and potential. Focus group sessions also functioned as a means of information-gathering for the Project, and as a means of awareness-raising at a local level. It was hoped that the meetings might be catalysts for further NLS activity in the participating institutions, if this was seen as appropriate. Local co-ordinators, who convened the meetings, were encouraged to invite a cross-disciplinary group of colleagues who were interested, or potentially interested, in NLS, including: library staff, IT staff, academics, and teaching/learning support staff, including for distance learning. Since the development of NLS entails changing perspectives and practice in all these areas and, often, forging new collaborative relationships, the aim was to use the focus group meetings as a vehicle for networking across functional boundaries.

Our objectives for the focus group discussions were thus to:

inform participants about the scope and intended outcomes of the NetLinkS project;

enable exchange of information on current NLS and networked learning activity within the institution;

enable exchange of information and views on local factors affecting implementation of NLS, such as teaching/learning policy and practice, technological and organizational issues, professional roles and skills, and culture change considerations;

brainstorm key enabling and constraining factors perceived to have a likely influence on local development of NLS ;

offer participants a point of departure pursuing further strategic and operational activity in the development of NLS.

The nineteen focus group meetings were held between November 1995 and March 1996. Most participants were library staff, although many groups included representatives of other departments. There were between five and fifteen participants in each group, and the discussions were in some depth, lasting up to three hours. One hundred and ninety one people attended the workshops in total.

Participants in focus group meetings frequently expressed interest in further training and awareness support from the Project, and for opportunities to share information and experience with colleagues involved in NLS from other institutions. Local co-ordinators and their colleagues were kept informed of Project activities by a newsletter and regular e-mail contact with the team, and a discussion list was established in Phase 2. A further number of institutions contacted the Project team at this time, with a request for focus group sessions to be delivered at their institutions.

2.3 Research report

Based on literature reviews and focus group discussions carried out in Phase 1, the NetLinkS research report, published March 1997 on the Project Web site, comprises the following main sections:

Networked learning (snapshot of current practice; pedagogic models; perspectives on change and innovation; developing networked learning)

Information support for networked learning (stakeholder services and staff; converging information and IT support needs; educational role of information support staff)

Networked approaches to information support (snapshot of current practice; developing networked approaches to information support, perspectives on change and innovation)

Developing networked learner support (resourcing and organizing NLS; staff development and training).

The Report's appendices include a review paper on networked learning and a substantial annotated bibliography of current literature on NLS. This resource was updated regularly throughout the rest of the Project and covers literature on: NLS techniques and practicalities, organizational issues, and professional issues.

2.4 Workshop programme

Phase 1 of the Project demonstrated the value of taking a broad cross-disciplinary approach to change in institutions, and focus group meetings appeared to provide a valuable starting point for developing co-ordinated NLS initiatives. In Phase 2 the Project extended this approach to the wider higher education community by providing training for staff interested in co-ordinating institution-based NLS review meetings or associated activities.

The workshop and follow-up conferencing support were piloted in February 1997 with a group of eight staff from higher education libraries in the West Midlands at the University of Central England in Birmingham, in collaboration with the eLib TAPin Project. Feedback was solicited from participants about the value of the workshop and the concept of review meetings as potential triggers for institutional change and innovation with respect to NLS, as well as about the quality of the materials and the value of the on-line conferencing support. Following the pilot evaluation, four further workshops were held. While the initial aim was to hold five, there proved to be insufficient demand for an event in Bristol, and this was consequently cancelled. Workshops were held in March and April 1997 at UCL, London (two workshops), Strathclyde and Sheffield. A total of forty-eight people attended the workshop series, representing thirty-eight institutions and including staff from Information Services/Libraries, IT Services, and Learning Technology Units. A number of senior managers attended.

2.5 Web site: http://netways.shef.ac.uk/

A project Web site was established in December 1995, and by 8th August 1996 it had been visited one thousand, eight hundred and eighty seven times by users from outside the University of Sheffield. The site was substantially redesigned for Phase 2 of the Project, and was established on a new server in December 1997. The content of the site continued to expand during the rest of the Project; for instance, the annotated bibliography and the case base were regularly updated, and a Web-based conferencing system was added. The site was also reviewed in 1998 from a technical perspective, with improvements made to coding and presentation; for instance, links were checked, image files and on-screen images reduced in size, a search facility added, and errors in HTML corrected. The site was finally updated in May 1998 at the close of the Project.

The site comprises four major areas:

"About NetLinkS." General Project documentation, including proposals, Annual Reports and Newsletters.

"Resource Base." NetLinkS Research Report; Current Practice Case Base (examples of NLS drawn from a number of sources, covering on-line enquiry services, information skills training, on-line support for the use of subject resources, distance education, teaching and professional development for librarians, and evaluation of NLS services); NetLinkS publications; conferences and events; eLib projects relating to NLS; mailing lists relating to networked learning and NLS.

"On-line Course." Publicity material relating to the on-line professional development course on NLS.

"Discussion Area." Information on nls-forum discussion list and instructions for joining, archives of the list's mini-conferences, and a "who's who on nls-forum" listing, Conferencing on the Web (COW) facilities.

COW was established on the Web site in the autumn of 1997, with the aim of providing opportunities for users of the site to experiment with asynchronous Web-based conferencing and make use of the system for activities related to NLS. An invitation to use the COW facilities was sent out on nls-forum and appeared in the January newsletter. There were three requests to use the facilities from UK-based HEIs, and the technical element of their use of it was supported by the Project. Feedback from the instigators of these initiatives has been positive. They were:

1. Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh. A lecturer in the Department of Communication and Information Studies used the system for courses on "Computer Assisted Learning" and "Human Factors in Information Management." Fifteen users were registered and the modules ran successfully.

2. Coventry University Library. The system was used to host discussions about the development of NLS in the institution and to interest colleagues in NLS and related issues. Twelve users were registered.

3. Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education. The system was used to facilitate a conference the institution, focusing on change and innovation through the use of learning technology. Forty-three users were registered.

Site traffic was monitored from January 1997 to April 1998. The figures below exclude accesses from Sheffield servers. The sharp increase in accesses in October 1997 coincides with the start of the NetLinkS on-line course.
Figure 1

The resource base accounted for the most visits to the Web site. Figure 2 shows the proportion of hits to different areas of the site.
Figure 2

The UK accounted for almost half of all visits made to the site and the other main source of visitors was North America (Figure 3).
Figure 3

2.6 Discussion forum

A moderated Mailbase discussion list was established in September 1996 to provide a focus for discussion on NLS issues. The list was conceived as the central platform for the development of an on-line community of interest around NLS, and hosted a programme of "mini-conferences" in addition to the more usual open format for unstructured exchange of information and ideas. Membership of the list fluctuated over the period of the Project, but the general trend was an increase in membership over time. The list had nine hundred and twenty-five members in August 1997, and became one of the most highly populated Mailbase lists, due to its international membership, with one thousand and eighty-four members on 2nd March 1998. At that time, the list averaged forty-one messages per month and had five hundred and ninety-one members from the UK.

In its open format, the list was used for exchanging information on technologies and techniques used in the provision of NLS services, pointing to papers and events of interest, and raising organizational and professional development issues related to NLS development. The Project made extensive use of it to make announcements about Project activities and other events and developments relating to NLS.

Six mini-conferences were held, facilitated by invited discussion leaders. Each was widely advertised to attract UK and international learner support professionals from both library and IT backgrounds, as well as teaching staff and other support staff with a potential interest in NLS. All are archived on the Project's Web site.

Sheila Creth, Librarian, University of Iowa: "Reference Services in Cyberspace" (11th-29th November 1996).

Andrew Green, Librarian, University of Swansea: "Organizing NLS: strategies and stratagems" (27th January - 14th February 1997).

Di Booker, Manager of Open Learning Information and Materials Clearing House, Adelaide Institute of TAFE, "The educational role for the library in the networked environment" (19th March - 17th April, 1997).

Bernard Naylor, Librarian, University of Southampton for JUGL 97: "Networked Periodicals and NLS" (2nd June - 20th June 1997).

Walter Scales, Netskills Project Trainer, University of Newcastle: "Teaching The Internet Via The Internet" (5th November - 25th November 1997).

Ann Scholz-Crane, Information Librarian, Rutgers University, USA: "The Web As An Instructional Tool." (26th January - February 13th 1998).

Some mini-conferences were more successful than others, in terms of eliciting participation from list members. Close liaison with discussion leaders in planning initial papers and facilitation approaches was found to be valuable, since none had prior experience of leading this type of on-line discussion. The Project's brief guidelines for discussion leaders are reproduced in Appendix 1.

Towards the close of the project, a message was sent to members of nls-forum to gauge the level of interest in continuation of the programme of mini-conferences and voluntary participation in a group to organize it. Several responses were received from information staff in the UK, USA and Australia who indicated that they would like to see the programme continue and might be willing to give up time to help in organization. However, others felt that without some central funding, even if modest, such an initiative would not be sustainable. One approach was made by a list member from the USA who indicated that a small amount of funding might be available through a committee of the American Libraries Association, and discussions are continuing to explore this possibility. It is worth noting the rapid decline in usage of nls-forum since the end of the Project and the evident need for a stimulus if it to continue as a list known for a high level of valuable discussion and debate.

2.7 Online course

The Project designed a distance-learning, networked professional development course on NLS aimed at library and information staff and other learner support staff with responsibility for developing on-line information skills training and other NLS services for campus-based and distance users of electronic information resources. Based on the research into professional development needs carried out in Phase 1 of the Project, the course aimed to offer an opportunity to gain an overview of current practice and issues in NLS and to provide concrete, practical support for local development needs. The course was planned to accommodate a maximum of forty participants.

A laboratory pilot of the course interface was carried out in July 1997, with the help of a small number of pilot users selected to be representative of the target participant group for the course. The course was widely advertised to all chief librarians of higher education libraries and to all participants in Phase 1 and Phase 2 NetLinkS activities. Forty participants registered initially on the course, from a mix of thirty-six "old" and "new" universities and colleges of higher education. Most were librarians (subject specialists, electronic information officers, etc.) with assistant, senior assistant or subject librarian status. Five were from an IT or A/V background, working in user support services. Seven who registered for the course either never actually embarked on it, or "dropped out" at an early stage; the reason given in all cases was lack of time. The course ran for a period of seventeen weeks between September 1997 and February 1998.

The course aimed to offer participants a framework for exploring key issues, concepts and technologies associated with NLS, as well as for identifying and developing technical and other skills of relevance to individual practice. The course covered:

the emerging educational role of information services in the networked learning environment, and current trends in networked approaches to information support;

current trends in networked learning and the potential of the Internet as an educational environment in terms of available technologies and varying pedagogic models;

directions for networked learner support in local contexts, and organizational issues in developing and managing innovation in this field.

At the same time, the course aimed to enable participants to explore critically the experience of independent and collaborative networked learning and to engage with issues relating to personal skills development in relevant technical, information, communication, collaboration, self-management and "reflection in action" areas.

The most frequent reason given for joining the course was to learn more about the use of the Internet for teaching, learning and information support, particularly in relation to part-time and distance students. The opportunity to gain personal experience of networked learning and teaching was also a strong motivation. Participants highlighted their desire to share experiences with others working in this area and some aimed to improve their technical skills whilst on the course. A few started out with the intention of using the course to help with particular initiatives at work, but most initiated work-based projects during the course itself. Projects varied in complexity and ambition, ranging from the development of online modules for courses on information skills, to more modest initiatives to convert paper-based handouts to an online format. Projects included work on:

General library Web pages

Web pages for distance learners

Conversion of paper-based materials

Creation/planning of online teaching materials for information skills training

Reference/enquiry services using asynchronous or synchronous technologies

On-line guides or awareness raising materials

Many participants indicated that they were working in collaboration with colleagues in their own institutions for their project work and several used the course site as an example of networked learning to demonstrate to colleagues; a few tried out new technologies - MOO (multi-user, object-oriented environment) and CUseeme (desktop video conferencing) - with local colleagues as a result of the course.

Two pairs of course participants collaborated closely with each other, in one case carrying out a joint project and in the other exchanging ideas and help via e-mail. More generally, learning sets (groups) were also used to exchange feedback on project plans and issues; in general on the course there was a high level of exchange of information between participants about their own, and other, developments in their institutions.

Participants had the opportunity to obtain a certificate of participation by presenting a portfolio of work to demonstrate engagement in all aspects of the course (e.g. contributions to on-line group discussions, evidence of reading/research on the topics, completion of topic tasks). At the time of writing, four participants have submitted a portfolio with the aim of gaining a certificate.

More detail about the course model is included in two Supplementary Papers to the print version of this report. Both formative and summative evaluation methods were used to assess the relevance and quality of the course and its impact on initiatives in participants' institutions. The evaluation report is presented as Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 reproduces the post-course questionnaire.

2.8 Evaluation activities

The Project's evaluation plan (Appendix 4) provides an overview of the aims and objectives of our evaluation activities and data collection methods. The Steering Group made a valuable contribution to formative evaluation throughout, and the external evaluator, Ms. Blackie, contributed especially with regard to the workshop programme in Phase 2 and the evaluation of the on-line course. Ms. Blackie also attended the Steering Group meetings to provide input to the overall discussions on the Project and its activities.

The Project carried out the following main evaluation activities:

Participant feedback solicited about introductory workshop and about Phase 1 focus groups, on the form and scope of discussions and the impact of the meetings on awareness and further local activities (see Annual Report, 1995-6).

Feedback solicited from the user community on four aspects of the Project's activity between September 1996 and August 1997: a) workshop programme, b) Web site and resources, c) nls-forum mini-conferences, d) online course design (see Annual Report, 1996-7).

Feedback solicited from Phase 1 co-ordinators to follow up NLS activity and views of the Project's longer-term impact, January 1998 (see Appendix 5 for evaluation report and interview schedule).

Formative and summative evaluation of on-line course (see Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 for evaluation report and questionnaire).

In addition to these core activities, the Project maintained regular team-based review meetings, monitored accesses to the Web site, and received a good deal of informal, unsolicited feedback about the range of the Project's activities.

2.9 Publicity and dissemination

NetLinkS Newsletter. Intended as a periodic update on the Project's activities. Four issues were published on the Project Web site (January, May and September 1997 and January 1988). The newsletter was advertised widely on relevant mailing lists.

International Symposia on Networked Learner Support. The 1st Symposium, which was organized by the Department of Information Studies at the University of Sheffield in June 1996, was attended by over sixty delegates from the UK and beyond, including twenty-five from NetLinkS participant institutions. The Symposium opened with a presentation by the Project, followed by a further nine papers on a variety of NLS issues. Selected papers were published in a special issue of Education for Information on NLS (December 1996). A report on the Symposium was published in the July 1996 on-line issue of Ariadne. The 2nd Symposium was hosted by the Department of Information Studies in Sheffield in June 1997. Over seventy delegates attended, representing institutions from the UK and Europe, Australia, USA and South Africa. Again, the NetLinkS project had a high profile at the event, and a paper was presented on behalf of the Project. Selected papers have been published in a special issue of the International Journal of Electronic Library Research (September, 1997).

Press Coverage and citation. There were references to the Project in the national and practitioner press and in the form of links from other Web sites. An article in the October 1995 Times Higher Education Supplement on the new role of information professionals included a description of the NetLinkS (Hodges, L. "Content with a starring role." THES, 13 October 1995). A letter from the Project Head and Managers was published in the October 1995 issue of the Library Association Record (Vol. 97 (10) p. 532), drawing attention to the Project. The Guardian of Thursday January 30th, 1997 contained a reference to the Project in Jack Schofield's "Netwatch" column. A Project update by Dr. Fowell was published in January 1996 in the first on-line issue of Ariadne and it was mentioned several times in Ariadne subsequently, as well as in other UK academic newsletters such as Heriot-Watt's Internet Resources Newsletter. Links and references from other Web sites include pointers specifically to the Project's annotated bibliography and current practice case base as well as to the Project's home page. The Project has also been cited in a number of practitioner and academic journal articles.

Visitors and enquiries. There have been a number of visitors to the Department of Information Studies to discuss NetLinkS and NLS, both from the UK and abroad. The team has also responded to a wide range of e-mail enquiries about the Project's activities.

Links with other projects. Developments in other e-Lib projects were actively followed, especially those within the Training and Awareness action line, and the Project had a formal link with IMPEL2 through Professor Joan Day, who was a member of the NetLinkS Steering Group. Informally, the project had contact with a number of representatives from other projects. Members of projects such as IMPEL, EduLib and Netskills participated in focus groups at their institutions, and NetLinkS staff participated in workshops offered by Netskills. TAPin used the NetLinkS questionnaire as a basis for part of its own questionnaire design in 1996 and hosted a NetLinkS workshop in January 1997. Project members participated in meetings organized by the Midlands and Yorkshire Networked Information Group (MYNI). Walter Scales from Netskills led a NetLinkS mini-conference on nls-forum in 1997.

Conference presentations. The project responded to numerous invitations to speak at conferences and workshops. These are listed in Appendix 6.

Publications. A range of articles and papers associated with NLS and NetLinkS were published during the life of the Project; they are listed in Appendix 7.

[Contents] [Section 1] [Section 2] [Section 3] [Section 4] [Section 5] [Appendices]

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last updated 12th December 1998