This document summarizes the delivery of the new Library and Information Services Management distance learning program at the University of Sheffield. It identifies three critical success factors: 1) high-level institutional support and sufficient resources, 2) robust technologies that staff and students can use, and 3) pedagogical approaches that encourage interactive learning and engagement. It then provides details on the specific technologies used, such as Adobe Connect, and how they were implemented in different courses. Student feedback indicated the importance of preparation, balancing synchronous and asynchronous activities, and having a mixture of resources.

1. Online Learning Case Studies:
Delivering the new LISM (Library
and Information Services
Management) - distance learning
programme
Peter Holdridge: p.g.holdridge@sheffield.ac.uk
Stephen Pinfield: s.pinfield@sheffield.ac.uk
Peter Stordy: peter.stordy@Sheffield.ac.uk

2. • Critical Success Factors (CSF)
• A strategic approach
• Using TEL effectively
• Embedding TEL in pedagogical approaches:
• INF6553: Information Literacy
• INF6502: Academic and
• INF6505: Database Design and Data Management
• Student Inductions
• Summary (lessons learned)
28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield
Session Outline:

3. Critical Success Factors (CSFs):
• 1. Strategies and policies with meaningful high-level
institutional support underpinned by sufficient resourcing
• 2. Robust and functional technologies, and staff and
students who can exploit them
• 3. Pedagogical approaches which encourage
experiential and interactive learning engendering a
sense of engagement and community
28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield

4. Close liaison with CICs and the
central TEL team:
• Ensuring staff were
involved in relevant
training sessions (e.g.
MOLE training)
• Faculty Learning
Technologist training
(Adobe Connect)
• TEL liaison for Adobe
Connect – ensuring
correct access rights
Creation of an ‘in house’TEL team, with a
focussed remit:
• Scheduling / facilitating / timetabling live sessions
(feeds into Administrative support)
• Training and supporting staff
• Other iSchool TEL duties (e.g. Lecture Capture,
resource creation)
28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield
Administrative
policies:
• TEL (initially LISM) working group – regular
meetings and feeds in to…
• TEL added to agenda in Teaching Committee
• Work Assessment Framework (WAF) update to
include TEL teaching / development hours
Systems Development:
• TEL Google Calendar for
timetabling live sessions (very
relevant for INF6502 which
used recordings form Face to
Face sessions)
• Adobe Connect room creation
(each module had its own
teaching room)
• TEL YouTube channel for
video content (mostly used for
module inductions)
“Strategies and
policies with
meaningful high-level
institutional support
underpinned by
sufficient resourcing”

5. 28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield
Staff Training
& Support
• Module Outlines to include TEL methods (for
example if a live session is scheduled)
• Staff training (Connect and MOLE)
• Support provided from iSchool and central TEL
team (e.g. facilitating live sessions)
Student Training & Support
• Contact, contact and more
contact – emails explaining
technology, ‘hands on’ live
induction sessions
• Reinforcing the live
environment (e.g. through using
connect for more than just
teaching – personal tutee meets
etc.)
Synchronous TEL – Adobe Connect:
• Previous experience (Health Informatics
alongside ScHARR)
• Combined Virtual Classroom & ‘Lecture
Capture’ uses
• Best ‘Face to Face’ experience (can ‘see’ tutors
and interact both with audio / video and text
chat)
Asynchronous TEL
• MOLE for programme and
module hub (limited options!)
• Google+ for discussions (the
students ‘chose’ this more than
we enforced it!)
• Media Content (mostly via
MOLE embedded YouTube)
“Robust and functional
technologies, and staff
and students who can
exploit them”

6. 28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield
INF6553: Information Literacy
INF6580: Libraries, Information and Society
Use of Google+ for asynchronous discussion related to
both modules, coursework and the program as a whole
Sheila Webber (INF6553)
Brioni Birdi (INF6580)
INF6502: Academic and
Workplace Library, Information
and Knowledge Services
Sharing of resources
with ‘sister’face-to-face
module (using Echo lecture
capture and Connect
together)
Stephen Pinfield
Student Induction
Use of Adobe Connect for Student Induction on the
LISM programme
Programme Team
INF6505: Database Design and
Data Management
Creative Use of TEL to deliver
technical content (Oracle
Database Design) at a distance
Peter Stordy
“Pedagogical approaches
which encourage
experiential and interactive
learning engendering a
sense of engagement and
community”

7. Embracing Technology
• The programme team had an awareness of relevant technology
• Echo
• Connect
• Google+
• MOLE
• We had a vision of how these would be used and designed
accordingly
• There was always an expectation that students would help us to
evolve the use of technology – to be more relevant to their own
learning situation
• Some technologies and / or approaches worked better than others…
28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield

8. INF6580: Libraries, Information and Society
Google+ Community for both modules
INF6553: Information Literacy
INF6553: Information Literacy
INF6580: Libraries, Information and Society
Use of Google+ for asynchronous discussion
related to both modules, coursework and the
program as a whole
Sheila Webber (INF6553)
Brioni Birdi (INF6580)

9. INF6502: Academic and Workplace Library, Information and Knowledge Services (Distance Learning)
Live Lectures
Pre-recorded Lectures
INF6502: Academic and
Workplace Library,
Information and
Knowledge Services
Sharing of resources
with ‘sister’ face-to-face module
(using Echo lecture capture and
Connect together)
Stephen Pinfield

10. INF6505: Database Design and Data Management
INF6505: Database
Design and Data
Management
Creative Use of TEL to
deliver technical content
(Oracle Database Design)
at a distance
Peter Stordy

11. LISM: Programme Induction (& Y1 Review) Sessions
Student Induction
Use of Adobe Connect for Student Induction on
the LISM programme
Programme Team
Student feedback from the Y1 review…
“I found it useful that Briony (I think it was) wrote how long the videos
were so I could plan in advance”
“I remember expecting more reading on a ‘Stephen week’, but it was
never too much. I think you got the balance pretty spot on.”
“I really liked having guest lecturers, particularly the session from the f2f
students as well (was that the copyright one?)”
“The recorded lectures were very good as I was able to catch up around
work.”
“I think it makes a difference when you can’t see someone's face (clearly)
when they are lecturing”
“It's been a LONG time since I've had that 'end of term' feeling... it
is a joyous feeling indeed!”
LISMInduction…LISMYear1Review…

12. Summary & Lessons Learned
Using the technology
• Staff needed time to adapt (including the technically minded)
• Training and preparation (specifically module design) seemed essential
• There was a distinct need to ‘build’ the technology (timetabling, communication,
teaching hours) into administrative routine
Our Cohort
• From the outset we recognised students on LISM have a strong
professional standing, this had a variety of impacts:
• Chat discussion in Synchronous sessions and Google+ was rich and thought provoking
• Attendance in synchronous sessions, started well, but tailed off into Semester 2
• Mixture of resources seemed to work best (synchronous and asynchronous)
• If you ‘build it’, they won’t necessarily come – attendance and interaction in live
sessions often dictates what is pedagogically possible!...
• …however sometimes they will ‘build it’ them selves (e.g. a private Google+ community
where no staff were allowed!)
28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield

13. Any Questions?
28/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield