1. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
how distance shapes the use of
online resources
Colin Bates
TALIS Insight Asia Pacific 2018
The Tyranny of Lists

2. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Quick definition – Reading Lists

3. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Reading lists are a variously;
• Important
• Constant
• Good
• Bad
Or a necessary evil…
Overview

4. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Library
• Inherited a basic
library collection
• 30 odd staff
• No research strength
• Collections and
resources were scant
Established in April 1977
• Merger of Gordon
Institute and Geelong
Teachers College
• Based at Waurn Ponds
in Geelong
• Early cohort of distance
education students
Quick history – Deakin University

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• Limited resources meant
reliance on set readings and
books of readings for units
• This helped distance students
be self-reliant
Use of readings and lists in a new university

6. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Readers were a long standing option for academics

7. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Readers included;
• Journal articles
• Book chapters
• News items

8. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Readers alone were not enough
Supplemental services included:
• Library delivery service
• Subject requests
• Photocopies
• Books
• Reserve collection based on unit reading lists
• Phone support
Library support in the early days

9. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Supporting distance students effectively required
vision
• Foundation UL Margaret Cameron’s approach
• Free library delivery service
• Fewest possible barriers to students
• No fines
• Dedicated unit to support distance students
• Easy reciprocal borrowing
The tyranny of distance

10. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Pros and cons of developing autonomous learners
versus spoon feeding students
Reading Lists – the good, the bad, and the ugly – a philosophical
debate
• A guide to essential discipline reading
• Starting point for further reading
• Value added and curated guide by academics
• Survival strategy for large units
• Lazy teaching….
• However, they have been a mainstay approach for a long time and are
still widely used
• Different pedagogical outcomes can be achieved with or without lists

11. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
‘Reading lists: a study of tutor and student perceptions, expectations and realities’
Peter Stokes & Lindsey Martin
Studies in Higher Education Vol. 33, Iss. 2, 2008
“Reading lists offer a support and indication for the
student learner. Typically, there is a greater
expectation of support and direction in the first year
of a programme than in the third year. By this latter
stage of a degree it is anticipated that a student will
have a more developed set of skills. This, in turn,
engenders a different interaction around the
reading list between the student, tutor and
academic support services. ”

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Print environment
• Closed and open Reserve
collections – Thousands of
items
• Huge staff and
administrative overheads
• Demand for print
photocopies, course packs,
books of readings
Reserve Collection Loans
• 1995 = 105,000
• 2000 = 40,000
• 2016 = 12,000
Reality of supporting Reading Lists in libraries

13. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Online or Cloud
environment
• Closed and open Reserve
still exit, but very small
• Short term print loans on the
shelves
• eBooks and eJournals are
the norm and preferred
• Reading Lists
Online Reading Lists –
• 2014 = 424
• 2017 = 2,168
Online items in lists
• 2014 = 9,088
• 2017 = 55,559
Reality of supporting Reading Lists in libraries

14. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Digital content and
enhanced technologies
• Growth in new digital content and backsets
• Licensed data
• Web environment
• Mobile platforms
• Smart phones
• 24/7 Flexible delivery
Online Renaissance
- tyranny overthrown?

15. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
• 2012 was the last
year printed
readings were
produced within the
University.
• Readings and lists
have existed in the
LMS or
“CloudDeakin” ever
since
• Conscious and active development of
the Cloud Campus concept
• Cloud students make up our second
largest ‘campus’
• Re-invigoration of
Deakin’s place as a
provider of tertiary
education to
students located
remotely
• Emphasis on LMS
content that was
applicable to
students in a unit
taught both on and
off campus
Online teaching and learning at Deakin

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• Structures the online
delivery of our readings
• Allows for a range of
academic needs
• Integrates with our LMS
– CloudDeakin
Talis Aspire Reading Lists

17. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
New initiatives
• Profiled delivery of lists
• Further integration of lists and readings in
learning environments
• Intelligent Learning Assistants
Where to next?

18. Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsRPuU53E74&feature=youtu.be

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Questions?
Are our existing systems and
processes positioned to:
• Interface widely
• Deliver required content
• Be personalised
as effectively as they need to be
for 2020 on?