Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (12)
Similar to 3 david clover
Similar to 3 david clover (20)
More from TDBaldwin
More from TDBaldwin (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
3 david clover
- 1. LISTEN M25 Annual Conference 2018
- 2. “Listen”: Engaging with hidden or silenced voices and experience David Clover – Head of User Engagement @davidclover
- 3. The University of East London
- 4. Student demographics • Over 12,000 students on campus • Primarily undergraduate (over 80%) and full time • 62% female • High number of mature students (only 41% 18-20; 38% over 30) • Ethnically diverse: 34% Black, 33% White, 21% Asian • 12% declared disability (46% of which dyslexia/learning disability) • Many first generation to attend Higher Education
- 5. UEL Library Services consistently get good feedback…. BUT
- 6. Whose voices are we missing?
- 7. Why does it matter?
- 8. CRITERION 1 – CUSTOMER INSIGHT 1.1 Customer identification 1.1.1 We have an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of our current and potential customer groups based on recent and reliable information. 1.1.2 We have developed customer insight about our customer groups to better understand their needs and preferences. 1.1.3 We make particular efforts to identify hard-to-reach and disadvantaged groups and individuals and have developed our services in response to their specific needs.
- 9. CRITERION 1 – CUSTOMER INSIGHT 1.2 Engagement and consultation 1.2.1 We have a strategy for engaging and involving customers using a range of methods appropriate to the needs of identified customer groups. 1.2.2 We have made the consultation of customers integral to continually improving our service and we advise customers of the results and actions taken. 1.2.3 We regularly review our strategies and opportunities for consulting and engaging with customers to ensure that the methods used are effective and provide reliable and representative results.
- 10. We believe that everyone should have the chance to benefit from higher education if they want to. All students should have equal opportunities to succeed and progress, regardless of their background.
- 11. UEL Corporate Plan Commitment to •Social Mobility •Social Justice •Social Innovation •Social Cohesion
- 13. LISTEN
- 15. Parents and carers “There is no designated area where it is safe to let children that are young out of the pram” “There seems to be no notice or signage that children are allowed” “Glares from onlookers if the child makes the slightest noise”
- 16. Parents and carers Adapted signing in form, removing time limits and offering to fetch books Provided baby changing facilities Created small collections of children’s books
- 19. The Belonging Project “I’m thinking maybe my collection of identities would mean that I prefer to be able to sit on my own rather than constantly being in a group.”
- 20. Questions?
Editor's Notes
- 35 minutes including Q and A
- Context First – a bit about the University of East London UEL is a “New” university – but with roots at turn of the century, when John Passmore Edwards opened the West Ham Technical Institute (and described this as the “peoples university”) Situated in East London… and institutional commitment to serve East London communities Including a Strong commitment to serving local students – East London and Thames gateway, areas of high ethnic diversity and relative deprivation (though moving out of the list of worst areas due to higher incomes), the community has large numbers of young people and is very much a changing and demographically dynamic community UEL has two campuses, one on the edge of the Olympic Park in Stratford and one on the Royal Docks – opposite the City Airport, and a library on each campus
- Measures of user experience such as National Student Surveys or large scale satisfaction surveys present the (usually positive) experience of a homogenised student body, for whom libraries are “a good thing”. UEL Library Services scores well on such measures and informal feedback suggests high levels of satisfaction, and a recognition of responsiveness to student feedback (despite concerns about noise, temperature, adequacy of resources) Last year’s NSS 87.42% a slight dip from previous years 90%
- But whose voices are under-represented, missing or silent? This presentation will discuss the importance of a focus on specific groups of students who may otherwise be marginalised or silenced in user experience measures and how inclusive services that are therefore developed can meet the needs of all students. UEL Library and Learning Services’ customer insight strategy will be discussed as well as an overview of approaches and methods used to gain insight into the needs and behaviours of specific groups of students.
- Customer Service Excellence At UEL we’ve reviewed ideas about customer segmentation as we engaged with the Customer Service Excellence standard. The Customer Service Excellence standard emphasises the importance of having an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of our users, that we have developed insight about our users to better understand their needs and preferences and that we make particular efforts to identify “hard-to-reach and disadvantaged groups and individuals” and have developed our services in response to their particular needs We made a decision to move beyond simplistic groupings such as undergraduate/postgraduate or part-time/fulltime to consider students’ lives and identities outside as well as within the institution and the impact of this on student needs and behaviours in and outside library (physical and digital) spaces. Our thinking about students has expanded to consider more the different needs of students with caring responsibilities; who live or work locally and tend to “study and go” attending classes and essential other activity only on campus; first generation students; mature students (both younger and older mature students); students who want quiet, private space and students who want more group spaces and to see other students participate in study; and in a diverse student body students who identify in different ways by race, ethnicity, religion and sexuality.
- The Customer Service Excellence Standard also emphasises the importance of engaging and involving users, of making consultation with users integral to improving services, and of reviewing how we consult and engage so that methods used are effective and provide reliable and representative results. At UEL this has involved continuing with many of the strong consultation methods we had, but also increasing use of UX methods, of observations, graffiti walls and one to one interviews. We are experimenting with different approaches and being prepared to change approach if we don’t get the results we need. We’re also being more open with our questions – not always seeking answers to specific questions but letting themes and issues emerge from student perspectives. Some approaches have worked better with different groups.
- The Office for Students states: “Educational inequality exists in England. We want to change that. There are certain barriers which have a greater impact on particular groups of students, and limit their chances of success. Data shows gaps in equality of opportunity in success and progression of: students of particular ethnicities disabled students students from areas of low higher education participation, low household income and/or low socioeconomic status mature students. We believe that everyone should have the chance to benefit from higher education if they want to. All students should have equal opportunities to succeed and progress, regardless of their background. Institutional Access and participation plans are intended to set targets and demonstrate how institutions will address these inequalities. For 2019-20 access and participation plans, we consider underrepresented groups of students to include students who share the following particular characteristics where data shows gaps in equality of opportunity in relation to access, success and/or progression: students from areas of low higher education participation, low household income and/or low socioeconomic status students of particular ethnicities mature students disabled students care leavers. In addition, there are groups of students where there is specific evidence that barriers exist that may prevent equality of opportunity. These are also included in our definition of underrepresented groups: carers people estranged from their families people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities refugees people with specific learning difficulties and mental health problems children of military families. There are also students from groups with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 where data is not collected at a national level or there are gaps in disclosure in the current national data, for example in relation to religion and belief and sexual orientation, which currently prevents us from determining whether they are underrepresented at different points of the student lifecycle3 . Where this is the case, we are committed to enhancing our understanding and further developing our approach to access and participation plans if we identify further underrepresentation. We know that LGBT+ students are more likely to experience mental health problems which will affect their academic performance. Even before university, LGBT+ students are also far more likely to be estranged from their families, and achieve poorer GCSE and A-Level grades – as they are more likely to skip school due to bullying. When LGBT+ students also have other characteristics which are underrepresented at university (i.e. a black, gay woman in Engineering), the challenges and barriers that these students face soar even higher. So where are they on the list? Of all the 123 higher education institutions who have published their 2018-19 access agreement, only 8 universities spoke in any detail about the issues these students face, with even fewer reporting plans to address these issues. 39 of 207 (19%) of all higher education and further education institutions referenced LGBT+ students as a commitment to equality and diversity more generally, and through work with their Students’ Unions.
- Our commitment to social mobility ensuring that our students have the opportunity to initiate change in their lives, maximise their potential and attain the educational experience that enables them to succeed in their chosen career, whatever their background Our commitment to social justice ensuring we remain committed to the principles of equality and diversity and that we continue to stand against all forms of discrimination and injustice Our commitment to social innovation working with our communities to deliver applied and sustainable solutions to the societal and environmental challenges that we face Our commitment to social cohesion empowering our students and staff to become ambassadors and active citizens for the long term benefit of their communities
- But more than the requirements of CSE, of the Office for Students or our own corporate plan It matters because it matters! Inclusive services matter because we want to offer the best service to all of our users Inclusive services matter because we want all our users to feel welcome, comfortable and that they belong Inclusive services matter because we want all our users to have as few barriers as possible in their use of our services Inclusive services matter because ever user matters and deserves our attention and for services to meet their needs and circumstances Inclusive services matter because we don’t always get it right
- Inclusive services can’t be developed without listening to, consulting and co-designing with our users (and reviewing) In the remainder of this presentation I want to discuss some of the practical steps we have taken to address what may otherwise be hidden and silenced voices and experiences (if we don’t ask the questions, or don’t ask the right questions)
- Case studies from research undertaken will include looking at students who are parents and carers, students with disabilities and Black and Asian students. Case studies will discuss methods used (both successful and less so), results and actions taken as a result of these insight projects. Initially intended to use focus groups with parents and carers – in recognition that parents and carers time poor moved to use of short very open ended question survey. While we have many positive responses parents also said:
- In response to feedback and suggestions we… And are currently surveying parents and carers again to see what else we need to be doing – so far we’ve heard that we need to do more to publicise this openness
- In thinking about disability we need to be aware and alert to how disability is commonly portrayed even in our own institutions. Representation of students with disability is often of someone who uses a wheelchair, is blind and uses a white cane. Common images are of someone with a “severe” and obviously visible disability. The term disability includes a range of visible and non-visible conditions, some of which may vary in impact, and is inclusive of both physical and mental health conditions. At UEL we started a review of services over summer 2017 Benchmarking against institutions regarded as “best practice” generally Survey of all students Interviews with students with disabilities As a result we have provided staff training: ASD and mental health Coloured overlays Magnifiers Sensus Access Signage Plan More pods Increased recording of library staff sessions Continuing to interview students Assistive technology post – training and scanning what available Scoping font size on older book labels
- Current project – using cognitive mapping and individual interviews to explore ideas of belonging and comfort with specific groups of students Students provide rich and diverse feedback – for example some favouring space where can see other working and stream of activity, some liking quiet and secluded spaces and others describing complex strategies to manage use of space Interestingly many use metaphors of “home” to describe spaces in which they feel a sense of belonging, and many also make explicit reference to the importance of helpful staff
- I want to share the words of one of our interviewees – “a female student of Arab origin, a British national and a Londoner of Muslim faith” studying engineering These cubbis are her favourite space in the library I like the second floor in the library because you have the, I still think its referred to as the Skillzone area, because that is a collective area where people can meet up and there a bit of a noise - and then the other side is like a silent area and you can sit on your own and just focus on your work and I like that balance. I wouldn’t want just one floor of quiet… So you like that ability to move between spaces? Exactly. Which is what I do pretty much every day. So I have a group of friends who like all to work together… And I understand the benefits of group work but I also like to sit on my own, so I like to hop in between. So that is really, really good for me I’m thinking maybe my collection of identities would mean that I prefer to be able to sit on my own rather than constantly being in a group. 20.00 I couldn’t say that confidently. I think it depends. But I would say that I’m less comfortable being in a group of people than someone else with a different identity. So they’d be happy to say, sit in the Skillzone with five or ten people shouting, “my idea’s better than yours”. I’d rather sit down and get on with my work. So, my course is predominantly male, but I basically from the start of my course I have been working on my assignments and stuff and my studies with the females and with a few of the males, but the majority of them I don’t really make any efforts to work with them. They are very rowdy and argumentative. I’m not slating them – they’re just themselves… 22.00 They’re like really loud, they’re not professional whatsoever, they’ll start fighting each other, roughhousing each other, even in the classroom, and that’s not where you’re supposed to be doing it and sometimes they do it in the library and it’s not the place to be doing it either. So I definitely avoid, but if I have to work with those people then it is nice to have my things somewhere else and just go between… What do you like about the cubbis? I like that I – there’s only four, I fight to get one of those – because it’s my own space and I can like, I can basically control it. Now there’s lamps in there, which I’m very happy about. I didn’t suggest it… In the comment folder. I didn’t suggest it, I don’t know why. I never thought about it but those lamps are great, so obviously I can change the lighting as I want and also there’s the things you can close… the sound barriers which you can open and close… For me it’s particularly important if I know I’m going to be spending several hours in the library I’ll use those sound barriers and you know I’ll get a bit more relaxed, I’ll take my layers off, I’ll take this off, as well, my hijab off… to basically to feel like I’m at home, again. And that’s why I use those spaces as well. And obviously there are plugs right there. Because I usually come with a lot of electronics, a laptop, a tablet and my phone.