The document discusses ways to improve student feedback at London Met Libraries. It outlines how the libraries currently get feedback through emails, social media, online chat, and surveys. While comments/suggestion boxes and face-to-face feedback work well, the document proposes using the university website, learning management system, text services, and redesigned social media pages to better collect student feedback. It emphasizes training library staff to promote feedback opportunities and consistently record, evaluate, and respond to student input. The goal is to continue using various technologies to communicate with students and improve feedback through staff development.
1. How technology can be used to
improve student feedback at London
Met Libraries
Jay Bharj
Reader Services Manager Interview
28th
January 2014
2. ONTARGET
Presentation summary
• What we currently do at London Met libraries
• What we can do to improve student feedback?
• How we are going to achieve it?
2nd November
3. ONTARGET
How we currently get feedback?
• Email, Phone
• Facebook, Twitter
• Online Chat
• Library enquiries, Quick
Call
• Face to face
• Course Committees
• Comments & suggestions
• Survey results
Attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkuropatwa/3942287764/sizes/o
4. ONTARGET
What has been working well?
•Comments and
suggestions box
•Face to face
•Phone
•Course Committees
Atribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/infocux/9138930735/sizes/l/
5. ONTARGET
How can we improve feedback?
• Study Hub website
• WebLearn
• Students Union
• Text services
• Surveys (NSS, SCONUL)
• Redesign Facebook &
Twitter pages
• Staff training &
development
6. ONTARGET
Key role for Information staff
• Staff have a key role to make students realise
the importance of feedback
• Promote feedback using a range of technology
and traditional material posters, leaflets
• Sharing and communication information
supporting each other in use of technology
• Developing Online Chat
7. ONTARGET
Summary
• Continue to use a variety of
technologies to communicate with
students
• Improve student feedback through
staff development & training to
develop skills and confidence in use
of technology
• Consistent recording, evaluation and
responding to student feedback
This presentation is about how technology can improve student feedback at London Met Libraries. I work at Commercial Road Library, and have been working there for over 18 years. My main role is first line counter supervision which also involves assisting students with their enquires and responding to the feedback received by students and staff.
Benefits of using different types of technology:
Gives users a variety of ways to feedback to us
Keeps users updated in different mediums/formats e.g. online, face2face, formal, informal etc.
Establishes good practice between users and the library
Works towards the aims of the university strategic plan
How we get feedback currently
Facebook and Twitter to share library related news and developments (informal feedback). Technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and email can be used to push out information and share resources but allow users to engage with us and provide feedback on the services being delivered.
Course Committees are normally convened each term to review a set of modules and courses and provide quality assurance. Key staff, including module and course lecturers, attend
these meetings and student input is received via your StARs (formal feedback).
Social media
Social media technologies can be used by librarians and academic staff to communicate with and get feedback from users on the services and facilities provided as well as their learning experience.
Encourages student feedback and assists with the critical thinking and evaluation of our users and enabling us to be responsive to their needs.
However some students are NOT engaging with the library and we need to use different technologies to try and reach them.
Drawbacks of using social media technology:
Very open and anonymous so staff need to mediate responses so that published comments do not breach university code of conduct and IT policies.
Generates spam.
Until recently students left feedback in the comments and suggestions box. A senior member of staff responded to individual users within a set period of time. The form is now online and students get an online response from the Reader Services Manager or Customer Services Manager.
1: Study Hub website: online tools, resources and advice for developing writing, presentation, critical analysis and other academic and study skills, available via the Study Hub, a dedicated CELT website for students: www.londonmet.ac.uk/studyhub Libraries work together more closely with departments such as CELT, STUDENT SERVICES AND ICT
2: WebLearn: WebLearn provides online support for course modules, enabling communication with tutors and other students.
3: Students Union: Students can contact the Students Union about any course, student, pastoral or social issue.: www.londonmetsu.org.uk
4: Text services allows students to text us and we text students about information such as reserved items ready for collection, overdue books and book renewals.
5. Staff training and development: Staff need to be trained to a level where they have the confidence, skill and ability to use the technology provided for students to use. The training and the material needs to be delivered in different formats. Staff need to set time aside each week to practice what they have been taught, Managers need to monitor and test staff skills for example by using the online chat at various different times of the day and weeks to see how enquires are responded to and then staff given feedback on where they need to make improvements.
In libraries, information staff have a key role to make the students realise the importance of managing the information on their spaces.
Online chat is:
Easy to use once staff are trained
Web based
Can be used by anyone
Prompt feedback, with immediate responses
Flexible and extensible
Traceable statistical information
Makes it easy to monitor conversations
Feedback: can improve students learning experience, helps the Library to improve services and resources provided for students
Use of technologies increases student engagement with learning material online
Feedback is a way for the library to support teaching and learning
Helps users to engage with library services
Staff Training and development: is key. It allows opportunities for staff training and development, to give staff to confidence to use a variety of technology while supporting students with enquires.
