ASK is a web-based tool developed by Staffordshire University to help first-year undergraduates with their first assignments. It provides 10 steps to guide students through the research and writing process, from recognizing their information need to reviewing their work. The tool was awarded the 2007 CILIP UC&R Innovation Award. Student and faculty feedback showed ASK is useful for time management, learning research skills, and reassurance. Future developments could include more interactivity and personalization through technologies like email alerts, SMS, and integration within the student portal.

1. Welcome
Introduction
Author name
Information Services
Assignment Survival Kit (ASK):
the CILIP UC and R Innovation Award
winner 2007: a practical approach to
information literacy
Julie Adams, Alison Pope and Geoff Walton, Information Servic
17 March 2008

2. Background: What is ASK?
• Web-based tool
• Supports first year undergraduates with first
assignment
• Launched October 2006
• June 2007 – Awarded CILIP UC&R Award for
Innovation

3. Why was ASK developed?
• Contribution to SU’s Widening Participation
agenda
• IL Statement of Good Practice
• IL Project Group
• Deliverable to support IL at Staffordshire
University

4. How was ASK developed?
• Distillation of Big Blue, ACRL, ANZIIL etc, etc.
ACRL
ANZIIL
SCONUL
CILIP
Big
Blue
iskills

5. Developing the structure
• We believe IL ‘models’ provide heuristics or
‘rules-of-thumb’ for supporting learning
• ASK turns these into a thinking skills framework
• Supports the independent learner
• Goes beyond just static web pages or Primary
Courseware: engendering interactivity

6. Steps to becoming Information
Literate (1)
Step 1: Where do I start? (Recognizing the information
need)
Step 2: How do I approach my assignment? (Addressing
the information need)
Step 3: How do I plan my assignment?
Step 4: How do I start my research?
Step 5: How do I find the books I need? (Retrieving the
information required)

7. Steps to becoming Information
Literate (2)
Step 6: How do I find journals?
Step 7: Is there any other material I could use?
Step 8: How do I use my research? (Evaluating the
information critically)
Step 9: How do I write my assignment up? (Adapting the
information, organizing and communicating the
information)
Step 10: Have I done all that is required? (Reviewing the
process)

8. How does it work?
• Helps students make the adaptation to study at
a higher level
• Helps with time management and organisation
• Encourages the use and raises awareness of
the wide range of resources
• http://www.staffs.ac.uk/ask

9. Feedback and usage
Qualitative
• Faculty Director: “We used to offer surgery
sessions where a member of staff took students
through the entire planning process for their
assignments. The resource implications were high
and we eventually were not able to continue with it.
ASK now provides the students with a similar
service - only better, since the software can be
accessed at any time and as often as needed.”

10. Feedback and usage
• Student A: “It is much more than a time management
tool; it explains how to do research as well. I think it is
really useful.”
• Student B: “I’ve used it like a diary.”
• Student C: “I have used it to check that what I’m doing
is along the right lines. I’ve found it really reassuring.”
• Student D:” I have found it useful because it gives me
a start point and an end point.”

11. Feedback and usage
Quantitative
• SiteMeter hit counter was added mid-February 2007
• From mid-February to mid-July 2007 1056 separate
hits
• Peak use in late February and again in mid/late March:
corresponds to assignment construction time
• Used both early morning and in the evening, when
specialised library support staff are unavailable

12. ASK Usage graph
0
50
100
150
200
250
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Week number
Numberofhits
Visits for week Page views for week
Week 1: week ending 16 February
Week 23: week ending 13 July

13. Taking ASK forward
• Development of ASK, including some Web 2.0
technologies
– as a participatory platform e.g. RSS feeds
– introducing personalised communications e.g. alerting
e-mail, SMS messaging
– introducing portal technology to enhance
personalisation
– developing the user interface to create more of a
recognisable identity

14. Improving communication
• ‘Just in time’ reminders through variety of interfaces:
• email, SMS, RSS
• Allow students with different preferences to choose
the medium they prefer
• Reminders sent at key points within the calculated
schedule when students move to specific stages
within the assignment framework

15. Longer term developments
• Envisage that ASK will link to a number of other
Web 2.0 developments within SU
• Videos and videoclips, vodcasts, podcasts and
animated guides.
• Integration into Student Portal
• Contribute to a more holistic learning experience

16. Supporting other assignment tasks
• Creating a poster, making a presentation or
submitting a group portfolio
• Strategic learners
• IL support works best when embedded within the
students’ curriculum
• An intertwined framework approach using ‘hot
topics’ and reflective learning (Bordinaro and
Richardson (2004))

17. Looking to the future
• ASK is providing a service which can be applied in a
number of educational contexts
• Interest from other institutions to make links to the
ASK software: we have applied a Creative Commons
licence
• Winning the CILIP UC and R Award for Innovation
• Funding from Learnhigher/MMU CETL

18. In conclusion
• Harnessing the Web 2.0 bandwagon
• Maintaining the student perspective
• Most good ideas are simple ones
• The real challenge:
• integrating the next generation of technological
advances in a meaningful and user friendly way

19. Welcome
Introduction
Author name
Information Services
Assignment Survival Kit (ASK):
the CILIP UC and R Innovation Award
winner 2007: a practical approach to
information literacy
Julie Adams, Alison Pope and Geoff Walton, Information Servic
17 March 2008